HALF AND HALF or 50/50

by Terry 11 Replies latest jw friends

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  Terry

  There are only a thousand people left on Earth.

  About ten percent of the survivors (of some unnamed disaster) have professional expertise of some kind.

  80 per cent have some education, but not any practical grasp of how things operate.

  10 per cent are extremists of varying kinds; a sort of lunatic fringe with knee-jerk "solutions" they propose to carry out.

  A temporary leader/spokesman acts as a referee to sort things out.

  A meeting is conducted with all 1000 present.

  After much arguing, a vote is conducted.

  51 % want to carry out one set of plans while 49% want know part of it.

  The thin majority start doing things their way and the minority get more and more outraged.

  WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
• 

  DesirousOfChange

  The next election, and a good chance that 2% will vacillate and change sides.

  Happens in the US every 4 or 8 years or so.

  Doc
• 

  OnTheWayOut

  So it was 510 to 490. Twenty-one people are assassinated. Nah, that's too many. They become two nations.
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  CyrusThePersian

  A schism occurs and they have a war or they separate into two opposing groups. With only a thousand people left, it sounds like social suicide but such is human nature unfortunately.
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  Terry

  The reason I ask is because it is a microcosm of what is happening in America.
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  CyrusThePersian

  I think that the problem in the USA is actually quite different than your scenario. I believe that America - especially the American economy is spiraling toward an almost medieval situation, wherein all the wealth and power is controlled by a tiny elite group and all the rest (the "99%") are slowly being stripped of their financial well-being.

  It's my opinion that soon the economy will become so unbalanced that an actual revolt could occur. I see the "Occupy Wall St" protests from a couple of years ago as the rumblings of massive discontent.

  The two party political system in the USA has become a joke. The politicians are bought and paid for by the elite and do their bidding.

  CyrusThePersian
• 

  JeffT

  A friend of mine gave that speech at a college rally in 1969. I think he became a stock broker.
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  CyrusThePersian

  I know. I grew up in the sixties. Back then, the rhetoric was all about ideology, this time it's about money - which is much nearer and dearer to people's hearts because cash flow is essential to people being able to eat and put a roof over their heads.

  That's important. Protesting the war in Viet Nam is one thing but yanking the spoon out of peoples' mouths is quite another, just ask the Bolsheviks.

  CyrusThePersian
• 

  Terry

  I think that the problem in the USA is actually quite different than your scenario. I believe that America - especially the American economy is spiraling toward an almost medieval situation, wherein all the wealth and power is controlled by a tiny elite group and all the rest (the "99%") are slowly being stripped of their financial well-being.

  Here is how I see it.

  It isn't the concentration of wealth which is the problem. THAT IS THE SYMPTOM of the problem.

  The PROBLEM is the distribution of talent, intelligence and drive.

  If you put ambitious, savvy, competitive and hard-working people into a society with those of lesser powers, abilities and drive--give everybody the

  same amount of money and turn them loose: the end result will always be the same.

  If you reboot and redistribute wealth artificially (government fiat) the "fairness" proves illusory.

  A great talent always outstrips mediocrity.

  Let's face it and be done.

  The ignorance of college graduates in the U.S.A. compared to other countries is frightening.

  Without knowledge, each generation falls farther behind until the ability to understand (philosophically) makes them

  fall prey (yet again) to the same old failed ideas of equality by fiat.
• 

  MeanMrMustard

  @Terry:

  "The reason I ask is because it is a microcosm of what is happening in America."

  I see where you might be going. Let me ask something. When you say: " A temporary leader/spokesman acts as a referee to sort things out", what exactly does "referee" mean in your scenero?

  My gut reaction - if there is a rule of law (no killing, stealing, etc and an inforcement mechanism), then what happens next? Natually, captialism. The real kind, not the messed up kind we have today. There will natually be some that invest time to produce capital goods, and then become more efficient, produce more, etc.

  MMM