Socialism Is The Cancer of the World

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2 years ago
Topics: People, Goals, Money, Work, Career, ...

For years I have rallied against socialism as a cancer that rots away at culture, productivity, drive, motivation, and to some extent even human decency. It crushes hopes and dreams and breeds mostly only misery.

Albeit a shared misery, all on mostly equal terms. Because that is really the aim of socialism. To supposedly level the playing field. The aim is often times noble. It stems from a basic concept of people helping people together, and it seeks to make life better.

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The truth is that it never does, and every single socialist regime has failed to accomplish its goal through the annals of history, and people suffer as a result of it.

Part of the problem is purely an economic reality. Even socialism requires money. But money comes from things produced in society. Money comes from a strong culture of a work ethic, a drive to succeed to better your life, and motivation to keep on going to get ahead.

When the reward is no longer there to succeed, no one tries anymore. And slowly but surely the pool of money derived from productivity and success begins to dry up. As the former prime minister of the United Kingdom, Margaret Thatcher famously once said, "The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money."

Image courtesy of Pixabay, user ibrahim62. Boy Fence Poverty - Free photo on Pixabay

She never said what follows, but the underlying philosophy is a simple one. You can never get ahead in this world if everyone is poor together, which is what socialism ultimately results in happening.

It may not seem like a fair world to some when a few have it all, and some have a bit more, and another group has practically nothing. But at the end of the day the few provide an answer. The possibility. The opportunity. And in societies where capitalism is more prevalent, or variations of it, at least one thing remains true.

Many poor people have the opportunity to succeed.

In other words, unlike socialism, there is a clearer path toward a way out. Granted, it is not an easy path. But that's what produces the strong work ethic in people, and the drive to succeed, and the motivation and incentive to produce things to have at least the opportunity.

In a capitalistic society the mantra becomes, "Work hard and you can make a better life for yourself." In other words, hard work pays off. In a society built on socialism hard work is not as handsomely rewarded, and your rewards are limited to what the government ultimately decides you deserve.

And again, when there is no real reward for hard work and success, people simply don't do it. This is part of the rot of culture and drive and motivation that is whittled away at. It whittles away at what binds a society, makes it whole, and drives people to accomplish things.

Image courtesy of Pixabay, user MikeUrbex Sadness Nostalgia - Free photo on PixabayWildadventure.

I write this as an expanded response to a recent post by a Venezuelan friend of ours here on read.cash, @rebeysa85 and her poignant and very telling post, The life I don't want for myself. (read.cash).

In other words, I feel her pain. But at the same time I admire her tenacity despite the odds against her, living in a country once remarkably successful and productive, where people could achieve their dreams and desires, and could enjoy a payoff later in life for what they were able to contribute along the way. Her story is a stark example of how socialism whittles away at culture, drive, and motivation, until society is effectively ruined by it, and the work ethic is slowly but surely diminished from working hard, to just doing what you have to in order to survive.

In her story, her grandfather lived in a very different country than her father did. And today she lives in a different country than her father and grandfather did. The culture had been changed by socialism and the reality of it.

In her grandfather's country, hard work had a payoff. He taught his son about that payoff, and he in turn offered that same lesson to his daughter. But by the time the daughter had a chance to put that lesson to work, she quickly realized that the lesson, at least in her country, the country that became the one she lives in now, was no longer true.

But I did say that I admire her tenacity, because at the same time she has made some decisions to spite the odds against her. The reality is that the socialism that she lives under now simply makes that a harder goal despite her tenacity.

Most people in socialist societies don't even try to make a better life for themselves, or to stack any odds in their favor, because once socialism takes root, it permeates the mindset of most people.

And the government's confines economically make it nearly impossible anyway.

This is simply the way it is and I am powerless to overcome it. So, I will just go about the status quo as it is.

I pick on Venezuela a lot of the time when I talk about the ills of socialism, because it really is one of the most recent examples of how it can destroy a nation. In the 1970's it was a country that was perhaps one of the most prosperous nations in Latin America. That all changed when Hugo Chavez became the president in around 1999, and in just 20 some odd years the country has become impoverished and suffers massive inflation, and much human sufferage. All of it a result of socialist views and governing.

Image courtesy of Pixabay, user geralt. Man Old Senior - Free photo on Pixabay

Venezuela is now as poor as it has ever been, and the hopes and dreams and strong culture of a remarkable populace has now been reduced to ashes, with most of its people struggling just to survive, in a world where opportunity is limited, and where power is centralized.

In capitalistic societies we rail against the 1% who have it all, and bargain for the 99% who don't get to share in the riches. As we do this we fail to recognize that in socialist societies the ratio is quite different. There it is the .01% who have it all, and have all of the power and rewards, and it is the remaining 99.99% who suffer the fallout and ultimately starve.

I wish all the best for my friend in Venezuela that she can beat the odds and overcome the hurdles. And I hope that she is an example of a new culture which restores the old culture. I hope that she is a product of a few people who can change the status quo and spite the odds and make Venezuela a great and prosperous country again.

I hope that Venezuela can provide a valuable lesson to the world what happens when you take away the freedom to succeed, and what happens when you restore it.

Only time will tell, of course.

Because at the end of the day even in a capitalistic society not everyone will reap the rewards. But the big difference is that at least one has the opportunity if they want it, and they work hard for it.

At the end of the day my hope is that people like @rebeysa85 is not alone in her plight to tell socialism to go and take a flying leap.

Lead image courtesy of Pixabay, user ibrahim62. Boy Fence Poverty - Free photo on Pixabay

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2 years ago
Topics: People, Goals, Money, Work, Career, ...

Comments

I don't know where to begin so I'll try my best to write my ideas and thoughts about this article:

1.- You made me cry. The way you shared my story is way better than what I wrote LoL

2.- Socialism in writing is Utopic, that's that. This comes to show that a theory in the hands of unscrupulous people can be catastrophic even if the theory itself was written with good intentions.

3.- Our situation is far from ending because as of right now, we are suffering at the hands of the government and the hands of our countrymen. The devastation this regime has had on our society is massive and I don't see it ending any time soon.

4.- For me, our current situation only reassures and reinforces my mindset as in not believing in politicians nor in their beautiful words, actions are what matter.

5.- I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all of this, your support, and your kind words. You have no idea what this means to me. My journey is just beginning and this gives me the strength to keep fighting, thank you.

$ 0.00
2 years ago

Socialism put burden of supporters on non-supporters. Better to discourage something that is worst form than present.

$ 0.01
2 years ago

There is no “perfect” form of government. For sure it does not accomplish it's “noble goal”, but I would not call socialism a cancer. I can think of many other forms of government that are cancerous. Just my opinion.

$ 0.01
2 years ago

I look at the suffering of a great many people. Cuba, The former USSR. North Korea. Venezuela...and countless others. It never works, never has, and never will, and all it leads to is devastation, destitution, and human suffering. I do not think history can deny that unless someone is delusional.

$ 0.05
2 years ago

It gets complicated with each country but this is correct. The leaders have everything. They have also convinced themselves under the socialism veil that they are doing the right thing for the people. I also denounce socialism but there is another side too. The embargos against these countries are having a gross effect on the population. These are methods used to push the citizens of these countries to rise against the ruling party, but they don't damage the governments that often rule with an iron fist.

USSR was very different back in the 80s and most of these countries have not recovered yet to live better under capitalism. Another issue in both EU and the US is the inequality debt is increasing. Some EU countries had a so-called mixed system and it worked only in the Scandinavian region. It massively failed in southern Europe, though.

Eventually, any system can work flawlessly, but it is the people that can make it work. When there is too much greed, nepotism, corruption, and stupidity, even a flawless system will be pointless. It is the people that make this change. The politicians the people vote or have appointed for life, and the relations with neighboring countries.

Still, I find socialism to have historically failed massively. In theory, it looked like a better system of handling resources, but eventually, it is giving absolute power and wealth to only a few while it impoverishes the rest.

$ 0.10
2 years ago

The bottom line is that there is no simple answer. Things are complicated. I agree there is no perfect system. But I do also believe that capitalism and strong variations of it are the best system, and that has been proven I believe overwhelmingly, especially when you consider that MOST of the rich in America came from nothing and BECAME rich.

The problem the U.S. faces the most among her people is that so many Americans have so much opportunity, but most fail to recognize it and do something with it, and the plight of their woes is largely based on their own circumstances of their own creation, not anything in society holding them back.

In socialism it is almost entirely always an uphill battle with limited opportunities to do much to change their situation to any extent that it really matters.

Here at least I can go from dirt poor to multi-millionaire, and no one will stop me from accomplishing it, because they can't.

$ 0.05
2 years ago

Yep. This is a fundamental difference. It is not just a dream; capitalism works in America because the people support the system and encourage it. In other places (my country) there are far too many not supporting it, but encouraging big government and socialist style of governance. And this has caused various issues.

There are flaws but they are fixed. The system works for three centuries in the US. One can have a dream and chase it and if there is potential within, if there are the right ideas and required intelligence, they succeed.

$ 0.01
2 years ago

Very well said.

$ 0.00
2 years ago

Those countries you named though are not just suffering because of the form of government. Their political leaders are doing things to their people that they shouldn't be doing no matter what form of government it is. Just my opinion.

$ 0.01
2 years ago

This is true. But also do keep in mind that when people are dependent on the government, this is what gives these leaders the power they have. China is a glaring example of a country that offers just enough of a carrot to let people get just a wee bit ahead, but not too much that they lose their power.

$ 0.00
2 years ago

OK. I'm being chatty again.

I'm kind of saying that the problem is not with the form of government. It's with any form of government that has been made into an “𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧”.

It could happen in a country where the economy is based on capitalism. In fact … it does happen! Those in power manipulate and work the system; and sometimes … poor folks learn how to work that system too! WHY? Because they figure you already stacked the cards against them. Why bother to try to get ahead? You're just going to figure out a way to hold them down. So the A.C. (average citizen) says:
𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘦! 𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘣𝘺 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 “𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘮𝘶𝘮”, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘐'𝘮 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 “𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘮𝘶𝘮”. 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘰𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘺𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭-𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘐 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘶𝘱?

Do you follow me?

$ 0.01
2 years ago

No worries being chatty. I like it.

But yes, I do follow you. But then with your statement in mind doesn't that fully explain the difference between the haves and the have nots and why? If you don't try, you won't succeed. If you do, you may not succeed, but you stand a much better chance.

If guys like Bill Gates or Jeff Bezos or Michael Dell or Warren Buffet thought that way of course they would be poor, accomplishing little, and living off the system. The fact that they did not think that way is the very reason they are who they are and why those who are not them are not the way they are.

In a capitalistic society really the only one to blame is the individual. Because everyone has exactly the same opportunity as everyone else does. In a socialist society, you still have the same opportunity as everyone else, only the ONLY opportunity is to stay poor.

I always use my story and my cousin's story. We started off pretty much the same. We made pretty much the same amount of money, working the same kind of mediocre jobs.

I got rich, and my cousin did not. Why? It had nothing to do with me having any advantages over them. It had to do with how I spent my money and what I did with my money.

That made the difference even though our circumstances were almost entirely exactly the same.

$ 0.00
2 years ago

Yes. In life it does take the individual to make a choice. But life is not a “one size fits all”. America is a land of opportunity. Not because it embraces capitalism. But because it is a nation of “We the People” who believe in freedom and equality and justice for all. These ideals are spelled out in the key documents that lay the foundation for our nation to build on. But even in this great country America where the sky is the limit, America does not always live up to these ideals.

So what about other countries?

A form of government is not what makes or breaks a country so much as it is the CORRUPTION in the government and whether the citizens of the country are regarded human beings with human rights that are to be respected and protected. That boils down to individual choices too. Because what is a government? It's individual people who work in certain positions of authority. They can choose to be honest and decent and serve the people. Or they can choose to be EVIL.

Other countries can also be a land of opportunity just like America. It does not matter if they have government programs that aid the poor, In fact, how a country cares for its disadvantaged citizens is a reflection on the moral character and integrity of those running the government. (Abraham Lincoln said something to that effect. I can't remember the exact quote.)

One last point. Some people can be content with “a little”. Maybe they are not rich because they did not aim for riches. For the record, the USA has a lot of poor hard-working law-abiding people. They have no complaints that they don't have wealth. But they do have a problem when their human rights are being trampled upon.

You don't measure a country by how much money the citizens have. You measure a country by whether or not its citizens are content because they have the freedom to live the life that they choose.

Any form of government in any country that does not allow its citizens to dwell in peace and safety is a country that is forcing its people to make choices such as … flee the country or rise up in protest and rebel. Choices that they should have never had to make.

You know most of those people that you see trying to cross the Mexican border? They are not really coming to America to be rich. They're coming for PEACE AND HAPPINESS. Why? Because they don't have it where they live.

It's a fact: PEOPLE DO NOT LEAVE THEIR "HOME, THEIR CASTLE" UNLESS THEY ARE COMPELLED! "Circumstances" have forced them out of their home.

(I tried to pare this down. There is only so much you can say in a Comments box.)

$ 0.00
2 years ago