Socialism, as understood by college kids
The other night I observed a discussion on the virtues of Socialism in my college class--oddly in an art history course. Students all over the room spoke of Socialism as though it was no more than voluntary sharing of resources between productive people. When I began to ask those uncomfortable questions--who decides what "fair" is, why should a single man work 12 hours for $10 and a single mother work 2 hours for $100, and what happens if you want a digital camera but somebody else *needs* one to feel equal to you... the discussion broke down into chaos.
Young people in college seem to have no idea what actually happens when everyone is FORCED to share.
Young people in college seem to have no idea what actually happens when everyone is FORCED to share.
There is a simple explanation as to why college students don't know the answer to what socialism is. They are simply not taught the truth by their high school teachers and certainly not by their college professors.
Unfortunately, we have become a lazy society that believes history began yesterday. There is no greater truth then the quote by George Santayana, "Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it."
Therein lies the root of the evil of socialism and indeed communism that has crept into our education system. I was born in East Germany in 1948 and as a boy experienced both socialism and communism first hand. I have never forgotten when the communist government of East Germany confiscated my parents business and charged my father for political conspiracy for refusing to grant permission for the government to do so. Perhaps that's why I admire Hank Readen's speech before the court so much. Truer words as his written by Ayn Rand do not exist.
Any caring parent must, and I emphasize must, teach their children the truth about these twin scourges, socialism and communism, upon our nation. We are truly the shining light on the hill, that is as long as we don't allow the present administration to darken that light in their progressive zeal to eliminate the very freedoms that our founding fathers fought to grant unto their descendants.
To paraphrase Charles E. Weller, “Now is the time for all men to come to the aid of their country,” may I add, before it's too late.
Fred Speckmann
Let the teacher tell them that going forward, points well be deducted from those students who studied hard and earned A's on their exams, and redistributed to those students who earned B's, C's, and D's, in order to narrow the "grade gap" and achieve "grade equality." I'm not talking about grading on a curve (which leaves the "A" students alone), but an actual redistribution of grade points.
Let's see what sort of incentive that provides to the "A" students to continue working for their own achievement, and what sort of incentive it provides to lesser achievers to try to improve their performance.
Very well done.
sigh
What a bunch of lunatics...
When I first read this book I thought cute but how silly. This was when I was a Juniior in high school. Even then something about it bothered me. I read and reread the book many times. about the 5th time it started to dawn on nme that it was describing a system of government, a philosophy that was at the heart of communism and a truly anti-freedom, anti-individual view of the world.
About this time I read The Fountain head and Atlas Shrugged. What a life saving pair of books.
All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.
George Orwell, "Animal Farm"
There is hope with them, but we have to help those that want to see, to see it.
The professor then said, "OK, we will have an experiment on socialism". All grades will be averaged and everyone will receive the same grade so no one will fail and no one will receive an “A”.
After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a “B”. The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy.
As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they studied little. The second test average was a “D”! No one was happy.
When the 3rd test rolled around, the new average was an “F”.
As the tests proceeded, the scores never increased as bickering, blame and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else.
To their great surprise, ALL FAILED and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great, but when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed.
Human nature will always cause socialism's style of government to fail because the world has producers and non-producers (makers and takers).
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Your post reminded me of the above story. It's been around the internet for years where there are variations of it. Whether it actually happened anywhere or not, who knows. It's still a good illustration. I would love to have it implemented in a real classroom and see the students' reactions. Teachers are always looking for memorable ways to teach a lesson, no?
http://new.ted.com/speakers/hans_rosling...
Most of them have not started to work in a real office, so talking about how much tax is forced to pay in a socialist system does not mean anything because they do not feel the pain when they see in front of them that the money they earn are looted.
For a great primer on the costs of socialism/communism, I would direct everyone to a simple historical account of the Caucus region right after Stalin took over. He kicked out all the farmers and sent them to prison camps and gave control of the farms to his political buddies who had no clue what they were doing. What followed was mass starvation as the region produced less than 1/10th of what it had only the years before.
Socialism is nothing more than political elitism of a different sort - a social caste system whereby everyone suffers and only the connected few live the life of luxury. What is further despotic is that these systems are always enforced by the secret police.
I do not consider this a good solution...
Jan
Liberals control education, as they also control of most of the media. The conspiracy is real and it is no secret.
I wonder who our government works for? Obama is their puppet.
The Fabian plan was "evolution" into socialism, rather than Communist "revolution," and it has been successful in turning the US from a nation of "difficult" and independence-minded individuals into a country containing a large and rather uniform group who will do as they are told by their betters.
Fabian ideas, put forth as "progressive" in America (who could oppose progress?), have succeeded in our colleges in most of the liberal arts and in journalism, but not so well in the sciences. A current exception is "climate science" which is currently showing its anti-scientific political foundation as it crumbles in the face of evidence. (Climate Science failure is well covered here: http://wattsupwiththat.com/ .)
The progressives have for a long time chosen the subjects of debate. Want to talk about American virtues? You'll suddenly find the discussion has turned to where you must defend America's use of slavery. Want to study the thoughts of America's Founding Fathers? You'll be pressed into having to talk about Sally Hemmings. Want to hold America together? The agenda becomes how best to take it apart.
Ayn Rand was once asked how she, an immigrant, could lecture Americans on what it meant to be an American. She replied, "I chose to be an American. What have you done, besides being born here?"
"I chose to let you in."
In rebuttal to that statement, I point at Barack Hussein Obama.
He was born here, allegedly. Like her, he was raised somewhere else.
Exactly what about that qualified either of them to judge Americans?
Or, since I'm feeling grouchy, let's put this in maph terms:
"Chaz", nee Chastity, Bono enters a... make it a strip joint, or a football locker room, whatever; some masculine place, and begins lecturing those there on what it is to be a man. When challenged on her authority to judge manhood, she replies, "I chose to be a man, what have you done besides being born one?"
To which the obvious reply is, "I've lived as one since birth." Or more succinctly, "I am... what you aspired to become".
Personally, having seen her in action, having seen her very sharp MIND in action, I choose Rand over the Teleprompter.