I live in a socialist society, so basically everything is free. I don’t need money, so what’s to stop me from saying “fuck you” to my family and community, since I don’t have to work? I just want to party, sleep around, do drugs, and drink alcohol 24/7. I don’t want to work or help anyone that’s not me. What happens?
If what draws you to family and community is money/the need to work, you’re probaby a sociopath, regardless of the type of society you live in
(Although you’re basically describing a capitalist mindset in a -wildly inaccurate- “socialist” society, which would be wrong to begin with)
You get thrown into Jail as an “anti-social element” (There’s an important distinction between “unable to work” and “unwilling to work”, both meaning “work” as in “contributing labor to the well-being of your fellow humans”). Also: You clearly don’t know anything about socialism beyond right-wing delusions.
That isn’t what socialism is. Socialism is laborer ownership over the means of production. If you don’t labor, you aren’t a laborer.
Communism would be more tolerant of the lifestyle you suggest, but social pressure gets enough people to contribute that the occasional person who legitimately doesn’t want to help anyone with anything won’t destroy the society.
This hits the nail in the head.
I have a friend who grew up in the USSR. From what she’s told me, the social pressure around pulling your weight can’t be overstated.
For example, her school uniform had a scarf, and the punishment for most offences (being late, not doing homework etc) was to have your scarf taken away for a day or two. Instead of being trapped in detention away from everyone after school, you had to spend the day publicly marked out as someone who’s let the side down. You’d spend the day subjected to disapproving looks, and then when you got home have to explain to your parents why you had your scarf taken away.
Your question employs a false right-wing premise. When your needs are taken care of, you won’t want to be high all day. The desire to work or contribute to a greater cause is endemic to our species.
Is this a real question? What socialist economy do you live in where “everything is free“?
They are obviously speaking hypothetically and not from practical experience
It sounds to me like a troll sort of thing, like how conservatives in the US frequently say that liberals and leftists “just want everything for free“.
Don’t you work at Sonic in the extremely capitalist USA?
Guessing you’re a young person without much money playing devil’s advocate about why couldn’t we have a real social safety net like most developed countries.
Next time drop the act.
I never said I wasn’t a socialist. I’m genuinely asking—what if I don’t want to work? In a socialist system, everything is basically free, so I don’t have to work.
Socialism doesn’t mean that money goes away. It means that your hard earned money is yours to spend how you please.
You’re not forced to pay insane rent to line the pockets of a landlord, rather you live in a rent controlled neighbourhood where the profits go towards housing generations of people.
Another way the money you have is yours to spend how you see fit: Rewarding other people like you and I for running the local coffee shop or splurging for the D.O.P. San Marzano tomatoes at the grocery store and insert that money directly into your local economy.
Money exists, you just don’t have to spend all of it on surviving. Rather, you can spend it on living.
You still make money based on your merit and input, grocery clerks aren’t being paid the same as neurosurgeons but both people can spend the same basic amount every month on living.
You said you live in a socialist society and work at Sonic. Those can’t both be true.
And the answer depends on the country but in general you end up some sort of bum but don’t actually starve to death.
That isn’t how socialism works. Socialism means that the workers control the means of production. It typically also means that necessary services such as healthcare are not run for corporate profit. Such government also typically give assistance to people who need it, rather than acting as if human life is worthless if it isn’t making capitalist profits for the owner class. In your case, if you were refusing to get education, employment, and contribute to society for whatever reason, that could be seen as some sort of psychological issue and most likely you would receive counseling. If you’re unable to work due to that, you may have assisted housing and a small stipend. But do you get like, a car? Luxury food? Vacations? No, because there is not a situation under socialism where “everything is free”. The bare necessities of life are supplied by the government, because that is, for one, smarter and more efficient than the American system where we do things like let preventable health conditions fester for years while people suffer and become untreatable rather than just giving them preventative care in the first place, which would save the entire society tons of money and increase overall productivity.
You grow up, if youre lucky.
Let’s hope OP grows up.
Those that don’t work dont eat
That sounds like a recipe for homelessness to me.
I’d imagine there is some sort of minimum contribution? Or perhaps “eviction” from the group in the event of degeneracy. I can’t see a society running on an “everything is free, do what you like” mentality.
You are used as an example to usher in a right wing capitalist dictatorship.
“Look at this lazy useless fuck. Socialism makes people like him!”
…that’s how it starts.
You don’t really have to exist though. Any rw demagogue worth their salt can whip up a decent amount of fear of and anger towards imaginary freeloaders without any in reality.
Not about you though. It’s them using you to rile up others.
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Ask your older family members. They’ve probably seen what happens.
I saw a public housing block in Romania, where people don’t have to pay, and what is provided is not a huge improvement from being homeless. You have a concrete apartment, but there’s no heat or electricity unless you pay for it. There’s a benefits office that will make sure food is available to you, but you’re definitely not getting name brand or getting to choose what you want to eat. The area around them was blighted and isolated- no community playground, parks, or shopping areas like a typical neighborhood. The community’s medical needs were addressed by pop-up clinics run out of a van. It was definitely not a situation anyone would’ve chosen to be in if they cared about themselves.
The area around them was blighted and isolated- no community playground, parks, or shopping areas like a typical neighborhood. The community’s medical needs were addressed by pop-up clinics run out of a van
This also completely applies to areas of USA with less population density. Even for people with jobs.
Remote Area Medical (RAM) is a nonprofit provider of mobile medical clinics delivering free dental, vision, and medical care (as well as veterinary services when available) to under-served and uninsured individuals.
Founded by British philanthropist Stan Brock, it was originally conceived to treat people in the developing world, but turned its attention to those in need of health care in the United States
