An Economics Professor Teaches About Socialism

This is from an e-mail I received. I am pretty certain it didn't really happen, but the moral of the story is certainly a good one, and factual.

An economics professor at a local college made a statement that he had never failed a single student before, but had once failed an entire class.

That class had insisted that Obama's socialism worked and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer.The professor then said, "OK, we will have an experiment in this class on Obama's plan". All grades would be averaged and everyone would receive the same grade so no one would fail and no one would receive an A. After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a B.

The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy. As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they studied little. The second test average was a D! No one was happy.

When the 3rd test rolled around, the average was an F. The scores never increased as bickering, blame and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else. All failed, to their great surprise, and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great but when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed.

10 comments:

Mr. Barnett said...

Awesome. I'm a 5th grade teacher and I did a similar "Grade Sharing" experiment on my kids. Very similar result and I did a post survey to see what the kids thought after they received their "grade." 22 out of 24 didn't like grade sharing. Of course, I was secretly putting individually earned grades, but they didn't know that (imagine the parent outcry if students got their socialism grade). This also served as a good tie-in as to why Jamestown suffered and failed as much as it did. Way to go prof. Socialism only serves to spread misery evenly (except to the ruling elites).

Nifty Nick said...

Well said Mr. Barnett. Jamestown is a very good empirical example of why socialism doesn't work. It is very pretty on paper, but it is inherently flawed, in that it assumes the people under the system are willing and able to pitch in.

Unknown said...

This isn't socialism... Socialism would be giving everyone the same text books and/or providing tutors for the weakest students to keep up.

This is about as dumb as saying capitalism would lead to everyone bribing the professor for marks.

Nifty Nick said...

Ben,

What you describe is social welfare. If the same books, and tutors were provided, that would mean that the other students would have to pay for those books and tutors. Furthermore, the grade sharing does teach the lesson of collectivism, which is a core principal in socialist theory.

Socialism isn't the ideal, everyone will be happy system that so many believe. I have read the communist manifesto, and several other works by Marx and other socialist theorists. There is no equality provided, without taking from those that have more. When you take from those that have more, they tend to produce less, since it will be taken from them anyway. This leads to those that have less, getting even less. Socialism is the equal sharing of misery

Anonymous said...

Gentlemen,
While interesting and dichotomous, Socialism as a theory is certainly a topic to pick apart over a couple of beers. However, Obama has never once claimed to advocate Socialism and his support for Capitalism has been more than obvious. Examples include: investment in the economy (like it or not); diplomacy practiced abroad to encourage free trade and thus, capitalism and promotion of cheaper health care to bring down the costs for ALL. Socialism is hardly a relevant topic to discuss in terms of Obama's actual Presidential acts or lack thereof.
Cheers, anonymous Iraqi veteran

Anonymous said...

I applaud the teacher's experiment. Even a controlled study couldn't have done it better. Where do these non-thinking liberals think equalization is going to lead us? Equality is only a word. God didn't create us as equals. This is life. Get used to it and take care of others less fortunate. God Bless. A retired teacher

Anonymous said...

To Anonymous who posted this spin, I am correcting your fallacies -->

Gentlemen,
While interesting and dichotomous, Socialism as a theory is certainly a topic to pick apart over a couple of beers. However, Obama has never once claimed to advocate Socialism

Note: Obama has demonstrated time and time again that it is not what he says, or doesn't say, that matters, it IS what he does! Government has taken over a LARGE part of the non-government economy and that is one of the tenants of socialism.

and his support for Capitalism has been more than obvious. Examples include: investment in the economy (like it or not); diplomacy practiced abroad to encourage free trade and thus, capitalism and promotion of cheaper health care to bring down the costs for ALL.

Note: Socialism does NOT exist in a vaccum. Of course there will always be an economy around any type of socio-economic system. None of the examples that you list are a representation exclusive of capitalism.

Socialism is hardly a relevant topic to discuss in terms of Obama's actual Presidential acts or lack thereof.
Cheers, anonymous Iraqi veteran

Anonymous said...

Communism is not socialism. Socialism is a broader set of philosophies which incorporate elements of capitalism, while communism tries to eliminate capitalism entirely. Socialism is social responsibility towards the poor and needy, and does not JUST benefit the poor and needy. It benefits the rich as well. As for fiscal responsibility- we will go broke as a country in a decade due to healthcare spending alone, unless it is curbed, regulated, as congress just did with the new healthcare law. As long as the hippocratic oath exists, you must keep providing healthcare for the indigent. With heathcare costs soaring and no end in sight, increasing government spending in favor of healthcare limitation is fiscally responsible.

I personally cost the US government over 100,000 dollars in healthcare alone between March and September of this year. That is because I was not on Medicaid and every hospital I visited due to my terminal illness was bound to serve me, whether I could pay or not. Those expenses were then written off to you, the taxpayer. It would have made a LOT more sense for you to support a socialist healthcare law which provides me instant coverage, limits the amount the hospitals can charge the government, and kept you from spending $100,000 of your money on keeping me alive. The very law you oppose is driving you bankrupt.

If you are unable to differentiate between communism and socialism and care to equate them in any postulate, your time is wasted in making an argument.

Anonymous said...

The mythical professor and the real 5th grade teacher have run experiments that test the ineffectiveness of communism; i.e. the ineffectiveness of forcing equality of all things for all people. What these experiments have to do with today’s US politics is nothing, zilch, nadda. That’s right. Nothing.

Democrats support government-run programs to prevent extreme poverty, create access to affordable education and create access affordable health care for all citizens. There’s nothing in these programs that forces all citizens to become the same or prevents anyone who works hard from getting ahead. There’s nothing in these programs that threatens anyone’s freedoms.

Sure the right-wing goes on with myths like the one above and through bizarre logic and distorted definitions insinuates that government social programs are the "S" word which is really the same as the "C" word which of course rhymes width both traitor and disaster. The problem is that smearing something often enough with a silly label just doesn't make it so.

Unfortunately, a lot of people have long since lost any discernment when they read this stuff peddled by the Right. While these same people angrily shout loud and long that the Left will destroy the country, it is really they who vote from mythology for those who govern from ideology that have done far more harm to the country than today’s Left ever will.

Anonymous said...

Obama has done many things to try to equalize the wealth as he puts it. Higher tax rates for the rich are an example. Also, how do you think the system will work if everyone, EVERYONE, has health care. It takes me two to three weeks to get an appointment to see my doctor right now, never mind when another couple million people have to make appointments. Also, how good do you think your going to be treated. Take a look at the Canadian system. Doctors are maxed out at 70k a year. So what is happening? All the good doctors are leaving the country to make more money somewhere else leaving the crummy doctors behind. Think about the doctors as well, as if they do not have enough to do already, the government wants to add a couple million more people to the system. Like the professor in the example said, "when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great, but when the reward is minimal the effort minimal." Personally, I feel everyone in America has it damn good anyway. If you want to see poverty just travel the world...its disgusting. People need to stop relying on the government and start making their dreams a reality. MANIFEST DESTINY!!! This is the ideal our country was founded upon.

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