Is Socialism Viable?

[jarofthoughts]

Socialism is not viable.
Why? Because it requires top-heavy
government. Top-heavy government
is unbalanced and will inevitably fall over.

Really?
I wasn't aware that Norway was on the edge of oblivion.
Perhaps you can enlighten me as to how that is, seeing as currently we're pretty much doing better than anyone else in the world. :sarcastic

 

[Sunstone]

Really?
I wasn't aware that Norway was on the edge of oblivion.
Perhaps you can enlighten me as to how that is, seeing as currently we're pretty much doing better than anyone else in the world. :sarcastic

Careful, now. You're trying to tell an American he doesn't know jack about socialism, and Americans think they are experts on socialism.

 

[jarofthoughts]

Careful, now. You're trying to tell an American he doesn't know jack about socialism, and Americans think they are experts on socialism.

Sorry. My bad.
How on earth could I have thought that I might have some insight from living in a socialist country all my life?
I should have realized that anyone who watches Fox News on a regular basis clearly has a better understanding of how it works than me.

 

[Sunstone]

Sorry. My bad.
How on earth could I have thought that I might have some insight from living in a socialist country all my life?
I should have realized that anyone who watches Fox News on a regular basis clearly has a better understanding of how it works than me.

Glad to see you've come to your senses.

 

[work in progress]

Socialism is unnatural. Humans are not social animals.

I pulled this one up from page one because you made a common argument from the right that seems to always go unchallenged. The fact is that for most of human history, 95% or more of the time that there have been modern homo sapiens, we were living in small family hunter-gatherer groups, that usually travelled frequently, did not have hierarchies, or material wealth to mark social status.

Humans are not wolves, baboons or chimpanzees, or like any other animal that is naturally hierarchical! We have become hierarchical only since the start of agriculture and living in cities where there is a division of labour and an accumulation of wealth. And the evidence from research on income and wealth gaps around the world - most notably from the Spirit Level authors: Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett, is that the greater the gap, the greater the social dysfunction of a society. A relatively equal society is filled with citizens who see themselves as part of a community. An unequal society has a bunch of libertarians and objectivists who only view community as something of value if they can see where it advances there own personal interests.

And when I'm driving around in the U.S. now (it's even worse than in Southern Ontario), and looking at how badly infrastructure is decaying, even in communities that are still relatively wealthy, I'm thinking that capitalism has warped the thinking and attitudes of the average American so badly, that a complete crash and overhaul of the system is the only thing that will make the future brighter!

 

[sandandfoam]

I pulled this one up from page one because you made a common argument from the right that seems to always go unchallenged. The fact is that for most of human history, 95% or more of the time that there have been modern homo sapiens, we were living in small family hunter-gatherer groups, that usually travelled frequently, did not have hierarchies, or material wealth to mark social status.

Humans are not wolves, baboons or chimpanzees, or like any other animal that is naturally hierarchical! We have become hierarchical only since the start of agriculture and living in cities where there is a division of labour and an accumulation of wealth. And the evidence from research on income and wealth gaps around the world - most notably from the Spirit Level authors: Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett, is that the greater the gap, the greater the social dysfunction of a society. A relatively equal society is filled with citizens who see themselves as part of a community. An unequal society has a bunch of libertarians and objectivists who only view community as something of value if they can see where it advances there own personal interests.

And when I'm driving around in the U.S. now (it's even worse than in Southern Ontario), and looking at how badly infrastructure is decaying, even in communities that are still relatively wealthy, I'm thinking that capitalism has warped the thinking and attitudes of the average American so badly, that a complete crash and overhaul of the system is the only thing that will make the future brighter!

psssst he was being sarcastic

 

[Revoltingest]

I'm gonna butt into this DIR.
Yes....socialism is viable.
Even this fire breathing capitalist running dog sees that.
That's it....nuthin to add, so I'm outa here now.

 

[work in progress]

psssst he was being sarcastic

Okay, I'm new here. I'm just trying to catch up. I spent a lot of time on a conservative/libertarian forum where that was the prevailing opinion.