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This thread of comments is yet another in an endless number on HN where somehow socialists and collectivists come out and to me the most disappointing part is t

This thread of comments is yet another in an endless number on HN where somehow socialists and collectivists come out and to me the most disappointing part is that it’s evidence of deep failure in education systems that they can educate people well enough to be technically literate and engage on HN, but at the same time are fundamentally economically illiterate. It’s disturbing and frankly dangerous. Socialism is the most failed idea in human history yet it continues to persist and in my opinion it’s a bit like not teaching evolution in schools, omitting to educate about some fundamental nature of reality.

FredPret 3y ago
I've often wondered about this. I think one reason for this is that the Soviet Union started infiltrating Western institutions about a century ago. This extremely long-ranged strategy is still churning out results, even after they went belly-up. It's the kind of phenomenon that sustains itself - what conservative would ever consider becoming an academic in this environment? And from there it spreads downward. It's also very helpful that the social "sciences" don't have a direct feedback loop to reality, so it's possible for large numbers of them to have completely kooky ideas for decades on end. https://repository.usfca.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000&context=rl_fac https://repository.usfca.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=100... https://www.theguardian.com/education/2005/jul/01/schools.uk https://www.theguardian.com/education/2005/jul/01/schools.uk
- alchemist1e9 3y ago
  I agree completely that the cause of such incredible economic ignorance must originate within the education system. Very good point that it’s likely still the tailwinds from Soviet propaganda and covert tactics to influence western culture.
- thriftwy 3y ago
  Russian thinker Galkovsky believes that it was the UK which has used Socialism# against all its affluent competitors. The reason for this being, UK has quite stable political system for centuries, so even if it gets part of its own venom, that would not be nearly as destructive. The USSR did surely assist in that, but it was too ham-fisted to serioulsy influence developed countries. # If that sounds hard to believe, remember who paid Marx to publish Capital, hosted International Worker's Association and who published Communist Manifesto (and in what language). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Workingmen%27s_Association https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Workingmen%27s_A...
carlosjobim 3y ago
Who's the socialist? For all the talk about education here, there seems to be a lack of knowledge that there are other perspectives and ideals than the materialist industrialist faiths socialism and capitalism. For example real estate and migration are things that have existed for millennia before capitalism or socialism, and have been dealt with in a lot of different ways.
- alchemist1e9 3y ago
  > Almost 100% of the population thinks it is right for home sellers and landlords to squeeze out as much as they can. Then blame somebody else for the consequences. This is your comment from above. In order to make such a comment you are by definition either a collectivist or socialist. It reflects some fundamental illiteracy in the basics of economics and markets, because you suggest that a virtue would be for sellers or landlords to accept lower prices or rents than the market clearing price. That’s nonsensical frankly. It’s like suggesting asset owners are evil unless they hand out their assets as charity or donation or perhaps you will next suggest they should be obligated to, which is by definition redistribution and socialism. I’m curious what education you do have and where you received it? You are here on HN and while I haven’t looked through your account history, I’m guessing you will somehow be technically very literate yet somehow have a mental framework for human economy and society that consists of some of the most failed and falsifiable concepts conceivable. Which country and/or state failed so deeply in providing a background in the economic components of our shared reality? there are many such as yourself and it’s incredible dangerous to civilized societies as when such wild failed and empirically flawed concepts are translated into policies via politics it brings incredible devastation, poverty, and suffering. We need to start with reform of education systems. Almost as bad as not teaching evolution or perhaps even history of the holocaust.
  - carlosjobim 3y ago
    Your comment reads like stringed together insults, or at least attempts at insults, mixed with some stalker tendencies. There's nothing there that really merits a response, and this is just a forum, so I can ignore you. But try to consider your attitude and behaviour, because in real life you probably have people that can't get away from you that easily.

FredPret 3y ago

I've often wondered about this. I think one reason for this is that the Soviet Union started infiltrating Western institutions about a century ago. This extremely long-ranged strategy is still churning out results, even after they went belly-up. It's the kind of phenomenon that sustains itself - what conservative would ever consider becoming an academic in this environment? And from there it spreads downward. It's also very helpful that the social "sciences" don't have a direct feedback loop to reality, so it's possible for large numbers of them to have completely kooky ideas for decades on end. https://repository.usfca.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000&context=rl_fac https://repository.usfca.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=100... https://www.theguardian.com/education/2005/jul/01/schools.uk https://www.theguardian.com/education/2005/jul/01/schools.uk

alchemist1e9 3y ago
I agree completely that the cause of such incredible economic ignorance must originate within the education system. Very good point that it’s likely still the tailwinds from Soviet propaganda and covert tactics to influence western culture.
thriftwy 3y ago
Russian thinker Galkovsky believes that it was the UK which has used Socialism# against all its affluent competitors. The reason for this being, UK has quite stable political system for centuries, so even if it gets part of its own venom, that would not be nearly as destructive. The USSR did surely assist in that, but it was too ham-fisted to serioulsy influence developed countries. # If that sounds hard to believe, remember who paid Marx to publish Capital, hosted International Worker's Association and who published Communist Manifesto (and in what language). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Workingmen%27s_Association https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Workingmen%27s_A...

carlosjobim 3y ago

Who's the socialist? For all the talk about education here, there seems to be a lack of knowledge that there are other perspectives and ideals than the materialist industrialist faiths socialism and capitalism. For example real estate and migration are things that have existed for millennia before capitalism or socialism, and have been dealt with in a lot of different ways.

alchemist1e9 3y ago
> Almost 100% of the population thinks it is right for home sellers and landlords to squeeze out as much as they can. Then blame somebody else for the consequences. This is your comment from above. In order to make such a comment you are by definition either a collectivist or socialist. It reflects some fundamental illiteracy in the basics of economics and markets, because you suggest that a virtue would be for sellers or landlords to accept lower prices or rents than the market clearing price. That’s nonsensical frankly. It’s like suggesting asset owners are evil unless they hand out their assets as charity or donation or perhaps you will next suggest they should be obligated to, which is by definition redistribution and socialism. I’m curious what education you do have and where you received it? You are here on HN and while I haven’t looked through your account history, I’m guessing you will somehow be technically very literate yet somehow have a mental framework for human economy and society that consists of some of the most failed and falsifiable concepts conceivable. Which country and/or state failed so deeply in providing a background in the economic components of our shared reality? there are many such as yourself and it’s incredible dangerous to civilized societies as when such wild failed and empirically flawed concepts are translated into policies via politics it brings incredible devastation, poverty, and suffering. We need to start with reform of education systems. Almost as bad as not teaching evolution or perhaps even history of the holocaust.
- carlosjobim 3y ago
  Your comment reads like stringed together insults, or at least attempts at insults, mixed with some stalker tendencies. There's nothing there that really merits a response, and this is just a forum, so I can ignore you. But try to consider your attitude and behaviour, because in real life you probably have people that can't get away from you that easily.