A survey
 

This was a survey i took in language class. it went with a book, and if you can guess it then you are pretty well read.
Please, PLEASE explain your answers. thats what makes it fun, the debates that ensue.

1. False, because if there was no hunger or starvation, then there would be less reason to work, because part of the reason you work is to eat
2. False, because human nature is built upon competition.
3. False, because you would have no reason to want to advance your self, if you were gaurunteed a job, then you would have no reason to work at it, you would always be employed.
4. False, because people want the best for their children, and they wont work to get things for their children (and themselves) if it is given to them.
5. True, because if there is a troubling time in the family, then maybe one of the members can help the other people out.
6. False, because bad memories can help us to create good memories, like if you want to do something, you can use the bad memory from when you failed to succeed.
7. False, because some families can handle more than 2 children. my youth pastor had 9 brothers and sisters. hes sane (well as sane as can be...).
8. False, people learn history to learn about the mistakes of the past.
9. False, a family history is something to pride
10. False, most people dont just stick with one job, and you will find something else you may like to do in a job you dont like.
11. False, conflict is what makes a relationship work.
12. False, because children is often a huge motivator for people to work harder.
13. False, conflict is the escense of humanity.
14. False, speaking as a book lover and as a regular person. books are things you need to have, to expand your knowledge, and more.
15. False, these are people who's fault is not often their own, they should be cared for and helped.

these are my answers. im sure this will start some rather... forcefull discussions. like i said, EXPLAIN YOUR ANSWERS!!!

Thos questions all could just be compressed to a single question " Is comunism good or bad?" of course theoreticaly it is but we all know of our greed.

Also there needs to be variation in our community, there has to be more than one type of people. the reason there is happiness is because others are depressed, there is peace because of war, and nourishmeant because of famine. and if you dont like those views take it up with me, i always love an argument.

Cracked But Not Broken beat me to it, but i'll ask anyway. Did it come with the Comunist Manifesto?

As for the questions:

1. True. I mean this only to a point, however. An ideal society would have all it's members either able to work for their supper or on their way to someplace else. I mostly agree with Lifebecomeslessdefined except that the end result would be that the ones who wouldn't work would leave and their would be plenty of food left; for those who can pay for it.
2. False. Without compotition, nobody would have any reason to better themselves. Societies that remove the element of compotition stagnate and die, as is shown by the fall of the Soviet Union.
3. True. My reasons are prety much the same as for question one. You would still need to do good work to keep your job. Those who don't do good work and get fired would leave to find work that doesn't demand such high quality.
4. Fuck that. Oops, I mean "False". Children should have to work just like adults. Not in the same way as adults, they are only children and deserve a childhood, but if they want things, they still need to do something for it. That would instill in them the element of compotition that they will need when they try to enter the work force later in life.
5. True. That's the whole point of a family. Weather it be physical support, educational support, or emotional support, families need to be there to make sure that they all have something solid to lean on in a crisis. Sharing their feelings is just one way to make sure that each family member is capable of providing the nessecary support.
6. False. We learn from our failures, or we repeat them. Forgeting everything bad that ever happened to us would eventualy end up with our deaths.
7. That has go to be the worst idea ever invented. There we go again, trying to remove the element of compotition, and this time by butting into an area that is nobody's business but the people having children. It makes my blood boil. Oh yeah, I almost forgot. False.
8. False. Read reason number 6.
9. False. Same reason again.
10. False. It sounds good, but people change and if your 40 and your stuck in a job that was right for you when you were 18 then you aren't going to be happy.
11. False. Again, people change. People perfectly matched when they are married don't always stay perfectly matched. That could be the cause of more tention then a marriage that was bad to begin with.
12. False. Read answer 4.
13. I'm not even going to answer that one because i'd end up using a string of foul language.
14. False. Books are the way that authors tell the world how they think. Even books that have no bearing on reality can have a practical philosophical impact on an open minded person.
15. If you answered True to all the above questions, then your ideal society is made up compleatly of "weak, disabled, or unproductive citizens". If you did not, however, then the disabled are usualy the way they are by no fault of their own and it does not mean that they don't have good ideas, so my answer is false.

I say false to everything except #1 and #15 is sorta true, because I feel that most of these are too simple to be true. It's like the test says "Hey this sounds like it's happy! Want it to be happy?" But, for things to be happy there also has to be sadness. I'll just say why I disagree with what you guys said was false, because I don't have time to post all my answers, and you both said things I agree with on those so...

#1: Starving is bad. Anorexia is bad. People who die, because they can't eat is bad. People should get a free supply of nutritional, although possibly tasteless, food. Food is the basic human need, and for somebody not to have it is just sad.

#3: If there was no unemployment it means people can't lose thier job, or are given a job they don't want or may be haxardous to thier health, like mining coal or pumping gas. Having unemployment adds a dangeous edge to slacking off. "If you don't do a good enough job you can lose it and have to live of nutritional paste."

#5: If I knew how everyone in my family felt, I'd want to leave. Everybody being open and sensitive and sharing all the time sounds good to some, but not me. I like secrets and I like deception. Not on serious things just little things. I like keeping things to myself that other people don't know. Like my own little treasure hoard of secrets, emotions and opinions that other people don't know.

#15: It's hard to define weak. What's good to some may not be good for others. Somethings I think we can do without. Retarted people for example I don't think should be born. I don't think that can contribute anything other than making people feel better about themselves. If we knew that they were gonne be retarded they should be sent to some sort of special shelter(only of the parents agree that this is right!), similar to an asylum only like kindergarten. Anorexia is useless too. They damage thier own health for no reason other than they think they're ugly. I find this disease to be a stupid waste of money to try and cure. They should also go to the above Retard Shelter. People who have been disabled ; however, should be found a new line of work that they can enjoy. Maybe a teacher who went blind would read braile books to the reatarded people in shelters.


God, I just read over these, and I can sound like an asshole if I ignore certain morals. Well, an ideal society isn't a place I'd want to live, because for a place to be "Ideal" or "perfect" everyone would have to like it. And nobody likes being wrong. So everything anyone thought would be right and nothing wrong, and that means everyone would have the same opinion. And that means there would be a base for that opinion, some sort of leader. Like a king who would give orders to improve the society and make it stronger, better, bigger. So in a perfect society we'd all be ants, and everything I just typed, however offensive it is, wouldn't have ever existed.

I would quote what jack of spades is but iould be quoting the whole thing he said...
anyways thats all a theoretical comunism like I mentioned earlier, because in theory, communism is perfect, but if you put a single man in total control, the power wil get to there heads, which ends in corruption.

1) True. People shouldn't have to starve to death.
2) False, competition is a good thing, it inspires you to go above and beyond.
3) True. If everyone has some type of job, the community won't get dragged down by homless or unproductive people.
4) False. Children should take advantage of what is offered to them, even if it means they will not be equal.
5) True, this ceases to create hostility and depression.
6) False, the bad memories make the good ones even better.
7) True, overpopulaation is a problem, we can't feed everyone anymore.
8) FALSE FALSE FALSE! THERE IS ALWAYS A NEED TO LEARN HISTORY! IT KEEPS US FROM F*CKING UP AGAIN!
9) False, you should be proud of where your family comes from and what they do.
10) True, you should work at what your good at and love to do.
11) False, only you are capable of telling if your relationship can work.
12) False, kids bring families to gether.
13) False, life would be boring and horrid if everyone was the same. Differences make things interesting, they make you want more, work more.
14) False, books are fun imaginative ways of passing time which enspire ideas.
15) False, those people can still be productive. Take Professor Hawk, the man bound in a wheelchair, a parapalegic, but has the world's highest I.Q.

Q: where you going to read Farenhieght 451 or George Orwells 1988 after doing this?

1. An ideal community would not have any hunger or starvation. TRUE, this is easy enough to avoid, although the threat should be ever present as a motivator.
2. An ideal community would not have any jealousy or competition. HALF AND HALF Competition is a good thing as it motivates people to be the best they can be, but jealousy is an unfortunate result of competition that leads to irrational disrespect and "fighting dirty."
3. An ideal community would not have any unemployment. FALSE there really aren't enough jobs to go around, and making jobs starts to cheapen the worth of labor. Also many people can contribute to society without being employed.
4. All children should have equal possessions and privileges at certain ages, regardless of the status (wealth/position) of their families. FALSE all children should have equal oppritunities as other children, but this is next to impossible to enforce, and material possessions that don't entail opportunities are nigh meaning, anyway.
5. Families are much closer when they share their feelings. TRUE, but does it really matter whether families are close or not?
6. Life would be easier and more comfortable if we did not carry bad memories in our heads. FALSE, how else would people learn?
7. Overpopulation is such a problem that families should not be allowed to have more than two children. TRUE, as long as adoption is readily available for those who cannot have children.
8. There is no real need to learn about world history. FALSE, we need to know what to avoid, and what ideas have been around in the past so that we can improve our own civilization.
9. There is no real need to learn about one’s own family’s history. FALSE, pride in one's family is only a bad thing if it is used to support elitism.
10. A person’s job or occupation in life should be a careful match of his or her interests, talents, and skills. FALSE, this goes against personal freedom, although if one person is more suited to a job than another, they should get said job over the other person.
11. Family life would improve if spouses were perfectly matched to ensure their compatibility. FALSE, a lack of arguments does not denote a better or more supportive household. Indeed, it may lead the children to take into better account the diversity of ideas in the world.
12. Family life would improve if parents were required to go
through an application process to have children, ensuring
their readiness and ability to raise children. THEORETICALLY TRUE, but this application process would be impossible to write.
13. Life is easier when everyone is the same and there are
fewer differences. FALSE, I'm smarter than other people and I'm damned proud of it. Other people are stronger than me and I hope they're damned proud of that, too.
14. Other than reference books, books are not really necessary. FALSE, the diversity of ideas and escapist literature should always be readily available, or else society will stagnate.
15. Weak, disabled, or unproductive citizens should not be tolerated or allowed to remain in an ideal community. FALSE, an ideal community would have surpluses, yes? And if one has surpluses it is their responsibility to take care of those who cannot care for themselves. They may contribute to society in unpredicted ways, ex. Stephen Hawking, Temple Grandin, or maybe their offspring will readily contribute to this ideal society. And, after all, disabled people have feelings. They are alive.
This is something of a personal vendetta, but while I agree with you, I must point out some things.
A dictatorship is not inherent in Communism. Communism is a form of economy, not a form of government. The only reason we associate the two is because of the history of communist countries. Communism can operate in a democracy; look at kibbutzim or the Amish. They share their resources and for the most part get along. It is kind of ignorant to just say that communism works in theory and then give reasons as to why dictatorships don't work. And sometimes dictatorships can be more efficient and better for the people than a democracy, but it is impossible to safeguard.
The actual argument against communism should be about how it is hard to manage on a large scale. Keeping an economy efficient and functional across an entire nation necessitates a powerful and decisive government, and that is why large communist states turn to autocracy. Also, many Americans have been raised to look out for themselves and their own, so it is hard for them to consider a system that puts the community as a whole ahead of themselves. So, yes, communism is nigh impossible to maintain on a national level; but does carry an inherent flaw of autocracy. After all, ideal communism would have no government, only a community with it's best goals in mind. That is a romantic fantasy.

By the way, I am a libertarian in favor of a laissez faire capitalist economy. Although I am in favor of welfare to an extent.

Thank you Elmer J., i thought this thread was about turn very ugly.

As for the test being typical of communism, No. The world proposed by this survery bears a few similarities to communism, but strays quite far on a few key and underlying points. If someone wants me to go into those differences I will, but I don't want to rant needlessly.

As for calling Russia Communist, this is very untrue. While Lenin was a Commie, and rebelion was for a commie cause, Lenin died two years after gaining power, and before a new government was set up. Stalin was a dictator who called his regime communist, and used a few elements of communism to his advantage.

And as for the survey itself, does it come from Farenheit 451? just my guess

I don't consider it a great book, but we had to read The Giver in grade eight, and this survey reminds me of it. Would it be that book?

Edit: I haven't read it and I think it's a stretch from what I've heard, but could it also be The Handmaid's Tale?

As for the survey, I agree with Elmer on everything except #7:

7. Overpopulation is such a problem that families should not be allowed to have more than two children. False, overpopulation is not a problem. The problem is how we manage our resources. If everyone started living like the average person in, say, Niger, we would have many resources. That’s not to say we should all starve, of course, but there are excesses in the richer countries that could be cut out and the money saved from it redirected elsewhere.

And I have more to add to 12 and 13:

12. Family life would improve if parents were required to go through an application process to have children, ensuring their readiness and ability to raise children. False. It sounds like a good idea, but it’s just getting too invasive and controlling into someone’s personal life. However, adoption agencies, foster homes, etc. should be available for children coming from dysfunctional families.

13. Life is easier when everyone is the same and there are fewer differences. Easier, yes, if everyone agrees on the same issue then there’s less conflict between people. However, no one wants to be the same as someone else. Different ideas need to flow. Suppose we were all the same and posed with a problem that could only be solved by people who were different than us? And, if it’s speaking in terms of genes, then it’s obviously a big fat no. Smaller gene pools create biological problems that could pose many difficulties.

I've read The Giver, Fahrenheit 451, and 1984, it doesn't come directly from any of them, but the ideas are present in them. I'll just answer them all now: False, it's really just easier that way.