Bag's Rants

Why socialism is so popular but clearly doesn't work.

I was reading this article at Samizdata on rickshaw pullers.

In it there is a quote that says 'Such has been the strength of the idea of socialism for a century or more that even those who explicitly reject it often adopt its assumptions' So true.

The problem is that like many things we in the modern world know certain things are true even when they are not. Climate change will be the next on that list. Climate change is causes solely by humans. Ask anybody.

Socialism is one of these things. Ask anybody if it is right for those that can't help themselves are left to die. The answer from the West where we currently always have enough will be 'No'. So it starts. Next we say 'What about the children should they suffer because their parents are lazy and incompetent?'. Again we say 'No' then we slowly slip down the slope to actually finding that everything that Blair and his ilk say actually makes a bit of sense looked at in isolation.

We ignore history has taught us the socialism doesn't work because socialist ideals sound good and are actually the based on what is fair. We all think that this time we can do it slightly differently and so this time it will work. But the whole premise is flawed. Life is not fair.

It's main downfall is that it relies on everyone conforming like ants with the best of us sacrificing their benefits for all but humans are not wired that way. We all want to be better off we aspire to be better. We live in the top 10% of society on this planet yet aspire to be in the top 10% of that. We all want to be the idle rich. Hell, that top 1% all strive to be in the top 10% of that elite bunch. It is what we are. So we all want to be Tony Blair and make the world the way we think it should be. When people start rebelling and refusing to conform it all falls apart because it relies on obedience and dedication to the cause.

When the impact of providing for the lowest common denominator means that there is no point trying to better yourself because it is removed from you by force we all end up at the lowest point. Why do any better? I'm well paid but have a stressful job with long hours. If all my wages are taken in taxes or other costs then I may as well do my quota stacking shelves at the corner shop. Less money but stress free. When everybody does that who is going to drive our society forward? Why spend years learning to be a doctor when you can be unskilled on the same benefits? It sounds OK at the start of the slope but when you start to get to the end of the journey it doesn't work. In the West we don't get near the end because as soon as it hits the masses and they start feeling the pinch they vote it away.

That is why socialism is a brilliant idea and sells so well to the masses. It's like turkeys voting against Xmas and politicians voting for their salary increases. The masses vote to take money from those better off to give to them. Politics of envy. It's in their own interest.

Socialism is a great idea. Just won't work for humans. It will come and go in cycles while our society flourishes. Let us have a 'Mad max' scenario and you will never see it then.

posted by Bag @ 3:52 pm