this post was submitted on 04 Oct 2023
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Socialism
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I don't make a lot of money, but I make enough to feel rather comfortable. If I were told "we're going to give away free money to people without homes and jobs, but you don't get any because you already have both," I'd be cool with that.
If I were told "we're going to increase your taxes, but the return on that would be knowing that no one would ever have to worry about affording medicine instead of food again. No one will ever need to beg for money again and income will no longer be coupled to social status," I'd be fucking stoked.
I'm one of the lucky few who loves their job and would do it for free if I could afford to, but I'd love to see people be able to abandon their horrible work environments to pursue societal contributions that mean something to them.
Well, see, here’s the thing: you’re a decent person. Too few people are.
I don't even think that it's so much a lack of decency in most people, so much as the capitalist society we live in that falsely promotes the idea that it's a zero sum game and that inherently drives people into a crab mentality.
I remember as a child asking my parents to give to the homeless and they'd say that if they gave to one, they'd have to give to all and then we'd have nothing and we'd all be homeless. Then they'd give our old torn-up clothes to charities and tell us they were going to "the poor children." None of their but did you bring enough gum for everyone logic ever made sense to me, but it was so ingrained that it wasn't until I was in college that I started giving to the homeless because I was scared that giving to one would make all of them come out of the woodworks telling me I had to share.
Btw, I once did bring enough gum for the entire class, not to fuck with the teacher, but to brighten everyone's day. I figured the teacher would be like, "FINALLY!!! I've been so sad telling everyone no for all these years!" Instead, I got sent to the principal for being a smartass. It was never about not having enough resources to share, it was about making sure the have-nots were punished.
Actually I think most people are decent. The problem is that those who are in power are not.
Similarly, I think there is a correlation between how not-decent a person is and how loud they are.