U.S. History / U.S. Government / Politics

[Athos]

[This post is dedicated to Divine] In response to the PM's about communism, I decided to write this post...

In the 1860's, there were communal experiments in the U.S. which was an attempt to create an ideal society or "utopia." However, these ideas were short lived.

1. Shakers: This was one of the earliest religious communal movements. They had approximately 6,000 members. Men and women were segregated (it was forbidden to marry and procreate). Somewhere around 1900, they died out. However, German Pietists founded The Amana settlements which allowed for marriage to help ensure the survival of their commune.

2. New Harmony: This was a non-religious experiment in New Harmony, Indiana. It's founder was Robert Owen. He hoped his Utopian socialist community would solve the problems of inequality and alienation caused from the Industrial Revolution of the 1800's. Owen's experiment failed due to financial problems and disagreement among members.

3. Oneida Community: John Humphrey Noyes in 1848 started a community in Oneida, New York. This community was dedicated to an ideal of perfect social and economic equality. Members shared their property and later even shared marriage partners. (This community faced a lot of criticism). The community did manage to prosper economically by producing silverware. The community lasted until John Humphrey Noyes attempted to pass the leadership of the Community to his son, Theodore Noyes. Complex Marriage was abandoned in 1879 following external pressures and the community soon broke apart with some of the members reorganizing as a joint-stock company. (And, John Noyes had an arrest warrant out for him for statutory rape. (The stock company still exists today).

4. Fourier Phalanxes: In the 1840's, [many] Americans became interested in the theories of French socialist Charles Fourier. Fourier, to solve the problems of a competitive society, advocated that people work and living arrangements in communities known as "Fourier Phalanxes." The movement died out, however. Americans proved too individualistic to adapt to the communal style of living.

[divinephoenix]

The Oneida community is kinda good but why'd they also have to share marriage partners?

[Athos]

Every male was married to every female (in theory). So, Community members were not to have an exclusive sexual or romantic relationship with each other. To help prevent a "special love" from forming, each Community member had his or her own bedroom. This extended even to couples who came to the Community already married. A married couple entering the Community was not required or even encouraged to legally dissolve their union, but rather to extend the borders of it to the rest of the Community in complex marriage. The average female Community member had three sexual encounters, or "interviews", a week.

Post-menopausal women were encouraged to introduce teenage males to sex, providing both with legitimate partners that rarely resulted in pregnancies.

[divinephoenix]

I'm totally speechless on that one...o.o

[Athos]

Yeah...XD. I find any of these communes to be creepy.

[divinephoenix]

I can't believe people ever thought of those stuff, makes me grateful to be living in the present XD

[Athos]

XD Well, I think they had some kind of inspiration from Thoreau's book, "Walden." I find it interesting to see that they (in the end) failed.

I'm glad that our society isn't like that, and doesn't have too many of those communes left.

[divinephoenix]

Me too. But there are still some?

[Athos]

I think there is only one left, with two people living in it. I have to go to class now, but I'll look for it when I come back

[divinephoenix]

Sure thing. Take Care Athos ^^

[Jade_Steel_Hawk]

XD Well, I think they had some kind of inspiration from Thoreau's book, "Walden." I find it interesting to see that they (in the end) failed.

I'm glad that our society isn't like that, and doesn't have too many of those communes left.

Thoreau is the shiz.

[Athos]

XD I've read Walden and his essay On Civil Disobedience. I agree with him with some things, but I disagree with his methods.

[divinephoenix]

Why? What are those methods?

[Athos]

From what I recall, he was more of an anarchist. The funny thing is though, I like Emmerson. XD


Note: I wasn't able to find the news article. But I'm pretty sure that what ever commune it was, they were down to 2 people.

[divinephoenix]

2 people and it still exist, those two people must be good.

[Athos]

well, they are the only two people left. And they aren't allowed to procreate. So, I think it'll last for another 30 years I think. Since the two left are in their thirties.