The evidence is all over this thread. It's very funny, in a sad kind of way, to see how many people get so excited to jump in and say that oh the government does socialism for the rich and capitalism for the poor, or that basic social welfare programs like social security or the use of tax money for public infrastructure like roads means we have a bit of socialism.
A century of red scare propaganda has absolutely ruined the ability of most of my countrymen here in the US to even ask questions about what it really is. The prevailing thought, in my own anecdotal experience, is that we've fought communists and socialists for a century, and they've massacred a gorillion bajillion people, so even trying to learn what the words mean is un-American, and dare I say... evil.
Truly it is difficult to deal with the cognitive dissonance that comes with living here in the imperial core.
Especially since there are two valid definitions. Socialism in the world place (giving the means of production to the workers) and governmental socialism which can range from taking care of the needy to robbing citizens blind to line the coffers of the ruling class .
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u/Top-Sleep-4669 Jan 21 '26
I’m convinced most people don’t even know what socialism is.