Economics professor teaches socialism

[snopes]

Comment: Subject: Capitalism vs Socialism

Interesting way to explain the difference

Think about this...

An economics professor at Texas Tech said he had never failed a single
student, but had once failed an entire class.

The class (students) insisted that socialism worked since no one would be
poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer. The professor then said,
"OK, we will have an experiment in this class on socialism."

"All grades will be averaged and everyone will receive the same grade so
no one will fail and no one will receive an A."

After the first test the grades were averaged and everyone got a B. The
students who had studied hard were upset while the students who had
studied very little were happy.

But, as the second test rolled around, the students who had studied little
studied even less and the ones who had studied hard decided that since
they couldn't make an A, they also studied less. The second Test average
was a D.

No one was happy. When the 3rd test rolled around the average grade was an
F.

The scores never increased as bickering, blame, name calling, all resulted
in hard feelings and no one would study for anyone else.

To their great surprise all failed. The professor told them that socialism
would ultimately fail because the harder people try to succeed the greater
their reward (capitalism) but when a government takes all the reward
away (socialism) no one will try or succeed.

[snopes]

No one was happy. When the 3rd test rolled around the average grade was an F.

I'd be unhappy, too, since the professor had just said, "All grades will be averaged and everyone will receive the same grade so no one will fail."

[Zachary Fizz]

Whatever the respective merits of capitalism and socialism, the economics professor appears to believe that economics, like his grade-scoring, must be a zero-sum game.

That seems contentious to me. Do any of the forums' professional economists have a view on this?

[Zachary Fizz]

Originally Posted by snopes

I'd be unhappy, too, since the professor had just said, "All grades will be averaged and everyone will receive the same grade so no one will fail."

Perhaps there is an additional moral about how we shouldn't trust socialists?

[Troberg]

A professor should know better, that has nothing to do with socialism. Socialism is about cooperative ownership of the means of production. It says nothing about the ownership of private property, so there is still an incentive to do well.

Besides, regardless of all this, what would most people prefer, to be a garbage collector or to be a respected scientist? There are rewards other than money.

Perhaps he should read up before he starts teaching...

[Tarquin Farquart]

The guy who said this was a professor of economics...?

[Squirt]

Phew! It's lucky then that we live in a society where your material wealth and standard of living is tied directly to your competence and hard work, and nothing else!

[Dactyl]

The class (students) insisted that socialism worked since no one would be
poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer.

To be fair, they all should have failed seeing as none of them knew what socialism was.

[Skeptic]

The professor doesn't seem to understand the difference between socialism and communism.

[Steve]

Originally Posted by Zachary Fizz

Whatever the respective merits of capitalism and socialism, the economics professor appears to believe that economics, like his grade-scoring, must be a zero-sum game.

That seems contentious to me. Do any of the forums' professional economists have a view on this?

I'm not a professional economist, but I'm not sure what you mean here. Why is the situation in the OP zero-sum? Everyone could get an A, or everyone could get an F, or anything in between. If it were zero-sum, one person's gain would be another's loss.

[Zachary Fizz]

Many years later, the professor hosted a gathering of alumni. He brought out a tray, containing many different cups, mugs and glasses, and invited each of them to choose one. Some chose beatiful patterned cups, some delicate crustal glasses, and some plain, workmanlike mugs. But they were all surprised when the professor picked up the coffee pot and smiled sadly, then threw off his clothes, urinated in the fireplace, and ran naked out of the french doors, shouting "The socialists are coming to take me away".

[Floater]

Originally Posted by Zachary Fizz

Many years later, the professor hosted a gathering of alumni. He brought out a tray, containing many different cups, mugs and glasses, and invited each of them to choose one. Some chose beatiful patterned cups, some delicate crustal glasses, and some plain, workmanlike mugs. But they were all surprised when the professor picked up the coffee pot and smiled sadly, then threw off his clothes, urinated in the fireplace, and ran naked out of the french doors, shouting "The socialists are coming to take me away".

So nobody just took the vessel that was closest?

[Stoneage Dinosaur]

Couldn't they just have had a revolution, shot the professor, and given themselves all As?

[chillas]

Originally Posted by snopes

I'd be unhappy, too, since the professor had just said, "All grades will be averaged and everyone will receive the same grade so no one will fail."

That's part of the lesson! In communism (the exact same thing as socialism, of course) the government lies to you. They do this because, being communists, they have rejected god and therefore there is nothing to stop them from lying to you.

[Squirt]

This Professor would have looked like a bit of an idiot if the students had all joined together, and helped out the struggling students, and shared revision notes and textbooks, and if the knowledge that their own hard work would benefit the whole class had spurred them on out of a sense of shared purpose with their classmates, and everyone's grades had improved, and the lazy students had worked harder as they did not wish to let their friends down, and everyone had got As.

[Cervus]

Originally Posted by Skeptic

The professor doesn't seem to understand the difference between socialism and communism.

Neither, it seems, do many Americans whom I encounter.

[Esprise Me]

I heard a similar story about a restaurant owner whose employees were planning to vote for (insert name of Democratic presidential candidate here) because they thought we'd be better off as socialists, so he made them pool their tips, with similar "everyone failed" results. Except, I've worked in places where tips were pooled, and that doesn't happen there, either. If anything, I've known a few people to "cheat" by adding to their contributions after a bad shift so they don't look like slouches for having earned only fifteen percent.

It's actually an apt metaphor, because tipping, like wealth distribution in a capitalist society, has a lot less to do with merit than most people think. But why let the truth get in the way of a good story?

[lord_feldon]

Originally Posted by Cervus

Neither, it seems, do many Americans whom I encounter.

I saw a wonderful bumper sticker the other day. It said "Nobama" in gold writing on a red background. Above it was a hammer and sickle.

[Tarquin Farquart]

Originally Posted by Squirt

This Professor would have looked like a bit of an idiot if the students had all joined together, and helped out the struggling students, and shared revision notes and textbooks, and if the knowledge that their own hard work would benefit the whole class had spurred them on out of a sense of shared purpose with their classmates, and everyone's grades had improved, and the lazy students had worked harder as they did not wish to let their friends down, and everyone had got As.

Brilliant. But of course people don't do that they're only in it for themselves. It's true an economics professor said so.

[snopes]

When the 3rd test rolled around the average grade was an F.

But an average grade is, by definition, a C. Clearly this professor understood neither socialism nor the grading system.