Im sorry..how is a couple or few hundred years NOT considered a long time?
My god man, are you serious? How long has mankind existed? How long have societies/civilization been around for? 10,000+ years?? What was before capitalism? feudalism? How long was that around? So I ask you, is capitalism a relatively knew idea or not?
Not to mention, technology has really spread rapidly throughout the masses for only about 20 years or so, meaning cutting edge technology is available to you and i. Just think, 15 years ago, cell phones were the size of home phones and were attached to a fuckin briefcase...now they fit in our pockets.
The advancement of technology goes hand-in-hand with my way of thinking.
Fair enough...and would say it doesnt to an extent. Did civilizations not try to take over the world prior to the US? How about storming a vilage taking their goods, including currency? Why did they do this? Is this any different than someone robbing another at gunpoint in an alley? Someone is TAKING away what is considered valuable. Whether that be blankets amde from buffalo kink or an iPod.
I really do not understand your point here.
No one can know that...thats the issue here.
No actually the entire point of this thread was Karl Marx was right. The study of social evolution, of society, the understanding of history such as understanding how capitalism replaced feudalism and coming to the conclusion that communism will replace capitalism. Stay on topic.
The argument is if humans are hard wired to be envious and greedy DUE to systems like capitalism, or did greed and envy BREED capitalism directly? If that is the case, how can EVERYONE just say "youre right, i dont need this premium microwave or this Benz". You really think in 50 years, if socialism is implemted, that EVERYONE would be content driving similar 4-door sedans and making the same amount of money?
There is no rule that says you cannot have a premium microwave, a nice car, flat screen TV, etc. under communism. Again, communism is an economic system, a way which will allow a society based on common ownership and
control of the means of production, i.e rather than a small rich layer of society controlling the wealth and exploiting the workers, the workers would democratically own the wealth and make decisions.
Further, humans are not hard wired for greed. Like all things in nature, human consciousness and society are always in a state of change. Remember what I said, "conditions determine consciousness". Shit, humans only got to where we are today by being social creatures and the hunter/gatherer societies that existed long before were what allowed mankind to survive. On the grand scheme of things, or looking at the long timeline of mankind, the majority of human existence didn't even exist classes, and we lived communally.
Thats why i say you would have to re-prgoram humans in thinking that being content with the same as everyone else is natural.
And you fail to understand there is a process, there must be a change of consciousness, and there have been countless examples of this, shit even in the us 30 or so years ago, during the 60's and 70's there existed a revolutionary view, a new level of consciousness throughout the masses that did not really exist prior.
Who happens to be communist...no? I am not implying that they are mutually exclusive, but he runs a communist government.
You just killed your arguement by saying "communist government." Communism under Marxist terminology is "a classless, stateless and oppression-free society."
North Korea is a very distorted, fucked up version of a totalitarian Stalinist-like dictatorship. Very anti-marxist in every way.
Nothing is impossible, but again...NOBODY knows.
Agreed. However, the systems that you are suggesting, have been overthrown (USSR), are viewed as freedom hating (N. Korea), or just considered stobborn and unwanted (Cuba). Im sure the media has a nice hand in that, but it stands as such none the less. I mean, are people HAPPY in those systems? Do they prefer communism over other forms LIKE capitalism? I have absoutely no clue. Do you?[/QUOTE]
Agreed. However, the systems that you are suggesting, have been overthrown (USSR), are viewed as freedom hating (N. Korea), or just considered stobborn and unwanted (Cuba). Im sure the media has a nice hand in that, but it stands as such none the less. I mean, are people HAPPY in those systems? Do they prefer communism over other forms LIKE capitalism? I have absoutely no clue. Do you?
Have you learned nothing from my posts over the years?
Russia degenerated into a totalitarian, Stalinist dictatorship, which in turn changed the shape and face of "communism." As bad as it was, many people and countries found Stalinism a much better alternative to being on the wrong side of capitalism (those countries being exploited the most by the powerful capitalist countries).
I have posted countless times and provided links on how/why Russia turned out the way it did. Here is everything you need to know:
Russia: How the Bureaucracy Seized Power
The Revolution Betrayed by Leon Trotsky
Stalinism and Bolshevism By Leon Trotsky
If you cannot learn any new insight and basic understanding from the above links then I don't know how else to help.
Further, and as I already mentioned, it was said by Marx that Communism would replace Capitalism, it would first come from an advanced Capitalist country, like the US for example (workers revolution, move towards socialism to communism yada yada yada). Some people believe that Communism (in Russia) was doomed to fail from the start because Russia was a very backwards country and not the least bit advanced or industrialized, so it was inevitable a corrupt bureaucracy or a Stalin would eventially seize power, etc.
