The idea that socialism doesn’t work because people are inherently lazy is not true. In a bike race, you do as little work as possible to get to the finish so that you have a big kick left. But you still end up doing a lot of work. No bike race is easy, there are always moments of difficulty and unless it’s a completely downhill race, you feel the lactic acid in your legs at least once or twice. I don’t think people are lazy. Some work harder than others. Some work much harder than others, and do deserve to be compensated for it. But 99% of people, at least people I know, are not what I would consider lazy.
The story about the grasshopper and the ants holds a terrible moral for children. Here it is: The grasshopper is a lazy hippy who spends its entire summer playing music while neglecting to collect food for the winter. The ants are hard workers, collecting and hoarding food for themselves all spring and summer long, responsibly preparing for the “doomsday” when the first snows arrive. When winter finally comes, the grasshopper quickly begins starving and freezing to death. Fortunately for the lazy hippy grasshopper, the good-natured Christian ants feel pity for it and nourish it back to life (ant heaven exists in this story and they’ll be damned if they don’t get in!). The grasshopper learns a valuable lesson from this and next summer and spring, it knows to do its duty, hangs up its leg (violin) and collects its own food.
Grasshoppers don’t store food. They do die in the winter.
Ants don’t give a shit about grasshoppers. They would kill and eat one if they found one.
This story is also saying that music is worthless. The only things that matter in life are material resources. Who wrote this story, Reagan?
Now, think about the lowliest, most lazy person in society that you can think of. A homeless person possibly? They’re so lazy they don’t even have enough money for a pair of un-ripped shoelaces, right?
But even a homeless person is willing to work. Up to 12 hours a day! Sitting out in the hot sun or pouring rain with a cardboard sign all day. It’s not any different than holding a stop sign for construction work. It’s work. They’re not being lazy, they just can’t get hired or hold down a job—usually because of a mental illness, or circumstances they were brought up with such as abusive or drug addict parents. Who knows why they’re homeless. Cricumstances that were most likely out of their control. And they’re still not lazy. I can’t think of one lazy person I’ve met recently.
If people had more hope, more equality, an equal chance at making a decent living in the world, it seems to me they’d be even more likely to work harder at life. Should a doctor get paid as much as a garbage truck driver? Maybe not, since there needs to be some sort of motive for the more “intelligent” people in a society to be attracted to more difficult and “important” jobs. But will a plastic surgeon do less of a job if they make 200,000 a year instead of 700,000? Contrarily, would a janitor lead a more fulfilling life if they were paid 40,000 a year instead of 15,000? And they’d do a better job too. There is no shortage of work and no shortage of money or resources in this country for the amount of people who live here. The same cannot be said about the world as a whole. But for this country, at least, there is no reason why almost 50% of the working population makes a wage that classifies them as being in poverty (below 18,000 a year). In our current system of capitalism, where the cream supposedly rises to the top, the nation’s elite 1% must be extremely hard workers to own 80% of the nation’s wealth.
Here’s a story: In an anthill, everyone does the same amount of work. Some ants are better at collecting food. Some are better at guarding the hill. Some are better at caring for the young. Some are better at doing a jig; ants need entertainment too. But all the ants pull their fair share and they all get enough food and respect to live happily together without a military police force or gated communities keeping them in order. There is no slum village in an anthill.
Another story: I wolf pack. There are 12 wolves, a much smaller community than an anthill and much closer to a natural community for humans—hunter gatherer societies. There is an alpha male and a dominant female. Wolves need a little leadership apparently. But, like the ants, they all do their fair share and they all get enough to eat once the growling and bickering is over with.
Last story: Humans. The smartest species of them all. The ones born into good prosperity control the world and the rest are slaves. The end.
KENNETT PETERSON 