[quote]ElbowStrike wrote:
I think the problem here is that thanks to decades of anti-communist propaganda, Americans have an irrational fear of anything associated with collectivism and socialism, no matter how effective.
They see “individual” and “collective” as black and white instead of a spectrum of responsibility. An ideal society would fall somewhere about halfway between responsibility and respect for the collective and for the individual.
A “society” where the individual is the only priority is the absence of society.
ElbowStrike[/quote]
The collective? Kind of reminiscent of the Borg.
But you are correct, it is best to look at socialism and capitalism as a continuum instead of black and white.
That being said it should be pointed out that socialism simply does not work. This is not propaganda, but a cold hard fact. Simply look at every time it is implemented, and it always runs into problems.
But it is very enticing. It sounds so good. Everyone working together for the common good. Brothers and sisters all sharing, and benefiting society. No more poverty, no more hunger. Are we not supposed to care about people?
Yup, if you don’t believe in socialism, you are an evil person. You only care about yourself.
Problem is its all wrong. People are so intent on helping their fellow man, they haven’t taken the time to figure out if they are really helping or not.
China took it the furthest and actually implemented equal pay for everyone, no matter what. A full third of the population immediately quit their jobs.
Before you give somebody something, make sure you are actually helping them, and not simply creating co-dependence. The research into the book the millionaire next door found that the more financial help people received from their parents, the less likely they were to be financially successful. And the opposite was true too.
One big mistake being made is the idea that you are doing good if it makes you feel good. Sometimes doing the right thing, and helping people the most can hurt, and it can hurt bad.
Next time you go into the gym, pay somebody else to lift the weights for you. Will you get stronger? Hell no. But right now millions of people want the government to lift their weights for them.
Socialism is not a solution, it is the easy way out.
But capitalism does in fact work, and as I have stated over and over, it is because it mimics nature. Survival of the fittest. (For some reason I have been called a racist for stating this when this has nothing to do with race.) Many people start businesses, and many fail. (Though not barely as many as is too often stated.)
Run your business well, and competitively, and you can become successful. But if you are lazy, greedy, dishonest, it is actually harder to become successful. Yes I know you heard all businessmen are crooks, and always hear news reports about businesses taking advantage of people, because they always get caught, or screw up in some way.
But the news does not report on businesses that are honest, because that is not news.
Do you think oil is so high priced because it is so scarce? No, it is the government getting in the way, blocking drilling, exploration, and the building of refineries. (Plus creating a different fucking blend for every city in America.) Why does it cost as much as $1,000,0000,000 (billion) to bring a drug to market? Because the FDA really cares about us? (At least they saved us from MAG-10.)
Socialism is about somebody making choices for you. Somebody thinking for you instead of you thinking for yourself.
Now why do you think some bureaucrat in Washington can decide how your supposed to live your life better then you do?
Must I join the collective? Is resistance futile?