Armageddon Rex:

In the Sweden and New Zealand examples, do not forget the people who forged those ultimately socialist societies were made of pretty tough stuff. In the Book Eat the Rich, P.J. O’Rourke describes his visit to Sweden and asks them how they can make it all work. The Swedes pointed outside and said “We had to learn to be industrious. Our climate tries to kill us every year.”

Similarly, consider what the people who colonized New Zealand – and for that matter Australia – had to do to live and prosper. By the standards of the day it was like colonizing a new planet.

So, socialism in those circumstances has the enormous advantage of having people with a bred-in predilection toward working for a living. I don’t know whether the socialism then arises under the basic assumption that everyone will work his ass off anyway as in the past or as a result of importation of people less inclined to be industrious looking for an easy out. Clearly, once established it kills the innate industriousness and attracts people who are disinclined to get their brows sweaty.

Many of the immigrants to Sweden have come from – guess where – Muslim countries, where people have learned not to work too hard over the centuries.

Now, start socialism in an area where most people don’t think work is a innately good thing – like the typical inner city – and you have a rapidly progressing disaster.