[pjc50]

This arrangement collapses into monopoly very quickly. Facebook would bypass or buyout the local ISPs.

(A world of purely voluntary contracts and no compulsory purchase would never have got past the development of the railway or telegraph, so the whole prospect is ludicrous)

[afsina]

Not really. Monopolies are mostly created by the state. Either with crony capitalism, intellectual property laws or directly state controlled production. Besides, Laissez-faire capitalism can create large scale infrastructure, why do you claim otherwise?

[pjc50]

Standard Oil? If you're going to call that "crony capitalism", we're well into the same delusional territory as "true communism has never been tried".

[afsina]

Some disagree.

https://mises.org/library/100-years-myths-about-standard-oil

Crony capitalism is not at all "capitalism". It is an beast created by the state, through military spending, stimulation, infrastructure or the means of social wellfare. The more "militaristic" or "social" a government becomes the more leaches appear.

[collyw]

when was it tried?

[afsina]

Well, the ones tried were close enough. Soviets and the all eastern block, Cuba, Cambodia, China, North Korea. They all contained communist ideas such as common ownership, abolishing private property, central planning, and somewhat classless society. Apparently event the theory does not hold much weight as almost all collapsed or converted to some form of nationalist totalitarian regime. Perhaps once robots do all our jobs harvesting food and cleaning streets using power from endless battery fields, Marx's prophecy of inescapable history will be fulfilled.

[collyw]

All of those that you mentioned were totalitarian regimes, hence no true communism (as described by Marx) has been tried.

[afsina]

Perhaps totalitarianism is the natural end result of the vague Marxian communism? They definitely tried to be communist after all.

[collyw]

I love it when an honest question gets downvoted on here.

[throwaway2048]

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smarmy

[collyw]

coming from someone who creates a throwaway account to post that link.