[CLUE-Talk] [OT] A Call to Action

[Timothy C. Klein]

* Sean LeBlanc (seanleblanc at attbi.com) wrote:
> On 07-12 15:43, Jed S. Baer wrote:
> There is a line from A Clockwork Orange where the priest is arguing against
> the treatment, and he says, "He has no real choice, has he? When a man
> ceases to be able to choose, he ceases to be a man." I think this applies to
> the redistribution of wealth by the iron fist of government...which is what
> a communist or socialist system would imply. Helping out your fellow man by
> giving to charity, etc., is an entirely good and welcome thing, WHEN DONE
> VOLUNTARILY. I do not think forcing people to hand over their hard-earned
> wealth to those who allegedly "need" it is any kind of wholesome goodness,
> and I don't think it raises the level of human existence to any kind of
> higher plane. 
> 
> I actually think it can and does work on the micro level, however. It's just
> not for everyone, believe me. It is hard work, especially if it's a
> farm-based commune. And then there is the human element if there is little
> real leadership - you'll have an uphill battle against the leeches without
> it.
> 

I have not followed this whole thread, but there is one thing I find
interesting here.  The first is that much of the generations that lived
under the Communist "threat" (I don't like that word, but can't think of
a better one) equate Socialism with Soviet Communism, and both with bad,
evil, whatever.  And then, by some logic, Capitalism is pureness and good.  

I have some problems with this thinking.  First, the Soviets ended up
an example of tyranny more than anything else.  It is wrong to equate
the entire idea of socialism/communism with "evil."  There are
certainly downsides, and as a whole the system may even be entirely
un-implementable (or at least non-scalable).  But automatically
categorizing socialism as a bad thing because we were scared of the
Soviet Union is a harmful, knee-jerk reaction.

The second is about the capitalism part.  I really hate the way
capitalism became the White Knight that killed the evil Soviet Empire.
Capitalism is the best economic system we seem to have come up with to
date, but it is no peach.  There are a heck of a lot of problems in a
capitalistic society.  But there are a frightening number of people who
equate any questioning of capitalism as sign that you are an "evil
socialist."  Bad juju.  The values in of human rights, freedom, etc,
*those* are the things that count.  Our economic system should fit
within those value, but it is in *NO* way *the* value system.

Actually, that thinking is exactly the method that Microsoft is using to
try and scare Politicians away from Linux: "Linux is a 'socialistic'
thing, Mr. Congressmen.  That's right.  It is just as bad as Godless
Communism.  On the other hand, sir, us folks in Redmond are wholesome,
God-Fearing Christian Capitalists."  OK, that is a bit severe, they
don't actually say that, I bet.  But they are playing on that type of
sentiment.  Which is odd, because if you look at it, Microsoft is in
many ways diametrically opposite of freedom, while Linux is a lot closer
to it.

And the totally ironic thing is that, so far, GNU and Linux are examples
of a non-Capitalistic system that has worked extraordinarily well, at
least so far.

Tim
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== Timothy Klein || teece at silverklein.net   ==
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== "Hello, World" 17 Errors, 31 Warnings... ==
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