What's Wrong With Communism?

[Clashero]

Hello! I'm a person who likes the idea of owning my own business, and deciding how to run it, how to price things, et cetera. If the State expects to give up my freedoms and liberties for the sake of the incompetent, the inept and the lazy so that we can all be equal and make the same amount of money, they've got another thing coming.

 

[Jaranja]

All the leaders of communist countries have been bad at their job.

 

[Macgyvercas]

In theory, nothing is wrong with it. In practice, however, it falls apart because there will always be some greedy tossers who want all the power and money for themselves. I think the Native Americans came as close to true communism as anyone is ever goning to get.

 

[Timeforunleash]

Communism is like Anarchy. It sounds great, but in real life it just turns into some kind of dictatorship.

 

[Standby]

Free Healthcare isn't communist, it's just something a country has when they don't want a percentage of the population to die due to not being able to afford life-saving drugs or surgery.
You know, when you care about your fellow man?

 

[UnravThreads]

Communism won't work because it's based on an ideal. It's based on the assumption that people will work together, totally selflessly, for the good of the whole group. This is impossible, it is impossible to be utterly selfless, all the time, and still have a working brain. Communism will never work, and I, for one say good. World peace and happiness may sound like a good idea, but to me it sounds boring.

Basically it. Communism is one of these ideas that sounds perfect. Everyone gets along, we all have a good time, no one is better than anyone else and so forth.

Real world situations aren't like that. I might be able to do more work in a day than Joe Bloggs, and further the community more, but I'd get the same as he does. In Communism, this is fair as everyone is "equal". In our western society, it's not fair. Ironically, our society is backwards. A footballer gets paid (in England, and we're talking professional) a huge sum for basically kicking a ball about, whereas a fire fighter who risks his life to save others gets paid a much lower wage. How on Earth is this correct?

 

[HentMas]

actually Capitalism is a supper great idea!!!... but yeah, it´s still just an "idea"

and comunism is just an idea

so is socialism, everyting about politics is just an "idea" because nothing works out as it´s supposed to.

 

[keinushi]

according to Marx, nothing. Provided the country goes through capitalism first. Russia skipped capitalism, thereby fucking everything up

what about that massive period in history when the tsar (czar, or whatever way you spell it) ruled russia

I believe the Czar was more of a monarch than the duly elected leader of a capitalist society, on that note, I think its more of a way businesses are run than whose in charge that determines whether a society is capitalist or not

 

[Rigs83]

Communism has failed when the state is distracted by a Cold War. Russia was preparing to fight World War 3 with America while China was concerned with just raising the standards of living for it's people (at least after Mao died) so the USSR dumped all it had into defense and lost the Cold War to the Beatles and Disneyland while China is winning now economically and from what you see in films culturally (when was the last time an American Movie didn't have either some wire fu or martial arts fighting styles).

 

[Supreme Unleaded]

I live in america and I think communism is fine. I know that the U.S.S.R. is a really bad excample and everyone uses it. Communism can work well if you have the right leader.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

In theory? Nothing. In practice? Same problem as with every political system, "absolute power corrupts absolutely."

 

[Haliwali]

A good idea, great on paper, but simply wrong. Why should I, a grocery store clerk, get the same pay as the CEO of my company? That hardly strikes me as fair. Also, it can never work in practice because it ignores the human desire for more. We will always want to achieve more, want a better quality of life. Now, some individuals may be able to completely submerge themselves in this idea, but without complete and total cooperation from everyone, someone would try to exploit the sytem, ruining for all. The only way to avoid that is to brainwash everyone into following this idea whole heatedly, without question, without doubt. This would require the removal of free-will, in and of itself wrong.

 

[wrightry]

The idea of communism isn't the problem, it's the fact that society always finds a way to screw things over. I disagree with the idea that Obama will make things communist, but hey everyone's got an opinion.

 

[letsnoobtehpwns]

Communism usually leads to corruption. Just look at North Korea!

 

[Leesee]

It starts out with nice views and then turns corrupt

 

[Captain Picard]

Communism has failed when the state is distracted by a Cold War. Russia was preparing to fight World War 3 with America while China was concerned with just raising the standards of living for it's people (at least after Mao died) so the USSR dumped all it had into defense and lost the Cold War to the Beatles and Disneyland while China is winning now economically and from what you see in films culturally (when was the last time an American Movie didn't have either some wire fu or martial arts fighting styles).

Actually, China's recent prosperity was entirely due to opening their country to foreign markets, and adopting market economy policies. The U.S. began pouring billions of dollars into China once they began exporting products, because they could make these products cheaply. Labor is cheap in china, and will remain cheap for some time to come because China's monetary policy is entirely geared to artificially de-valuing the yuan relative to other currencies, meaning that Chinese labor and goods will remain perpetually cheaper than (most of) the rest of the world's labor and export goods. China didn't have an economy worth a damn until they opened up to the rest of the world. They owe ALL their economic growth to their trading partners.

Now, onto the topic at hand, communism doesn't work on a large scale because people are greedy, envious, an lazy. Therefore, unless resources are infinite, humanity needs a system which rewards labor and innovation and even greed (so long as one's greed doesn't cheat the system, which creates inefficiency and loss), and punishes sloth and greed (greed that breaks the rules of the system). Market economies WORK because they can productively harness human greed with property rights and law enforcement. You make it, you keep it*. Do you want to make more than Joe Blow down the street, because you enjoy the feeling of being rich compared to your neighbors? Well, you can do that too if you work hard and work smart. If your neighbors become envious, that's their problem. They can either be content with what they have, or they can try to one-up you by working harder and smarter. Large scale communism DOESN'T WORK because it doesn't punish sloth. If "The State" (everyone else) is going to feed, clothe, and house me, why should I bother working? If my neighbor works harder than my lazy self, I can do nothing and still enjoy the fruits of his labor. When you have a communist state which tries to punish sloth, then you get places like the former Soviet Union. Furthermore, absolute power corrupts absolutely. Guess what, in a communist state, the government has absolute power.

*Minus taxes.

 

[scbunchy]

Communism is a classic example of "great in theory but poor in actuality". For it to work everyone would have to agree to it. It's like trying to accomplish world peace by all nations throwing away their weapons. It might seem like a good idea but you know there will be one who won't do it an everyone else will be left defenseless. Instead we go to the opposite extreme and have so many weapons that anyone who steps out of line risks killing everyone.

 

[KarumaK]

It's favorite color.

Red... everyone knows red is evil. Look at the Sith.

 

[martin's a madman]

What is wrong with Communism is that it ISN'T a government system. As soon as a country tries to become "Communist" they often contradict themselves by having a leader. In true communism there is no leader because everyone is equal. There has never been a true communist nation EVER. Even the USSR the big symbol of "Communism" Was the United Soviet SOCIALIST Republics. So, in conclusion the problem with Communism is that it has never been done. Also, it could never work. However, Socialism IS a government system.

 

[Foolishman1776]

Communism won't work because it's based on an ideal. It's based on the assumption that people will work together, totally selflessly, for the good of the whole group. This is impossible, it is impossible to be utterly selfless, all the time, and still have a working brain. Communism will never work, and I, for one say good. World peace and happiness may sound like a good idea, but to me it sounds boring.

Basically it. Communism is one of these ideas that sounds perfect. Everyone gets along, we all have a good time, no one is better than anyone else and so forth.

Real world situations aren't like that. I might be able to do more work in a day than Joe Bloggs, and further the community more, but I'd get the same as he does. In Communism, this is fair as everyone is "equal". In our western society, it's not fair. Ironically, our society is backwards. A footballer gets paid (in England, and we're talking professional) a huge sum for basically kicking a ball about, whereas a fire fighter who risks his life to save others gets paid a much lower wage. How on Earth is this correct?

Because life isn't fair, and supply and demand. Moreover, professional sports bring in billions of dollars a year. What wouldn't be fair is if the Football player DIDN'T get a lot of money.