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**Mechmeret** · 06-11-2012, 10:33 PM

I was sitting in a park situated in central Oslo waiting for a girl when I noticed an ant crawling up my leg. This event sparked a string of thought and lead to me philosophizing about the ants' community.

I have noticed that the Norwegian education system is implementing a significant amount of anti-communism into social studies school books, where it compares communism to dictatorship and injustice and compares liberalism to democracy and freedom. This has frustrated me as most young Norwegians living at the west end (rich part) of Oslo seems to be living under the impression that communism is equal to dictatorship, or at least equals to suppression. One of my friends recently stated "Communism only works in theory". Another friend of mine claimed that communism and democracy are two opposing terms. Does these statements match the systems implemented naturally by the insects and animals which has inhabited mother earth?

Firstly, I must underline the difference between communism and what has been considered historical communist nations. In short; Communism supports equality. The ideology is opposed to capitalism and it's aim is to remove all 'classes' in today's society, where no one are above others and where everyone share their goods. What Lenin and Mao were doing, was certainly not communism (especially not marxism). They were both dictators bathing in power, goods and economics, while their population were living in almost inhumane conditions. This does not reflect the equality which is the most essential part of a communist society. This is why I will be referring to what most people in the western world would call 'communism' as 'maoism'.

Let's get back to my friends statements I quoted. "Communism ((maoism)) only works in theory". This sentence bugged me, as I was inspecting the ant diligently searching for a food source at my shirt. Ants consist of societies , where every member is contributing equally to the community, and is rewarded with goods such as food, which has been gathered by other "family members". In addition, every anthill is commanded and ruled by one uninfluenced leader. Remind you of something?

I swiftly came to the conclusion that the human race has simply copied what can be seen in nature, and that this also included abstract phenomenons such as ideologies. It's common knowledge that few or no communities are as well organized and as functional as anthills. Does this prove that the human race would be better off with a society which is not hyperindividualistic, and places our fellow human beings above individuals, or does this prove that the human race - in all its knowle

dge - is too smart for our own best, and that we are simply not yet (or no longer) capable of creating a community where people are valued equal? After all, it is very much possible.

Obviously, we can pull this further and compare bears community orientation to liberalism, however I am really on the run, and I'll have to perform grammar checks etc when I get back home. Anyways, what are your personal opinions on this matter? Are human beings able to form an equal society. If no, what is stopping us, and why can ants manage it, while we can not? [align=center]

**Fuzzly Bear** · (This post was last modified: 06-12-2012 12:10 AM by Fuzzly Bear.)

i can't find the one where he says 'communism works in theory"

democracy/socialism/communism, it's all the same in the end, as you say it's about equality. ants aren't about equality though, are they. they're about plato's republic. worker ants don't have a say in the running of the colony. in communism, everyone has a say innit.

i think your friend is right. IMMA IMPOSE MY POLITICAL IDEOLOGY ON YOU

orwell asked a slum dweller when the housing problem became so acute. the dude said 'when we were told about it'

**Asshole** · 06-12-2012, 02:14 AM

ultra leftish idealism at its best/worst

**Mechmeret** · (This post was last modified: 06-12-2012 11:48 AM by Mechmeret.)

(06-12-2012 12:09 AM)HamishFTW Wrote:

i can't find the one where he says 'communism works in theory"

democracy/socialism/communism, it's all the same in the end, as you say it's about equality. ants aren't about equality though, are they. they're about plato's republic. worker ants don't have a say in the running of the colony. in communism, everyone has a say innit.

i think your friend is right. IMMA IMPOSE MY POLITICAL IDEOLOGY ON YOU
orwell asked a slum dweller when the housing problem became so acute. the dude said 'when we were told about it'

Yes, however I am implying that Maoism DOES work if performed correctly.

Edit: I am not referring to communism, I am referring to Maoism. (communist dictatorship where goods are handed out equally to the population in exchange for equal amounts of input per citizen).

Also, I am no communist, however it is interesting to inspect how well a Maoist society may function.

**YaelTheGreat** · 06-12-2012, 12:09 PM

What if the dictator starts to act like a dictator and rob all the funds. That system makes no sense to me.

**Mechmeret** · (This post was last modified: 06-12-2012 12:58 PM by Mechmeret.)

(06-12-2012 12:09 PM)YaelTheGreat Wrote: What if the dictator starts to act like a dictator and rob all the funds. That system makes no sense to me.

I believe this is why the human race is in many ways inferior to other species, essentially because of our knowledge. There has not been one ant queen which has done this, however most human dictators have.

**Rick Ross 187** · 06-12-2012, 03:47 PM

its always funny when people say 'communism only works in theory', only for them to proceed to bash communism as a theory

attempts to reach and build some sort of communism in the 20th century sucked though

**YaelTheGreat** · 06-12-2012, 06:01 PM

Mechmeret, we are not ants, stop using that analogy. We are human, so our social structure must be structured around that simple and basic fact. Humans may abuse power, so we therefore should not allow one to become powerful. Humans can be greedy, so we shouldn't allow for someones greed to harm everyone else. A benevolent dictator will never last.

**Mechmeret** · 06-12-2012, 09:28 PM

(06-12-2012 06:01 PM)YaelTheGreat Wrote: Mechmeret, we are not ants, stop using that analogy. We are human, so our social structure must be structured around that simple and basic fact. Humans may abuse power, so we therefore should not allow one to become powerful. Humans can be greedy, so we shouldn't allow for someones greed to harm everyone else. A benevolent dictator will never last.

I am not saying we SHOULD implement a dictatorship, and I agree with you 100%. Humans are not able to run a fair society if an elite sits upon huge masses of power (at least in the long run). I think we can almost undoubtedly staple that as a fact.

What this DOES question however is the functionality of the human race. We have never ever managed to build a fair society, and there has always been superiors in our structures of societies. (not saying we are not able to, as we have managed to progress in building societies where everyone are valued equal). Does this prove that humans are not better than insects, and that our knowledge has in fact backfired, and is contributing to devastation and failure? That is the question I am attempting to highlight.

**1871** · 06-13-2012, 01:04 AM

Unequal societies are hugely succesful since theyve spread all over the fucking planet.

**Mechmeret** · 06-13-2012, 09:44 AM

(06-13-2012 01:04 AM)1871 Wrote: Unequal societies are hugely succesful since theyve spread all over the fucking planet.

That proves they are popular, not successful.

**aleXbosnian** · 06-13-2012, 02:14 PM

(06-13-2012 01:04 AM)1871 Wrote: Unequal societies are hugely succesful since theyve spread all over the fucking planet.

Yeh... Crisis every decade, over 20% unemployment & protestors all around the world doesn't really sound like a success to me.