Comments on: Reassurance from The New Yorker

By: Jack PQ

Jack PQ — Mon, 14 Nov 2016 14:11:53 +0000

Sounds like a No True Scotsman argument…… If only Venezuela had “good” socialism instead of “rampant corruption socialism”… right…

By: Seth

Seth — Fri, 11 Nov 2016 21:36:28 +0000

Or the knowledge problem.

By: Handle

Handle — Fri, 11 Nov 2016 17:11:53 +0000

You could replace ‘Venezuela’ with the name of nations for which there are clear historical cases of Socialism-caused economic calamity and the ‘points’ would be equally as arguable in isolation and lacking just as much validity in aggregate. Twas the leftism; guilty as charged.

By: Jason

Jason — Fri, 11 Nov 2016 16:55:40 +0000

The link to The New Yorker is the quoted text rather than the URL, http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/11/14/venezuela-a-failing-state

By: BenK

BenK — Fri, 11 Nov 2016 16:02:29 +0000

Seems to me we have a good idea of what a traditional left-right analysis can solve. Not much. So, almost true by definition.

By: asdf

asdf — Fri, 11 Nov 2016 14:49:31 +0000

They are right that this is a South American basket case. Sometimes they shoot themselves in the foot with socialism. Sometimes with a “right” leaning kleptocracy. Either way, South America sucks.

Thanks for importing South America though. Let’s all clutch our pearls about how cruel it would be to deport the people that are going to make America like Venezuela.

By: djf

djf — Fri, 11 Nov 2016 13:21:19 +0000

“If he would only let the readers make up their own minds about what it says about socialism, it would be an excellent essay.”

It’s in the New Yorker. The whole point of the essay is to tell people, “this isn’t socialism’s fault.”