Socialism doesn’t work.

It always starts out using the power of persuasion to promise utopia but when it fails, as it must due to the foibles of human nature, the powers that be, those true believers whose faith in socialism can never be shaken, realizing that starving people have very little to lose, send forth the capitalist funded, capitalist supplied troops to use the persuasion of power to force the non-compliant peons to continue to play by their defective rules against their collective wills.

The mission of these troops is to maintain “order” so that the chosen, those who have deluded themselves that their revolution is intemerate, and who revel in their sense of ascendancy, can enjoy the fruits of the labors of others but inevitably, once the people and troops are mixing it up daily in the streets, the gig is up and the body count begins to rise.

Since body counts are incompatible with promised utopias, they are at first, literally and figuratively swept from sight so the illusion of paradise remains unsullied.

Eventually however, the rising pile of fetid, rotting corpses expulsed by the machinations of this infeasible ideology grows too large to conceal and the rebellion by the “lab rats” spirals out of control resulting in either spectacular spasms of violence against the leaders of this failed social experiment or increasingly brutal suppression of said “lab rats”.

Want evidence of what I am saying beyond the numerous examples throughout the history of the previous century?

“Naked and Afraid”.

“Naked and Afraid” is a TV show where a man and a woman who are strangers are dropped off in some steamy, hell-hole of a mosquito infested jungle with no clothes, food or water and there they must survive by working together. They each get to bring one tool with them and must obtain, by their wits and hard work, the water, food and shelter required to make it to the end of the challenge some twenty-one days hence.

At the beginning of each show they are always brimming with bravado declaring how they will work together to make “this jungle their bitch” and how great this adventure is going to be. Exultant fists are pumped skyward and hoots and yawps sound over the jungle canopy as all things are possible at this time.

What inevitably follows is just one more proof that socialism is simply unworkable even on a very small scale.

Invariably, things go all “Lord of the Flies” as stomachs grumble in boredom, muscles shiver in cool overnight rains and defending against massive swarms of giant blood-sucking insects gets real old, real fast; thus the bickering and recriminations begin.

“You haven’t done a damn thing!”

“What are you talking about? I’ve done all of the work!”

“Bullshit! I’ve gathered all the firewood, gone to the river and hauled the water, started the fire to purify it, and even spent time fishing and hunting for our food while you sat on your ass whining about missing your family!”

Their previous pledges of cooperation waft away with the campfire smoke as bitterness, want and a sense of injustice takes hold.

No longer does the beguiling phrase “from each according to his means; to each according to his needs” carry any weight. Empty stomachs, sunburnt skin and dehydration headaches demand something more substantive than illusory bromides. No one wants the compensation for their labors in the hands of others who come to expect the largesse and complain when it falls short of that which they have quickly become accustomed to. If the producers must provide for others they at least want appreciation and recognition for that which they have done yet denial and ingratitude rules the day. They also expect that the other members of their tribe will pitch in and provide something of value as well. Inevitably the imbalance and inherent unfairness of this system corrodes the relationships to the breaking point. This rarely takes longer than two or three days. Occasionally these divisions grow so intense that one of the contestants storms off and creates their own shelter wagering that they can do better on their own rather than supporting someone they feel is an undeserving lay-about.

There is a spin-off of this show called “Naked and Afraid XL” where five groups of four or five each are dropped off several miles apart, usually in a dangerous part of Africa to survive for forty days. Here they must work together and find the other groups to link up with and survive. Long before the end of the forty days there are always vicious, screaming episodes where the contestants nearly come to blows due to the inability to work together.

There are always those who will work hard and others who will simply take what is offered if they are allowed to do so. Once it becomes known that one can still eat, drink and enjoy the benefits of a fire and shelter without suffering the exertions required to secure these comforts the industriousness of even the most altruistic producer’s will wane leading to shortages and bitter dissent.

The death spiral that is socialism has now begun.

Any attempt to prod these less productive members into productive action is met with angry shouting and hurt feelings since the takers will quickly embody a sense of entitlement and come to expect that which they have done nothing to procure. It is indeed a very rare provider who will suffer this in silence and not grow bitter and resentful.

The naïve promoters of socialism would have you believe that the members of these tribes would naturally work together and those whose innate abilities allow them to do more would happily do so, so that those who do less, either by lack of ability or practiced indolence could also reap the rewards of the collective labors of the tribe. They never see the error of their ways since unfailingly they are in the category of the takers having had their needs provided for by their parents for far too long a time.

Free stuff?

Why sure! Sounds great, I’ll have seconds!

Make the rich pay!

The reality of socialism, however, is never the way its promoters envision it as the ugly side of this failed ideology always rears up.

Soon there are no rich to steal from as they have either fled or joined in the free lunch line realizing that they may as well join the crowd rather than engage in commerce only to be robbed of their industry by snarling ingrates.

This is as true on the very small scale of a reality survival show as it is in a large nation state.

The only thing that keeps these television episodes from truly spiraling out of control is the fact that none of this is real. Out of sight of the cameras there are always film crews, medics and producers that serve as a reminder to the contestants that any of them can “punch-out” at any time and go home to the land of plenty where food, clean water and comfortable shelter is readily available. This pressure relief safety valve short circuits any of the real nastiness that emerges in real world socialist societies. If this were truly a situation where the option to leave did not exist surely violence and even bloodshed would ensue.

Unfortunately for the citizens of say, Venezuela or North Korea, the option to “punch-out” simply does not exist.

They must endure the cupidity and cruelty of their leaders who never seem to suffer the shortages or deprivations experienced by the regular citizens in the country the fearless leaders have wrought. In fact, in most of these places, the leaders do quite well; often amassing great wealth as they pile up the aid checks from other nations whose capitalist economic systems produce such abundance that they can afford to give such aid.

There are idiots who still, in the face of this overwhelming evidence, want to establish a socialist system here in America. They believe that they – yes they will be the ones who will do socialism right and this time the promised paradise will appear.

At any rate it’s never objectionable to be the people at the top of the socialist heap, at least at first. Here there is abundance, power and adulation from the useful idiots with more money than brain-power in the capitalist nations around the world. Glittering Hollywood fools will visit these blood-stained despots lending the appearance of civility and acceptability to them. The ability of these sycophants to look and yet not see the ghastly conditions they are supporting never ceases to amaze. There surely must be a special hot and pointy place in hell for those who lend support to murderous dictators.

When I see these fools offering their adulation for socialist movements I am always reminded of Jeff Goldblum in one of the “Jurassic Park” movies. There is a scene where an on-looker, beholding in awe a field full of born-again dinosaurs utters “This is….this is magnificent” while Jeff Goldblum’s character passes warily in front of him saying, “Oh yeah, oooh, ahhh, that’s how it always starts but then later there’s running and then screaming!”

This is the way of socialist movements. At first it sounds so good. Free stuff for all with equality and voluntary cooperation producing an abundance of goods and services and peaceful, happy people enjoying every day of their lives in this splendor and fulfillment.

Warm breezes waft, soft music plays, butterflies flit to and fro while unicorns dance in sun-dappled, flowered meadows where it never rains and is never even cloudy.

Oh yeah!!

Oooh!!

Ahhh!!!

That’s how it always starts but then later there’s running and then screaming!