Socialism Has Never Worked and Can’t

Michael Greer

By Michael Greer

We often hear that “the only reason socialism has never worked” is that the “wrong people” were “in charge”. I always wonder what angels the leftists think don’t have donors or special interest groups they are beholden to. Donors and special interest groups tend to want laws bent to their desires. Where would those angels come from? 

Socialism doesn’t, and cannot, work, not because the wrong people have been in charge, but because it goes against human nature.

The need to make it to a goal

Human nature doesn’t ever change. There have always been good people and evil people, generous people and greedy people, industrious people and lazy-asses… and there always will be.

Man was not designed for mediocrity. Man was designed to compete, to question, to explore, to innovate, and to bond with others. Man was designed to form close ties with family, friends, community, and country. Our bodies produce chemicals that reward us for those things, and socialism goes against every last one of them. 

When we win, we produce dopamine, which is an immediate and short-lasting high. The lack of dopamine leads people to substance abuse, as they attempt to artificially reproduce the feeling of winning and accomplishment. 

Serotonin is a long-lasting chemical that creates feelings of well-being. It is produced by accomplishment, charity, and faith. Oxytocin is another long-lasting feel-good chemical, produced during social contact, such as bonding with friends and family, and having trust in people we respect. Charitable acts reward the giver as much as the receiver. These two chemicals are necessary for our emotional well-being and social stability.

Endorphins are another feel-good chemical. Most of us know that exercise releases endorphins, but did you know that so does laughter, music, and sex? This chemical, like dopamine, has only a brief effect.

These chemicals are the reason social justice programs like “everybody gets a trophy” and not keeping score in sports are so wrong-headed. Self-esteem comes from accomplishment and our chemical reaction to it, not from a trophy we didn’t earn. Kids know they didn’t earn that trophy.  They don’t get a shot of dopamine for “participating”, they get it from winning. They know who can run faster, throw a ball better, or jump higher. Childhood is when we learn to be good losers and gracious winners. It’s when we learn to not give up. If you lose, you figure out why you lost, and then you work to overcome those shortcomings. It’s an exercise in character-building. When all that work finally pays off, your body rewards you with happy feelings. 

Our schools, obsessed with “diversity” and “fairness training”, are also trying to break the bonds necessary to the human condition. My grandson’s school told the kids they weren’t allowed to have best friends or to play with the same kids every recess. I can’t even fathom the rationale behind such insanity. Bonding with family and friends is probably the single most important factor to a sense of well-being!

We all need to feel we “belong”. Gang members will tell you they joined the gang because it gave them a feeling of belonging.

A perfect example of socialism not working are public sector unions. Public employees cannot be fired, and their pay is determined by seniority rather than merit. They quickly realize that, since they won’t be rewarded for working harder, they need hardly work at all. When you can’t get fired, and you get paid no matter how terrible your work, there is no motivation for performance standards. Your co-workers will only resent you if you demonstrate that the job can be done faster or more efficiently.  And, since you aren’t being rewarded for winning, you don’t create anything new or accomplish any goals, and your body never gets the chance to produce those all-important chemicals that give you a sense of satisfaction.  We only value what we earn. Whatever is given to us that we didn’t earn, has no value. That’s why most people who win the lottery spend the money before the ink is dry on the check. 

All people are unique. We like different things, have different talents, pursue different goals and dreams. We should celebrate these differences. Socialism assumes we all want the same thing. We don’t. The goal of socialism is for us all to have the same standard of living: a job, a place to live, a college education, food. The only way that is possible is if that standard of living is abject poverty. See Cuba, China, North Korea, and the former Soviet Union for real-life examples.

If man merely exists, if he does not push his limits, challenge himself, explore, or grow, his body doesn’t ever get to produce the chemicals that give him a sense of joy. And if those chemicals aren’t produced from accomplishments, acts of charity, and bonds of family, friends and community, people seek them from other sources. That’s why alcoholism and substance abuse are so common in socialist and communist countries like Russia and Sweden. 

Socialism can never work, because humans are designed for higher expectations, not lower. 

_______________________________________________

Michael Greer is the co-organizer of the Santa Monica Tea Party and the Los Angeles Tea Party, on the board of directors of the Citizens’ Alliance for Property Rights and was a member of the Republican Central Committee for the 41st Assembly District.  Her website is: http://madderthanhell.wordpress.com/

Get free Citizensjournal.us BULLETINS. Please patronize our advertisers to keep us publishing and/or DONATE