"When we study, not men's rights, but men's natures and capacities, nothing is more obvious than that all men are unequal; they are born unequal, they will always be unequal; nature intended them to be unequal; and no system of government, social control , or education has yet been devised or ever will be devised, that will make them equal. Indeed, the astonishing and delightful discovery of modern psychology and biology is, that the more you educate men the more unequal you make them. The more you equalize opportunity, the more you unequalize men. The more nearly you treat men alike, the more unlike they become. Birth, talent, labor, virtue, and education are forever making differences in people. Some must command and some must follow. It is a law of life." -Albert Edward Wiggam, "Authority on Heredity" -
“Society is a complex and mysterious creation and it's extremely imprudent to believe in the face it presents you with at a given moment, let alone to consider it the one and only true face.”
-Vaclav Havel -
“The true test of a civilization is not the census, nor the size of the cities, nor the crops no, but the kind of man the country turns out.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson, Society and Solitude –
When I was a Junior at the University of Nebraska (Go Big Red) I took an Economics course as one of several electives. Our professor, whom I remember only as "B+ Bert", assigned a book that was required reading for his course. The name of the book, Looking Backward by Edward Bellamy, shaped the way I viewed our economy and the world at large for some time to come. As I've become older and perhaps wiser, my view has changed.
In his novel, Bellamy tells the story of a man with insomnia who requires medication and absolute darkness in order to sleep. Each night, his house keeper put the man down in an encapsulated cellar, completely cut off from the outside world. On one fateful night, the house above burned down around him. His housekeeper, who left town for the night, as well as everyone in town assumed the dear man deceased. Many years later, an excavation project revealed the crypt and inside, a man still entombed in peaceful slumber, but very much alive. (This IS a novel, ok?) The man wakes to find that society has changed in a way he never imagined. He awoke....to absolute Socialism.
What the man discovered, basically, was that each and every person on earth (or was it his country?) received exactly the same pay annually, regardless of vocation. Doctor, lawyer, Walmart Greeter, common laborer; it mattered not. EVERYONE was payed exactly the same. Some chose to spend their annual allotment (via debit-like card) on a big house. Others chose to drive fancy cars. Still others took elaborate vacations. Everyone was paid alike, but it wasn't required that you SPEND it alike. Healthcare, retirement, etc was all government-funded. Every single person was "the same". There was no "status", no symbolism, no looting in the streets. It sounds so............so..........perfect, doesn't it? And it would be perfect except for one minor detail. We AREN'T alike.
You can call it God's plan or the Universe's plan or just plane ole evolution, but each of us is born (ok, MOST of us) with an innate desire to improve, achieve or create. Every single one of us is different. And I'm not just talking about Americans. I'm talking about the human race. There are no two human beings alike. To TREAT each of us alike would be, not only boring, but unfair. The effect technology has had on our society is a topic for a whole other post, but suffice it to say that at least some of the technology we have today is a good thing. Peoples quality of life is improved by invention and creation.
If you take away the incentive to be different, or remove the feeling of being unique, or rob people of any type of recognition that makes them feel special, you begin to kill the human spirit. And THAT spirit isn't put there by experience. It's born in us. Truly, how good do you really think doctors might be if you take away the incentive to improve surgical techniques or cure cancer? You could argue that if everyone actually made the same salary, incentive wouldn't be necessary. But I beg to differ. Take away a person's innermost need to feel special and you kill the very spirit that lives in him.
Having said that, let me be clear that I DO think everyone should be afforded the same opportunity. In this country, nearly everyone is given the chance for a quality education. Most have a shot at a decent job and a way to make a living. Does it take work? Does it take some effort? Of course it does! THAT is what makes it special! Almost every week I hear someone complain about the fact they were denied some opportunity based on race or religion or status or whatever. You know what? That excuse is old and tired. It's lame. It falls under the category of lazy that comes from the saying, "life isn't fair". (Credit to Nick for that one!) If you run against a snag and quit because it's just too hard, that isn't the governments fault or society's fault. It's yours......any way you spin it.
So what once was a fantasy of an equal and safe and balanced society, gave way to the realization, that for all it's faults, a free market is a good thing. Capitalism is better than the alternatives. Check out an earlier blog on free market. It'll fix alot more problems than it creates if you just let it. Obama is not a Socialist. He can't create socialism. I don't care who you vote for or how much government control they persue, Socialism in the purist sense, has never, does not now, and WILL never exist. The human spirit simply won't allow it. Stop worrying. Obama isn't a Socialist. He's a Democrat.
So go to work or school tomorrow and let your spirit soar. You may never make as much money as Bill Gates, but that's ok. You can still try. And the fact that you CAN try is what makes being free so special.
Some interesting thoughts here, but I'm going to disagree on some key points. I only have about 30 minutes until my next class so there maybe some incomplete thoughts but I will try to write as concisely as possible.
ReplyDeleteFirst as far as socialism is concerned...Your argument over the incentive for a doctor to pursue "incentive to improve surgical techniques or cure cancer" you are forgetting on key aspect. Here in America we are raised to be individualistic. Our values center on our ability to obtain wealth and goods, this in turn gives us status. However this isn't always the case. Take a drug dealer for instance; they have wealth but no status. In the case of a doctor working in socialist society the idea is that they would be socialized not to think for themselves, rather their neighbor. Status would be obtained not through money or goods, rather the ability to contribute to the community. One has to keep in mind how they were taught to think, remember that if you were born in another county your views on politics could be extremely different.
Your next point concerns me more “Almost every week I hear someone complain about the fact they were denied some opportunity based on race or religion or status or whatever. You know what? That excuse is old and tired. It's lame. It falls under the category of lazy that comes from the saying, "life isn't fair" As an outsider this comes across as extremely prejudice (no not racist, prejudice) That is to say that you as a dominant member of society seem to have a very negative stereotype towards minority population (whether that is race, religion, or gender) Your statement is a gross generalization and really is the on the fundamental problems to how this country operates.
Let me use a quote to better demonstrate what I meant by life isn’t fair.
"Personally, I think is is something of a national disgrace that the demographics of our jails, prisons, and correctional institutions are so racially skewed. What we see in the criminal justice system mirrors economic, educational, and other disparities in our society.” LPD Chief Cassidy 7.27.09
ReplyDeleteRemember that everyone no matter their race, religion, gender, or culture has a different experience. You cannot lump them all into one category of minority. Someone might be raised with an advantage and a disadvantage. Some people get multiple life chances because of economic status and some get only one shot. Matt, look at some key differences on how we treat people with discrimination 1) Judicial System = White collar crime that costs this nation millions (usually committed by whites) vs drug crime (usually committed by a minority) carries more jail time then said white collar crime. 2) Pay differences in the work force, men make more money than women who do the same job. 3) We even discriminate at UNL with desks, there are far more right handed desk (and sometimes only right handed desks) why? Because the dominant group is right handed and doesn't even consider the needs of left handed people. For christ sake this nation dominant group doesn't even represent the nation as a whole. We have old white males running this country when in fact women make up the majority along with minorities. Our country is not proportional to its so called representation. But here's where it gets tricky. The top 1% of the nations well is equal to the bottom 90%. That is a staggering figure and here's what I believe. Those we have money and therefore power, have tricked middle class males into believing they are part of the dominant group despite not have the economic power. They usually share either the same religious beliefs, political beliefs, color, or all combined. They then perpuate this idea that anyone can make it. That is simply not true, but they get you to believe it and then you vote for them, thus letting them retain more power, make more laws, and get the machine a-churnin. Make no mistake; there are millions of people in this nation that get walked on because of their differences. There are millions more that don't get the same chances in schools (did you know SAT and ACT scores are directly linked to income?) Matt, this isn't an attack on you, but it is an attack on any member of the dominant group that believes they understand what it's like to be a minority. Sorry for any grammatical errors or spelling errors; I have no time to go back through and correct.
My final thought is from a song and I will touch it up to get my point across. "Holding on is harder than it seems
ReplyDeletewhen you're reaching for so much more
seems so much easier to give in
when you're reaching for so much more. Another wasted Saturday so here I stay
where nothing seems to ever change anyway hey
all this hype about life bein great
where's the love for people these days
I'm goin off the deep end" That is to say that with this way of thinking it is a contradiction to they way they want you to think and it may push you to the deep end; it is easier to give in but I advise that you don't. Don't let them control the way you view the world.
The top 1% of the nations wealth*** is equal to the bottom 90%.
ReplyDelete