Spock was a socialist

23 comments on “Spock was a socialist ”

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1. Morrissey 1

   1 March 2015 at 9:15 am

   Leonard Nimoy was also a thoughtful Jewish-American in the liberal and humane tradition of Noam Chomsky and Norman Finkelstein….

   http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/leonard_nimoys_last_wishes_for_israel_and_palestine_20150228
   • mickysavage 1.1

     1 March 2015 at 9:23 am

     Thanks Morrissey. I just discovered another quote which reinforces Nimoy’s humane nature:

     “The miracle is this: the more we share the more we have.”

     http://au.eonline.com/news/630437/22-leonard-nimoy-quotes-that-will-live-long-and-prosper-forever
2. joe90 2

   1 March 2015 at 9:27 am

   Nimoy supported candidate George Mcgovern in the 1972 US Presidential election.

   n the 1972 election, McGovern ran on a platform that advocated withdrawal from the Vietnam War in exchange for the return of American prisoners of war[12] and amnesty for draft evaders who had left the country,[13] an anti-war platform that was presaged, in 1970, by McGovern’s sponsorship of the McGovern-Hatfield amendment, seeking to end U.S. participation in the war by Congressional action. However, during a meeting with Democratic Governors conference, Nevada Governor Mike O’Callaghan asked McGovern what he would do if the North Vietnamese refused to release American POW’s after a withdrawal. McGovern responded, “Under such circumstances, we’d have to take action,” although he did not say what action.[14]

   McGovern’s platform also included an across-the-board, 37% reduction in defense spending over three years;[15] and a “demogrant” program that would replace the personal income tax exemption with a $1,000 tax credit as a minimum-income floor for every citizen in America,[16] to replace the welfare bureaucracy and complicated maze of existing public-assistance programs. Its concept (a conservative one) was similar to the negative income tax long advocated by economist Milton Friedman, and by the Nixon Administration in the form of the Family Assistance Program, which called for a minimum family grant of $1,600 per year, later raised to $2,400. The personal income tax exemption later became $1000 under President Reagan. (As Senator, McGovern had previously sponsored a bill, submitted by the National Welfare Rights Organization, for $6,500 guaranteed minimum income per year to families, based on need.)[17] In addition, McGovern supported ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment.

   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_McGovern_presidential_campaign,_1972#Political_positions
3. fisiani 3

   1 March 2015 at 10:35 am

   Socialism began in the early 20th century following from the writings of Karl Marx in the late 19th century. It came to prominence in the mid and late 20th century and having been discredited worldwide having never worked in practice on Earth it largely petered out in the mid 21st century. Very strange that a logical Vulcan of the 23rd century would have such an illogical ideology. Wishful thinking methinks. Reminiscent of the many Jesus was a Socialist rants. Good for a laugh.
   • One Anonymous Bloke 3.1

     1 March 2015 at 10:45 am

     Social democracy, by comparison, has worked all over the world, which is why Fisiani has to pretend people support something else.

     A flaccid, feeble strawman is the best poor Fisi can do.
   • millsy 3.2

     1 March 2015 at 12:57 pm

     The Star Trek universe seems be a more socialistic one. The Ferengis look like thr only ones that practise free market capitalism.
     • halfcrown 3.2.1

       1 March 2015 at 3:50 pm

       “The Star Trek universe seems be a more socialistic one. The Ferengis look like thr only ones that practise free market capitalism.”

       Nice one, Perhaps we should start calling fisiani Ferengi
   • tricledrown 3.3

     1 March 2015 at 2:26 pm

     Fisanil you are the most Naive idiot to post on this site.
     Throughout history their has been moves from left to right wets to drys going right back to pre Egytian times.to say socialism in a modern invention is just another load of BS fisi.
     Widespread Democracy is what brought about a more socialistic society.
     The undermining of Democracy by the wealthy and powerful has seen the roll back of of moderate socialism.
     So like Quantative Easing.
     Petered out like Coporate Welfare.
     So free healthcare hasn’t been adopted throughout most developed.
     Free education.
     Pensions
     etc etc etc etcetera!
     back in South Africa though pure capitalism is really working.
     Aye fisi.
     Countries with a balance between the selfishness of pure capitalism.
     And the over generosity of pure communism.
     Those extremes both lead to poverty for the masses controled by military dictators.
     Marx and Smith were not as far apart as you would think.
     Fisianil you are so full of S…t we know you are a pathetic spinmiester overpaid at that.
     Ironic you are the biggest Joke on this site.
     Like Gosman time to go back to propaganda school and come up with some credible arguments!
   • McFlock 3.4

     1 March 2015 at 2:31 pm

     lol
     free healthcare to all
     mass food programs for the hungry
     Strong regulation of financial traders

     Jesus might not have been a socialist, but he sure as shit wasn’t a tory 🙂
   • DS 3.5

     1 March 2015 at 3:02 pm

     Socialism didn’t begin in the early 20th century, nor is it necessarily a descendant of Marx (though much of it, including social democracy, is). Christian Socialism, Anarchism, Syndicalism… all fall within the big red tent. But feel free to insist that classical liberalism (which failed so abysmally in 1929) is somehow the inevitable path of the future.
     • Sanctuary 3.5.1

       1 March 2015 at 3:33 pm

       Lecturing Fisiani about the origins of socialism – the Chartists, Marx, industrialisation, etc etc is a bit like trying to explain to a duck the different sorts of bread you are feeding it. No matter how hard you try, it’ll just keep going “quack”.
       • GregJ 3.5.1.1

         1 March 2015 at 5:26 pm

         Coffee now all over the screen and keyboard. Thanks a lot Sanctuary! 😛
       • rhinocrates 3.5.1.2

         1 March 2015 at 6:54 pm

         Lol!
       • Murray Rawshark 3.5.1.3

         1 March 2015 at 8:50 pm

         Feeding a duck bread will also shorten its life by up to 90%. I’m prepared to lecture Fizzy 🙂
     • A Voter 3.5.2

       2 March 2015 at 5:34 pm

       All we are saying is give peace a chance J.LENNON
   • Incognito 3.6

     1 March 2015 at 7:55 pm

     Undoubtedly, you’re familiar with Albert Einstein’s article Why Socialism? in the socialist magazine Monthly Review. If not, I’ve hyperlinked to it for your perusal and edification.
   • ropata:rorschach 3.7

     2 March 2015 at 11:13 pm

     Socialism “Discredited worldwide” Fisi?

     Like when the “New Deal” pulled the USA out of the Depression?
     Like when the first Labour Government’s state housing programme was a huge success that made NZ into the “quarter acre pavlova paradise“?
     Like how the USA is splashing out on QE3/4/infinity while austerity in Europe has been an abject failure?
     Like how every single developing nation wants to provide education and healthcare to its citizens?
     Like how Mark Dayton, Minnesota’s billionaire Governor, increased both the minimum wage and taxes on the rich and the economy boomed?

     Goddamn you wingnuts live in a fox news fantasy land.
4. halfcrown 4

   1 March 2015 at 1:13 pm

   Thanks Morrisy, MS and Joe90 for pointing us to these other sites.

   When I first started to see Star Trek in the 60’s I first thought “another bit of Yankee bullshit” like some of the other canned American shit we were seeing on UK TV at the time. I soon changed my mind after seeing a few episodes.
   Although Star Trek I understand was made on a very lean budget, it soon become obvious it was a programme worth watching with some good principles, like very little violence and I thought that the scripts were well written. Gene Roddenberry certainly had socialistic caring views which are reflected in some of the quotes you have put on here of Spock(Leonard Nimoy)

   Although the 60’s had there fare share of problems like Vietnam, Check Point Charley in Berlin and the fucking “Gnomes” of Zurich who kept on telling me I was a lazy bastard (only working average 9/10 hrs. a day on clapped out war reparations machine tools c/w Swastika in the name sign on the back), at least we had a higher quality media that reflected the attitudes of society at the time, with programmes like Star Trek, and others like Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In, Frost (That was the week that was), comedy like Steptoe & Son, The Two Ronnie’s, and quality programmes like “I Claudius”. Also politicians in those days wouldn’t dare to refuse an invitation to be questioned on television by the likes of Ludovic Kennedy, whereas today they refuse to comment or come on the programme if it is not in their interest.
   We also had a press with principles like the Washington Post ‘s reporters who, supported by their editor, cracked open Watergate. Cant see the press controlled by big interests doing ANYTHING like that today, especially after the shit written by Armstrong about Cunliffe.

   The 70/80’s saw Friedman, Thatcher, Reagan and our own fucking Douglas & Richardson, and money worship of the neo’s. We have had a great “dumbing down” in the Media, and it has all turned to shit. This is reflected in the mindless crap we have today, with programmes like Game of Thrones, Master Fucking Chef, The Block, and so called “political” discussions like Q&A with right wing prat reporters like Gower.
   • Murray Rawshark 4.1

     1 March 2015 at 9:07 pm

     The original Star Trek was a product of the optimism of the 60s and the belief that a better world was possible. The Next Generation was a retreat into introspection and California pop psychology. FFS, they even had a counsellor on board for when the crew needed to confront their emotions. None of the subsequent ones got near the original.
5. GregJ 5

   1 March 2015 at 5:38 pm

   The Vulcan philosophy of “Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations” (the phrase in Vulcan is Kol-Ut-Shan) looks pretty socialist to me as well.

   Spock summed it up as: “The glory of creation is in its infinite diversity—and the ways our differences combine to create meaning and beauty.”

   (Of course for the sake of completeness it should be noted that the IDIC pendant worn by Spock was introduced into the series by Roddenberry as a marketing ploy to sell to fans – much to the chagrin and annoyance of both Nimoy and Shatner).
6. Sable 6

   1 March 2015 at 9:33 pm

   No doubt a decent man. Does makes me wonder if Keys is part Ferengi? It would certainly explain a lot.
7. joe90 7

   1 March 2015 at 10:07 pm

   The Wrath of Kahn –

   Leonard H. “Bones” McCoy

   “He’s really not dead, so long as we remember him.”

   http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/monkey-cage/wp/2015/02/27/leonard-nimoy-who-helped-bring-politics-to-star-trek-has-died/
8. sirpat 8

   2 March 2015 at 4:39 pm

   so long Spock was brilliant knowing ya

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