My cousin just told me capitalism was so great, (while I have a more sinister theory about capitalism and why Karl Marx was right in some areas)

Third world countries entered the race late. And they did so on hugely unequal grounds. Many were previously colonies of western powers, stripped and exploited of all their natural resources.

When you come to the party late, you get the crumbs. Of course you look different from those in suits and ties and you are in tatters. What more, you also sound different trying to speak in their tongue. If they don't laugh at you, you'd better be thankful already.

"Did I hear you correctly- you said you want a piece of the pie too? God, you're greedy aren't you? And you give out too much gas. Please go clean the air around yourself before you come to OUR party."

The third world. That's how it is.

Capitalists say capitalism is the best, not perfect. There are plenty of socialist and communist countries that are undeveloped and poor, too.

There would be no sheering without sheep. Capitalism is the nature of commerce, but you will have winners and losers.

I see them as the two sides of the same coin. Both reduce man to a purely materialistic condition. In both of them property belongs to some privileged few (in the case of Marxism to just one, the state). Both are harmful.

It's like Monopoly. Every now and then you have to restart the game.

Re: third world countries that are capitalist not as developed like United States
Africa and the Mediterranean, for the most part, corrupt politicians made very shortsighted agreements with the USA that doomed them for generations. Central Europe was landlocked while superpowers with the best navies reaped the benefits of dominating the ocean trade routes. Civil war in south American precluded them from uniting and making economic progress.