Yesterday, I discussed my beliefs on what makes us unique as individuals and the processes by which we arrive there. Today I will delve into Socialism to the extent that I can. Socialism is defined as a theory of social organization by which the means of production and distribution of capital, land, etc. is vested in the community as a whole. There are a number of different theories of socialism running the gammit from a complete state run economy as in Communism to the complete abolition of the state as in a Utopian society, to everything in the middle. It would be impossible to cover every nuance of every socialist theory and be able to completely reconcile at the end. So lets stick with the basic theory. Socialism is, according to Marx and Engels, a natural process that is adopted by the community as a whole and eventually supersedes capitalism. In this natural process, human consiousness comes to be defined by society rather than human consciousness defining society.
Socialism in effect promotes total equality amongst people. It seeks to eliminate class distinctions, moderate income disparity, and create equal opportunities for everyone. Production and distribution, in socialism, is to be managed by the community. However, how is a community of 100,000 people supposed to have equal ownership and control of a company? Community, or collective run companies can only work where the community is small enough where it is feasible for everyone to have an equal say and opportunity to have ownership in that company. In certain small towns, this could work, but it has been tried in a Utopian setting many times, and has failed. The option then, is to still have a form of management which runs the company and its production, but to hold that management as equal to the workers. People would be paid based on their production efforts, but how is the production of an iron worker equal to that of the manager which oversees production. There are still varying levels of skills needed and thus, there should be different levels of pay dependent on the level and quantity of work that a person is providing. Socialism accounts for this, but in socialism's efforts to eliminate class distinctions, it invariable still creates them through the quantity of work produced verses the type of work executed. Here in lies the crux of the situation, how is equality to be achieved while still maintaining incentives for workers and creating drive to do better? I feel that the two are irreconcileable.
Unions are one example of an attempt to socialize the workforce. If you look at a union closely, though, there are vast problems with the system. Workers are guaranteed jobs, irregardless of the individual's efficacy at that job, not necessarily in performing the work needed, but in their drive to do the best job possible. Why should someone strive to do their best job when nothing is at stake. A good number of people, guaranteed a job, will not put out their best effort because A) they can not be fired, and B) they will make the same as the person next to them who may be more effective at peforming the given job. How would this work in say the banking industry? I feel that if every industry where socialized, including the banking industry, there would be a general stagnation. While socialism promotes education for everyone and equal opportunites for everyone, the fact is that not everyone is equal in every respect. People who have an intense drive to perform to the best of their abilities and do the best job possible should be greatly rewarded for their efforts. If people in a socialist society are rewarded to the extent that their work warrants reward, it will create a class system and invariably break down the theory.
While the theory of socialism and its beneficial attributes seems appealing, when put into practice, there are many undesireable consequences. People are not all equal as much as we would like them to be. In a Capitalist society, it is possible to make something of yourself. It is hard to rise to the top of a company? Absolutely. It shouldn't be easy. If someone wants to rise to the top, they should have to work their butts off to get there. Some people may posit that it is impossible to rise out of poverty and make something of oneself. I disagree. If there is a drive within a person to rise above their current status, it is within the realm of possibility for them to do so. It has happened many times before, and we still hear stories of people turning their lives around and making it better for them and their families. Socialism would create a level playing field offering an opportunity for everyone to work regardless of their drive. If someone does not want to rise to the top, then that opporunity should not be afforded them, they should seek it out and make it their own. Once we decide that we should create equality through equal possibilites, we invariable alienate those who have "made it", those who have worked hard to get there, and the income they receive as a benefit. It is an attempt to bring back down to earth those that have made something of themselves and I personally disagree with it. Each person should make of themselves what they will. If someone wants a menial job, taking out the trash, then let them have it, but they should not be rewarded to the same extent that someone who holds an executive position at a company is rewarded.
To sum it up, Socialism in my mind is great in theory, but in actuality, it is a flawed system which we will delve into more tomorrow as we relate it to individualism and our uniqueness. Life is what you make of it, at least thats my theory. While this has been a brief foray into socialism, admittedly inadequate in the overal scheme of things, I have tried to point out the basic tenets of the theory and how they relate to our society. If anyone feels that I have come up short in a certain area, please let me know and I will expound on it. I will leave you with a question about socialism till tomorrow. If socialism, as posited by Marx and Engels, is a natural process that will occur over time and eventually eliminate capitalism, why has in not happened in the 150 someodd years since their theory was put down on paper? Till tomorrow, smile and live your life to your full potential realizing that only you are in control of it and only you can make of it what you will.
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