I have read a article on the trending page Socialism v Capitalism – isn’t it about time we changed the record? by and, unless I misunderstood, it spoke of collectivism as something positive. I take exception to that claim and this is my view.
Humans do not need collectivism. The last thing humans need is collectivism. What we need is more individualism and more liberty.
Humans are not ants in a colony. They are unique independent individuals. Only individual humans can act, and only they can be responsible for their actions. The group is not above the individual. There is no objective common good, just subjective individual good.
Collectives cannot act. Some tasks take more then one. Sure. And they will get done. By spontaneous organisation and free people who will work together towards a goal. As long as they agree with the goal. Otherwise, they should be free to disengage. No need for collectivism.
People are social. They associate freely and always have. This notion is destroyed by collectivism which sees people part of the amorphous whole.
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How can collectivism be achieved otherwise since collectives cannot act? By leaders. Which will end up being basically the most power hungry of the group. Yeah, nothing wrong can come of that.
Collectivism provides for the needy it is claimed. Bullshit. Collectivism is power hungry assholes taking power under the pretext of providing for the needy.
Helping others as a free individual is noble. Being forced to participate in some sort of collective help is neither noble nor will it achieve the goal. Socialism and collectivism never helped the poor or the weak or the unlucky.
Collectivism breeds envy and tall poppy syndrome. People will dislike the achievers. They always do
Individual empathy, sympathy are great and beneficial. Collective empathy morph into something else, something ugly, a form of manipulation, and are high-jacked in the interests of the charismatic power hungry leader of the collective. There always is one.
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When people do not consider they are in charge of their lives and responsible for their action they will automatically blame others for their problems. An the power hungry will take advantage of this. The worst things of humanity came from collectivism. Forming groups of indistinguishable individuals. Groups you can generalize and hate. Racism xenophobia war.
Family, clan, national honor led to just pain. Lets kill the child who dishonored the family. You will say that is not collectivism or some such. But it is. It is putting the collective above the individual. It is sacrificing the individual for some obscure concept. It is bullshit.
I have never been ashamed or proud on my gender, my skin color, my nationality. Few things are as stupid as someone saying I am ashamed of being Romanian. I am proud and ashamed of my actions. Because they are in my control.
“Throughout history, poverty is the normal condition of man. Advances which permit this norm to be exceeded — here and there, now and then — are the work of an extremely small minority, frequently despised, often condemned, and almost always opposed by all right-thinking people. Whenever this tiny minority is kept from creating, or (as sometimes happens) is driven out of a society, the people then slip back into abject poverty.
“This is known as ‘bad luck.'” - Robert Heinlein
The greatest advancement of humanity came from individualism. From people who broke from the group, from tradition, from the collective mentality and did things their way. People who took charge of their lives instead of waiting for the collective to solve their problems. People who judge others as individuals and on their own merit, not on some sort of group or collective merit. People who take responsibility for their actions. People who move the world forward.
All we need to do is look at 10000 years of human history. If we cannot learn anything, then we have a problem. Individualism worked. Collectivism didn't.