Thread: Communism

Originally Posted by Wildtim

I don't think the family is a communist unit. I would have called mine a resource based dictatorship. The ruling pair had control over all the necessary resources, food, clothing shelter, money, and even transportation..........

And what's the difference between that and a Communist Dictatorship - aka Big (Daddy) Brother? They provide and control, too.

I loved the first post. I think a lot of people are missing the point about what "HIS"

idea of what Communism is. He defines communism as a small group run on
marxist principals Any group with more than a 100 members would not qualify. Some of my friends define "Communism" as a
malignant group of dictatorships bent on world domination and killing them personally. The third definition is what the average uneducated westerner thinks of Communism which is based mostly on old TV and Movies and propaganda.


When you have definitions this disparate it is no wonder there is some confusion.

I agree that the average(not everyone's though) family is run along the lines of a small communist cadre much more than it is run along Capitalist lines.

I read an interesting book that speculated that the reason for Capitalism winning against Communism as methods of running economies was capitalism was better able to deal with changes
and spending resources on infrastructure. Democracy is a terrific way of achieving a smooth transition of power and the opposition is like an emergency
government in waiting but it is terrible at long term planning. A Democracy is incapable of making short term sacrifices for long term benefit.

In the book they speculate that if Communism had modern computers for resource allocation it could work much better than Capitalism/democracy.

Hows that for a first post? Hello all.

Nice first post. I'd have to agree.

And I DO think that children are a nessecity (sp?). But that's ok. We'll just have to consider it a difference of opinion and leave it at that.

Originally Posted by LX_Emergency

A communistic system also provides for those who can't provide for themselves.

That my be, in theory.
The reality is......It creates a system where there is no desire for people to want to excel or succeed for themselves.
I believe it appeals to those looking for someone or some agency to give them something, paid for by someone else. Once people become conditioned to a standard of living that requires these handouts, they probably can't imagine life without them. Then what?
I think it does a disservice to a person, it robs them of drive and self sufficiency.

Regards,
Mitch

Originally Posted by SinglerM

The reality is......It creates a system where there is no desire for people to want to excel or succeed for themselves.
I believe it appeals to those looking for someone or some agency to give them something, paid for by someone else. Once people become conditioned to a standard of living that requires these handouts, they probably can't imagine life without them.

But that's not true. People in communist countries (and I mean China, Cuba, Venezuella, North Korea,, former USSR and Eastern Europe,) do have desire to excel and succeed for themselves.
If you read the Bible, the model that Jesus set and the church practices described there have much stronger emphasis on community than on individualism. If you take a look at successful american corporations there is a constant attempt to build community. There is value in community, that's why most of us come here to post.
I am not defending communism here, just pointing out that if you look at the people they have pretty common goals in life, regardless what kind of their government and structure of society.

Although not communism,
But look at people here in the U.S. that live on welfare, that make no attempt to get off of it.
It is a perpetual state for many.
No incentive to change.

Originally Posted by SinglerM

Although not communism,
But look at people here in the U.S. that live on welfare, that make no attempt to get off of it.
It is a perpetual state for many.
No incentive to change.

I think that says more about those people than about communism. After all, there are good examples of people who stepped OUT of those situations themselves as well.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not a communist. I just see it as having it's weak AND strong points as good as any philosphy.

Originally Posted by WireBeard

The premise of communism is that everyone will voluntarily give to the common good...thus, it is based on human generosity...and thus doomed to fail.

+1. That is the core of it right there. Why on earth would I be motivated to work hard and innovate if I know I'm not going to do any better for myself than some useless lazy janitor. After all, we both have the same needs as far as food and shelter...

Yes, but this thread wasn't about people we don't know. It was started on the premesis that the family is a communistic unit.

So we're not talking about some unknown undeserving blob out in the street. We're talking about our loved ones.

Originally Posted by gugi

But that's not true. People in communist countries (and I mean China, Cuba, Venezuella, North Korea,, former USSR and Eastern Europe,) do have desire to excel and succeed for themselves.
If you read the Bible, the model that Jesus set and the church practices described there have much stronger emphasis on community than on individualism. If you take a look at successful american corporations there is a constant attempt to build community. There is value in community, that's why most of us come here to post.
I am not defending communism here, just pointing out that if you look at the people they have pretty common goals in life, regardless what kind of their government and structure of society.

Thats the thing about "communism" and why it won't work. If people excel, and invent a better mousetrap say they expect to be rewarded. Communism says the individual is unimportant and the whole is all. So if you have twenty dollars each should have one, if your mousetrap makes an extra ten you only get fifty cents and so does everyone else. YOU are not rewarded for your effort any more than those who made no effort are.

The communities and corporation you talk about build a sense of team and an ethic to work for the common good but the incentive to excel is still the individual reward you receive. The recognition that even the lowliest mail room guy might have the next big idea and giving him a way to voice it is a big leap forward in corporate thought but if they don't reward the mail room guy pretty well he'll just keep his mouth shut.

Even in wolf packs the member who makes the kill is the first to eat even when the kill feeds the whole pack.