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In this second segment, I examine the history of the idea of “socialism,” tracing out how the ideal of an egalitarian society has animated religious as well as secular movements for change. I also discuss the relationship of “socialism” to the state, and how the caricatured understanding of this relationship—where socialism is synonymous with ‘Big Government’—gets in the way of imagining a bottom-up, 21st century socialism. At the same time, I emphasize the pitfalls of isolated experiments without a framework for engaging politically with the larger economic context.
Interview shot and produced by Jordan Karr-Morse from Softbox Digital.
33 Comments
The quest for our very survival is going to encourage more people to consider the socialist solution as an alternative to the mess created by Wall Street.
I hope you’re right but greed seems the norm for right now.
and that “solution” will require trials to hold those responsible accountable.
Well, it seems that the interest in “socialism” has peaked at three. Gotta love the class consciousness of the U.S. public, including Firebaggers.
I don’t think it’s a lack of interest. We have reached a point where a new system seems totally out of reach. People in this country fear socialism because they have been taught to fear it. We have some educating to do.
I am a Socialist and proud to be. I worked with a guy from Sweden and it is amazing from what he told us , how well they are taken care of by their government. But if you ask people to define what a Socialist is they describe a Russian Bolshivik living in devastating conditions and drinking vodka daily.
The U.S. electorate is unteachable and unreachable. The future is in Europe, Latis America and Asia. The U.S. is now the “old evil empire.”
The U.S. public only knows what they’ve been told by a corrupt and complicit corporate media and a corrupt, venal political class that has much to lose.
Well it would seem that there at least half a dozen of us.
metro222, you are exactly right. If you say socialism, people hear communism.
On the bright side, FDL has seen fit to showcase his videos. There will be more to come. He says things so clearly and conversationally, he must have many proteges amongst his former students. He’s sure to pick up devotees here too.
Make that a baker’s half dozen.
Though Sweden is not really socialist-they have the private market just reforms and a better stronger safety net.
The problem is that there are eleventy billions definitions of socialism. It’s incredibly difficult to discuss something when the words surrounding the concept are so slippery.
The combination of this piece and the one on FDR for president gave me an idea. A new movement is hard, but what if we actually ran FDR for president as a way to push an old movement? Seems like a simple FDR2012 web-site along with some video & speeches that are still pertinent today would be enough material to get one started. Daily FDR tweets & FB post;) Part of the platform could be the 2nd bill of rights, etc.
Silly, I know. Just wish we had someone like him fighting for us today…
We have to do the fighting as the people of Egypt, Tunisia, Greece and England did and are doing. The people toppled dictators. Surely we can save and protect Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. There aren’t any elections before the cuts WE KNOW ARE COMING.
WE HAVE TO GET ORGANIZED AND DEMONSTRATE OUR OPPOSITION TO CUTS TO THESE PROGRAMS! WE CAN DO IT!!!
http://october2011.org/welcome
This is only a first step toward a movement of all progressive/liberal and working class people for an economy that prioritizes people over profit.
That is a revolution and it will require that the old regime be given the same consideration as the aristocrats in the ancien regime of France.
So which version do you espouse? The one with a state-planned central economy? The one that preaches “from each according to his ability…..” or the one that requires a violent overthrow of the ruling class?
From DailyKos.com:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/08/08/1004748/-Tell-me-the-virtues-of-capitalism-now?via=siderecent
please recommend
These are great. Please keep front-paging them so I don’t miss any…
I espouse the “Social Security is socialism” one, because it takes the boogy out of the boogyman.
And Independent.co.uk blogger gets sacked for calling for people to rise up.
http://politicalscrapbook.net/2011/08/jody-mcintyre-independent/
(sorry, wrong diary)
Obviously, in this conversation, I am the “odd-man” out. However, I will trudge through this perceived, at least by me, the historical misdirection that is being catapaulted via the European political tool into my Indigenous Hemisphere.
Since the United States is one of many nation-states in this Hemisphere, the United States will soon become and Indigenous “nation-state” if the ‘stats’ exemplified by the federal government’s Census Bureau. Thus, a majority of citizens comprised of America’s “racial and ethnics.” And this is expected to occur sometime in the future or about 2050.
To wit, “socialism” in this Hemisphere does not exist, but “freedom and opportunity” does. Consequently, I have opted for “Empowering the Individual” and thusly, the ‘gentle man’ of the Jimmy Carter persona, established and perpetuated the Human Rights Coda, with the critical assistance of the Sonoran Desert’s then Governor of Arizona, Raul Castro and of the historical and not hysterical Coretta Scott King. Collectively, they created our Coda, and which has been an incredible defense to Neo-conservativsim and Neo-liberalism.
Now, I could go on and on, in this vein of political thought, but then, I will start boring the hell out of people here at the FDL.
Jaango
happytosharebutdamn:
Yet another Libertarian who has managed to slip over the fence: which version of Capitalism do you espouse to? The one that says 10% of the population should own 90% of the wealth?
The one that considers a “living wage” optional? Or, the end result of deregulation and legal restraint: slavery!
Yes my little bright eyed Libertarian buddy;
Pure unrestrained Capitalism = Slavery
“To wit, “socialism” in this Hemisphere does not exist, but “freedom and opportunity” does. Consequently, I have opted for “Empowering the Individual”
I smell another Libertarian???
“Jimmy Carter persona, established and perpetuated the Human Rights Coda, with the critical assistance of the Sonoran Desert’s then Governor of Arizona, Raul Castro and of the historical and not hysterical Coretta Scott King. Collectively, they created our Coda, and which has been an incredible defense to Neo-conservativsim and Neo-liberalism.”
Could some one please put the above in English?
Listening to Gar’s video and considering the situation in Egypt Cooperatives may be our middle ground between centralized Socialism and unrestrained Libertarian Capitalism. The Mondragon Corp is an example:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mondragon_Corporation
The Mondragon model might provide an answer to corporate ownership of the media: Egypt seems to be selling off parts of it’s state run propaganda machine to private business men. The Egyptian people are trying to slow this process down and come up with a third way: they do not want to go from a state run propaganda machine to what we have in America (a Corporate owned propaganda machine). Cooperatives may provide a third way.
Jesus was a socialist broadly speaking.
Read Gar’s book “Unjust Deserts”. He is what the word “brilliant” was made for. I heard him speak on a panel with Harvey Kaye. He’s up there with Chomsky and Zinn in the stratosphere.
Think in terms of chickens and eggs.
The first goal of socialism, i.e. democratic socialism, must be to build a system that equitably distributes society’s power to all citizens. To achieve this, extremely large gaps in wealth between the richest and the poorest must be radically reduced. To achieve this, the society’s power must be equitably distributed.
No chickens; no eggs. No eggs; no chickens.
While there may exist an implicit safety net within the socialist vision, this should not be the primary goal of socialist upheaval. Those who think only in terms of programs like Social Security and Medicare, fine programs to be sure, do a disservice to the socialist vision. Focus first on the distribution of power and on good governance; good programs will follow.
The best safety net is one that strips the greediest individuals, i.e. those who put profits and wealth accumulation ahead of the general welfare, of their excessive power and influence over the affairs of government.
Actually one of the things I liked most about Zinn is that he considered “StarBucks” to uppity and took his coffee at the local dunkin’ Donuts with the rest of of common folk.
Sounds like Richard Wolf’s conclusion at the end if his “When Capitalism hits the fan” lecture:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQNvHXJbF8Y&feature=related
As the saying goes, that which hits the fan is not often evenly distributed.
Thanks for posting that link, vector56. I’m not familiar with Wolf but his thoughts seem very similar to my own.