Just for the fun of it, I've spent a good deal of today surfing around the blogosphere looking for mentions of the words socialism and socialist. As I had assumed, the vast majority of Americans have no idea what socialism is or means. (Note: Like capitalism, it's an economic theory or system.)
It seems that for far too many people the word socialism means any political idea they happen to disagree with! If someone says they are pro-choice, then that means they are a Socialist! If someone suggests applying a few regulations on gun ownership or the sale of ammunition, that person obviously is a Socialist! And, if an individual believes all those scientists about global warming, who else but a Socialist believes that cock and bull?
While there is no question that a significant number of actual Socialists are pro-choice, in favor of stricter gun laws and believe in global warming, there are many who aren't or don't. That's because none of these three issues strictly are economic ones. Yes, they may have economic components, but they aren't explicit economic issues.
Even when it comes to dyed in the wool economics, far too many folks still seem befuddled and mystified. Many on the right consider President Obama to be a Socialist when, in fact, Corporate America is enjoying record profits under his administration. If he is as anti-business (socialist) as they contend, why are all the big capitalists able to amass trillions of dollars in wealth while the rest of the nation slides toward financial oblivion?
It seems that for far too many people the word socialism means any political idea they happen to disagree with! If someone says they are pro-choice, then that means they are a Socialist! If someone suggests applying a few regulations on gun ownership or the sale of ammunition, that person obviously is a Socialist! And, if an individual believes all those scientists about global warming, who else but a Socialist believes that cock and bull?
While there is no question that a significant number of actual Socialists are pro-choice, in favor of stricter gun laws and believe in global warming, there are many who aren't or don't. That's because none of these three issues strictly are economic ones. Yes, they may have economic components, but they aren't explicit economic issues.
Even when it comes to dyed in the wool economics, far too many folks still seem befuddled and mystified. Many on the right consider President Obama to be a Socialist when, in fact, Corporate America is enjoying record profits under his administration. If he is as anti-business (socialist) as they contend, why are all the big capitalists able to amass trillions of dollars in wealth while the rest of the nation slides toward financial oblivion?
When I hear or see the word "socialism" I think of two things: Lenin and Stalin (of the former Soviet Union), and Hitler's Nazism (The National Socialists German Workers Party).
ReplyDeleteWhat do both have in common? Totalitarianism. So actually whenever I see or hear a mention of socialism I think of totalitarianism. George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty Four is a great novel about Totalitarianism. I also just recently finished reading The Origins of Totalitarianism by Hannah Arendt. So it is a topic that is very fresh in my mind.
Then again when I see or hear the word "capitalism" I think of corporate greed.
So, actually both concepts, that of socialism and capitalism, carry a negative association in mind.
And don't forget Mao Zedong whose experiments live on, though under the guise of Deng Xiaoping's legacy of "capitalism with socialist characteristics."
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