I went to the grocery store last night for a frozen pizza. (Sue me. I have low tastes.)
I asked the young cashier how she was doing. "I'd rather be home than working. But, capitalism, you know."
I asked if she were there for the capitalism or the eating. I told her I mostly work to eat and have a roof over my head. I was just making conversation.
She said, "Capitalism is a system that forces you to work to eat."
I didn't quite snort, but I said incredulously, "No it's not! Capitalism is a system where someone accumulates excess capital and invests it in production to raise the standard of living. Every system makes you work to eat. Even if you're a hunter-gatherer, you're working to eat."
I've never seen a face shut down so fast. I asked her if she was mad at me. Wooden voice/tight face: "I'm not mad at you."
But she stormed off after I paid. My daughter laughed quietly.
It's amazing what a tenuous grasp youngsters have on economics. My daughter and I had a pretty good talk about it on the way home, though.
I offended a young communist yesterday
- Weetabix
- Posts: 6106
- Joined: Fri Aug 15, 2008 11:04 pm
I offended a young communist yesterday
Note to self: start reading sig lines. They're actually quite amusing. :D
- Dub_James
- Posts: 3833
- Joined: Wed Aug 20, 2008 12:20 am
Re: I offended a young communist yesterday
At home doing what? Starving?
Or perhaps home is Mom's place.
Sheesh...
Or perhaps home is Mom's place.
Sheesh...
Oh, the heads that turn
Make my back burn
And those heads that turn
Make my back, make my back burn
-She Sells Sanctuary
The Cult
Make my back burn
And those heads that turn
Make my back, make my back burn
-She Sells Sanctuary
The Cult
-
- Posts: 8486
- Joined: Tue Aug 19, 2008 2:15 pm
Re: I offended a young communist yesterday
You don't understand. A just system is one where you work for her to eat.
But you're spoiling it with your hateful hatey patriarchal racist sexist cisgendernormative fascist Republican hate.
But you're spoiling it with your hateful hatey patriarchal racist sexist cisgendernormative fascist Republican hate.
Maybe we're just jaded, but your villainy is not particularly impressive. -Ennesby
If you know what you're doing, you're not learning anything. -Unknown
Sanity is the process by which you continually adjust your beliefs so they are predictively sound. -esr
If you know what you're doing, you're not learning anything. -Unknown
Sanity is the process by which you continually adjust your beliefs so they are predictively sound. -esr
- kapikui
- Posts: 146
- Joined: Fri Sep 03, 2010 4:06 am
Re: I offended a young communist yesterday
Good for you. They need it, as much as possible.
- randy
- Posts: 8334
- Joined: Wed Aug 13, 2008 11:33 pm
- Location: EM79VQ
Re: I offended a young communist yesterday
In Old Soviet Union:
We pretend to work, and they pretend to pay us
...even before I read MHI, my response to seeing a poster for the stars of the latest Twilight movies was "I see 2 targets and a collaborator".
-
- Posts: 2645
- Joined: Wed Aug 20, 2008 5:00 pm
Re: I offended a young communist yesterday
I remember decades ago a story in a magazine about a guy who was going off the grid as far as food went so he moved out to a farm and planted his own organic vegetables. It was hard work he found. Then after his veggies started coming up the rabbits arrived. So he built a fence. They just dug under it. So mad a frustrated he bought an air rifle, at least it wasn't a real gun. I've often wondered what he is doing these days with the explosion in the deer population. Letting them have it with buck shot? Does he let the deer meat go to waste or does he re-cycle it.
I love vegetarians who wear leather foot wear. Did you kill that cow yourself?
I love vegetarians who wear leather foot wear. Did you kill that cow yourself?
- First Shirt
- Posts: 4378
- Joined: Mon Aug 18, 2008 11:32 pm
Re: I offended a young communist yesterday
You hurt a commie's feelings. There will be reward for you in Heaven.
The guys that I work with know that if they hear me say "You communist piece of shit!" in a low voice, the next tool up in the batting order is an 8-lb. sledge. When the boss once asked me why I called stuff "communist" I smiled broadly and said "Cause that's the worst thing I can think of to call any person or object."
The guys that I work with know that if they hear me say "You communist piece of shit!" in a low voice, the next tool up in the batting order is an 8-lb. sledge. When the boss once asked me why I called stuff "communist" I smiled broadly and said "Cause that's the worst thing I can think of to call any person or object."
But there ain't many troubles that a man caint fix, with seven hundred dollars and a thirty ought six."
Lindy Cooper Wisdom
Lindy Cooper Wisdom
- scipioafricanus
- Posts: 1298
- Joined: Mon Aug 18, 2008 10:08 pm
Re: I offended a young communist yesterday
Ok, how can anyone look at a paycheck with all the taxes taken out and say "I want MORE government?"
SA
SA
If there is a Stairway to Heaven, is there an Escalator to Hell?
If God wanted men to play soccer, he wouldn’t have given us arms. - Mike Ditka
If God wanted men to play soccer, he wouldn’t have given us arms. - Mike Ditka
- Jericho941
- Posts: 5180
- Joined: Sun Aug 24, 2008 8:30 am
Re: I offended a young communist yesterday
Someone's been telling people that there is an alternative to capitalism where you get to stay at home and binge on Netflix all day.
- Odahi
- Posts: 700
- Joined: Tue Aug 19, 2008 3:21 am
Re: I offended a young communist yesterday
There may come a day when fusion generators are the size of a toaster oven, and so are "replicators." And anyone can have anything they want, if it's too big for your replicator you just go to the BIG one in town. In that happy day, we'll all hold hands and dance around the bonfire, and then those who have any initiative will leave for Starfleet. Until that day, I have a feeling most of us will have to work, unless we can work out a dodge, like politics or community organizing, to have others pay our way.
Birds gotta swim, fish gotta fly, assholes gotta ass, until the day they die.
"Common sense" is an oxymoron.
"Common sense" is an oxymoron.