Why are all Atheists Stalin loving, pinkos??

[CapnAwesome]

When something "looks good on paper", it means that it makes reasonable sense when you think about it, but that it doesn't take into account one or more subtle facts which change the whole thing. A football play might look good on the chalkboard spelt out in Xs and Os, but it doesn't take into account things like the relative sizes and speed of opposing players, endurance, or desire to win at the moment the play is run.

I think it was Moltke the Elder who wrote that no plan survives contact with the enemy. This is a similar phenomenon.

I just think it doesn't really make that much sense though. I can say anything looks good on paper. If it's a bad plan that doesn't work, then it doesn't look good on paper or anywhere else. Communism isn't a good idea that is ruined by people, it's just a bad idea. The fact that it doesn't take something obvious, like human's wanting to own stuff, in account is part of it being a bad idea. The same applies to the football analogy. If you aren't taking something into account, then it's just a bad idea.