"Socialism." This is a word I hear thrown about over and over again, in any political discussion, and in most cases, it makes me just roll my eyes.
Why?
First, lets define what Socialism really is.
It is a theory, defined by Karl Marx, that states that the role of government is to own and operate all factories, utilities, and buisnesses for it's own end. Under such a system, private non-government enterprise is restricted if not outlawed outright. In most cases, ownership of private property- particularly homes and land, is also restricted or outlawed. Consumers have few choices about what goods and services they are allowed to purchase or what is even available. Because the government owns all news media as well, any dissenting voices that compete with the government line are likewise, outlawed.
So if that is what socialism is, lets define what it is NOT.
Socialism has NOTHING to do with social justice, racial equality or equal opportunity. Teaching that racism is not okay, is NOT socialism.
It has nothing to do with regulating buisnesses for purposes of public health and safety.
Taxation of the wealthy and middle class is not socialism. NOT shifting the tax burden onto the lower middle and working clases is not socialism either.
Protection of the environment and green spaces is not socialism. Neither is public schools, libraries, or other infrastructure. Neither is provisions for protecting the poor, or providing low income housing. Some of these ideas can be considered progressive and not always economically viable (without unintended consequences) but these are not inherently socialist.
Most Americans, Canadians, or westerners would cringe at the idea of a real socialist system being put into place. With good reason. But over and over I hear the label "Socialist" being applied to things described above that have nothing to do with socialism. Which means, it is difficult to have a reasonable or even intelligible dialogue.
In contrast, I believe the greatest threat to democracy and freedom today is NOT socialism, rather it is totalitarianism. Totalitarianism is defined by an erosion of democratic norms, consolidation of power in the hands of a wealthy elite who are not subject to any rules governing abuses of power and corruption, supression of voting rights, intolerance of dissent, a strict code governing personal behavior (e.g. Islamic Sharia law and the Christian fundamentalist equivalent of the same) and a strong ethno-nationalism that seeks to punish or marginalize people of a minority ethnic or cultural background. Think of the recent rise of despots like Putin, Rodrigo Dutarte, Victor Orban, Recep Erdegan and Donald Trump, all of whom share the same characteristics and model for government.
Why?
First, lets define what Socialism really is.
It is a theory, defined by Karl Marx, that states that the role of government is to own and operate all factories, utilities, and buisnesses for it's own end. Under such a system, private non-government enterprise is restricted if not outlawed outright. In most cases, ownership of private property- particularly homes and land, is also restricted or outlawed. Consumers have few choices about what goods and services they are allowed to purchase or what is even available. Because the government owns all news media as well, any dissenting voices that compete with the government line are likewise, outlawed.
So if that is what socialism is, lets define what it is NOT.
Socialism has NOTHING to do with social justice, racial equality or equal opportunity. Teaching that racism is not okay, is NOT socialism.
It has nothing to do with regulating buisnesses for purposes of public health and safety.
Taxation of the wealthy and middle class is not socialism. NOT shifting the tax burden onto the lower middle and working clases is not socialism either.
Protection of the environment and green spaces is not socialism. Neither is public schools, libraries, or other infrastructure. Neither is provisions for protecting the poor, or providing low income housing. Some of these ideas can be considered progressive and not always economically viable (without unintended consequences) but these are not inherently socialist.
Most Americans, Canadians, or westerners would cringe at the idea of a real socialist system being put into place. With good reason. But over and over I hear the label "Socialist" being applied to things described above that have nothing to do with socialism. Which means, it is difficult to have a reasonable or even intelligible dialogue.
In contrast, I believe the greatest threat to democracy and freedom today is NOT socialism, rather it is totalitarianism. Totalitarianism is defined by an erosion of democratic norms, consolidation of power in the hands of a wealthy elite who are not subject to any rules governing abuses of power and corruption, supression of voting rights, intolerance of dissent, a strict code governing personal behavior (e.g. Islamic Sharia law and the Christian fundamentalist equivalent of the same) and a strong ethno-nationalism that seeks to punish or marginalize people of a minority ethnic or cultural background. Think of the recent rise of despots like Putin, Rodrigo Dutarte, Victor Orban, Recep Erdegan and Donald Trump, all of whom share the same characteristics and model for government.
