Would it be possible.......

crackcrack30

(To have)
A society where everyone worked for free....:eek: ..but everything you needed was free...?

A kind of barter but on a country wide 21st centuary scale......

Cons - we'd have to limit ourselves to our own produce.......maybe

Pros - this country would be a mecca for tourists.....

marshbaboon

Yes. If we exported all the travellers to wolf island.

mackg

Why would it be a mecca for tourists?

GarIT

What you propose is just communism in an extreme form.

No.

Hardonraging

Deleted User wrote: »

No.

I'll plow your lawn if you give me a shandy ? i'd say it could work ..but not with such a negative attitude

Eden3

Communism ... don't work! Leads to no moral upbringing, anti-socialism (obviously) and an unnatural need/urge for material wealth, which in turn leads to crime ... at all costs ...! Next idea .......

antodeco

I may as well be working for free with the amount of poxy tax I pay

HalloweenJack

How exactly would things be free?

We'd be sending ourselves back to the Stone Age, imo.

Eden3

antodeco wrote: »

I may as well be working for free with the amount of poxy tax I pay

Same as that ..!

crackcrack30

(Leaving cert) Communisim to me was possibly more agricultural, and controled by dictators ect, but surely thats not the only model out there....
especially that we are 100 years wiser?....:o

I think money has failed 95% (odd) of the worlds population... dont ask where i got tht from.....loose change maybe....

foxyboxer

Is this like some sh1tty Justin Timberlake movie where 'time' is a currency?

Eathrin

HalloweenJack wrote: »

How exactly would things be free?

We'd be sending ourselves back to the Stone Age, imo.

I suppose we would aim to be self-sufficient and export our excess and use the money to import necessaries.

But in reality communism doesn't work because some people are more equal than other people;)

Zomg Okay

crackcrack30 wrote: »

Pros - this country would be a mecca for tourists.....

If everything is free, how are tourists a pro? They wouldn't provide an income by buying things or renting out hotel rooms, etc. because we'd be just giving them it for nothing.

crackcrack30

Eden3 wrote: »

Communism ... don't work! Leads to no moral upbringing, anti-socialism (obviously) and an unnatural need/urge for material wealth, which in turn leads to crime ... at all costs ...! Next idea .......

Not much different to what we have now.....

Lando Griffin

Thinly veiled I am making so much money it no longer brings the happiness I want type thread.

Faith+1

Sounds like the Venus Project! Is that you Jacque?

crackcrack30

Lando Griffin wrote: »

Thinly veiled I am making so much money it no longer brings the happiness I want type thread.

Fail...........

Temptamperu

Eden3 wrote: »

Communism ... don't work! Leads to no moral upbringing, anti-socialism (obviously) and an unnatural need/urge for material wealth, which in turn leads to crime ... at all costs ...! Next idea .......

And, Capitalism never caused any of those things?

crazy cabbage

On a small scale yes it would. On a large scale i a not sure. I would support this 100% though. I wouldn't mind working for free if i was provided with everything that i needed to survive. It would mean that people would only work 20ish hours a week and have much more time on there hands

Toby Take a Bow

GarIT wrote: »

What you propose is just communism in an extreme form.

No it's not. Even the most extreme communism had some form of private enterprise and all operated on a currency system.

Eden3 wrote: »

Communism ... don't work! Leads to no moral upbringing, anti-socialism (obviously) and an unnatural need/urge for material wealth, which in turn leads to crime ... at all costs ...! Next idea .......

Communism leads to anti-socialism? Hmmm.

frozenfrozen

Who would bother their hole studying to be a doctor if they made the same money as someone doing something easy?

Toby Take a Bow

frozenfrozen wrote: »

Who would bother their hole studying to be a doctor if they made the same money as someone doing something easy?

People who wanted to be doctors?

crazy cabbage

frozenfrozen wrote: »

Who would bother their hole studying to be a doctor if they made the same money as someone doing something easy?

People whould do what they enjoy. If you enjoy working as a teacher that is what you would do. You would teach 20ish hours a week. You would go to shops where you would take whatever you need.
If i like working with wood i would make stuff with wood. Anything that i dont need for myself i would give to other people. in return i can go to teachers class and eduate myself further.

It is a system that if you could get a whole town and surrounding area to adopt would work. They would be self sufficent in theory. Everyone works at what they like to work at and whatever they dont need for themselves would be given to others

At least this is how i think it would work. OP might have slightly different ideas

It does have a few flaws but so does every system imo

GarIT

If everything was free could I not just have everything?

crazy cabbage

GarIT wrote: »

If everything was free could I not just have everything?

no

GarIT

Toby Take a Bow wrote: »

No it's not. Even the most extreme communism had some form of private enterprise and all operated on a currency system.

Even with this idea there would have to be currency or everyone could just have everything.

No private enterprise would be the reason for the word extreme before communism.

GarIT

crazy cabbage wrote: »

no

Why not its free, who can stop me?

GarIT

crazy cabbage wrote: »

It would mean that people would only work 20ish hours a week and have much more time on there hands

Why would people in this system work 20 hours when people in similar systems worked up to (and possibly more than) 70 hours.

crazy cabbage

GarIT wrote: »

Why not its free, who can stop me?

free implies that things cost money. things dont cost money becouse there is no money in this society so therefore cant be free. the word free implies that there is things that arn't free which there isn't.

understand?

NegativeCreep

What would the incentive be to even have a job then?

crazy cabbage

GarIT wrote: »

Why would people in this system work 20 hours when people in similar systems worked up to (and possibly more than) 70 hours.

Becouse in my view of a perfect society people wouldn't feel the need for material possisions aside from the what they need plus a little.
But yea i just plucked 20 hours out of my head. I would still think that it would be alot less than the normal 40 hour week

GarIT

crazy cabbage wrote: »

free implies that things cost money. things dont cost money becouse there is no money in this society so therefore cant be free. the word free implies that there is things that arn't free which there isn't.

understand?

After the third time I did.

I'll just have everything so because it doesn't cost.

GarIT

crazy cabbage wrote: »

Becouse in my view of a perfect society people wouldn't feel the need for material possisions aside from the what they need plus a little.
But yea i just plucked 20 hours out of my head. I would still think that it would be alot less than the normal 40 hour week

We have very different opinions, I think material possessions are important. I don't see a reason why I should settle for the basics when I could have more.

crackcrack30

GarIT wrote: »

If everything was free could I not just have everything?

You could have what you need......you can only eat one breakfast.

It would take a complete 180 degree change of mindset to undo the thousands of years of our love affair with material possessions & excess...
The american indian only ever owned what he could carry (leaving out the horse) not that i promote that much of an extremity.
Some people expect everything for free E.G home / healthcare / education without ever working (but thats not what this thread is about), sidetracked.

crazy cabbage

GarIT wrote: »

After the third time I did.

I'll just have everything so because it doesn't cost.

You are not getting the point of this type of society. This society would only work if and when people have a set of values that dont involve power and control, money and material possosions. In my view the perfect society would have a value system that transcended all that. People would value family and community and there life. They would work at what they love as would everyone else. People would freely give there creations (be it bread or crops or book or hens or eggs ect) becouse they would also get what they needed. And for the person who said why would you work. That is the wrong way to look at it. You would do something that you love. I dont see that as work.

crackcrack30

GarIT wrote: »

We have very different opinions, I think material possessions are important. I don't see a reason why I should settle for the basics when I could have more.

You would not settle you would be content, if you were born in , lets say Sudan, today you would be content with clean water, food, shelter, a football ect.
I think this would be hardest on the generation that makes the change as the next generation have not been spoilt, yet......

What system do the amish have?, i dont think they use diesel/petrol/oil.

crackcrack30

Looks like its just you & I Crazy Cabbage.....:p

crazy cabbage

crackcrack30 wrote: »

Looks like its just you & I Crazy Cabbage.....:p

In fairness i think i remember scumlord starting a tread along similar lines ages ago. He might be on board :pac:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055727937&page=3

But this is something that i have put series thoght into. The value system of our society need to change first though.

Toby Take a Bow

GarIT wrote: »

Even with this idea there would have to be currency or everyone could just have everything.[/B]

The whole thing hinges on people just taking what they need. If people take everything then the whole system would collapse. So, in this situation, there is no need for currency.

GarIT wrote: »

No private enterprise would be the reason for the word extreme before communism.

My point was that even the most extreme forms of communism had private enterprise. I'm not sure what the system the OP is suggesting would be called. Possibly some form of local anarchist collective.

Mr Benevolent

crackcrack30 wrote: »

I think money has failed 95% (odd) of the worlds population...

Hasn't failed me yet.

ScumLord

What your looking for is Zeitgeist.

frozenfrozen wrote: »

Who would bother their hole studying to be a doctor if they made the same money as someone doing something easy?

People would study for their own benefit to achieve tasks.


The money system has become entirely corrupted and is holding back humanity at this stage. We've outgrown it and need to move onto a different system.

Technology like the internet has changed everything, all people become equal on the internet and companies try desperately to fight the fundamentals of the internet to turn a profit out of it.

It's not like a bridge can't be built without money. The need, knowledge, resources and will power may be there to build the bridge then we introduce the imaginary monetary system to the equation and suddenly building a bridge is impossible.

Mr Benevolent

ScumLord wrote: »

It's not like a bridge can't be built without money. The need, knowledge, resources and will power may be there to build the bridge then we introduce the imaginary monetary system to the equation and suddenly building a bridge is impossible.

Imaginary systems are all that hold our society together.

ScumLord

Confab wrote: »

Imaginary systems are all that hold our society together.

True but they are made up and we can change them as we see fit. The monetary system as far as I'm concerned, holds up advancements, creates huge poverty as well as elevates a minority to elite status whether they deserve it or not. It encourages wasteful behaviour for monetary gain, it turns life into commodities and of course encourages greed at the expense of humanity.

We should take a scientific approach to rebuilding society, we know what humans need and how to achieve a much better society it's just not financially viable because it would wipe out finances.

crackcrack30

What would it take to get this major change of mindset and gain a positive attitude towards change/ alternatives.

Religion - A second comming.

Famine - A chicken was exchanged for a gold coin in the balkins war within the past 20 years.

War - No internet , no trade, no utilities,...... blank canvass

Collapse in world banking - ......hmm...... :eek:.

yeah no thanks guys

crackcrack30

Confab wrote: »

Hasn't failed me yet.

Money is only usefull when it can be exchanged for something you need - this may not always be the case........How much will a loaf of bread be next year ? 1 euro or 100 euro, ask your bank manager....he should know...

crackcrack30

crackcrack30 wrote: »

Money is only usefull when it can be exchanged for something you need

and something you want
and as a means of storing wealth
and as a measure of value

ScumLord

crackcrack30 wrote: »

What would it take to get this major change of mindset and gain a positive attitude towards change/ alternatives.

We have it pretty good these days and the banking system will see to it we never get so upset that we'd risk abandoning what we have for the possibility of a better life. The only way people would be motivated to act for change would be if things got so bad we had to. I don't see that happening we'll be drip feed just enough wealth to keep us content where we are.

Collapse in world banking - ......hmm...... :eek:.

The world banks didn't collapse though, the wealth was simply consolidated into fewer banks and portfolios. There's no doubt a few groups made out very well out of the banking crisis. That wealth will slowly spread out again over the next 2 or 3 decades when we'll more than likely see another banking crisis (which is the pattern) when that wealth will be consolidated back to the same groups again.

crackcrack30

bluewolf wrote: »

and as a means of storing wealth

There are no guarantees
You have 10,000 20 euro notes in a safe and i have 8,000 10 euro notes in a safe, so what do we have .........2 boxes of paper? i could take out that money today and possibly buy a house... i could take out that money in one years time and buy 2 houses or none, it could be like the old italian, greek or japaneese currency requiring millions of each

Money is only usefull when exchanged for something else......on that day.

Colmustard

I don't know what people have against capitalism, capitalism has lifted people out of the mire of intergenerational poverty. Just imagine before capitalism say in the 17th century if you had a farm and you seen a market for eggs, so you wanted to invest in some hens and a coop. You would have to spend your life saving that capital and perhaps your heir would benefit.

Now you can borrow that money and get a return, scale that up and you have the modern world of unprecedented wealth. Off course its not perfect and gets abused, but it is the best economic system that has ever existed and it is still a dynamic work in progress system.