MovieChat Forums > Atlas Shrugged II: The Strike (2012) Discussion > A very naive lovestory to fascism.

A very naive lovestory to fascism.


[Long rant with the question asked why does not people in the US embrace socialliberalism or socialdemocracy?]

Not posted as a debate as most people in here disagree with this standpoint but to hopefully enlighten some of the "other side" to it, if you want to read up on how societies develop and examples I've posted a few in the text.
So the main issue I'd like a stance on is why people aren't willing to pay "marginally" more in tax to be able to stop a majority of charity work/donations and increase the efficiency of both the society and themselves by solving the issues these deal with throughout the society by doing so (raising taxes)?

*Wrote this as a reply to BlackJAC for another thread i viewed some time ago, but it's posted here as I did not find that thread again.

For me it's quite strange, these "socialist handouts" surly come from something - so what do they come from? Ah yes, the taxes, you know that thing that most "elites" go around and pay a 10th or so of compared to "normal" people. And yes, even though the majority of the top 10% or more duck their duty to give back to a society which has made their rise possible the companies still pay their legal due for receiving access to a market under law and order with state protection from war, infrastructure and the access to a workforce. -Wrong, alot of companies don't pay their due, just ask ebay or amazon, or those which puts their profits on one side of the ocean while their losses magically appear on the other side (depending on where the tax and other costs are most benefitial). Point being if you accumulate the taxes that are taken in i doubt the largest part comes from the rich and those companies but the accumulated mass from individuals within the society.

-So back towards the point, what does these crazy costly "handouts" go to, well if we look at the more developed countries (where we now can exclude Sweden after US tanked it) the higher amount of tax goes to natural monopolies (like infrastructure; who would pay for sewers, basic education, night lights in cities, roads that are needed for business to operate but to costly to build for them, a healthy populus) which grants businesses in those countries a more efficient workforce, better conditions to compete (equal for all entities in that country) and first and foremost an on average higher educated workforce which means higher technological evolution - which means progress (if you are a Job fan why not see where that technology originated from a decade earlier both times around - a good starting point being Håkan Lans - computer graphic geolocating software for airtraffic and seatravel, Ericsson and Nokia when it comes to smartphones).

What the fascism in US has managed to do is efficiently drain the rest of the world of rewards for money spent on science to achieve technological advancement, only those that are willing to spend the majority of their lifetime doing legal battle will have a chance to actually retain what they invent in alot of the larger cases.
So instead of the entrepreneurs and invetors getting their fair share, people who own huge global companies without any thought or creation of their own steal what they can and get protection from land of the "free" -USA.

You know keeping money away from the system will surely see to that it works at its optimum peak, that is why the global lagarde list and the exposures by ICIJ so quickly were followed by the huge release of information about surveillence that clouded out any other news, whereupon the news about over $60 trillion being withheld from taxation became 34, then 32 and later 18 trillion (last time i heard anything about it).

I'm not saying the good kind of ceo doesn't exist and that got screwed over by the state, but it's not the socialdemocractic state that does that - it's the fascistic one that does because it is simply in it's interest as a "rational" actor.

I'm seriously intrigued by this missconception of "socialist handouts" that i come across now and then by mostly (excuse the term if it's derogatory; US rednecks), why would people not want to create a better society together, all these NPO NGO's (of whom not a small part if for tax reasons and do not put out enough of it's cashflow to be of any real aid), why do they not think that instead of helping a small part of the problems by donating alot to charities, church and others that take off a huge part for themselves should they not pay 1-10% more in tax and solve the majority of the problems within society?

Are they afraid it'll just go into particular interest instead of actually solving what it was supposed to? The only way to achieve a real change in the state is to keep it liable (through law or responsible through votes (well, in those areas/districts without electronic voting machines) - which is where transparceny comes into play, without being able to audit governmental affairs that cannot happen (of course secret military operations might have one or two limitations due to strategic reasons but other than that most governmental affairs that does not impact the personal negative rights of an individual should be open.

The movie touches on how the state can force open patents for the good of progress (even though that is not the way it's being framed) and writes it off as theft, even though it does not mention anything about how companies often overlook the ones creating the progress within them or how they steal it from other companies or why not how the state grants access to assesst that are deemed valuable for society (the common good) in such a degree a landowner can't refuse it. Or why not the abomination these days where the state issues NSL letters to stifle technological evolution on behalf of the oil industry and other big corporations.

All in all capitalism and the trial by kennedy and hatcher in the 20th and others along the route Ayn Rand included by kicking down the sandcastle others build up together has brought us close to extinction, we might not see it as clear as we'll do in a century or so but the regressive agenda do not deal with a finite world.

For those who want to know more; Elinor Ostrom writes about the tragedy of the commons, or Adam Smith if you prefer to hear it from the father of modern capitalism.

All in all this movie was very, very naive and blue eyed - which is quite positive because anyone viewing it today can't take it as more than what it is/was - a propaganda piece for status quo by cultivating regressive norms.
From the beginning i meant to comment more on how the movie shuffles over the negative parts of an unregulated market (like nepotism) to the state and takes on the positive roles the state has in a "free" market (like the traintrack for the people in a remote area, which the state pushed to remove - if the company acted as a rational actor that would never be built due to costs vs returns even though it might impact the society very favourable), but I got stuck in the rant.


I haven't gone through the text to proofread it so excuse poorly wording, spelling errors etc, i hope you who read this is able to take the points from it anyway - if not, than you are most likely set in your ways and change is to scary to consider.

[EDIT]Yes the tax exemptions plays a crucial role here, creating a "fake" charity to tunnel money through is something most of the upper middleclass and above seem to do. It's still shooting yourself in the toe by not cashing in on a better economy that will benefit all consistantly.

[EDIT 2] @elduderino09: As long as you got a functioning democracy fascism won't reign. Democracy can be removed if the public is sleeping and their politicans are corrupt (for how long we'll see as this is what currently is happening with the freetrade agreements which equate tearing down protection for regional democratic norms - some to work by monetarism, but the vast majority being legit causes to protect decisions taken to create a better tomorrow).

Ignorance is only a bliss if you haven't reached awareness.
My imdb posts are getting altered.

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The only reply I can think of is this. When you do things "for the public good," those who determine what the public good is become the fascists.

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[deleted]

This is the most ignorant post ever. How in the hell do you think promoting freedom is promoting "fascism"?

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The movies and book are mostly promoting freedom for the wealthy to make decisions without regard for how they will affect the rest of society.

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No, it's promoting the freedom for everyone to make decisions in their own self-interest. Yes, some people will get richer than others under this. They do that under any system. So far all other economic systems (e.g. socialism, communism) that attempt to rectify this problem, not only fail to do so, they also don't do remotely as good a job as free-market capitalism at making people -- all groups of people -- better off than they were before.

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No, the other guy is right, externalities must be taken into account of you are a criminal.

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What about the externalities under collectivism?

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I don't think you know what fascism is. Randian objectivism is literally almost the exact opposite thing to fascism. Fascism was merely a subspecies of socialism where, instead of state ownership of the means of production, the means of production was nominally left in private hands, but was still subject to heavy government regulation and central planning, and the ideology demanded commitment to national solidarity and unity -- in other words, collective action for the public good, which is exactly the sort of thing that Rand very specifically, very explicitly condemns in the book this movie is based on.

Now, you can certainly criticize objectivism, and I don't consider myself a Randian objectivist. But your criticism i simply ignorant. When you say things like "What the fascism in US has managed to do..." you simply reveal how inexcusably ignorant you are. We don't have fascism in the US. We've never had fascism in the US, and if you think we have, then you clearly have no idea whatsoever what fascism really is. Your post makes me think you are likely just yet another leftist who sloppily equates anything to the right of his/her preferred ideology with fascism. It's not. Get your facts and terms straight. Incorrect terminology leads to muddled ideas and sloppy thinking.

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Randian Objectivism is sort of Libertarianism ... and Libertarianism would lead directly to fascism, so they are basically the same. The Right wants people to support Libertarianism so they can move to fascism. If you have a weak government and no regulation then you will have fascism.

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A government that protects individual sovereignty?

If you have a strong government, you have an organization with a monopoly on the initiation of force, that assists the richest/most influential etc people in society, in enriching themselves.

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This is the last I am going to post on this, since I have no intention of being drawn into a long discussion with an idiot, and this comment clearly reveals you to be an idiot.

Randian Objectivism is sort of Libertarianism ... and Libertarianism would lead directly to fascism...

Non sequitur. This is pure assumption on your part, offered with absolutely nothing resembling convincing supportive proof.

...so they are basically the same.

No. No, they're not.

The Right wants people to support Libertarianism so they can move to fascism.

Another assumption, asserted with no evidence whatsoever, and which additionally basically claims mindreading ability.

If you have a weak government and no regulation then you will have fascism.

Fascism is characterized by dictatorial power, forcible suppression of opposition, as well as strong regimentation of society and of the economy; those things are literally the exact, polar opposite of weak government and no regulation. And again, your argument rests entirely on a completely utterly unsupported assertion that a limited government will somehow inevitably morph into a fascist one -- and not only have you offered no supporting evidence whatsoever to back up this assertion, history is rife with examples of limited governments which didn't do this, so your abilities as a prophet are nil.

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>> Fascism is characterized by dictatorial power, forcible suppression of opposition, as well as strong regimentation of society and of the economy; those things are literally the exact, polar opposite of weak government and no regulation.

This shows you did not read my comment or you do not know how to comprehend what you are reading.

Lack of government ( Libertarianism ) leads directly to fascism because in the vacuum of power Libertarianism creates corporations and the wealthy step in and grab it. I never equated the two. You weak intellects on the Right seem to love to make up whatever fits your slogans to argue against because you can only try to inflame emotions, not stimulate the brain.

Grover Norquist the Right-Wing activist said it the best, the Republicans goal is to make government so small it can be drowned in a bathtub.

I don't think your knowledge of history is any better than your reading comprehension so I won't waste my time.

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Libertarianism doesn't mean lack of government. It means individual liberties shouldn't be infringed upon by the government in the guise of supposed altruistic reasons. When you get the definition wrong to begin with, your argument crumbles after that.

However, what's wrong with a small government? Is a Fascist government small? How can it be if it requires constant vigilance and oppression of its own citizens?

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You talk naive nonsense. What you ask I've answered already, now go find your own way or accept the simplistic bullshit someone has fed you already. Thomas Frank's "The Wrecking Crew" is a good place to start.

>> Is a Fascist government small? How can it be if it requires constant vigilance and oppression of its own citizens?

Again you prove you are not reading and not thinking.

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If you have nothing to say, why do you reply at all? You didn't refute anything and chose to throw insults instead. That's pathetic. As I'm sure you know that idiocy is all over these boards. It's the shameless idiocy that I find surprising. I can see you are no exception to that.

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Now you see why I refuse to get drawn into a debate with this fool. He can't even get his basic definitions right, and literally every single argument he advances is choc-a-bloc with logical fallacies. What this means is he can't think so of course all he does is repeat far-left dogma, and start from the same erroneous premises as I've seen from so many other leftists. For example, the idea that libertarian/conservatives want no government, as opposed to limited government. Barry Goldwater addressed that idea: “The legitimate functions of government are actually conducive to freedom. Maintaining internal order, keeping foreign foes at bay, administering justice, removing obstacles to the free interchange of goods-the exercise of these powers makes it possible for men to follow their chosen pursuits with maximum freedom.”

And we had a limited government along those lines until the "progressives" got their hands on it starting in the early 20th century. And we didn't have fascism, of course, so his assertions are not only logically flawed, they're also historically ignorant.

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I had another back and forth with him in another thread and he ended it like a petulant child. According to him, he placed me on ignore. He probably would have done the same to you if you continued so it seems like you made the right call.

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