How Fascism Is Ruining the Aboriginal Art Industry

Here is an example of the difference between intervening to stop an abuse of capitalism (which is helpful to everyone), and intervening in a socialist/communist/fascist way (which is helpful to no-one).

Years ago, it was felt that the aboriginal art industry was being abused. Art dealers were paying relatively small prices to artists of original aboriginal art work. They then sold the paintings for high prices. Royalties on resale weren't always being paid to the artists. So aborigines weren't benefiting as much from the value of their work as they potentially could, while some of the art dealers may have been profiting considerably.

So the Coaltion Government decided to intervene. The government required royalties on the resale of artwork to be paid to artists. Aboriginal Art Centres were set-up, where the sale of original aboriginal art to dealers could better be regulated.

Sounds good. Nothing wrong with that. The aboriginal art industry came to be worth about $25million per year.

But years later, some groups tried to protect the aboriginal art industry even further, which resulted in a different kind of abuse. Some groups attempted to prohibit all direct dealings between sellers and buyers outside of the Aboriginal Art Centres, even if the artist was happy with the deal.

As a result of this interference, there arose a glut - an oversupply - of aboriginal art works, and the oversupply caused prices to drop even in the Arts Centres.

Despite the Labor government pumping $9million into the Arts Centres, the value of the aboriginal art industry dropped from $25million to $15million per year.

Intervening to stop the original 'abuse' was good - but when groups went beyond that by controlling the freedom of sellers and buyers to negotiate directly and set prices they were each happy with, was itself an abuse, zn abuse which caused the entire industry to become almost non-viable.

Socialism and Communism can't work. Freedom (capitalism) benefits everybody.

Target and outlaw any specific abuse that may be perpetrated under capitalism - but don't remove freedom itself.