A big issue I have with certain forms of socialism

If you are born with a disability or condition, become injured in sport or war or develop something in old age through no fault of your own whilst being a productive, healthy member of society, I completely understand socialised healthcare for such people if they have paid into it.

However, I find something immoral about the idea of someone who has put a lot of money into exercise equipment/gym and healthy food, and time into exercising and preparing healthy meals, to then have to pay for the surgery of someone in their 40s who has just had heart failure as a direct result of going to mcdonalds every day and their only exercise being a couple minute walk to the cinema. Money that he could have put into the healthier man's children, or his hobbies, or into a business.

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fun4us2b · M

If a person is not taught they cannot change.

Who are we to judge where a person came from and then condemn them to their predetermined destinies?

Society cannot improve under this kind of thinking.

pianoplayingsteve · 31-35, M

@fun4us2b Not wanting to fund someone else's habits with my money is not condemning someone...
Society also cannot improve if the productive have to fund objectively destructive habits... and you are right that if they are not taught they wont change, how can they be taught if they get their habits subsidized?

fun4us2b · M

@pianoplayingsteve It's a slow process, which continuously kicking the can down the road, and not helping the weaker people just spreads weakness.

There are many teetering on the line, they can go either way, meaning they can become productive and self-sufficient, or slip and fall into the system...it's on us to help them - my goal is to try to help 60 of them...

Minimum wage doesn't allow people to support themselves - and with globalization wages paid to factory workers in other countries eviscerated jobs and hurt our workers.

Full Disclosure: I used to feel like you do...

pianoplayingsteve · 31-35, M

@fun4us2b I agree and disagree, it's not black and white.

Your min wage thing sticks out. Whilst I do think that min wage is very low, at the same time, I've lived on much less than minimum wage, and used my knowledge of money to turn just a couple of £'s into literally hundreds. In just a few months I was generating thousands a month. But even in my financial height,I was still incredibly stingy with my money. Super market brands, cheap clothes, bulk buy etc and I'd see people who have little money, spend ridiculous amounts on stupid things.

When I did this, I did not have a single friend supporting it. In fact, often was the case, most people around you doubt your ideas, "if it were that easy everyone would do it" and the ironic thing is, not many people do it because they have that very mindset to justify not taking risks. I just made a small financial risk, and immediately reinvested what I made.

Similarly, I've made changes to my lifestyle which both really improved my health, was really cheap and actually saved me a lot of money. I'd show people my success, and they wouldn't want to try it, simply because they were not used to doing it.

I just cant do excuse making. I attended PE class whilst disabled and able bodied peers tried to avoid it. I stuck at the piano and now have numerous qualifications and can charge lots for lessons. Because of the experience gap I could not get a job so did thousands of hours of voluntary work and now can get a job. And I don't like the idea of being poor so I learnt how to be good with money. I didn't like being fat so I lost the weight. (none of it is rocket science)

fun4us2b · M

@pianoplayingsteve Awesome that you are able to do so much - I feel proud of my accomplishments as well - I have no doubt, if I lost everything, I could recreate it...whatever it is that give us this drive and ability, it seems simple, but truth is we are fortunate, we have some control that others may not.

People may want to do better, but they can't, like asking me to lift 5000lbs, I wish I was strong enough, I'd like to, but I can't, it's just not happening.

Piano is a great instrument. What type of music do you like to play?

pianoplayingsteve · 31-35, M

@fun4us2b I am glad you are proud of your achievements,I wish for every one to be. But I feel like there are a lot of purposely damaging ideas going around, based on something that seems nice, and disguised as empathy. Like, it is good to accept yourself for who you are, but then it morphs into "any constructive criticism is hate because i cant be bothered to develop my musical skills", "I should love myself for who i am which means I should stay morbidly obese". And I've never seen this pushed by anyone the left dislikes.

No, you can't lift 5000lbs, but you are making an excuse for yourself. Who has ever said you should be able to lift 5000lbs immediately? When I started rowing, i could only manage 20 minutes, now I could literally go on all day. When I started the piano, I had to have the letters written on the pages for ages, but now I'm an amazing sight reader. Every great feat can be achieved by working toward it inch by inch. If you could just do something immediately, it would not be something that people praise.

Oh thank you, I play bits of everything from Chopin to Owl City

fun4us2b · M

@pianoplayingsteve That's like me, I run the musical gamut also - it's great for the brain and soul.

I agree that the hyperbole around the whole thing actually hurts the people that need the help. We have to somehow ignore the hype and the media bigmouths and do what we can to help the ones that really need and can accept our help...it takes work, it's not a short quick fix.

pianoplayingsteve · 31-35, M

@fun4us2b I actually don't think it can be fixed. I've tried changing people's minds on the smallest things. You can take months trying to convince your friend, with them insulting you the whole way for daring to challenge established thought, and if you ever get a confession that you are right, five minutes later they are back to acting as if you are wrong.

I think powerful people are taking advantage of the growing lack of self control, the increased hedonism, increased narcissism, decreased reading in society, and throwing us down a path of ruin whilst convincing people that they are doing good and that those who speak out against it have bad intent.

I bring up books that I thought was common reading, or facts that I thought were common knowledge and to many they have no idea what I am talking about. There is always some dismissive label. Absolutely everything is called a "conspiracy theory" nowadays, complete scientific and historic facts are called "conspiracy theories" by many. And if that label fails, just call anyone you disagree with a troll.For every one fact you may convince someone of, the media has convinced that person of 100 lies.