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(September 28, 2009 at 4:13 pm)Saerules Wrote: And in capitalism: hard work is not often a part of the equation... the hardest working burger flipper is payed only to be a burger flipper, and is paid no more for doing their job well. Capitalism gives often to the lucky, not usually to those with ability.
Sae,
This quote speaks more to your lack of understanding about "work" and less about the flaws of capitalism. You are right that there is no perfect system but they are not equal in their failure.
Are bad workplace conditions and lack of due respect for the working class a failure of capitalism or a failure of society itself? Capitalism as a system works perfectly well, especially on the free market. Anyone can have an idea, fight for it, get venture capital, and become a millionaire.
September 28, 2009 at 8:17 pm (This post was last modified: September 28, 2009 at 8:19 pm by Violet.)
And communism's failure was not also a failing if the society? Socialism as described by Marx would have been a very good system... but it could not be implemented. My statement of capitalism reflects how it has worked out in every single implementation of it.
Many more have an idea... fight for it... lose... and become even poorer.
An interesting note on the difference between communism and capitalism:
Communism: This is such a great country, we're all equal... equally poor.
Capitalism: This is such a great country, we've all got a chance to make it big... but most of us don't.
Socialism by itself falls on its ear because it fails to use human desire as a motivator, whereas Capitalism by itself fails to reign in those desires and free markets DO NOT control externalities and there is a possibility of a corporation growing so large as to prevent competition from entering their market.
Winston Churchill nails it right on the head:
"The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings; the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries.”
September 29, 2009 at 3:12 am (This post was last modified: September 29, 2009 at 3:14 am by Violet.)
And that is exactly the socialism that was put into practice... socialism as Marx described it would have actually been a pretty good system. Basically, Marx idealized that the less fortunate would be given enough money from the rich that they wouldn't be unjustly served in life. (An exceptional book at illustrating this, would be The Jungle by Sinclair... he may have hit Americans in the stomach, but he managed to hit me in the heart...) The system has yet to be implemented as such...
September 29, 2009 at 8:56 am (This post was last modified: September 29, 2009 at 9:07 am by Overmars.)
Off topic, as usual. I'll get this thread back on track:
One bright, beautiful Sunday morning, everyone in tiny Jonestown wakes up early and goes to their local church. Before the service starts, the townspeople sit in their pews and talk about their lives and their families.
Suddenly, at the altar, Satan appears!! Everyone starts screaming and running for the front entrance, trampling each other in their determined efforts to get away from Evil Incarnate. Soon, everyone is evacuated from the church except for one man, who sit calmly in his pew, seemingly oblivious to the fact that God's ultimate enemy is in his presence. This confuses Satan a bit. Satan walks up to the man and says, "Hey, don't you know who I am?" The man says, "Yep, sure do."
Satan says, "Well, aren't you afraid of me?" The man says, "Nope, sure ain't."
Satan, perturbed, says, "And why aren't you afraid of me?" The man says, "Well, I've been married to your sister for 25 years."
I was at church the other day and when the collection came around I put some Monopoly money in the basket. The priest said to me, "What are you doing? That's not real money!"
I replied, "Well, let's talk about this god of yours..."
I used to tell a lot of religious jokes. Not any more: they put me on the sects offenders register.
An atheist goes to church and sits through all the preaching and prayers, then the collection plates are passed round, everyone puts in a couple of pounds or the odd fiver, then the plates reach the atheist, who puts in a bit of paper, the priest takes the paper out and says ' is that all your willing to give to god? ' the atheist replies ' yes, it's a lottery ticket, if god knows and controls everything, he'll make it a winning one and I'll have given more to him than all you bastards .'
Christianity: One woman's lie about having an affair that got seriously out of hand.
A woman whose daughter was hospitalized in a US tornado told ITV News that "God would make her better." Presumably, that's a different God from the one that almost killed her with a tornado.
If we're all God's children, then what's so special about Jesus?
Anyone else find it funny that the disclaimer "The characters in this film are fictitious and any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental" is in the credits for 'The Passion of the Christ'?
Personally, it's not Allah I dislike, it's his fan club I can't stand.
It was the happiest day of my life. Wife waiting at the altar, flowers blooming everywhere and a great turn out. I swept a tear away from my eye, kissed my wife on the cheek and closed the lid.
Joseph: Do you have any rooms?
Innkeeper: No, we're full.
Joseph: Listen, my wife is pregnant....
Innkeeper: Hey, that's not my fault!
Joseph: It's not mine, either!
A prostitute has been found out and is just about to be stoned to death in the village square when Jesus shows up, waving his arms at them to stop.
"Let he who is without sin cast the first stone," he says.
Suddenly there's a "wheeeeee, THUDD!!" and a large rock hits the prostitute on the head, splitting her head open and killing her instantly.
Jesus says, "Mother, sometimes you really piss me off!"
Enjoy.
Personally, it's not God I dislike, it's his fan club I can't stand.
A guy goes to see an oracle and asks "what does heaven look like? Will I enjoy it there?"
The oracle gets into a trance and says "I have good new and I have bad news. Heaven is filled with 18 hole golf courses, and always fair weather to play, and always challenging"
"So what is the bad news?" the man asks.
"Well" says the oracle, "You have an appointment for tee-off at 8:30 tomorrow morning"
Best regards,
Leo van Miert
Horsepower is how hard you hit the wall --Torque is how far you take the wall with you
A man wants his fortune told. The fortune teller says "for 5 euros I will predict you one year.". The man says "I don't want one year, I want my fortune told for my entire life.". "That will be 2,50" says the fortune teller.
Best regards,
Leo van Miert
Horsepower is how hard you hit the wall --Torque is how far you take the wall with you
(September 29, 2009 at 1:29 pm)Amphora Wrote: Your at the beach how do you find Ronald MCDonald?
The answer is:
by his sesame seed buns.
I don't get it...
Galileo was a man of science oppressed by the irrational and superstitious. Today, he is used by the irrational and superstitious who claim they are being oppressed by science - Mark Crislip