Prostitution and Communism

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by JohnT
Actually, the "forced to work" is Kollontai's words.

Somehow you are missing half of the sentence:

All women who avoid work and do not take part in production or in caring for children are liable, on the same basis as prostitutes, to be forced to work.

I have emphasized it for you, John. So what is this you are getting at again?

[Kidlicious]

Originally posted by JohnT
I allow myself a $60 allowance a week.

Do you really think she earns that money? Most people would say no (with the exception of the people here who will always disagree with ME no matter what I say).

[Lefty Scaevola]

Originally posted by Kidicious
(with the exception of the people here who will always disagree with ME no matter what I say).

Yep, if you were to say that the sun rises in the east, its a good bet that many of the sagacious here would be looking for it in the other direction.

[Kidlicious]

The foolish wouldn't look. They would assume that they sum rises in the West.

[Ned]

Well, if there are no prostitutes and no strippers and no porn and sex is for "romantic" love only, as a woman wants it, then the future communism is not a happy place for men.

[Dracon II]

I don't think housewifery is a problem in itself. The problem is that it isn't recognised as legitimate work.

[Bill3000]

It should. It's quite a lot of work to be a housewife. (No, not from personal experience, although I can just look at my mom (a housewife) and see how hard she works for our family.)

Personally I think that there should be some incentive for a parent to stay at home to be a housemom/dad and care for the kids, rather than having a neccesity to have two working parents. I'm not of the "Women's place is in the home" types, but I do realize the benefits of housewifery, especially for children.

[Kidlicious]

Sure it's work, but it's just taking care of yourself or your own children.

[St Leo]

Originally posted by JohnT
Why does Che hate my wife, the stay at home mother?

Uh, you are confusing me with Che again...

[St Leo]

Originally posted by Spiffor
So, what exactly is so laughable about creches/day cares?

For-profit-lowest-bidder daycares are crap.

[Dracon II]

Originally posted by Kidicious
Sure it's work, but it's just taking care of yourself or your own children.

Methinks the utilitarian value of good parenting (in the long run) is quite significant.

There are different ways to organise a family (see: Trobriand Islands, Kibbutz etc), but its generally agreed that babies are helpless, vulnerable and complete dependent, and thus require close attention and care.

Whether a mother does it unpaid, or a nanny does it paid... it is the same volume of work, with the same purpose.

[The Emperor Fabulous]

So this is why Communism will never work: No prostitutes.

[Ned]

Originally posted by Dracon II
I don't think housewifery is a problem in itself. The problem is that it isn't recognised as legitimate work.

Because it, like prostitution, is somewhat out of control of central planning. Communism doesn't like marriage for a number of reasons, but the fact that it provide people, especially women, with a support system independent of the state is a major problem to totalitarians.

It is interesting to see the commies here squirm over the issue of marriage. They seem to be of two minds on the issue.

[Harovan]

Marriage in a nutshell is an economical alliance to create the environment and social security to procreate and raise children. With the emancipation of women and their increasing integration in job and business, and with fiscal subsidies for single parents in many countries, it is increasingly losing its purpose already now, under capitalism. That's why in many developed countries the number of weddings per year is massively in the decline, despite temporary pikes.

Under communism, the economical need to create said alliance is gone and thus, marriage will most likely either vanish completely, or will transform more in the direction towards what cohabiting is today.

[Ned]

No doubt, Sir Ralph, just at social security for the elderly decreases the incentive to have kids. Thus the population stagnation in "rich" welfare-state countries.