Discuss how money and greed, whatnot, and what-have-you affect our lives and cultures. I'll join in later.

Money is wealth and poverty. It's not a privilege, it's a hazard. It should be abolished or at the very least spread evenly. Too many peoples lives are run by it. The American Dream has been pissed on.

Sounds too communist to me. Money is a good system, in my opinion. The flaw is human.

Tell me, what's wrong with communism?

Communism, in first hearing the idea, sounds like a great plan. But no person, no matter what, can sit there and watch people get the exact same income as they are getting. In essence, one person could sit there and not do anything, and still reap the rewards as a person who works hard everyday. Soon, that person who works hard just gives up because he realizes he can still get a paycheck without doing anything. Soon, everyone realizes this and the whole system collapses.

and if everyone stops doing everything the whole system collapses so wheres the motivation to stop working? money is just a tool for the upper class to hold onto their privileges over the rest of us

I didn't really want a communist argument here, but it's what it's gonna be.

The dumbest thing to assume is that there's a "general population" or "human nature," because Hatchet is different is Obdurate is Danger is AJ is Wolf. What I'm saying is, I can sit there and watch people get the exact same income as me. So your point is disproved by one small fart on a message board.

The thing is, communism gets a bad rep by certain individuals because they look at it in a really... flat way. Meaning (many things, but here's one meaning): there are people who tend to think that in a communist society, everybody would magically lose their problem solving abilities. That one lazy guy who isn't doing his share will get dealt with, in some shape or form. But don't ask me how because it's a growing idea, but a consensus would be reached.

Communisms biggest critics would like to think of communism as a set belief with no variation but the thing is, there is no one way to do things.

Yeah, it's called "__(my, your, our) Boss."

Very much like Hatchet said.

So, what are your views on capitalism then? Would you take poverty over the chance of trying something more positive?

I was gonna make this longer but to be honest I forgot what I was gonna say.

Well, I don't know too much about communism (even after reading the Wikipedia article on it) but I'm pretty sure in a communism the government has a lot of power over the people and though people have the same amount of income, they do not have much above mediocrity.
And don't people at least in some communistic countries have to wait for hours in line just to get food?

I'm going to agree with Danger. Of course, it would suck if I don't join in this.

Okay, sure, money is definitely greed embodied. But it does something. People that want it will actually try, and strive for it. That's what "a society that spreads money evenly" lacks, as Danger had pointed out.

Um, here's a situation likely in a society where money isnt spread evenly. Some guy, an inventor, with little money has the ability...no, mindset, to get higher in society and get rich. He aims for money, and with the mindset, he's going to try damn hard. If he succeeds and gets int'l attention, he basically just changed the world. Let's say he successfully invented the autopilot car. He has just changed quite a bit in the world. All from the drive to get more money.

Now, in a society where money is spread evenly (i'm not saying communism, b/c Danger only said that it sounded like it), there is no drive to try hard. Just work, no need to aim for a promotion, to try and be better than everyone else. The money will be spread evenly anyway. So, with that, there really isn't any drive to develop anything. A guy who picks potatoes for a living could make as much as the scientist who is inventing the spaceship that will get us to live on another planet. Will the scientist even bother to do something so hard and innovative while the other man pulls potatoes out of the ground? Not likely.

I'd like to say more, but i missed a few points on a society that spreads money evenly, so I leave it to Hatchet, Obdurate, or anyone that supports that idea to explain them and use them. I can't bring much to my head right now.

Ich Bin, the communist countries in the world today aren't like the ideal communism that was the original idea. It's been warped to somewhat like a dictatorship, and, thanks to Obdurate, i know the difference now. I do hope Obdurate explains the communism in its purest form to you, because i must be leaving now.

now that i say is a lot of wirting !