this post was submitted on 06 Mar 2024
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[–] SkyezOpen@lemmy.world 71 points 4 months ago (1 children)

"I feel like criticizing today."

"You've been criticizing all week Dave, someone has to shovel the cow shit."

[–] Noodle07@lemmy.world 12 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Just be French, criticizing becomes part of everything

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[–] darkevilmac@lemmy.zip 54 points 4 months ago (5 children)

If a society is to function people need to be doing the work that isn't enjoyable as well as the work that's enjoyable.

There's likely not enough people that get genuine enjoyment out of being a garbage man or sewer maintenance worker for a world with everyone doing what they want to work.

You have to add incentives for the less desirable labour or else the system collapses under its own weight.

[–] Grayox@lemmy.ml 26 points 4 months ago (1 children)

The USSR gave early retirement to those that worked undesirable jobs, pretty decent incentive. Having undesirable jobs doesn't make Communism collapse.

[–] hakase@sh.itjust.works 17 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Having undesirable jobs doesn’t make Communism collapse.

True, but it does show that the OP is just bullshit propaganda.

[–] Grayox@lemmy.ml 9 points 4 months ago

They didnt need to make their comment to show that lmao, Its very clearly Marxist Propaganda, the best kind of Propaganda.

[–] frezik@midwest.social 15 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

The solution capitalism gives us is that those jobs pay less. Any able-bodied person can clean toilets, so supply and demand results in little pay for cleaning toilets. However, those same people deserve a basic human life with food, shelter, and companionship, yet they are easily priced out of this. The "incentive" you speak of is the threat of starvation.

Communism actually recognizes this. Everyone pitches in to get the basic, necessary work done. This tends to be a lot less than generally expected. Most people today are not doing work that is necessary at all.

[–] darkevilmac@lemmy.zip 5 points 4 months ago (1 children)

In my home town a sanitation worker makes double the provincial minimum wage and gets benefits. That's an incentive for a job that has a low barrier to entry but undesirable labour.

The benefit of this system is that you can in fact choose this role instead of being assigned it based on the requirements of society. If the compensation isn't tempting enough then the employer will increase the compensation until it makes sense. That's how it's supposed to work at the very least.

If the current implementation isn't working then you address the issues with the implementation, you don't tear it all down and try something completely different.

[–] frezik@midwest.social 3 points 4 months ago (1 children)

That's nice. Does it work out that way for jobs with low barriers to entry across the board in your experience?

[–] darkevilmac@lemmy.zip 2 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Depending on the desirability of the work compared to the compensation yes it seems to be working pretty well

[–] frezik@midwest.social 4 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Depending on . . .

So not depending on if this is a human being who deserves basic food and shelter.

[–] darkevilmac@lemmy.zip 2 points 4 months ago (4 children)

If you're incapable of working then you take advantage of the social safety nets that your government or community provides.

I never said I was against having supports in place for those who are unable to work?

[–] frezik@midwest.social 2 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Which in America, is fuck all, and the biggest capitalists have actively stopped them from being instituted. The same people who benefit a lot from having a workforce that is cheap and easily replaceable.

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[–] sharkfucker420@lemmy.ml 26 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Im starting to think marx may have been adhd

[–] AdrianTheFrog@lemmy.world 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

From a report from an anonymous German spy

"Washing, grooming and changing his linen are things he does rarely, and he likes to get drunk. Though he is often idle for days on end, he will work day and night with tireless endurance when he has a great deal of work to do. He has no fixed times for going to sleep and waking up. He often stays up all night, and then lies down fully clothed on the sofa at midday and sleeps till evening, untroubled by the comings and goings of the whole world. "

[–] sharkfucker420@lemmy.ml 2 points 3 months ago

He just like me fr

[–] RaoulDook@lemmy.world 18 points 4 months ago (3 children)

It's funny how that imaginary Chad Stalin quote implies that you can't do any of that stuff under capitalism, or that capitalism requires any person to be limited to "one sphere of activity." In the USA we do have the freedom to choose to do any or all of that, and our only limitations towards doing them all are time and resources.

[–] Droggelbecher@lemmy.world 20 points 4 months ago (2 children)

Lots of people have to work 40+ hours just to survive, that doesn't leave much energy to do things other than your paid job. And you can't just switch jobs willy nilly, pretty soon nobody would hire you anymore if your cv is full of jobs you've only held for a few weeks or months

[–] BobaFuttbucker@reddthat.com 10 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

That’s not because it’s not a communist society, that’s because our government is run by shills paid by corporations to keep it that way.

Who runs a communist society? The people? Do we all take turns being president? What happens if it’s a bad dude’s turn and they don’t want to relinquish power?

The problem isn’t necessarily the economic system, the problem is the leadership appointed, combined with the people’s willful ignorance of their actions. Late-stage capitalism is definitely a problem, but in its current implementation more of a symptom of the points above.

tl;dr every system suffers from the same vulnerability: shitty people

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[–] RaoulDook@lemmy.world 4 points 4 months ago

There is no law that says you can't switch jobs whenever you want. We literally do have the freedom to do that within the framework of capitalism and the laws that govern the citizens of the USA. The reality of the situation is of course that employers generally don't like that, but employers are not the government and they don't own us. We still have our freedom to choose to pursue whatever we want for employment. These are generally good features of capitalist democracy - it's also good that employers are free not to choose unreliable candidates.

[–] echo64@lemmy.world 13 points 4 months ago (1 children)

You have the freedom, if you have money. Otherwise you don't. You just have the freedom to be homeless and starve

[–] RaoulDook@lemmy.world 4 points 4 months ago (1 children)

That is generally how it works in most of the world, except for primitive hunter-gatherer societies that live beyond modern civilization.

Except that most countries do have social services to support the needy. If you are poor in the USA, you can get free food and free healthcare from local county governments.

[–] echo64@lemmy.world 5 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Sooo... how does that relate to your point? That you can supposedly do what op is saying in America because freedom?

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[–] Ookami38@sh.itjust.works 5 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Right limited time and resources. You get more time and resources by earning more, quicker. You typically do that by becoming more skilled. You do THAT by... Specializing in one sphere of activity.

You absolutely can do whatever you want in a capitalist society, but let's not pretend there's no incentive to stick in one lane and specialize.

[–] Feathercrown@lemmy.world 3 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (2 children)

That's just kind of how labor intrinsically works though. It's not a capitalist thing.

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[–] BluesF@lemmy.world 16 points 4 months ago (2 children)

A reminder - or possibly just some information - because I see this misconception so often. You can have money in communist or anarchist societies. You can reward shitty jobs, or even all jobs with money to be used for luxuries! This does not go against the principles of these social systems, despite what people often imagine. You may not have individuals racking up huge amounts of assets in the form of business empires, but you as an individual can still, idk, do work and use the output of that work to buy beer or whatever.

That is not to say that everyone will agree that these societies should have that... But just consider this before you make the "what about the sewage workers" argument.

[–] gmtom@lemmy.world 11 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I mean if you redefine communism, sure. But a communist society as described by Marx is moneyless, classless and with not central government. Because if all your needs are met and resources shared amongst the commune, what purpose would money serve?

[–] Silentiea@lemm.ee 4 points 3 months ago (5 children)

People redefine capitalism every time it suits the rich folk, why can't we redefine communism too?

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[–] Robaque@feddit.it 10 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Communism is by definition moneyless

But yes anarchy is less prescriptive

Personally though I'm sceptical that money can be without hierarchy, or that the distinction between necessities and luxuries is all that meaningful, since it's all very relative

[–] BluesF@lemmy.world 2 points 4 months ago

Sorry, I'm making my own classic blunder and using communism when I mean Socialism.

[–] mindbleach@sh.itjust.works 15 points 4 months ago

Motte and bailey.

People talking shit about communism are obviously referring to the several countries which were allegedly headed that direction, and - for some reason! - super didn't get there.

Defending the apparently-nonexistant utopian ideal is not a meaningful response to even the shittiest and least-informed criticism of those very real countries and their very real problems. It's like if conservative dipshits tried arguing that capitalism is only when perfectly rational consumers have unlimited information, so "capitalism has never been tried." It's a stupid dodge. You know what words are used to mean.

[–] wise_pancake@lemmy.ca 13 points 4 months ago (5 children)

Those are just hobbies.

Can you walk into a l law office and be a lawyer one day, then a scientist the next?

(note: no, sovereign citizens, you are not either of these things despite what YouTube tells you)

[–] occhineri@feddit.de 3 points 4 months ago (2 children)

Who the fuck would need a lawyer?

[–] wise_pancake@lemmy.ca 8 points 4 months ago

Even a communist utopia needs to have laws

[–] mindbleach@sh.itjust.works 2 points 4 months ago

People being sued, people accused of crimes, people seeking redress from others?

Same as now?

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[–] itslilith@lemmy.blahaj.zone 12 points 4 months ago (1 children)
[–] frankenswine@lemmy.world 4 points 3 months ago

how dare you call uncle charlie a lefty? he's a commie for people's sake!

[–] Diplomjodler@feddit.de 10 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Cool. I'll fly a plane in the morning, perform open heart surgery in the afternoon and do economic forecasting in the evening.

[–] Noodle07@lemmy.world 3 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Don't need much to do economic forecast

[–] Diplomjodler@feddit.de 2 points 4 months ago

Yeah, but doing it well is pretty difficult. You can also just cut some guy open and hope for the best.

[–] tkk13909@sopuli.xyz 8 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Oh yeah lemme just rear cattle. Not like it's a job that requires specific skill to be good at. Also, who's gonna make the equipment to do those things?

[–] SkyezOpen@lemmy.world 6 points 4 months ago (2 children)
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[–] tkk13909@sopuli.xyz 3 points 4 months ago

That's such a good encapsulation lol

[–] Fuckfuckmyfuckingass@lemmy.world 5 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Rearing cattle in the evening eh?

[–] Please_Do_Not@lemm.ee 5 points 4 months ago

That's no way to talk about yer partner if you ask me

[–] BluesF@lemmy.world 3 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I am making my own blunder there and referring to the idea of the "communist state", I suppose closer to what we understand as socialism, rather than the idealistic communist society which, like you say, is moneyless (and stateless, which immediately separates it from say the USSR or whatever).

[–] TheFriar@lemm.ee 5 points 4 months ago

Yeah, but that’s the problem. Communism sort of relies on that communist state transition period. Or at least, that’s where every single communist state has turned into a dictatorship. The party-in-the-meantime never gives up their power “after a communist utopia sprouts.” That’s really the main leftist communism critique.

Socialists, communists, anarchists all have very similar ideas of a socialist utopia. But it’s how we get there where we all differ. Anarchism is communism minus the ruling party while relying on people to be good, self sustain, and fight back together when under attack. It would be great if we could have some left unity, but….well, ask the FAI how that went.

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