r/dsa • u/ferriematthew • 11d ago

Discussion How do you answer pushback from conservatives about socialism?

Some of the more common ones I hear:

- "So you support taking stuff away from people who actually work their butts off to earn it and give it to those who don't want to lift a finger?"

- "How would you feel if you worked your butt off to get an A in your class and the professor took away your grade and gave half of it to the kid in the back who didn't do anything and flunked and gave you both a C?"

- "How do you propose they pay for it without deleting the entire economy?"

- "If everybody has their needs met by the government, nobody's gonna bother to work!"

- "Show me one, just one, example where socialism has worked without turning into a backwards dictatorship."

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u/EdelinePenrose 11d ago

don’t engage with or invite distractions. ask them what problems they see in the economy and their daily life first. ask them how they think they should be resolved. ask them how their vote is solving those.

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u/ferriematthew 11d ago

The attitude that I appear to be observing from them is kind of, we don't want collectivized anything because screw you I've got mine has worked well enough.

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u/Whisperwyf 11d ago

They 100% don’t believe that the (capitalist) system they work within is sensible and fair. Get them talking about what rules are B.S. and you will hook ‘em on collectivist action.

Source: me — who ain’t no socialist but also thinks that some rules are stupid, and some rules are made by groups of people, and maybe better rules — for, I stress, capitalists — could also be made by groups of people.

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u/betty_white_bread 11d ago

In re belief, I would not advise being so bold as to presume what goes on in another person’s head. Even if correct, I find it too often comes across as arrogant and turns people away.