Recently, just for the heck of it, I did a little internet surfing on the Bolshevik revolution. My God there are a lot of Marxist apologists floating around out there on the web. According to those folks, the Russian Marxist utopia didn't work because: 1) the Bolsheviks were short sighted, 2) Stalin was a murderous power monster, 3) It's hard to successfully implement communism in such a large country. The Marxist utopia didn't quite work *that* time, but we'll get it right. . . someday.
What the apologists refuse to address is the simple fact that the Marxist utopia failed because the concept is flawed. It doesn't take more than a few minutes to think it through. The concept fails, not the execution. Peasants burned their crops because they didn't want the fruit of their labor to be taken away by the Bolsheviks. People don't WANT to work on behalf of someone else. No one does. Even if they sell themselves as a philanthropist or a champion of the rights of others, they are doing the work they do because it makes them feel good. It gives them a sense of accomplishment. It BENEFITS them, and it is something they choose to do. Some people probably play the role because they want power. Does anyone believe that Jesse Jackson ever wants to see total racial equality? Maybe on his deathbed, but until then, racial inequality is his lifeblood. What would he do without it?
As far as the "evils" of capitalism. Those arguments get old. Regurgitated by spoiled college students, living off a stipend, in adoration of their liberal professors. . . they don't mean much.
Factory Conditions. Compare Industrial Revolution factory conditions to the horrors of the Russian Gulag or the firing squads of Che Guevara. The brutality and massacres committed by the proponents of communism make IR factories look like day spas. You cannot claim to forward a cause in honor of human rights (or "the people") if you disregard the rights of those who dissent with your ideology. Factory conditions and treatment of workers improved because, in the USA, individuals have the right to protest - the right to publicize perceived injustices - without fearing for their lives.
Abuse of Workers. There is not a single person in the United States right now who is poor or abused because someone else is making a LEGAL income via a capitalist venture. Plenty of abuse festers in the domestic sector, but no one benefits from it. Why are people abusive when they're bigger, stronger, or more powerful? I have no idea, but I can guarantee you there is no profit motive in the abusive situations I've witnessed. On the other hand, I have worked for several entrepreneurs in my lifetime. Good benefits, decent wages, a win-win for everyone involved. The entrepreneur enriches society by creating wealth, jobs that wouldn't exist if he stayed home and stayed clear of capitalism. The only "abuse" of workers I've seen is people getting fired for stealing, doctoring their timecards, or just goofing off. I find it interesting that when a slacker gets fired, the general mood of the office skyrockets. Because people don't WANT to bust their butt for the benefit of their lesser motivated co-workers.
Slavery. Slavery is not a capitalist institution. Capitalism is a relatively new ideology. Slavery has been around since the beginning of recorded history and presumably before. Adam Smith denounced slavery on both moral and economic grounds. On economic grounds, slavery is not practical. It shares in common with Marxism that a man is forced to work for the benefit of others and not for himself. He is, therefore, naturally less productive. On moral grounds, the distinction is clear. If one believes in the sanctity of private property and individual rights, the conclusion is that a man belongs to himself and the work of his hands is his alone to trade. A man cannot be owned. The moment The Declaration of Independence was written, slavery was doomed.
Some people have more money than others. So what? That's the point. The person who works harder will theoretically earn more money. Are there thieves and cheaters? Of course. And that is where one of the government's legitimate functions steps into play. Punish thieves and enforce contracts.
The truth is that capitalist countries are the freest, cleanest, and wealthiest across the globe. When people are allowed to own the fruit of their labor, their inventions, and the product of their minds, EVERYONE benefits. In that way, we actually DO work for the benefit of one another when we are allowed to work for our own.
I fear the socialist experiment is already underway in the US and may be inevitable. The masses seem to be ignoring shelves and shelves of data and listening instead to their emotions. One day Marxism has to work because it "feels good". Sorry, that's not the case, but here we go again.
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