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View Full Version : Marxism is Impossible Pt. I



truthman
3rd February 2005, 04:53
I can not see how anyone here, with a slight bit of rational sense and logical thinking can be a marxist. Having read the Communist Manifesto, the reality dawns apparent that it is absolutely, read again, absolutely impossible for marxism in today's machine age or in any age at all.
First let us consider Marx's argument that factory owners should be paid less or the same as the workers. This is a fallacy. Pay is never determined on work. Its determined on responsibility. Thats why a computer programmer gets $50 an hour, while a car mechanic gets only 12 to 13 dollars an hour. The difference in these two occupations where both are basically at the low-end of the job hierarchy, pay differently due to responsibilty. A computer programmer is required to report to work ANY time the system crashes or needs repair. They can easily be required to leave vacation and do their job. He's responsible for a system, which if it crashes, can put his company into financial ruin. A car mechanic makes a mistake, and makes unecessary repairs, or cheats a customer, and the worst that will happen is that one customer is dissatified. One bad move by a computer programmer will sink a company whereas a car mechanic making a bad move doesn't hurt his company often.
Hence, a CEO earns more than a cashier. A cashier makes a mistake, and little is said or done. If he overcharges someone for a soft-drink, the company isn't ruined. His responsibility is insiginficant. Hence, his job is naturally going to be more "fluid".
A CEO makes maybe 4 major decisions a year lets say. Each of those decisions can sink his company. Business history is filled with examples of bad actions of higher officials (see ENRON) sinking entire companies. 12 people's bad mistakes can put 400,000 people out of jobs. This is where Marx dies. His inability to grasp the concept of responsibility and the differnce in pay due to that, is not considered. Communism is flawed from the start with that.

Guest1
3rd February 2005, 04:57
Factory owners shouldn't exist, period.

As you have admitted being a supporter of Capitalism, I will make you acquainted with the Che-Lives guidelines:


What is restriction, and what is the Opposing Ideologies forum?

Restriction is a measure the membership uses to focus the debate on this site. We are a group of progressive Leftists, after all. That is about as much as many of us have in common however. We disagree on how the society we envision will work, how best to emancipate the workers and many other issues. We need to debate these things respectfully, amongst ourselves. So we restrict debate about whether we should emancipate the workers at all to the Opposing Ideologies forum.

This is where all right-wingers are sent. This is where anyone who is too disruptive to proper debate is sent. There are other reasons for being restricted to OI of course, but generally, it requires behavior that is deemed in conflict with the membership's vision for this site.
Thus, you are now restricted.

Enjoy.

NovelGentry
3rd February 2005, 05:18
First let us consider Marx's argument that factory owners should be paid less or the same as the workers. This is a fallacy. Pay is never determined on work. Its determined on responsibility.

In the end, as CyM pointed out, Factory "owners" will not exist. The workers will own the means of production under socialism and under communism class will be abolished and these means will be owned by all.


Thats why a computer programmer gets $50 an hour, while a car mechanic gets only 12 to 13 dollars an hour.

Actually, most computer programmers are paid less than $15/hour in India. Estimates by 2007 say that over 70% of computer programming will come from cheap labor in India. Wage is not determined by work or responsibility, it is determined by the cheapest people who can do the job will be willing to work for in order to maximize profit for those who employ those people.


This is where Marx dies. His inability to grasp the concept of responsibility and the differnce in pay due to that, is not considered. Communism is flawed from the start with that.

Your argument died when you assumed CEOs or a "market" are necessary. If a market does not exist there is no ability for the company to "go under." Nor will 400,000 people need to lose their jobs if the productive forces they are required for do not determine a price on the market. You've made the common mistake of using capitalist dynamics and situation to apply to communist society where none of what causes these dynamics (money, profit, capital) exist.

pandora
3rd February 2005, 05:26
Actually the reality is the opposite, it is impossible to have the chaos of full unbroiled Capitalism with a high world population. The organization of shipping, food, health care, education for workers, etc. make it impossible.

Actually free market capitalism would first entitle ending corporate welfare. Secondly, true free market capitalism according to Marx results in the end of free market and the tolitarian control eventually of one corporation as more and more corporations merge. We are seeing these kind of mergers now of huge titan companies. Eventually if this continues human welfare will be completely compromised as the one company starves workers down, and kills off the unemployed who are unproductive.

Capitalism in it's purest sense, what some people call hyper capitalism is an impossible system for human development because it does not look to caring for human beings are any one else, it only cares for those who can purchase products, and as those numbers become less and less due to lower wages when unions lose collective bargining ability, the owners eventually retire to gated commuinities, or islands leaving the rest of society to fight and starve.

If you think Capitalism works visit Africa :lol:

truthman
3rd February 2005, 05:30
Originally posted by [email protected] 3 2005, 05:18 AM

First let us consider Marx's argument that factory owners should be paid less or the same as the workers. This is a fallacy. Pay is never determined on work. Its determined on responsibility.

In the end, as CyM pointed out, Factory "owners" will not exist. The workers will own the means of production under socialism and under communism class will be abolished and these means will be owned by all.


Thats why a computer programmer gets $50 an hour, while a car mechanic gets only 12 to 13 dollars an hour.

Actually, most computer programmers are paid less than $15/hour in India. Estimates by 2007 say that over 70% of computer programming will come from cheap labor in India. Wage is not determined by work or responsibility, it is determined by the cheapest people who can do the job will be willing to work for in order to maximize profit for those who employ those people.


This is where Marx dies. His inability to grasp the concept of responsibility and the differnce in pay due to that, is not considered. Communism is flawed from the start with that.

Your argument died when you assumed CEOs or a "market" are necessary. If a market does not exist there is no ability for the company to "go under." Nor will 400,000 people need to lose their jobs if the productive forces they are required for do not determine a price on the market. You've made the common mistake of using capitalist dynamics and situation to apply to communist society where none of what causes these dynamics (money, profit, capital) exist.
First off, by Computer programmer, i mean the guys who run server systems in the US.
Secondly, you dont get my point.
Lets Say You Have a Computer Factory
In order to build computers you need a design.
The CEO in order to keep his company alive and to fufill his responsibility commissions the designing of a new computer. This computer is designed. Then the people at shipping and recieving are ordered by the CEO to follow the orders of the tech guys to get parts. On the factory floor, supervisors and trainers teach and tell the workers how to make computers. With the production of these new computers, the company dominates the market, and the people's wages increase, especially workers, since their company can raise wages, to attract even better labor. Under Capitalism the job market is also subject to supply and demand. Say 12.50 an hour for a job running a particle acelerator, and anyone dumb enough to take that job will give you crappy service. Anyways, under Communism, if only factory workers exist, how can any of the steps in the computer making process occur? Communism can't work unless we all revert to farms, and that means shortening our lives by 20 years, and living miserable lives.
Without Capitalist dynamics you can't honestly expect new goods or products. You stagnate invention, and hold society back from better products. Communism is the ideology of retarding the growth and expansion of society and technology.

NovelGentry
3rd February 2005, 05:48
First off, by Computer programmer, i mean the guys who run server systems in the US.

System and Network administrators are also being pushed to India. This is completely possible with the internet and what we techies call "remote administration." Even most help desk and tech support positions are being pushed there. Dell employed a number of Indian's for phone tech support. It was cheaper to train them to speak English well and then pay them than it was to pay workers here, so they did it. The retracted from this idea only when they started to lose customers because of it because they were sick of hearing Indian accents.


Secondly, you dont get my poibnt.

Of course I do. I'll prove it by ripping apart the argument that's about to follow.


Lets Say You Have a Computer Factory

OK. So it's equivalent under communism would be an association of engineers and computer programmers as well as some people building them.


In order to build computers you need a design.

Right. Engineers are great at designing such things.


The CEO in order to keep his company alive and to fufill his responsibility commissions the designing of a new computer.

This exists in capitalism, but not under communism. Under communism they don't need to keep their commune afloat. They work so long as people need/want these products.


This computer is designed.

OK


Then the people at shipping and recieving are ordered by the CEO to follow the orders of the tech guys to get parts.

Ok. Equivalent in communism would be, after the engineers design the new system a select few workers contact the labor associations who produce the necessary parts and ask them to be shipped out.


On the factory floor, supervisors and trainers teach and tell the workers how to make computers.

Certainly the engineers could teach these workers how to do this. They can design the system but not teach people how to build it?


With the production of these new computers, the company dominates the market, and the people's wages increase, especially workers, since their company can raise wages, to attract even better labor.

1) The production of these new computers must settle a demand. That demand assumes people in capitalism have money to buy these new computers. So under capitalism the demand for whether this product is sold or not comes from the overall economy and whether or not people have money to spend. Under communism the demand is obvious as people are requesting these new systems.

2) How many places have you worked? I've never met a worker who's wage rose and fell with the profit of the company. If they do increase their wage to attract "better labor" what happens to those people who were not trained as well? They are fired, and their wages at the very most compliment the additional wage this company is paying trained workers.


Under Capitalism the job market is also subject to supply and demand. Say 12.50 an hour for a job running a particle acelerator, and anyone dumb enough to take that job will give you crappy service.

Right. Under communism there is no wage or profit, thus people work according to what they want to do. Someone really interested in physics will run the particle accelerator because they're doing something very interesting to them. Thus there is no "crappy service" as the people doing the work TRULY wish to be there. Under capitalism someone might take the job out of necessity and thus give you "crappy service." They may be dumb enough to take the job for 12.50, but if they are they probably also really need a job. A starving person willing to work doesn't care what they're doing for 12.50, that's awesome pay for them, whether they're mining coal or running a particle accelerator. So long as they know how to do it and the company is willing to pay it they'll take it no matter how "dumb" it may seem to you to take a job simply because you can't find labor anywhere else and badly need money to survive.


Anyways, under Communism, if only factory workers exist, how can any of the steps in the computer making process occur?

Explained above. Engineers and programmers are workers. They decide on what type of systems their building (for what use etc..) and decide on what types of parts and software will be necessary to make these systems do what they're designed to do. After they've come up with the design they may do additional work expanding on the core parts (engineers may wish to overclock the CPU on a media system) and programmers may wish to extend to software to have certain media capabilities it didn't have before.

Once they've done this they work with others, or simply with one another to actually put the systems together and install the necessary software. Where exactly is the CEO necessary? You admitted all he does is decide they need a new computer system to make profit to stop their company from going under. There's no need to make a profit and no threat for what they do to "go under." Even if the was no demand for their products they would still be supplied with what is needed to live, so there's no incentive for them to ensure people want computers. They might look to build systems that appeal to people, because that's what they like to do. They're interested in the technology. Are you familiar with the free software/open source movement?


Communism can't work unless we all revert to farms, and that means shortening our lives by 20 years, and living miserable lives.

Farms have CEO's under capitalism as well. I suppose they are no "necessary" to maintain the farms? Seriously. You've said all the CEO does is protects the company, but when there's not company ot protect you don't need a CEO. Even if the CEO decided on what the systems were going to do or how they were going to be designed, the engineers would be better at this anyway. That is what they were trained to do.

Once again, you've assumed some sort of market exists under communism. You think there are "companies" and that these companies can fail, and when they do people lose their jobs. This is not the case. People do what interests them. If you like to help people and are interested in things like chemistry and biology you might want to become a bio-chemist and work at producing new medicines. If you find human anatomy and the human body in general interesting you might want to become a doctor.

Let me ask you something. Is there nothing you do that you do not get paid for? Do you have no hobbies? Are you good at your hobbies? Would you be better at your hobbies if someone paid you? How bout this, would you be better at your hobbies if you knew what you enjoyed doing could be your contribution to society, and that alone would give you what you needed and wanted from society?

If you could have whatever you needed and whatever you wanted, so long as it existed, would you be willing to do what you love to do for no money?

truthman
3rd February 2005, 05:56
Originally posted by [email protected] 3 2005, 05:48 AM

First off, by Computer programmer, i mean the guys who run server systems in the US.

System and Network administrators are also being pushed to India. This is completely possible with the internet and what we techies call "remote administration." Even most help desk and tech support positions are being pushed there. Dell employed a number of Indian's for phone tech support. It was cheaper to train them to speak English well and then pay them than it was to pay workers here, so they did it. The retracted from this idea only when they started to lose customers because of it because they were sick of hearing Indian accents.


Secondly, you dont get my poibnt.

Of course I do. I'll prove it by ripping apart the argument that's about to follow.


Lets Say You Have a Computer Factory

OK. So it's equivalent under communism would be an association of engineers and computer programmers as well as some people building them.


In order to build computers you need a design.

Right. Engineers are great at designing such things.


The CEO in order to keep his company alive and to fufill his responsibility commissions the designing of a new computer.

This exists in capitalism, but not under communism. Under communism they don't need to keep their commune afloat. They work so long as people need/want these products.


This computer is designed.

OK


Then the people at shipping and recieving are ordered by the CEO to follow the orders of the tech guys to get parts.

Ok. Equivalent in communism would be, after the engineers design the new system a select few workers contact the labor associations who produce the necessary parts and ask them to be shipped out.


On the factory floor, supervisors and trainers teach and tell the workers how to make computers.

Certainly the engineers could teach these workers how to do this. They can design the system but not teach people how to build it?


With the production of these new computers, the company dominates the market, and the people's wages increase, especially workers, since their company can raise wages, to attract even better labor.

1) The production of these new computers must settle a demand. That demand assumes people in capitalism have money to buy these new computers. So under capitalism the demand for whether this product is sold or not comes from the overall economy and whether or not people have money to spend. Under communism the demand is obvious as people are requesting these new systems.

2) How many places have you worked? I've never met a worker who's wage rose and fell with the profit of the company. If they do increase their wage to attract "better labor" what happens to those people who were not trained as well? They are fired, and their wages at the very most compliment the additional wage this company is paying trained workers.


Under Capitalism the job market is also subject to supply and demand. Say 12.50 an hour for a job running a particle acelerator, and anyone dumb enough to take that job will give you crappy service.

Right. Under communism there is no wage or profit, thus people work according to what they want to do. Someone really interested in physics will run the particle accelerator because they're doing something very interesting to them. Thus there is no "crappy service" as the people doing the work TRULY wish to be there. Under capitalism someone might take the job out of necessity and thus give you "crappy service." They may be dumb enough to take the job for 12.50, but if they are they probably also really need a job. A starving person willing to work doesn't care what they're doing for 12.50, that's awesome pay for them, whether they're mining coal or running a particle accelerator. So long as they know how to do it and the company is willing to pay it they'll take it no matter how "dumb" it may seem to you to take a job simply because you can't find labor anywhere else and badly need money to survive.


Anyways, under Communism, if only factory workers exist, how can any of the steps in the computer making process occur?

Explained above. Engineers and programmers are workers. They decide on what type of systems their building (for what use etc..) and decide on what types of parts and software will be necessary to make these systems do what they're designed to do. After they've come up with the design they may do additional work expanding on the core parts (engineers may wish to overclock the CPU on a media system) and programmers may wish to extend to software to have certain media capabilities it didn't have before.

Once they've done this they work with others, or simply with one another to actually put the systems together and install the necessary software. Where exactly is the CEO necessary? You admitted all he does is decide they need a new computer system to make profit to stop their company from going under. There's no need to make a profit and no threat for what they do to "go under." Even if the was no demand for their products they would still be supplied with what is needed to live, so there's no incentive for them to ensure people want computers. They might look to build systems that appeal to people, because that's what they like to do. They're interested in the technology. Are you familiar with the free software/open source movement?


Communism can't work unless we all revert to farms, and that means shortening our lives by 20 years, and living miserable lives.

Farms have CEO's under capitalism as well. I suppose they are no "necessary" to maintain the farms? Seriously. You've said all the CEO does is protects the company, but when there's not company ot protect you don't need a CEO. Even if the CEO decided on what the systems were going to do or how they were going to be designed, the engineers would be better at this anyway. That is what they were trained to do.

Once again, you've assumed some sort of market exists under communism. You think there are "companies" and that these companies can fail, and when they do people lose their jobs. This is not the case. People do what interests them. If you like to help people and are interested in things like chemistry and biology you might want to become a bio-chemist and work at producing new medicines. If you find human anatomy and the human body in general interesting you might want to become a doctor.

Let me ask you something. Is there nothing you do that you do not get paid for? Do you have no hobbies? Are you good at your hobbies? Would you be better at your hobbies if someone paid you? How bout this, would you be better at your hobbies if you knew what you enjoyed doing could be your contribution to society, and that alone would give you what you needed and wanted from society?

If you could have whatever you needed and whatever you wanted, so long as it existed, would you be willing to do what you love to do for no money?
I only need to focus on one part. The idea that as long as the people do not want better computers, the building of better ones will not commense. Once again, how do you direct the coming together of all these different parts of the business? How do you ensure seamless integration of shipping/recieving, and all these other parts. Someone has to take iniative and tell other people to make computers. Otherwise, everyone does what they want and nothing is achieved. How does a union of workers come to agreement on what to do? Because in the end aren't certain people going to oppose working as factory-men? Someone has to ensure that everything comes together. Don't expect people to take inative. Engineers may design a new computer to meet the needs of the people, but how do you get logistics and everything else to come together. Someone has to take iniative and run things.

NovelGentry
3rd February 2005, 06:14
I only need to focus on one part. The idea that as long as the people do not want better computers, the building of better ones will not commense.

Why should it? If no one wants/needs them why should they be built?


Once again, how do you direct the coming together of all these different parts of the business?

The same way you direct them under capitalism. Communication. You call them up and tell them what you need, and they ship it.



How do you ensure seamless integration of shipping/recieving, and all these other parts.

Once again, the same way you do under capitalism, communication.


Someone has to take iniative and tell other people to make computers. Otherwise, everyone does what they want and nothing is achieved. How does a union of workers come to agreement on what to do?

How does a CEO come to the conclusion of what to do? He determines what people want/need and then tells people to make it. Workers too can determine what people want/need -- better yet, they can determine what they themselves want/need.


Because in the end aren't certain people going to oppose working as factory-men?

If they don't want to work as factory men, they don't have to. I personally would have no issue contributing 2 or 3 hours out of my day to what is needed. Whether that means I"m working out in a field, cleaning toilets, or in a factory building computers. You're forgetting that we are the ones who benefit from this production, at the end of the day I can take one of these new systems home with me. Show me the dell employee building systems who can afford a dell computer after a days pay.


Someone has to ensure that everything comes together. Don't expect people to take inative. Engineers may design a new computer to meet the needs of the people, but how do you get logistics and everything else to come together. Someone has to take iniative and run things.

The workers take initiative, and the workers run things. This aspect isn't removed, we simply are aware you don't need a guy with a three letter title to do it. We're even more aware it'd be better if the workers themselves did it, because unlike the guy with the three letter title, the workers know about what they're doing.

Would you want the president of a hospital telling your doctor how to perform the examination?

Black Radical
6th February 2005, 11:51
NG, this is beautiful.