I like your take on the book. I think that the point to the violence is not so much that the violence is an answer, but that the people who make decisions have to be exposed to it directly, rather than being isolated from the consequences of their actions.

OTOH, I think the book misses the opportunity to point out that Capitalism per se is not complete. In the same sense that the Rich aren't facing the violence, consumers aren't seeing the real costs of goods at the purchase point where they make decisions.

I don't think that socialism is the opposite of capitalism: sales tax is. Socialism is part of any civilization: without healthy, cooperative and cared-for citizens, the society crumbles from competition, resentment and violence as resources are manipulated and hoarded for profit.

That's why I keep repeating, "UBI and good health (not insurance) based on sales tax." Everyone gets the same check. Paying taxes becomes anonymous, and good health isn't at the mercy of Sick-care industries (drugs, ERs, questionable "wellness" centers, etc.). Sales tax that includes all overhead of civilization puts the real costs of being consumer/colonialists at the point where people need to know.

It's all well and good to believe the pie in the sky socialist/liberal meme that you can 'educate' people to save the future, but most people receive the bulk of their daily information from advertising that is tax-deductible, and the costs of a Perpetual Growth economy are externalized from their daily decision process.

They vote once in 4 years for a particular bully, but billions of times every day against the planet's resources.