Things that work for me
1. They only drink wine, which is awesome. 'Cause wine.
2.The city/country exchange program. It’s the wife swap of workers.
3. Every ten years they switch houses. In a society of constant structure and singular lifestyle, a change of location, to another location run exactly the same way, is an effective way to keep citizens happy with a little variation while maintaining the way of life that works best for the population as a whole.
4. The people don’t have the power exactly, but they have a say in who does. Being able to rid government of a tyrant is an awesome and rare thing to find in any utopian society. Bravo Thomas.
5. Each case of the breaking of a law is dealt with separately. The idea of no real systematic punishment is awesome. I think systematic law is often one of the most flawed parts of our own society, so I like that More has taken it into consideration.
1. They only drink wine, which is awesome. 'Cause wine.
2.The city/country exchange program. It’s the wife swap of workers.
3. Every ten years they switch houses. In a society of constant structure and singular lifestyle, a change of location, to another location run exactly the same way, is an effective way to keep citizens happy with a little variation while maintaining the way of life that works best for the population as a whole.
4. The people don’t have the power exactly, but they have a say in who does. Being able to rid government of a tyrant is an awesome and rare thing to find in any utopian society. Bravo Thomas.
5. Each case of the breaking of a law is dealt with separately. The idea of no real systematic punishment is awesome. I think systematic law is often one of the most flawed parts of our own society, so I like that More has taken it into consideration.
Things that don't
1. What is the point of having slaves if each house already has forty workers and everything is so nicely put together and everyone works together? The workers will surely do their job, so there’s no need for slavery in a society where everyone does their part without question or cause for rebellion.
2. Moral discussions at dinner… ehhhh. Let me eat my chicken in peace, please. There are only six hours in the work day. Why does the discussion have to be at dinner time? This would just piss me off honestly. If I’m hungry, I don’t want to discuss how to be a good person. I want to eat my chicken. Then I want to eat my ice cream. The once my pint of ben and jerry’s is gone, we can talk.
$$$
The strongest part of More's Utopia for me is the non-existence of money and the lack of ownership. So let's touch on that.
1. Same clothing is fine. It’s just like if schools
decide to use a uniform or not. The idea behind the uniform is a good one that
forces a person to express themselves through different means and find
something within themselves that makes them vary from the next person. No fancy jewels or suits.
Additionally of course, there are no distractions and if everyone dresses
exactly the same, there is less chance of the society crumbling due to
bullying, class difference, or let’s be honest, sexual temptation. You have everything you need, and nothing that you don't. (Can you tell I'm all about the song lyrics this semester?)
2. Six hour work days! YES. Thank you King Utopus, you da best. No one has
the attention span to actually work effectively for 8+ hours. Nor, is it
necessary. Life shouldn’t be that complicated. 6 hours is plenty. Especially if we're not working for money. Not having money period is something that I think is great. We didn't always have it. What happened to just trading? Who even invented the concept of money when you can have a six hour work day without it and be perfectly content?
3. Nobody really owns anything. They put everything in a common
area and people take what they need from it, preventing greed. Everyone supplies for everybody. No fig stealers!
4. I know a lot of people might be bothered by the gold toilet
seats, but by all means. If you think something shouldn’t be melted down and
shaped into a toilet, consider that things are only as valuable as we deem them
to be. Kristian Bush has it down. Please watch and live by:
I really like your point that things are only as valuable as we make them. I agree with that 10000000000000%. I like More's thought that jewels are unnecessary because we have stars (57). It's such a simple yet appealing logic. I'm also as pumped as you are about the six hour work days. However, I'm not so pumped that you can't take any time to be idle (45). I mean, what if I don't want to be intellectual in all my spare time? Let me live.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your post. I am confused when you say "The strongest part of More's Utopia for me is the non-existence of money and the lack of ownership. So let's touch on that." I am not sure if you don't like it or if you do. I like that you don't like the moral conversations during dinner because I can do without that as well. However, the slave part. I don't think its about not having enough people to work, I think its more about that those people did something to land them in slavery and now they must be punished.
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