I don't think it's the system ppl are critiquing. It's human nature itself. All I'm saying is that if someone is going to be arrogant enough to say that other humans are ****ty, well, look at yourself first. And we have, in the US, enacted a safety net for the poor, old, etc. We have voted to sacrifice some of the majority's wealth for the minority. Is it perfect? No. Can it be improved? Of course. But I think it shows that we are not all selfish. In fact, inwould surmise the opposite. We care about ourselves the most - but that does not mean we can't be charitable too.
Humans are highly evolved animals but animals none the less. We have capacities beyond instinct but are still greatly ruled by instinctual behaviors. And, there can be large discrepancies of behavior even between individuals due to differing environmental and sociological factors affecting the brain's development. But generally, people will do what ever is necessary to stay alive and whatever they can to insure their procreation. It is the basis around which human society has developed i.e. organizing for more successful hunting, organizing for more successful defense, or pillaging, diversification of skills allowing for the advancement of expertise in sharing society etc. It all adds up to the social structure we see today and the differences in the individuals add up to the social conflicts we see today. I always wonder where we stand on the timeline in the evolution from Neanderthals to something else but the truth is there is no end to how far we might evolve, if we continue to exist. The path seems to be from an emphasis on the individual and the physical to the societal and the cerebral. So, social democrats are more evolved than neocons.
Fear and money are often very related. I saw a study by a psychologist who studies the rich. Many folks with 5 million in assests are afraid they will run out of money and though they would need at leas 10 million to have financial security.
My point was that there is a social safety net. And that this social safety net was voted for and paid for by the base majority. If we were only motivated by self-survival instincts and as selfish as some would presume, then no safety net would exist. Humans aren't as selfish and ****ty as some would make us out to be.
I don't know if this is some sarcastic insight on how every thread here turns into a partisan bickering. Some people believe in higher taxes and more social benefits. Others believe in lower taxes and less social benefits. I think it would behoove everyone to realize that this is a subjective matter of opinion and that there is no "right" answer. There are a lot of smart, moral people on both sides of the debate.
It was sort of a joke with a little grain of truth. When there are 10 billion people on this planet there won't be much wiggle room for individualism. The US has had the opportunity for it because people of some intelligence were unleashed on a verdant, underpopulated continent. But there are no more frontiers. (hmm maybe Northern Canada and Siberia if the climate warms) Evolution is never stagnant, social or physical. Things are changing, people are changing. Some will adapt and prosper, some won't and will die off. Fear and prosperity will more likely favor the more organized social system rather than the individualist. If 300 million people want to garner the wages of the Fortune 500 CEO's, nothing will stop them. That's why Big Money is battling so hard to control the message right now. But as information becomes more democratic, 1000 bloggers vs. 4 networks say, the masses will organize for THEIR interest and that will be more communal than individual.
