(Note: for clarification of what is meant by "macrosocialism", see my article "Macrosocialism vs. Microsocialism". I introduced and clarified those terms in that article, and this article is a continuation of my thoughts on the theories I advanced).

Macrosocialist societies have been a part of our world culture for the better part of the last 100 years. The failed USSR, China, North Korea, and Cuba are prominent examples. Yet each of these governments did and do have long lists of human rights abuses.

In this article, I present that these human rights abuses and suppression of liberty are not only not incidental, they are absolute REQUIREMENTS to the running of a macrosocialist society, and further reason why macrosocialism is an unsound principle of economics for any government.

Macrosocialism is theoretically a step towards communism, and is (again, in theory) supposed to work like a machine, with all parts interdependent and working towards a common goal. While this is aesthetically pleasing to the idealist, it is when practical reality comes into play that it falls apart.

In a machine, the efficiency of its parts can be controlled. A broken gear can be replaced with a working gear, a blown gasket can be replaced with a new gasket, and the machine can be restored to peak efficiency. But humans are not parts, and when a human fails to hold up their part in a machine's operation at peak efficiency, replacing them is not as simple as replacing a part. You are left with a "broken" piece that cannot be removed from the whole that is the macrosocialist economy. Developmental disabilities, old age, infirmities all become liabilities that must be dealt with in the continual running of the macrosocialist economy. When left in the hands of an efficiency minded bureaucrat, the humanity of these individuals is disregarded and they become expendable. Minimal expenses are provided for their upkeep, and a less than ethical leader could well be inclined towards a policy of extermination of these individuals (remember, "Nazi" DOES stand for "National Socialist").

Further, in a macrosocialist economy, dissent is a virus. This explains the reasons for the Soviet Gulag, the Chinese response at Tianamen(sp?) square, and numerous other atrocities committed in macrosocialist states. Dissent calls into question the efficiency of the machine, and decreases the machine's productivity. As the dissent spreads, more parts begin to work at less than peak efficiency, and the dissent must be stopped in its tracks (the fastest and most efficient way to do this is through a show of force, as has been demonstrated repeatedly throughout history).

A macrosocialist economy also limits freedom of choice in one's occupation. If the society is in need of a mechanic, that's what you will be, even if you have the painting skills of Van Gogh. The production of workers is geared around the principles of supply and demand, and there is little room for personal choice. This is again by the necessity, as in the machine example: you can't replace a gear with a gear or a gasket with a gasket (or even a gear with an UNLIKE gear). Like parts must be matched with like parts, in order to run the machine at its peak.

A macrosocialist economy is one where drugs are a detriment to the economy as well (the high alcoholism rate in the Soviet Union is a good example of this). When someone is under the influence of mind altering drugs, they again operate at less than peak, and this limits the productive capacity of the economic machine.

Throughout the years, we have seen the vast human rights violations within socialist governments (or, macrosocialist societies). They exist in a miacrosocialist society to maintain order and control within the society. The reason these problems would not exist in a microsocialist society is simply that involvement in such a society is voluntary, not forced, and the microsocialist society has a greater capacity to deal with the problems as they arise on a one on one basis. In future blogs, I will advance the theory of the interdependence of unlike economies into an integral whole, and will use examples from microsocialist societies that have shown consistent abilities to succeed.

Respectfully submitted,

Gideon MacLeish