When I first became interested in politics, I defined myself as a socialist, being of the belief that the only way to achieve a fair society was through the abolition of private property.
And while in principle this sounds ideal, without private enterprise, surely society would be more equal, the unfortunate fact is that what is good for society isn’t always good for humans…
As I have come to realise, politics must be considered from a broad perspective to incorporate human nature.
We, as human beings, are animals, and like every species on earth, we need a hierarchy. As much as we’d rather not have to work and be someone else’s subordinate, there will always be someone at the top.
If not us, then them.
If not them, then someone else.
It’s just the way that life works…
It is for this reason that, as much as I love the principles of anarchism, nor too would this work, either.
There must be order in life. If not by a government, then by someone else.
History shows us what happens when there is no government: a dictatorship comes to replace democracy. We’ve seen it happen in Russia, most notably, where Putin controls the whole country, and the state controls pretty much everything, as we’ve seen it happen in North Korea, too.
Why? Because the lines between socialism and communism are negligible.
Communism, you see, is essentially the end goal of socialists, whose aim is to live in a classless, stateless society, where everything is distributed based on the needs of the overall society. The issue with this, however, and the main criticism of socialism, is that humans cannot feel fulfilled solely from having their needs met. What about our dreams?
Humans constantly need higher aims in order to live meaningful lives; having just enough to eat is not sufficient. And this all comes down to needing a purpose, or, as they call it in Japan, ikigai – a ‘reason for being’, in life.
If everyone were to hold equal wealth, then people would suffer from a lack of incentive, which would lead to stagnation.
Have you always dreamt about setting up your own business? Well, living in a socialist society would exempt you from doing that.
You must do as you are told…
The irrefutable fact is that socialism cannot be made compatible with democracy. All it does is stamp out individual agency while placing society into a straitjacket of uniform size.
It is for this reason that democratic capitalism is what we should be aiming for, similarly to what they have in Scandinavia*.
*It’s not a coincidence that Scandinavian countries like Finland, Denmark, and Norway consistently rank among the happiest in the world…
Finland, a country that has been rated the happiest in the world eight years running, is a welfare capitalist economy that operates within a mixed economy framework, combining free-market capitalism with a comprehensive universal welfare state.
In Finland, people are free to and encouraged to embark on entrepreneurial ventures. The more they earn, the more they’re taxed, to ensure that wealth can be divided between the richest and the poorest people in society.
It’s a similar system to what we have here in the UK, but without the corruption from the people at the top.
A democratic capitalist system serves to ensure that people are still incentivised to remain innovative and forward-thinking, but they are not under the illusion that their job is their identity (‘no job = no life’).
It’s a way to ensure equity, ‘Does everyone have an equal opportunity to turn a seed of an idea into a business?’, and provide equality based on this.
It’s not about giving everyone the same; it’s about giving everyone a chance.
If you’re earning significantly more than the average person, it’s fair that a proportion of your income goes towards the welfare system, in the form of higher tax payments, to ensure that those who aren’t in your position don’t end up on the streets. It’s also fair, though, provided that you are actually working for your money and not just being handed it (see again: equity), that you get to keep a big proportion of it.
When socialists pride themselves on their ‘fairness’, how can they say that it’s fair that someone who has worked hard for their money gets it taken away and divided between everyone else, while other people sit by doing nothing? This is the opposite of democratic. It’s what socialists are fighting against: working people being penalised…
If you’re born into wealth, that’s different. But that is why it’s important for there to be equity to ensure that everyone has the same opportunities in life. This is where funding and grants come in useful for marginalised people who are looking to set up a business or seek further education.
Without the state providing support, society can never be equal (but nor can it be with too much support, either) …
This is why countries such as the UK should look to countries that rate so highly on the happiness scale for inspiration.
People know what they want (fairness), but the difficulty arises when it comes down to implementing it. ‘How can we make society fair?’ One must only look at a country that has done it and is succeeding in continuing to do it to see how.
You can’t say ‘fuck the system’ and then support the very system that takes power from its people…
Nothing screams powerlessness more than state control.
With a strong social welfare system, capitalism is good. It’s when it goes unchecked that it becomes bad and unhealthy.
That’s what Scandinavian countries got right, and look how much better off they are than any other country.
‘Fuck the system,’ as in fuck the big corporations that keep all the money while their workers get buttons.
What can you do to help?
- Swap shopping on Amazon, a business worth a staggering $2.44 trillion, and support small businesses instead.
- Give your money to hardworking people trying to earn a living doing what they love.
- Support the arts – the antithesis to commercialisation.
- Shop local.
Capitalism itself isn’t bad; it’s what human greed does to it that is.
Portfolio of Hope 