Music Banter - View Single Post - Socialism
Thread: Socialism
View Single Post
Old 02-20-2015, 06:59 PM   #62 (permalink)
Guybrush
Juicious Maximus III
 
Guybrush's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Scabb Island
Posts: 6,525
Default

I'm a social democrat leaning to the left here in Norway, which probably means I'd seem like a complete communist to the average US citizen.

I think capitalism is very useful in some instances and not so much in others. An example I can mention where I think it's not is private schools. I think if you live in a democracy, that essentially means the people rule the country - of course through voting, but it also should mean that normal people can become politicians. When people rule the nation, it is important that these people are well educated so that they can make the best possible decisions (generally, the best possible decisions are those that promote the best quality of life for its citizens in the long run). From there, it seems to make sense to have the best possible public schools and no private schools. The reason being, if private schools offer better education at a higher cost, it becomes a privilege for those with money and their children will on average be better off and will send their children to private schools. There's a feedback loop. Meanwhile, you will also get the less fortunate who will not afford private school and will send their kids to public schools that are now considered second rate - and those kids will eventually, on average, produce their own children who go to public schools (another feedback loop). More competition for people to get into private schools might mean tuition fees increase, making it more impossible to get into for the less fortunate and what you essentially end up with is a system which helps create a society of class difference. Class difference means a society of winners and losers, but generally a lot more losers than winners as money rise to the top. These losers are now people who on average are less educated, but they still make up the bulk of the country's voters. So the bulk of society's voters have become the least educated. So, believing in democracy and believing in systems that cause and perpetuate class differences at the same time seems contrary to me.

This is just a general jist. Most of the private schools here don't offer a better education so much as a different one, typically mixing some kind of religious indoctrination into the curriculum. I wish they'd all get shut down.
__________________
Something Completely Different

Last edited by Guybrush; 02-20-2015 at 07:13 PM.
Guybrush is offline   Reply With Quote