I consider myself a type of Communist and even now a type of Socialist, yet I am not a Marxist. And the ability to explain what that means is complicated by the fact that most Americans treat those three terms as completely interchangeable. The irony is my objection to Marx is that he actually encourages the very mentality I find so offensive about traditional conservative American values. You see what makes Marxism more specific then the first two labels is it's emphasis on the Working Class or "Proletariat".
Where I agree with Marxism is that the Working Class do deserve more then what they actually get for the Work they do. A mere Hourly wage, even the proposed $20 an hour Republicans and "Libertarians" currently find to be too ridiculously high a minimum wage, is mere pocket change compared to what they deserve. The people working full-time especially deserve well over twice that.
My Dad spent most of his life working hard for various employers, one in particular for over 30 years, and yet he's not as financially secure as he should be. He had to retire later then he originally planned with less then he originally planned. But the sad Irony is it's the Pride he puts in all that hard work he's done that makes him hate anything "Socialist" because he thinks all forms of Socialism simplistically come down to taking from those who work and giving to those who don't.
Karl Marx's proposed "Utopia" included forcing everyone who was physically able to to work. He was not about giving people Free money for nothing. The difference between Marxists and American Conservatives is simply that Marxists see the super-rich as the parasites leeching off the working class while Conservatives are selling a ridiculous narrative that it's the poor who are the parasites.
The thing is I kind of am the Strawman these people think all Socialists are. My ideal world is one where I can get away with doing nothing but sitting around watching Anime all day. So that's part of why I support things like a Basic Income or "Guaranteed minimum income".
But of course I'm the kind of person people are going to be least tolerant of hearing propose such an economic system. As someone who's currently and has been for most of my adult life Unemployed, and yet am Privileged and Lucky enough that I haven't suffered the way most people for whom that can be said are suffering. But I'm going to attempt to defend it anyway. And I am after-all still worried about my future.
I'm offended by the notion that only those who work matter, that you have to "contribute to society" to deserve to get anything from it. Left-Wing Marxists may put more polite dressing on how they express that attitude then Conservatives, but it's still basically the same attitude.
I think everyone is entitled to the means to keep them alive. You should work for what you want in addition to that.
The argument against the proposed Basic Income system is a belief that if you allow people to get money for nothing you'll eventually wind up with not enough people working to Tax to pay for that system. But most people are going to want more then the proposed $10,000 a year or $1,000 a month. Those currently used to making millions every year aren't going to just stop. And those raising families are gonna need more then that. Which goes back to my belief that those working should be making far more then they are. I also want the Labor Income Tax to be drastically decreased and the Capitol Gains Tax to be significantly increased. And I support the proposed Wallstreet Sales Tax.
But the people who's desires are small enough that they could live off just that should. I'm not saying NEETs should live in luxury, just that those who don't want to work because they don't want that much from life shouldn't be forced to have to.
The thing is not everyone who contributes to society does so in a way that is viable to make money off of. Many artists were starving the whole time they were alive and not appreciated till they were dead. And the equivalent of that does still exist. I'm not even the biggest EndlessJess fan, but I feel he's an artist who's contributed more then enough society to deserve to be set for life.
And me, I'm someone trying to contribute to society via these Blogs and interacting with people in Social Media. But I'm not yet remotely doing anything I think anyone would feel worth Paetroning me for.
I'm not a communist, but neither am I a capitalist. I'm more libertarian when it comes to living in this world.
ReplyDeleteThe problem I have with conservative paradigms is the worship of work. Using Paul out of context when he was simply telling them to keep working because the Antichrist and Day of Yahweh were far in the future.
I believe Christians should work hard, but with the caveat that it should be what we want to do. I wish to be a full time writer, and have written a novel.
I hate the thought of working for some faceless corporation as God's will for his people. Is that not being unequally yoked with your employer?
I think entrepreneurship is what the Bible desires for us and that which uses our God-given talents.
I hate the thought of waking up to do meaningless work. And I'm supposed to take pride in that?
No, but I will write for the kingdom and be happy with that.
I think people who actually like working are lying. If you did would you still show up if they stopped paying you? Didn't think so.