I attempt to reason with them that they’re comparing Socialism with an Apples to Apples argument of Confirmation Bias.
“Capitalism is comparing apples to apples… Socialism is comparing apples to tomatoes. They’re both terms that are under the umbrella of how Government and the treasury works (both are fruit, both can be used in pies.. tomatoes are also known as “loveapples”), but you can’t put apples on a pie crust and call it a “pizza”.Socialism is recognizing that as mighty and powerful as the US Government is, it needs constant regulation and balance to protect the poorest and most vulnerable among us.”
So, I tried to explain to him that the comparison is more like apples and tomatoes… and he still didn’t get it. He’s from Florida, more of a bananas and oranges kind of guy. You can’t explain to someone that a $100 is the red line that keeps a man from starvation if he’s never been in that situation before.
You can’t get the comparison between an apple and a tomato. Good thing I didn’t throw you an orange or a banana, you’d try to put them in a pie too.Now you’re talking to me about politics, capitalism, consumerism, and economics as if I fell off the turnip truck. I didn’t spend 15 years of my life learning a trade as a mechanic, going to school at night and learning about electrical theory, hybrid vehicle technologies, HVAC, brakes, suspension, engine performance and get a degree in Business Administration, HR, CRM, Economics, Accounting and Law just because I want to “ride the system”. No, I got it so I could explain to overeducated Millennials and Internet Trolls how hybrid vehicle technology, coupled with flex fuel alternatives can actually save the economy of the United States and roll back the Climate Change of the last 30 years within a decade…all the while they’re looking at their iWatches and Android gadgets in complete disinterest because I didn’t have an opening theme song to my presentation and a shower of confetti. Socialism is the safety net that keeps people earning under $1000 a month secure while they’re busy chasing the American dream of self-direction.Don’t believe me? My adopted parents raised me as a Jaycee Kid. I know the Jaycee creed by heart and it should be hung over the doorway of every Credit Union Manager’s office as their motto. The one thing that sticks in the gut is the 3rd line that states that “Economic Justice is won by free men through free enterprise.” How true that is. Want to fight injustice – don’t break bread with the enemy. I encourage every black family that’s ever been taken advantage of by some schiesser in a 3 piece suit to boycott their lending business if they’re a redliner. Every crook that tries to sell a piece of junk online and takes advantage of some poor honest kid who worked hard mowing lawns and delivering the newspaper should be locked up.What you’re saying is that someone who is 65 years old and paid into the system, they don’t need those benefits if they continue to work themselves to the grave – that’s pretty much what my adoptive father did. Love the man as I did, he was an idiot, unlike my biological father who went to Clarkson, stayed out of the military, worked 30 years for IBM and retired in St. Augustine with a pension, two Condominiums, a golf course and happily married and goes out shooting on the weekends. Can you tell which one I’m more like?You also said that socialism brings down the higher earners with more incentive.. blah blah blah… boulderdash and bullshite. I’m encouraged to get into business for good reasons.1. I have vision and often see the inner workings of things, and the details, that most people in business often miss. It comes from being a mechanic and that I see how one thing affects another and can troubleshoot and diagnose issues quickly. It makes me an effective manager that way.2. By working on a big business, I’ll have more capital to work with to help the community in the ways that I see social justice reforms not being effective enough. Sometimes you have to manage a business solution with a business solution instead of social welfare reform.3. I believe in giving people hands up, instead of handouts. By planning my business to succeed in helping others succeed and reinvesting in the people who are working for me, I’m giving them the skills and opportunities they need to earn living wages, enriching their skills and making their own lives better.4. I believe that diversity is the most important thing you can bring to your workforce, where there are no “yes men” only people with “can do” attitudes. This is a part of socialism in the workforce where you cannot get around. We are social creatures and we learn from each other. The human personality is the greatest treasure and benefit of any job. Don’t believe me? Ask me about the racist guy I worked for who kept his daddy’s KKK belt buckle in his safe. You can’t work in an oppressive environment full of hate and be expected to grow.5. There are entrepreneurs who are willing to take $50,000 risks… then there are entrepreneurs who are willing to take $10 Million risks. I worked with a group as CFO who was willing to take a $50 Million risk, until I realized that I was the only one coming up with the answers, the P/L Statements and doing any of the work to figure out how to bootstrap a company with $600 cash, $2500 Kickstarter and Business Insurance and Incorporation in New York. I set up the company, the Bank accounts, I did all the hard work, and while a couple of the board members showed promise and did some of the work I asked them to do, the other board members wouldn’t step up when it was time to present our plans to investors, the banks or the SBA. Now, maybe these are the guys you are talking about who rest on their laurels when the time comes because they have lack of incentive. Honestly, whether it was $1M at stake, or $50M, I take that level of commitment seriously to honor my ends and do the necessary work it takes to get the job done. Not everyone sees the large numbers and is willing to argue the brass tax it takes.If you look at the Senate right now, we have a Socialist Senate with a zero-Sum endgame run by “Dr. No” McConnell and a presidency of “Double-Dare Ya” Trump. So, how is this getting us any further than having a Congress that argues together to bring about the most change for the poorest of us and signs laws into regulation to allocate more funding to send single women to college so they can run their own small business, or work an important HR job for a Fortune 500? What we don’t need is people making more money to buy a larger yacht, or build a bigger mansion than the 4 they already have, or another garage for their Corvette Collection and their 4 Porsches…while they’re trying to figure out what else they can use their tax breaks on that they got from Trump. This is a breakdown of Capitalism, and your attempt to throw a word salad at me to explain Capitalism in terms of ROI, Compound Interest, finance charges and amortization doesn’t really break down the reasons of how socialism helps bring Capitalism back to fairness so that we don’t have more outbreaks of widespread violence and looting in the cities being burnt down by radical left and right wing groups.Now, if you still can’t see how I’m comparing Apples to tomatoes, I just can’t help you with that. Sometimes you just have to concede that either the other side is incapable of understanding because they’re too wrapped up in their own cognitive dissonance and that the harder you try to engage the conversation, the harder they’re going to disengage. Sometimes, you just gotta put that applesauce on the pizza and let them analyze the situation for themselves that you can’t always make substitutions work like rescheduling people during the week in your workforce. While I still won’t substitute a banana on a pizza… I’ll give pickles and garlic parmesan a try.
The Topic Cafe 