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Socialism: What You Hated as a Child
Remember when you couldn’t decide anything? How someone else seemed to have control over your life? How you wished to grow older so you could be in charge of your life?
Me, too.
So how is it that socialists seem to be having so much success in getting positive vibes for their brand? By re-branding socialism as free enterprise!
What you’re describing is free enterprise, not socialism. Jack and Jean are voluntarily bartering. Good for them.
“It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own self-interest.” Adam Smith https://t.co/5uJ4AeS2y5
— Gail Heriot (@GailHeriot) March 15, 2023
Somehow if there is no money involved–that people just do stuff– it is not that mean “capitalism”, it is that benevolent “socialism.” But it isn’t about money. It’s about control. Do you get to decide, or does someone else? They decide what you eat, where and when you sleep, what you wear, where and when you go, and on and on. Yes, they give you food and shelter, and keep you “safe,” but they also give you chores and restrictions. They say it is for your good. And maybe it is. But it isn’t your choice. And maybe the food, clothes, and shelter they give you aren’t as good as what you might get for yourself if you could choose. They want you to share, and share you will, whether you want to or not.
In socialism, there are a lot of children and a few adults who control all of the children. You think you are going to get to be the adult? Think again.
Published in General
It is all tyrants
The IRS would like to know about that barter stuff. What were the prices on those cakes?
Trading is not sharing. How do you defend socialism? Evidently, you lie.
So, your childish desire to be free from all constraints is the basis for your view of the world?
Sounds like a pretty good description of Libertarianism to me, actually.
Instead of holding to the childish wish to do whatever you want, whenever you want, it might be better if growing up involved recognizing our duties and obligations, and the importance of the enforcement of limitations on our whims.
I am never sure whether you are reflexively contrarian, no matter what the issue or whether you lack the ability to understand the point an author is trying to make. In this case, I hope it is the former. The issue is not childish whims, it is adult autonomy. Treating adults as children (which your statement does) is pretty much the definition of fascism.
My vote: reflexively contrarian.
Well he is from Arizona.
One other method: trickery. (Which is a form of lying.)
We cannot afford to be overlooking one aspect of the coming socialism that has brought so many youthful adherents into the fold.
That is this idea: the one regarding a Universal Basic Income or UBI.
The top people in the Dem Party throw about various amounts of money that could be one individual’s basic monthly income. It is always at least one thousand dollars a month.
As it is discussed, there seems to be no strings attached.
So the world that I envision would arrive shortly after the UBI arrives is a world in which your social credit score plays a huge part.
Post a topic on FB or TikTok that is not supportive of men announcing that they are women, then playing in women’s sports, or any other topic that is not in line with the Socialist Line of Benevolent Thinking (TSLOBT) and your UBI might be cut in half.
Post two topics that fall out of favor with those who will evaluate one’s social credit score, and your UBI will be exactly what it is right now: Zero.
Of course then you could just go out and get a job or enroll in college, right?
No, because to have a job or to go to college in this Brave New World means that your social credit score must be close to top notch.
Already those in the military who have brought attention to themselves for not being about gender-fluid policies, or for not supporting the COVID protocols including the vaccine, and for denying Global Climate crisis, have faced the possibility of being drummed out of the service.
On top of that, and this is a major consideration that none on the Left discuss – if everyone has a UBI, who is going to go in and do janitorial work? Or nurses’ aide work? Who will drive a cab late at night in dangerous neighborhoods?
Perhaps that is not being discussed as robots could possibly tackle those tasks some five to ten years from now.
But it is a definite thing to consider.
Trading is of course not socialism. A more accurate analogy would be that all the physical goods produced by people in town..such as Jean’s baking…are placed in a big pile, and distributed to everyone who wants them by…who?….who is the authority who decides who gets what?
And for some physical goods–such as Jack the Carpenter’s house-building…it’s not practical to make them and store them in a big pile, so the Authority must exercise their discretion in advance of the making of the product.
And similarly for services.
Socialism: The radical idea of mandatory sharing.
Mandated by the government.
It is possible that some people are just unpleasant.
I could not wait for the day when I became autonomous. Every milestone was one that got me closer to freedom: Drivers License, out of high school, legal drinking age, and finally college graduate and on my own.
But there are young people who don’t have that desire. Some kids of my friends don’t even try to get a drivers license. It’s like they don’t want even the possibility of autonomous movement.
My kids (like me and my wife) glommed onto their drivers licenses the minute it was possible to get them. That, I understand.
I wonder at this change in the psyches of high schoolers that this has been downgraded from a burning desire to a backburnered eventuality.
What are you even talking about?
Just a little jack-booted assistance with the promotion of virtue and the suppression of vice. Think of the children!
I was not particularly eager for a car, since I biked a lot of places. I guess I was not super independent.
My nieces & nephews did not seem that interested in a car or licence. I suppose you can meet your friends from school on social media or online gaming. I might have to ask them about it.
I think it is better to ask if government would make a good parent . Being a kid again sounds fun until you imagine the unemployment office as your parents.
And now they are doubling down on their lousy example.
Pretty good response to the Socialist Party’s moronic tweet:
“Jean is forced to bake cakes by the party. Jack is forced to fix doors by the party. Jean never knows how many cakes to bake because party estimates are always wrong. Jack never able to fix enough doors because party-made doors are shoddy. There, now it’s Socialist.”
https://twitter.com/mr_james_c/status/1636706760986689537
That’s gold. “No no no! See they aren’t trading they’re giving things away!”
That’s the same logic as our egg supplier: “We can’t charge for our eggs by city ordinance, but we can accept donations for feed and other things for raising the chickens.”
Sounds like a lot of projection on your part in this response, Jerry.
@arizonapatriot, that’s who! We can’t have all you ridiculous children making your own decisions.
In the original “Socialism” button they forgot the “at the point of a gun” part.
Socialism: Just a little harmless bartering followed by some nice gulags.
Forced sharing. The only people who like socialism are on the receiving end and those doing the forcing. But only for a while. Eventually there are few goods and services to be received.
It’s always been hard to get lots of people to be scared of socialism, as they should be if they understood it. Now with these brainwashed kids it’s going to be even more difficult.
I’ve always thought a smart thing for a president to do would be to give an Oval Office address devoted only to urging everyone to watch the 1984 version of 1984, specifically the scene where Richard Burton’s character, a leader in the inner party, is torturing John Hurt /Winston Smith on a rack.
What’s so horrifying about it is the realization that Burton’s character doesn’t even try to provide a moral justification for the power wielded by the Party. It’s clear that it’s just a relatively small number of people who have seized power and protect it by all means available, by tyrannizing everyone else. Those people will get all the privileges they deny to everyone else. They define all reality. The president could ask whether, if two and two are five if the party says so, how is that different from a male choosing to be female, if politicians say they can. The president should urge young people to honestly ask themselves if they trust anyone to have the power they are giving to such a small group when they vote for socialism. “A boot smashing into your face forever is what you will get if you vote for socialism.”
It would be such an unusual thing for a president to do, and would be endlessly anguished over by the MSM (which would be fun to watch) but might just scare enough kids to do some good.
Not Pictured: Maimed Mike who had to fell the trees that made the door and Farmer Faith who grows the wheat.
The people who belong to these things aren’t even planning on being the fixers and bakers. They assume they’ll either be on the fun planning committees or be making cute cartoons to put up on the internet.
This is from a little lower on the same thread. Looked like teaching children to embrace demons. Then I saw the sign the little boy held: I love you Spiritwalker.
Yabbut, both the carpenter and the baker make a living by selling their services, not giving them away. By selling their services they have enough to give their time and products away.