What Is Your Political Orientation?

What is your Political Orientation?

  • Marxist-Leninist

    Votes: 2 7.7%

  • Socialist

    Votes: 5 19.2%

  • Liberal

    Votes: 4 15.4%

  • Neo-Liberal

    Votes: 3 11.5%

  • Conservative

    Votes: 2 7.7%

  • Neo-Conservative

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Fascist

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Libertarian

    Votes: 3 11.5%

  • Anarchist

    Votes: 2 7.7%

  • Other

    Votes: 5 19.2%
  • Total voters
    26
One of the big problems with this sort of discussion is that it quickly winds up talking about the 99% this and 1% that, these are boxes just as much as the political labels are boxes.
Those % are people, real people. They work, they eat, they live, they love.
It is really much better to discuss these things at a real person level.
If I am bothered by mice and you invent a better mouse trap I am happy to pay (share the product of my labor) for the use of your invention so that I will not be so bothered by mice. Will you get rich? I hope so. You made my life and many others better, you have added value to the world. And in fact each of us using that mouse trap are adding even more value as now the time we would have spent fighting mice can be used for more productive things. It is not a zero sum game, each step adds more to the whole.
If you gain riches from your mouse trap perhaps the money/time gain will help you invent more cool stuff. At the least you may hire a gardener and a cook etc., creating jobs for those that wish to work.

Now what happens if you are not allowed to profit from your mouse trap? Would you be bothered to invent it? If you did invent it would you be bothered to share? How would it be produced so that others could get it? Where would the capital come from to build a factory to make those traps? Would anyone have more than the minimum to live so they could contribute freely? Maybe we should make everyone give a % even if so?

Rather than toss around words like capitalism/fascism/communism it helps to think (and talk) of these things in personal terms, how does it actually work on an individual level.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Joe
Chet said:
One of the big problems with this sort of discussion is that it quickly winds up talking about the 99% this and 1% that, these are boxes just as much as the political labels are boxes.
Those % are people, real people. They work, they eat, they live, they love.
It is really much better to discuss these things at a real person level.
If I am bothered by mice and you invent a better mouse trap I am happy to pay (share the product of my labor) for the use of your invention so that I will not be so bothered by mice. Will you get rich? I hope so. You made my life and many others better, you have added value to the world. And in fact each of us using that mouse trap are adding even more value as now the time we would have spent fighting mice can be used for more productive things. It is not a zero sum game, each step adds more to the whole.
If you gain riches from your mouse trap perhaps the money/time gain will help you invent more cool stuff. At the least you may hire a gardener and a cook etc., creating jobs for those that wish to work.

Now what happens if you are not allowed to profit from your mouse trap? Would you be bothered to invent it? If you did invent it would you be bothered to share? How would it be produced so that others could get it? Where would the capital come from to build a factory to make those traps? Would anyone have more than the minimum to live so they could contribute freely? Maybe we should make everyone give a % even if so?

Rather than toss around words like capitalism/fascism/communism it helps to think (and talk) of these things in personal terms, how does it actually work on an individual level.
Click to expand...
If you are allowed to profit from your mouse trap, then other people are going to feel bad about not having those profits. Whilst if you didn't profit from the mouse trap then they might feel hunky-dory.
 
Joe said:
If you are allowed to profit from your mouse trap, then other people are going to feel bad about not having those profits. Whilst if you didn't profit from the mouse trap then they might feel hunky-dory.
Click to expand...
And now we must be responsible for how others feel? This is beyond my control.
(anyway wasn't my mouse trap)
 
OK how about the people that helped you invent that mousetrap?

How about the clean air you were breathing when you invented it?

And the people that built the roads that brought you the pencils to set your ideas down to paper?

How about the fact that you need a healthy, educated workforce to produce your mousetraps?

Or how about the fact that you had time to develop the mousetrap instead of being born in an economy where you have to spend all of your time foraging for food or fighting off hordes of Belgian invaders?

No one invents anything alone: it's a group process, and everyone in the group should receive his share of the labour he puts into it. That is where the question of a political system comes in. How should those profits be distributed?
 
EdRooney said:
OK how about the people that helped you invent that mousetrap?

How about the clean air you were breathing when you invented it?

And the people that built the roads that brought you the pencils to set your ideas down to paper?

How about the fact that you need a healthy, educated workforce to produce your mousetraps?

Or how about the fact that you had time to develop the mousetrap instead of being born in an economy where you have to spend all of your time foraging for food or fighting off hordes of Belgian invaders?

No one invents anything alone: it's a group process, and everyone in the group should receive his share of the labour he puts into it. That is where the question of a political system comes in. How should those profits be distributed?
Click to expand...
Indeed, and that is for sure why there are no simple answers to any of this. I am actually not intending to advocate one way or another, only to point out that the broad brush stroke ways of looking at things tend to miss a lot. And often what they miss are the real human impacts, both positive and negative.
 
Then it's a shame the Fascists are being routed in the Poll, since they would certainly have the most disciplined and aggressive dodge ball team.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread starter Similar threads Forum Replies Date
gracielle Post Election Commentary by Andrés Malamud, Political Analyst Expat Life 2
J Argentina’s political hegemony crumbles in the face of primaries Articles 3
MilHojas Argentine economy beats forecast despite political woes Articles 0
MilHojas Argentina, Brazil and Chile: uncertain political scenarios Articles 4
MilHojas Argentina's schools become political battleground after curbs Articles 5
Similar threads
Post Election Commentary by Andrés Malamud, Political Analyst
Argentina’s political hegemony crumbles in the face of primaries
Argentine economy beats forecast despite political woes
Argentina, Brazil and Chile: uncertain political scenarios
Argentina's schools become political battleground after curbs
Back
Top