Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!lll-crg!mordor!sri-spam!nike!ucbcad!ucbvax!MC.LCS.MIT.EDU!kfl%mx.lcs.mit.edu From: kfl%mx.lcs.mit.edu@MC.LCS.MIT.EDU Newsgroups: mod.politics Subject: Communities Message-ID: <12226376556.23.MCGREW@RED.RUTGERS.EDU> Date: Mon, 28-Jul-86 18:12:19 EDT Article-I.D.: RED.12226376556.23.MCGREW Posted: Mon Jul 28 18:12:19 1986 Date-Received: Tue, 29-Jul-86 01:25:14 EDT Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Reply-To: MCGREW@RED.RUTGERS.EDU Organization: The ARPA Internet Lines: 36 Approved: poli-sci@red.rutgers.edu Return-Path: <@MC.LCS.MIT.EDU:KFL%MX.LCS.MIT.EDU@MC.LCS.MIT.EDU> Date: Wed, 23 Jul 86 00:52:35 EDT From: "Keith F. Lynch" Subject: Communities To: steven@LL-XN.ARPA cc: KIN%MX.LCS.MIT.EDU@MC.LCS.MIT.EDU From: steven@ll-xn.ARPA (Steven Lee) >There is no such thing as community. There are only individuals. One could equally say, "There are no humans, there are only cells." Communities exist because of the benefits of cooperation.... Groups of people don't make decisions, individuals do. A group may reach a consensus. Does this compel any dissenters to follow the will of the majority in every case? What if you were part of a group, a community if you prefer, and it is decided that henceforth everyone is to divide all their money equally. Since, lets say, you have more money than everyone else in the group put together, and since you worked very hard for many years spending as little as possible to earn that money, you probably wouldn't be too pleased with the decision. You would probably even be willing to permanently leave the group rather than give up your hard earned wealth. But you are informed that that is not a choice. When talk of the wonderful things they plan to do with your money fails to sway you, they start threatening to take it from you by force. Since the leaders of the group have already spent the money they got from the other members of the group on powerful weapons and training in their use, and since the group rules say that you must go around completely unarmed, you realize that resistance would be futile. Is this the kind of 'community' you feel you are a part of? Do you really not see any possible alternative to this subjugation? ...Keith -------