Forum Post: Time for the Thanksgiving economics lesson
Posted 11 years ago on Nov. 20, 2012, 9:37 p.m. EST by darrenlobo
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A Tale of Two Colonies
The change from communal- to private-property rights dramatically increased the Pilgrims' productivity. The beginnings of that productivity led to the bounty celebrated at Plymouth's famous 1623 Thanksgiving. And as historian Russell Kirk reported, "never again were the Pilgrims short of food."
Plymouth wasn't merely "communal"; it was communist for the first seven years of its existence. And their failure served to shape the structure of every ensuing settlement. But it is not only that we require an incentive to work but also that there needs to be some necessity of work; our society today lacks the incentive of necessity.
By the way, repeated reference to such things as Thanksgiving here will label you a racist and you will be summarily banned. Because these people were invaders and oppressors who greedily gobbled up all the fifty pound wild turkeys.
Take note: I have just rewritten your history. Next month we'll work on Christmas.
We are one of the hardest working nation by hours, vacation time.
We work for necessity, to maintain our standard of living, to care for our dependents.
Then said dependent, gets idea they don't have to work, as you say, as papa will make sure dependent, or wife, has food money.
Isn't that how world is supposed to work- to each according to his need, feed the hungry, clothe the naked. It is our calling to work and to care for our brother, even when it pains our mind as not the greatest system, it is the one we have.
Especially in the dog eat dog world.
We have a responsibility to charity but not to welfare, in the sense that we should care for those in need and leave the too lazy to starve. This concept also dates to the Puritan; the Puritan work ethic was very real. They were extremely hard workers who consumed up to four times what we do today as the necessary fuel. And that work ethic has been with us up until very recently.
Despite their hard work half the pilgrims died. More would have if natives did not assist.
I'd venture to bet that those who left descendants were among the survivors.
I have a relative line back to Mayflower's second trip.
On a different note, I learned value of work as a kid in the berry fields. Now fields are far away, maybe international. It was necessity or I would be obliged to wear the strange clothes my mom would sew for me as 9, 10 year old.
Now, if we could do this gift for our kids, teach em to work for necessity, when they can appreciate it, when it is natural, when they are younger.
I hope nobody labels me a racist especially since I'm not a denier of the genocide against the Indians.