Thread: minority report
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Old 08-28-2002, 10:31 PM
Omega Omega is offline
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I'll begin by saying that I began skimming your post at the end, Arby.

I disagree that there won't be money. It sounds a whole lot like communism. I think that communism is a plenty good idea, but I don't think it will ever work. Human nature seems to be striving for success...or being better than _____. I'm having trouble picturing how you intend on eliminating money, and still having a functional society. The rich and upper middle class aren't going to magically agree that it's better if they give away their money and nice house and big TV and nice computer. It was an easier transition in the U.S.S.R. because everyone was in poverty to begin with, so they didn't have to worry about giving up their nice things. Those who did have money and nice things, didn't give them up...they were simply above it all.

The majority of our society is based on the idea of a consumer. Hell, one of the big concepts of the U.S.A. is the land of opportunity. A prominant philosopher claimed the unaliable rights of humans were "Life, Liberty, and Property." Someone later changed this to "Life, Liberty, and Happieness," because they didn't like the idea of giving pesants or slaves their own proprty (well, they felt imoral denying them property, so they simply had the moral changed).

I do agree, however, that something needs to be done to stop tyrannical practices running rampant under the guise of capitalism. I think it's bad that people truly are getting into a loop in the lower class where they truly can't get out. Similar to after slavery was abolished in the U.S., African Americans weren't significantly better off at all. They were still segregated, discriminated against, and in many cases treated as slaves (under the sharecropping program). Although public schools were required, they didn't give the lower class an education that could truly help them get out of the lower class (many parents even refused to send their children to school, because they were necessary as workers to try to keep the debts liveable (the whites/upper class had effectively managed to prevent any movement out of the lower class).

I think this is still the case somewhat today. Although not as severe, schools are still worse in the southern U.S., which is prominent areas for agriculture and factories (as it has been throught history). I don't think money should be abolished, nor do I even see that as a possibility in the next several centuries (without some total catastrophie interfering). I do see that social reform desperately needs to take place to turn the phrase "Land of Opportunity" into a reality, rather than a phrase people throw around to make themselves feel better.

Although I'm confident this would never happen (in the US), it would be cool if K-12 schooling was truly standardized, and everyone was required to graduate high school, passing also standardized tests. Private schools shouldn't really be allowed (in my ideal scenerio), meaning that everyone would really have the exact same opportunity, and the children of the rich wouldn't be privelaged with a better education. This train of thought reminds me of some European institutions. For example, some countries will pay for college for citizens.


Anyway, I'm not really sure if I made a point or not, but I'm done for now.
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