I wanted to ride my bike today. On two wheels, I can turn up the iPod, burn a calorie, think and solve most of the world’s problems. But today North Texas was forced indoors by heavy rains. I turned to the tube …
There was an interesting piece on PBS about public bicycle sharing programs in France. It’s a great idea, and also it makes a nice illustration regarding socialism.
The bicycles parked at various stations around cities are free for all — a socialist project. Take it. Use it. Leave it off at another station. Great idea. Trouble is — it doesn’t work.
Why?
Too many humans involved.
(If I were listening to my iPod, I might queue up “Fat Bottom Girls” by Queen: “Get on your bikes and ride!” … LOL … I digress …)
Forget for a moment that, yes, people steal the free bicycles and they also vandalize them. The biggest problem is just plain old laziness. Everyone wants to use the bicycles for their downhill needs. But nobody wants to ride them back up the hills where the going gets tough. So, the system breaks down, once all the bikes are stranded at the bottom of the hill — according to the TV program.
People are lazy. They are self-oriented. They want a free (downhill) ride. That’s why socialism sounded attractive and so many unaware people voted for an unproven candidate in the last election. And it is exactly why socialism won’t work. There are no rewards in such a system — plenty in it “for me” … but nothing to make me deserve it.
So in socialism — which we are now experiencing firsthand — people increasingly succumb to laziness, mediocrity and underachievement. Sure, there are those “one-percenters” who will perform in any system. The masses won’t.
But … like I said … the bikes are a great idea. (Not so, socialism.) I think there are actually a lot of cities experimenting with this bike thing. Here is a link to Lyon’s program:
Know what I sayin?
