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Let’s Try Socialism
I’m serious. Let’s do it. This appears to be an idea whose time has come [again]. A lot of the people who tried it in the 20th century, 100 million or so of them, are unfortunately no longer alive to tell us that it didn’t work. And, also unfortunately, it seems that we are not teaching students that socialism didn’t work, and so they’re naturally enough assuming that maybe it does.
So let’s give it a try. We can chalk it up as a learning experience.
But let’s not start with those precious luxuries, food and medicine and toilet paper and hot and cold running water, that we have grown to take for granted. The people of Venezuela have learned not to take any of those things for granted. Let’s try not to repeat their mistake.
Let’s try socialism in the entertainment industry. Let’s try it in Hollywood first, and not roll it out to the rest of the country until we are satisfied with the results there. There are an awful lot of rich people in Hollywood, and a lot of them are socialism enthusiasts, so it seems the perfect microcosm in which to experiment with this old new idea.
I don’t care what flavor of socialism we try. Make it real socialism, or “democratic socialism,” or tax-all-their-money-away-and-spend-it-on-social-services socialism. Let a thousand socialist flowers bloom — but let them bloom in Hollywood.
Sure, it will tend to destroy everything it touches, but I am willing to make that sacrifice, if that’s what it takes to teach the next generation. I really, really like food and medicine and toilet paper and hot and cold running water. I can live without Hollywood.
So come on, Hollywood. Show us how it’s done. I can hardly wait to see what central planning produces in the way of great art.
Published in Politics
Well, you may be slow, but faster then me. Future dystopian didn’t seem to sell at all well in the Soviet Union. We wasn’t published there until 1988 (first published in English translation in NYC in 1924; original Russian published in Prague a little later in the Smuggle-Me-In version) along with its literary children 1984 and Brave New World.
I’m mostly worried about the sinister changes required on “Let’s All Go to the Lobby.” As well as persistent Milk Dud shortages.
Lets see how everyone associated with the making a film gets equal pay goes over. Does not matter if your a “star” in front of the camera or a lacky behind, avery body is like equal, you know. It would eliminate the need to fake a hate crime.
And toilet paper. Don’t forget the toilet paper.
Isn’t it strange how people who think income inequality is among the greatest evil in America are remarkably hesitant to impose it on their own enterprise. I have also noticed that very few tenured professors advocate equal pay for their teaching assistants.
We are already more socialist that the Nordics, they have semi socialized labor but their economies are all freer than ours, as small countries they have to be. We like to tout the US as a free market economy, but we’re far from that and it doesn’t just go away. It grows. President Trump may be learning this. He’s interesting. He didn’t know much to begin with, but he seems to learning fast. The Democrats, in contrast are not, too many products of liberal schools. We have to fix our schools. If we had another 8 years of a Barak Obama type, socialism would settle in and it just grows until it kills it’s own funding, then. Who knows? We don’t. We won’t have a US to help us free ourselves.
Put this sentence on endless repeat.
All it means is that the prime minister and his cabinet stepped down, and they’ll have to re-arrange the deck chairs.