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Why your protestations against capitalism are doomed to failure...

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  • Why your protestations against capitalism are doomed to failure...

    It's because y'all are young. Pretty simple, really.

    I don't mean that insultingly, using "young" as a keyword for "immature", "inexperienced", etc, but, literally, "young."

    You see, this is what's going to happen. To VG, to Sava, to all of you college-aged (and younger) people out there who think that the most important, real thing in the world is ideology/economics/whatever. I know because it is what always happens... just ask the baby boomers:

    You get out of school. You get a job/career and all of a sudden you find that you don't really have the time to plow through ALL the latest Poli-Sci texts, nor do you really have the time to spend hours upon hours debating these subjects online. You'll likely be working 50-80 hours a week (not for long, but for a few years) and, if you add in the time needed for sleep/food/fun/etc. you'll find that the time available for worrying about such things dwindling. Oh, you'll still care and you'll still spend too many late nights arguing the worthiness of this revolution or that manifesto, but you'll be far more tired while doing so and, after time, you'll be tired of being tired all the time. So you'll slow down.

    Then you get married. Guess what? While she might share the same beliefs, you're wife isn't likely to share the same passion you have for them. Naw, she is going to be far more pragmatic and "sensible" than you are, and she'll tolerate a bunch of talk, but she won't tolerate personally detrimental actions based upon your beliefs, as the following (entirely made up) argument will show:

    "I quit my job today, the bastards!"
    "What? Why?"
    "Can you believe that they were going to raise the price of our compact disks to $18???!!!??? When I heard that during the meeting today, I jumped up and gave them an earful! I told those greedy, capitalist bastards that they were leeches on society, that their bottom-line mentality was destroying society, art, and all the good things that Western Civilization stood for! You should've seen my bosses face when I called him a tool of the oppressing classes!"
    "Why???!!! What are we going to do now? We've got $2,000 in the bank, some money in the 401(k), and monthly bills that total up to about $3,500! And you quit your job because you didn't want to raise the price of CD's?? What the hell is wrong with you???"
    "But honey, I thought that you would support..."
    "Don't you 'but honey' me, dammit! I'm two months pregnant and you quit your job over some stupid belief that is NOT going to change their decision one iota! Did you even think about me? Did you even think about the baby.... Holy freakin' Christ, what are we going to do about health insurance??? How are we going to pay for the delivery??? What about pre and post-natal care??"

    and etc. What is even worse is that your wife will likely expect of you a constantly (long-term) rising standard of living. Think she's going to want to tool around at the age of 34 in a 7 year old Toyota? Think she's going to want to live in that tiny 2 bedroom, 1 bath apartment for the rest of her life? Think she's going to want to go to some social function in the outfit she bought last year? Last month?

    And then the baby comes, and then, well, you just might as well forget about changing society. If you think you're busy now... ... just you wait. You'll get up at 6:00am, be at work by 7:00-7:30, get home at 6:00pm, and then spend the rest of the evening tending to the baby, talking to the wife about your day, watch some TV/play on the computer, and then go to bed by 11:00pm. But the severe lack of time isn't even the issue here: the plain and simple fact is that you'll want to give your child everything. And so you won't mind working, you won't mind raising the price on those CD's because, well, that's how you get ahead. You've got a wife and kids now, a mortgage to support, and frankly, you can't afford to support bad ideas like Communism.

    It happens to all of us, you can't avoid it. Even the most dedicated among you accepted a transfer to work with Citibank, and then complained when he lost his contract... and Chegitz is probably the biggest "name" Commie in this bunch.

    So go ahead, complain. Whine, *****, moan, give grief, come up with massive solutions, whatever. Just do yourself a favor and realize that the reason you are able to rebel is because:

    1. You have the time to do so.
    2. You have very little to lose.

    When the situation becomes reversed (as it undoubtably will), well, I'll see you on the golf course! Perhaps then we can talk some real business...

  • #2
    Speak for yourself
    "I predict your ignore will rival Ben's" - Ecofarm
    ^ The Poly equivalent of:
    "I hope you can see this 'cause I'm [flipping you off] as hard as I can" - Ignignokt the Mooninite

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    • #3
      Just you wait.

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      • #4
        We'll see...I plan on

        a.) acting professionally
        b.) politics
        c.) anthropology/history teacher

        Theatre and Anthropology are what I'm majoring in in college. And don't tell me "there's no money"...like I care about the money.
        "I predict your ignore will rival Ben's" - Ecofarm
        ^ The Poly equivalent of:
        "I hope you can see this 'cause I'm [flipping you off] as hard as I can" - Ignignokt the Mooninite

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        • #5
          nobody's buying it thats why

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          • #6
            Hm... I'm way past your 32... Maybe I should have my head checked?
            Within weeks they'll be re-opening the shipyards
            And notifying the next of kin
            Once again...

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            • #7
              Dammit,

              My life explained

              - ok withouth the political part - but timewise - completly.
              Socrates: "Good is That at which all things aim, If one knows what the good is, one will always do what is good." Brian: "Romanes eunt domus"
              GW 2013: "and juistin bieber is gay with me and we have 10 kids we live in u.s.a in the white house with obama"

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              • #8


                Nice one JohnT!

                This is so true. One day the Kommunist Kids Klub here at poly will grow up and realise how things work in the real world.
                ...people like to cry a lot... - Pekka
                ...we just argue without evidence, secure in our own superiority. - Snotty

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                • #9
                  I just read what you wrote. Good one! I have always supported capatalism, of course Im a greedy little bastard too

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                  • #10
                    A nice manifesto as far as it goes, JohnT.

                    But in later chapters some people may stop watching all the ads on tv, or turn down a higher paying job, in order to have more time to spend with the kids, take care of aging parents, or work on a social concern they believe in.
                    Old posters never die.
                    They j.u.s.t..f..a..d..e...a...w...a...y....

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                    • #11
                      I dont think capitalism is the best way to do things, but its the best we can manage at this point. Socialism or communism is not the answer.
                      ...people like to cry a lot... - Pekka
                      ...we just argue without evidence, secure in our own superiority. - Snotty

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        It's true to a certain extent, but not everyone sells out their ideals just because it's expected or easier to do so. There may never be another great revolutionary, there may, who knows. When/If it does happen, who knows what their cause they advance will be. But you can't honestly look at history and say that all people sell out their ideals for personal comfort, conformity, or to appease their wife.

                        So cut out the 'always' and you have a much better post.

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                        • #13
                          The "KKK"? I kinda like that, Caligastia!

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                          • #14
                            Originally posted by Adam Smith
                            A nice manifesto as far as it goes, JohnT.

                            But in later chapters some people may stop watching all the ads on tv, or turn down a higher paying job, in order to have more time to spend with the kids, take care of aging parents, or work on a social concern they believe in.
                            Very true, Adam, it's just that I haven't read those chapters yet.

                            The fact remains is that when the social involvement chapter kicks in, it is NOT going to be the same sort of "society improving" that the KKK repeatedly endorse. Naw, they'll be coaching Little League, joining churches, teaching adult literacy, cleaning parks, not designing revolutions or anything that will disrupt the home front.

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                            • #15
                              The "KKK"? I kinda like that, Caligastia!
                              Picture of a Finnish supermarket:



                              The ads, where a female voice sings "K... K... K... Supermarket!" are particularily amusing, but if you're a Finn, it needs a "Whoa!" moment.
                              "Spirit merges with matter to sanctify the universe. Matter transcends to return to spirit. The interchangeability of matter and spirit means the starlit magic of the outermost life of our universe becomes the soul-light magic of the innermost life of our self." - Dennis Kucinich, candidate for the U. S. presidency
                              "That’s the future of the Democratic Party: providing Republicans with a number of cute (but not that bright) comfort women." - Adam Yoshida, Canada's gift to the world

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