Why is 'Socialist' such a bad word in this country?

Discussion in 'Politics Discussion' started by UnslaadKrosis, Mar 22, 2016.

  1. UnslaadKrosis

    UnslaadKrosis Active Member

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    Americans are, on an average, almost morbidly paranoid of the word 'socialist' and 'socialism'. A very good example of this would be the utter chaos and fear that gripped the conservatives (and most liberals) when it came to public light that Bernie Sanders, a democratic socialist, was running for the POTUS.

    Why is this reaction? Why equalise socialism with 'communism' (the Soviet/Chinese one, not the 'true' communism ideology) when the two terms mean completely different ideologies, beliefs, and policies? I'm very confused!
     
  2. explorerx7

    explorerx7 Guest

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    Most people in America believe in the Idea that they could all be wealthy which is impossible. As we have seen a vast portion of the wealth is controlled by a very small proportion of the populace. They are afraid that socialism will inhibit their chances of been wealthy because they believe that under this system the wealth would be spread amongst all sectors of the society, therefore, their chances of being rich and famous would be lessened
     
  3. baudwalk

    baudwalk Senior Investor

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    It is no surprise to me that today's news editors and reporters mumble through the distinctions of communism and socialism. The MSM needs to go back to school to study history and political systems of the late 19th and the first half of the 20th century. My perception is today's "youngsters", living in the present, have little appreciation for or understanding of what led up to the two world wars and the police action in Korea, much less remembering lessons learned.
     
  4. JR Ewing

    JR Ewing Super Moderator Staff Member

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    Socialism and communism have long been largely very unpopular in the US because we've been smart enough on the whole to know that such systems do not work very well - never have and never will.

    It was not socialism that made us the world's foremost economic and military power in such a short period of time. And our decline in recent years is directly linked to too much govt that has dumbed down the population overall, used freebies paid for by half the population to control the other half, slowed productivity, and weakened us in terms of military / national defense (the one thing the federal government was actually created to do).

    Europe is turning to complete shit. Venezuela, Cuba, Russia, the list is endless. It doesn't work - you either end up a bankrupt welfare state, or a dictatorship where the one leader and a few of his cronies have just about everything.
     
  5. remnant

    remnant Well-Known Member

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    Socialism was ingrained into the American psyche during the Cold War as an adversarial form of governance. Many years of capitalism would not be erased easily since propaganda was the major weapon of choice during the Cold War. Communism also operated on the premise of 'rich country poor people' which modern day liberals and capitalists as well as the average American would find obnoxious. It didn't help that Socialist nations were more often than not led by despots.
     
  6. SteakTartare

    SteakTartare Senior Investor

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    Because Socialism, in all it's forms and flavors, has consistently failed or is failing in every society in which it was tried. At best it produces a faltering entitlement/nanny state up to its eyeballs in debt and at worse it is part and parcel with brutal dictatorships. For over a century it has been touted as a solution and yet it has crippled growth, stiffed innovation, brutalized the productive and inventive, created generations of dependent people, and, in some cases, resulted in the total collapse of the society. To believe it is a workable economic model would require an almost complete ignorance of history.

    Free enterprise, for all its warts and wrinkles, has lifted more people out of poverty than any other, and provided more technological, scientific, and medical advancements than any other system, past or present. It is not perfect, but many of us will take it any day over the serfdom of Socialism.
     
  7. crimsonghost747

    crimsonghost747 Senior Investor

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    For decades it was "those are communists and they are our enemies", that kind of thinking just doesn't go away anytime soon.
    Those who praise capitalism as a superior method... well yes, I do agree with you. Especially the current way socialism is handled currently in many European countries... it just does not work. But don't get fooled: the majority of the US population probably can't even name the main differences between capitalism and socialism. Much less socialism and communism.
     
  8. Alex

    Alex Senior Investor

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    Therein lies the problem, people don't actually know what it means or the history of socialism. Is it a diluted acceptable form or communism? Some people still think it's a good idea, communism that is, but they sit in their mortgage free houses with their jobs with benefits and not in a repressed country with actual communism.

    Socialism is aligned with welfare and that people that want something for nothing, what people don't understand is that many states use federal funds (socialism) for their everyday living standards such as recycling or public education. It's hidden, but each state needs federal funds in some areas, indirectly but people just don't even know it.
     
  9. Benoit W

    Benoit W Well-Known Member

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    I'm gоingtо tаkе а shоt аt this. It's my first timе giving оnе оf thеsе а gо.
    First,yоu must undеrstаnd thаt Аmеricаns think sоciаlism mеаns sоmеthing diffеrеnt thаnit аctuаlly dоеs. Pоliticiаns usе wоrds likе cоmmunism аnd sоciаlism аs shоrtcutstо gеt pеоplе tо rеаct instеаd оf еducаting thеm tо mаkе infоrmеd dеcisiоns.Instеаd оf fоrmulаting аn аrgumеnt thаt mаkеs sеnsе аnd еxplаining аn issuе thеywill sаy, "Wе cаn't dо thаt bеcаusе it's sоciаlism." This wоrks bеcаusеwhеn pеоplе аrе listеning аnd hеаr а wоrd thеy kind оf knоw thе mеаning оf thеyаssign mеаning frоm thе cоntеxt thеy hеаr it in аnd dоn't gо lооk it up. This rеsultsin misusеd wоrds аnd tеrms.
    Sо sоciаlism bеcоmеs а wоrd tо dеscribе еvеrything thаtcоuld gо wrоng in gоvеrnmеnt. Dеpеnding оn whо yоu tаlk tо thеy mаy think it's аsystеm in which thе gоvеrnmеnt cоntrоls аll аccеss tо gооds аnd sеrvicеs. Itmight bе а sоciеty in which thе gоvеrnmеnt rеdistributеs hаrd еаrnеd mоnеy tо pеоplеwhо dоn't dо аnything аt аll оr whеrе dоctоrs аrе fоrcеd tо gеt аn еducаtiоnbut mаkе nоthing frоm it. If yоu аsk pеоplе whо think sоciаlism is а dirty wоrdwhаt it mеаns yоu'll find thаt it's subjеct tо thеir intеrprеtаtiоn. Sincе it'sа cаtch аll tеrm fоr аnything thаt cоuld mаkе vоtеrs аfrаid еnоugh tо tаkе аctiоnit bеcоmеs а dirty wоrd.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 8, 2016
  10. petesede

    petesede Guest

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    Socialism is only a bad word in the USA because most people do not understand what it means. Because we fought a cold war against the USSR for so long, they instantly equate it with communism, and that is where it stops. The other part of the problem that even people who understand what socialism actually is, throw fear around by describing it in absolute terms. Nobody wants pure socialism, what they want is a movement in that direction.

    For instance, free university is seen as ´omg socialism´.. but we already have socialism with free k-12 education and that has been a great thing for our country. Obamacare is ´omg socialism´ when in fact it is less socialist than the health care system of Canada and most of Europe. We could implement every policy Bernie Sanders has ever suggested and we would still be less socialist than Canada, the UK and Germany.

    The majority of the fear of social just comes down to people misunderstanding it and hating it because it was associated with the USSR. But nowadays most of it is just fear-mongering by people trying to scare uneducated people who don´t actually know what it is. This is why free university is needed, so we can educate some of these rednecks and get them some economics 101 classes.
     

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