Do you think Communism could benefit a country? Personally, I am in favour of it, because I like the idea of an equal distribution of wealth and a proper welfare system for the people.
I also am not in favour of the Capitalist idea of the rich benefitting simply because they have more money, and the labourers working hard yet still being paid badly, or the unemployed who are deprived jobs because the capitalist entrepreneurs find it more profitable to use machines.
Communism vs cannot be simplified merely to "Capitalism is where you work and get paid on how hard you work, and in communism you get paid same as everyone else". Who said communism wouldn't reward hard work?
What are you rewarded? Schooling? Schooling is nothing if you don't find a greater reward at the end. Satisfaction? Being proud of yourself? People want rewarded with money so they can buy whatever they want.
Class struggle has much problems with it. You do not see a problem with a few individuals owning almost all of society?
Jealousy? No, we don't. Because throughout all of history there has always been the few who owned almost everything. As long as I can live happy and earn what I work for, then I don't care if one man owns 99.9% of the wealth. As long as I get payed according to how hard and how smart I work.
Lets also not forget that 30,000 people die each day due to starvation
Hardly anyone in America is starving to death. The rest of the world? Blame their government. If people in China are starving, blame China, not America.
As if the death tolls of communism are better associated? Much the crimes listed were imperialist, greedy causes enacted by the United States or other capitalistic nations.
Are you so brainwashed to not see the crimes committed by communist leaders?! What crimes capitalist commit due to money is rarely national, yet many communist leaders were murderers!
No, just upset because 1% of the population controls 99% of the population.
If we can't have the moneys! Nobody can has the moneys! Don't even tell me that the money would go to the people, it would go to the army so the country can defend themselves (or not... then they get bombed), and the person who controls the army becomes a dictator.
I'm not particularly fond of the system in America. I think many jobs are far too defendant on schooling. I think Insurance is the biggest scam ever. But rather than wanting to fix the problems through rebelling, destruction, and calling every person who shares an opinion with me comrade, I focus on the problems and how they can be fixed WITHOUT having to flip every chair.
Despite my many disagreements with the American government, I still live in one of the best and most successful countries in the world, so I refuse to support anyone who wishes to change that.
ahahahano. There are leaders. Like a Czar (or Tsar, w/e).
The Czars were the Russian kings, which the Bolsheviks overthrew >_>
Communism is sharing wealth between the entire country.
Right, tell a communist what communism means.
What are you rewarded? Schooling? Schooling is nothing if you don't find a greater reward at the end. Satisfaction? Being proud of yourself? People want rewarded with money so they can buy whatever they want.
The use of money under capitalism is for the purpose of satisfaction, is it not? Capitalism restricts much of our activity unless we have the money to pay for it.
The same would not have to apply under communism.
Jealousy? No, we don't. Because throughout all of history there has always been the few who owned almost everything. As long as I can live happy and earn what I work for, then I don't care if one man owns 99.9% of the wealth. As long as I get payed according to how hard and how smart I work.
Right, so just because your doing well, then all is right in the world! What a convincing argument that would be for monarchy if a king said that.
Hardly anyone in America is starving to death. The rest of the world? Blame their government. If people in China are starving, blame China, not America.
Perhaps that is because the USA is an imperialist country which owns 50% of the worlds resources? Perhaps its because many billionaires reside within in its land and is able to acquire much wealth from exploitation? Read on globalization.
The influence of capitalism is spread internationally. Even socialist countries are affected by the capitalists. Reducing poverty to just a mere cause of government is dumb.
Are you so brainwashed to not see the crimes committed by communist leaders?! What crimes capitalist commit due to money is rarely national, yet many communist leaders were murderers!
You might want to look at that list again. The crimes of capitalist countries are much worse.
Despite my many disagreements with the American government, I still live in one of the best and most successful countries in the world, so I refuse to support anyone who wishes to change that.
Read Guns Germs and Steel + the many books on Imperialism + Globalization + History
I've read a bit of Guns Germs and Steel -- Its from a dude named Jared Diamond, No? In my History AP we also learned that he had another excerpt -- That choosing to settle down in an Agrarian/Sedentary lifestyle was, infact, the worst mistake Humans have ever made. Not sure thats the best thing to put up here, seeing as he's a pretty extreme thinker.
Anyway, Communism sounds very utopic to me. How can you support a communist regime when its always busted? There's always a bad leader. And if there isn't, there's a fatass that won't work. And if there still isn't that, there's someone that will say "BS" to getting a job of like, lets say, A doctor when they really don't need to to make a healthy living. Such a hardcore distribution of wealth leads to a hardcore lack of productivity. Russia was able to churn out a crapload of industrialization with all its fairness, and what did it get? The Red Army, largest in the world, all untrained ready to get pwnt by the Germans. Oh, and the Tanks, lots of 'em, now there's a bunch of radioactive waste and useless heaps of iron. :S
In my opinion, Capitalism is flawed. But its not all that bad, you can work your way up if your born with a bit of luck. Imo America makes bad use of its capitalism, but I figure its lots easier to make worse use of Communism.
Also, I find it unfair to blame the government of others for their lack of success. History can teach you lots, and from what I've learned I'm quite sure that, for example, people starving in Africa did not ask for it -- nor did they establish their government so flawed that it would lead many African countries to the state of poverty they are in. (Just an example)
And Idthink this is a topic to worry about Crimes of each regime, that more depends on the leader. Stalin was an asshole, but America's not been so nice over the years either. I think making crimes has more to do with how much power you have and how a leader will use it.
Still, Communism makes the least sense to me. It just doesn't sound cool.
Over 30% of Americans are on the borderline of poverty.
According to some surveys and partial reports for the first six months of 2003, the figure is now over 40 million people in America that have to seek some form of daily feeding or nutritional supplementation
The poorest 40 percent of the worldâs population accounts for 5 percent of global income. The richest 20 percent accounts for three-quarters of world income.Source
At least 80% of humanity lives on less than $10 a day.
Drace, study American history! Study it! Do you know why America is the way it is? Our founding fathers broke away from the rest of the world. They believed that the people should run the country, not the government. This lead to corporations gaining power. Our founding fathers believed that the government should not have too much power, because often the government would abuse it.
In communism, the government has all the power. Someone has to distribute the wealth. If you give 20 kids who don't know each other 80 cookies, they will all take what they can (or at least more than their fair share if possible). That's why the government would have to exist. However, if the government has the power to distribute the wealth, they have the power to control the people, which the only way to keep people in check would be to control them.
So why don't Americans support communism? Because Americans don't believe that the government should have so much power. That's why it bothers me when the government passes more bills and laws to keep people "safe", because America is moving towards socialism (though it's very slow and will most likely never happen, thankfully).
Many years ago I looked something up about communism.
Do you want the government controlling you, or do you want a corporation to own you? That's the big issue.
Both are bum deals, but at least you have some freedom being owned as apposed to being controlled.
If you want to see the working class stand up for their rights and rise with torches, turn American into a communist country, then we will start a revolution (to end communism).
Drace, study American history! Study it! Do you know why America is the way it is? Our founding fathers broke away from the rest of the world. They believed that the people should run the country, not the government. This lead to corporations gaining power. Our founding fathers believed that the government should not have too much power, because often the government would abuse it.
What is this? 5th grade history class?
In communism, the government has all the power.
Do you still fail to see what communists advocate?
Someone has to distribute the wealth.
The people?
So why don't Americans support communism? Because Americans don't believe that the government should have so much power. That's why it bothers me when the government passes more bills and laws to keep people "safe", because America is moving towards socialism (though it's very slow and will most likely never happen, thankfully).
Oh no, it has nothing to do with over a century of anti-communist propaganda and hysteria coming from the mass media and government. I'd be surprised if 20% of Americans could even correctly define communism.
And I suppose the people of Nepal cant wait to be controlled by the government, right?
Your part of the "Obama is a communist" bandwagon?
If you want to see the working class stand up for their rights and rise with torches, turn American into a communist country, then we will start a revolution (to end communism).
We will hang the capitalists with the ropes they sell us.
Do you still fail to see what communists advocate?
You can't have communism without a government.
The people?
You know as well as I do that the only way you could distribute wealth evenly is to be part of the government. Even other communists understand that the government would have total control. Otherwise, you are talking anarchy.
Communism is heavy government control. Capitalism is shared control between the government and corporation.
When you say "the people" will decide how wealth is distributed, then how do you suppose this will happen? Not everyone will be involved in politics, only certain people, the people who will eventually become the government.
We will hang the capitalists with the ropes they sell us.
The capitalists? Not all capitalists are evil. You think that anybody who is rich is automatically an evil capitalist. Good people and bad people can be capitalist. Of course, you don't care, if someone has a 20 and you have a 5, you'll make enemies with that person for being richer than you.
So by "hanging the capitalists", you mean destroy the American system and changing the country to something similar to the Soviet Union.
Every single statement you make is fallacy. Rather than explaining how communism would work and supporting it with facts. You explain how a capitalist nation is failing (which isn't capitalism in general) and pretend capitalism is the great anti Christ.
First off, I am an Obama supporter, but I much prefer capitalism over communism.
Haha Noname, you might be taking it a little far with the traitor thing. Democracy is based on the people so every person should have the right to argue their point. (Even though it would be better if they just didn't haha)
First off, the 1% who own 99% did something right, and that's something to aspire to, instead of leveling the ground and ruining opportunity for everyone else. Also, all those deaths you mentioned don't make any sense. How is it Americas fault that for example people are dying in Africa? This forum is about how governments affect the lives of their people. Not about how much foreign aid we give out. We have very few deaths from starvation in the US. The people in Africa are dying because of tyrant rulers, droughts, and the generally difficult region to farm in.
Also Drace, have you ever lived in a communist country? What country are you from? I am from Poland. We were under communist occupation for some time. There was a revolution and it was overthrown around the time I was born. From what my parents tell me, it was pretty dismal. No one cared to work for anything, because you would get the same. Which was very little, because the people who were producing what you got felt the same way, had no incentives to produce more, and so everyone would live on a level of low production and struggle.
The good thing about the free market is that there are incentives to work hard. The more you produce the more you can sell. This goes for factors of production as well. The more time you put it, the more money you can make. Just because a few people got ahead and own a large amount, is no reason to take down the system that works so well for everyone. There are ways the government attempts to better balance wealth distribution, but there's only so much you can do before the governments just starts stealing. The most efficiency, best levels of production, and best mix of products is done when it's driven by market forces, not determined by the government. Even if a communist government was successfully able to boost the economy, it's definitely not long term, because the system was pumped in a direction that might not flow with the market.
Yeah because I wouldn't give in to stupid statements like "America loves democracy"
You can't have communism without a government.
That is because? And I would take socialism over capitalism anyway.
You know as well as I do that the only way you could distribute wealth evenly is to be part of the government. Even other communists understand that the government would have total control. Otherwise, you are talking anarchy.
You don't have to distribute the wealth, lol. It will only have to be redistributed in the process of revolution.
What communists advocate an authoritarian government? Let me you tell you that it wasn't even part of Stalin's ideology.
Also, anarchism is most often associated with the left, and communists indeed are anarchists.
When you say "the people" will decide how wealth is distributed, then how do you suppose this will happen? Not everyone will be involved in politics, only certain people, the people who will eventually become the government.
All of production isn't going to be collected in one place then redistributed... As of the specifics, there are different ideals. Market socialism, democratic central planning, mutual aid, labor unions, direct democracy etc.
The capitalists? Not all capitalists are evil. You think that anybody who is rich is automatically an evil capitalist. Good people and bad people can be capitalist. Of course, you don't care, if someone has a 20 and you have a 5, you'll make enemies with that person for being richer than you.
That was a joke, and also a quote. No, not all capitalists are bad people. I met some very nice ones actually. They took out family out to dinner, paid the whole bill and tipped the waitress a $100.
