A Simple Socialism Analogy

mike365

red55

Simpletons like simple answers to complex topics.

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"Half of the American people have never read a newspaper. Half never voted for President. One hopes it is the same half." -- Gore Vidal

TigerFanNTenn

How do you figure? It seems pretty easy. If you don't have to work hard for what you have, why would you? Not trying to be a smart@ss, just asking how you see it differently.

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red55

Come on, It's a very poor model for socialism. It's too simple. It's cute. It's less of an analogy and more of a fictional story in which the characters act in such a way as to produce an ending that validates the ideology of the person making the story.

True socialism is really complex and the recent trend of some folks calling anything democratic that addresses social issues to be the socio-political ideology that is socialism has gotten out of hand. They also confuse socialism with communism.

Socialism can be vigorously attacked with the facts from 100 years of its existence, but a Dr. Seuss story like this doesn't even chip at it.

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"Half of the American people have never read a newspaper. Half never voted for President. One hopes it is the same half." -- Gore Vidal

martin

what drives economic development is incentives. and economic development is the key to human progress.

government management of things kills the incentives that make the world work. every time taxes go a little higher, or something frivolous is financed collectively, it slows human progress, keep the poor down, delays development of places that desperately need it.

well-functioning economies are about incentives. socialism is about removing those incentives.

the above example is simplified but the premise is not too bad.

CajinTigah

It may be an over simplification of a complex issue, but that does not change the outcome. Under-achievers and outcasts like living in the collective, hardworking people like reaping the benefits of their efforts. Eventually they all fail. Every time it's been tried, it has failed.

Bandit88

Maslow's heirarchy of needs. Human nature. Socialism will never work because humanity uses the collective for personal gain. You give me something, I give you something, we both win. If you don't give me something, then I'll find someone else who is industrious enough to have something to trade.

Doe-eyed "progressives" think it's the other way around - that humanity (if it was only as smart and enlightened as they were) would use their personal gain for the collective good. This theory is especially popular with the crowd that was born comfortable, feels guilty about that, and seeks emotional balance through self-hatred. But there are others, too. I just haven't met the poor "progressives." Topic for another thread, though.

But it has never worked this way. It never will. Not while humans run the planet. Maybe after the singularity, though. When computers are in charge...

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shane0911

Some "see what they believe" where others "believe what they see".....

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red55

I'm not arguing for socialism, just that this story is a childishly poor analogy.

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"Half of the American people have never read a newspaper. Half never voted for President. One hopes it is the same half." -- Gore Vidal