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Why South Africa Is on the Brink of Chaos

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Re: Why South Africa Is on the Brink of Chaos

#11

Post by [deleted] »

LegitShady wrote: post #9
AnotherGoodName wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Meh I'm from a nation way more socialist than the USA and we have 3x the median wealth per capita (Australia). We have a much lower mean wealth though. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_wealth_pe... If you're one of the top 1% in America life is great. But the 99% should not be going around saying socialism sucks. That to me indicates you're gullibility and mindless support of the 1% who have waaaay…

>Meh I'm from a nation way more socialist than the USA Australia is not socialist, period. Its a market economy.

[deleted]

Re: Why South Africa Is on the Brink of Chaos

#12

Post by inglor_cz »

oatmeal1 wrote: post #5

When people vote for politicians based on moral appeals instead of practical qualifications, corruption is much more likely; politicians don't have to do a good job, they just have to appear to be on the "good" side.

"When people vote for politicians based on moral appeals"

Is this really SA's problem, or rather classical tribalism? "A bastard, but our bastard."

(See also: Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq etc. Not just an African phenomenon.)

Re: Why South Africa Is on the Brink of Chaos

#13

Post by Thoeu388 »

AnotherGoodName wrote: post #8
Thoeu388 wrote: post #4

Yet another example how collectivism and socialism works. In decade or so, they will start killing farmers for "hiding" and "price gauging" food.

Meh I'm from a nation way more socialist than the USA and we have 3x the median wealth per capita (Australia). We have a much lower mean wealth though. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_wealth_pe... If you're one of the top 1% in America life is great. But the 99% should not be going around saying socialism sucks. That to me indicates you're gullibility and mindless support of the 1% who have waaaay…

>99% should not be going around saying socialism sucks.

LOL, love the tone policing. Do you realise some people actually lived under socialism? I am from East Europe.

Re: Why South Africa Is on the Brink of Chaos

#14

Post by midasuni »

LegitShady wrote: post #9
AnotherGoodName wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Meh I'm from a nation way more socialist than the USA and we have 3x the median wealth per capita (Australia). We have a much lower mean wealth though. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_wealth_pe... If you're one of the top 1% in America life is great. But the 99% should not be going around saying socialism sucks. That to me indicates you're gullibility and mindless support of the 1% who have waaaay…

>Meh I'm from a nation way more socialist than the USA Australia is not socialist, period. Its a market economy.

From reading that article (until the paywall hits) it sounds like South Africa is a libertarian paradise - private security, private road repair, private fire brigade.

Re: Why South Africa Is on the Brink of Chaos

#15

Post by causality0 »

AnotherGoodName wrote: post #8
Thoeu388 wrote: post #4

Yet another example how collectivism and socialism works. In decade or so, they will start killing farmers for "hiding" and "price gauging" food.

Meh I'm from a nation way more socialist than the USA and we have 3x the median wealth per capita (Australia). We have a much lower mean wealth though. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_wealth_pe... If you're one of the top 1% in America life is great. But the 99% should not be going around saying socialism sucks. That to me indicates you're gullibility and mindless support of the 1% who have waaaay…

Highly misleading. Australian superannuation savings are counted but American social security entitlements are not.

Re: Why South Africa Is on the Brink of Chaos

#16

Post by inglor_cz »

AnotherGoodName wrote: post #8
Thoeu388 wrote: post #4

Yet another example how collectivism and socialism works. In decade or so, they will start killing farmers for "hiding" and "price gauging" food.

Meh I'm from a nation way more socialist than the USA and we have 3x the median wealth per capita (Australia). We have a much lower mean wealth though. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_wealth_pe... If you're one of the top 1% in America life is great. But the 99% should not be going around saying socialism sucks. That to me indicates you're gullibility and mindless support of the 1% who have waaaay…

I was born in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic and it took decades to get rid of its awful legacy.

Socialism sucks. The idea of "means of production owned collectively" tends to suck even in capitalism (too many shareholders), but if the owner is the state, it sucks massively. Any alignment of interests goes out of the window, massive white elephant projects get built in the name of ideology, "superfluous concerns" such as environmental damage are ignored, incompetent people get promoted to directors because their uncle is a Party bigwig. Nothing acts as a check on rampant corruption.

Re: Why South Africa Is on the Brink of Chaos

#17

Post by GolfPopper »

AnotherGoodName wrote: post #8
Thoeu388 wrote: post #4

Yet another example how collectivism and socialism works. In decade or so, they will start killing farmers for "hiding" and "price gauging" food.

Meh I'm from a nation way more socialist than the USA and we have 3x the median wealth per capita (Australia). We have a much lower mean wealth though. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_wealth_pe... If you're one of the top 1% in America life is great. But the 99% should not be going around saying socialism sucks. That to me indicates you're gullibility and mindless support of the 1% who have waaaay…

Not an actual quote, but rather a later-paraphrased summary of John Steinbeck, "Socialism never took root in America because the poor see themselves not as an exploited proletariat but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires.”

Re: Why South Africa Is on the Brink of Chaos

#18

Post by inglor_cz »

midasuni wrote: post #14
LegitShady wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Meh I'm from a nation way more socialist than the USA Australia is not socialist, period. Its a market economy.

From reading that article (until the paywall hits) it sounds like South Africa is a libertarian paradise - private security, private road repair, private fire brigade.

SA still collects significant taxes and distributes them to cronies instead of using them for public goods. Not exactly a libertarian tenet.

Re: Why South Africa Is on the Brink of Chaos

#20

Post by houseatrielah »

Serpentza, a YouTuber from South Africa, did a video on this recently. The money that should have been spent on infrastructure was squandered and the possibility of the electric grid collapsing is real. He posted a screenshot from an app that his parents deal with; it was 12 hours of blackouts, 12 hours of power. Plus the currency is worthless and 50% unemployment leads to very high crime levels.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHxh_sQHH0E

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