Can Communism work?

[Murica!]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Territory

Is this a good answer?

[Murica!]

No. Society is too greedy for that to happen.

The idea that human nature is inherently skewed towards greed is utterly false (as is, really, the idea of human nature). This is merely our state under a socio-economic system which emphasizes the individual material wealth above all else.

FTFY.

[Murica!]

No is the correct answer

It doesn't even work on a micro level. Families are often governed by irrational preference for people who share much of their DNA with you, yet they can't achieve pure communism. Socialism is nearly impossible on a micro scale as well.

What about Denmark? They're Socialist and one of the best countries on earth.

[Murica!]

Did something happen in Denmark?  Last I checked it was the least corrupt country on earth, and full of happy people.

Tell me what you think socialism is.

[Murica!]

Denmark is happy.

snip

What a bunch of bullsh**t.  I will ignore most of it except for that one comment.

Measuring happiness is hard, much harder than monolingual people think, happiness may not necessary mean the same between different people, and I would be surprised if any people who had dealt with Danes in reality would describe us as a happy people. A important aspect here is the difference in how Danes and as example Americans perceive the world.

Very simply said; (and it's very simple, because this is only trend, not something universal) Danes are pessimistic, while Americans are optimistic. This mean that for a Dane who don't expect much good, life is full of positive surprises, while for Americans who expect much, life is full of negative surprises. Of course if you expect the worst, you also make some long term plans, if things should go wrong, this mean that the consequences of failure is lower for a Dane. At last it's seen as bad taste for a Dane to show his wealth (unless it's done subtle), which mean the social consequences of poverty are also smaller for a Dane. That doesn't make Danes happy, but it make them less unhappy.

I understand your Danish pessimism makes you believe I'm issuing a slanderous critique, but honestly I don't care. Do whatever you want.

I'm firing a shot across the bow of the worst socialists in the OECD, namely the Democratic Party. Democrats are so American they measure their political victories in "dollars wasted" and "jobs destroyed", which is amusing for a country as wealthy as ours, and Democrats never seem to get tired of it. China also has a good laugh at the Democratic Party, since China is the direct benefactor.

The rest of the world is not too impressed when the US economy sputters and stalls, which drags down the global economy and causes currency balancing issues.

Do you know what socialism even is?

[Murica!]

Do you know what socialism even is?

I'm accusing them of not being socialist at all. I'm accusing them of being greedy little pigs who invoke terms like social justice ans shared responsibility to nickel and dime the American people, while delivering virtually nothing of value.

Politicians tend to do nothing of value to the people, but I still want you to define what socialism(at the very least in your opinion) is.

[Murica!]

Politicians tend to do nothing of value to the people, but I still want you to define what socialism(at the very least in your opinion) is.

Socialism is Kaldor-Hicks

OK, lets try again, what is the definition of socialism?

[Murica!]

OK, lets try again, what is the definition of socialism?

He gave an answer that socialism is an economic order under which efficiency is measured in terms of whether decisions make some people better off more so than they hurt others, and that in theory those who get hurt could be helped by those who gained making reparations for the trouble - though that compensation need not actually occur. It is close to saying, "Socialism is the economics of social utility." I do not agree but it does sound like a better answer than I've gotten from a lot of capitalist opponents.

Yeah, I got that, but it's quite incorrect.