Communes work fine where people live a basic lifestyle, been doing it
for thousands of years.


You want specific communes or can I just point you to New Guinea,

Peter Wiley wrote:
...... until the arrival of Western culture and consumer goods.
.... In summary then, Oz is saying that communes work successfully
just as long as there isn't an alternative.

That's saying a bit too much... maybe it would be more accurate to say
that communes work successfully as long as they're not in direct
conflict with an immediately available consumer-oriented culture that
profits from the decline in communal benefits.

OTOH the medeival monasteries were essentially communes. They not only
lasted a long time and provided a secure life for their members, but
also preserved a lot of knowledge & technology which society benefitted
from later on.

Different cultures are always competing. Sort of the way two boats on
the water are always racing.

Regards
Doug King