A brass balance scale holds a gold coin in one pan and a curved metal claw in the other.

Original artwork, not a still

John Kenneth Galbraith

Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under communism, it’s just the opposite.

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

The speaker offers a neat joke about two economic systems. Each is said to involve one person exploiting another, and the second is presented as merely the mirror image of the first. The wit is a cynical suggestion that changing the system may only change who holds the advantage.

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