Socialism Can't Be Bad If You Don't Know What It Is

Most Americans have no idea what "socialism" really is

Call it democracy, or call it democratic socialism, but there must be a better distribution of wealth within this country for all God’s children.

- Martin Luther King, Jr.

Show me a capitalist and I’ll show you a bloodsucker.

- Malcolm X

I get it. You hate socialism. You REALLY hate it. There’s NOTHING worse in this world than socialism. But do you even know what it is? Or are you just parroting the party line that “SOCIALISM BAD!!!!” because…well, because everyone SAYS it’s terrible.

Most Americans will tell you that they want nothing to do with socialism, that it’s a corrupt system that will destroy everything good, righteous, and holy about America. Still, when you press them and ask them to define “socialism,” it’s not long before you get the deer-in-the-headlights glare. That, or you get an answer that has nothing to do with what socialism is.

All they know is the propaganda: “SOCIALISM BAD!!!!”

Even if they know what the definition is, they fail to understand that what people like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) are advocating isn’t classical socialism at all. No, what they’re supporting is “democratic socialism,” which is

a left-wing political philosophy that supports political democracy within a socially owned economy, with a particular emphasis on economic democracy, workplace democracy and workers' self-management within a market socialist economy, or an alternative form of a decentralised planned socialist economy. Democratic socialists argue that capitalism is inherently incompatible with the values of freedom, equality and solidarity, and that these ideals can only be achieved through the realisation of a socialist society.

Like any political philosophy, democratic socialism runs from the more conventional to the more extreme. What Sanders and AOC advocate for is on the more traditional end of the spectrum. They’re not arguing for replacing capitalism with a centralized, planned socialist economy. What they’re arguing for is a system that offers better rewards and compensation for workers. They want a system that does a better job of recognizing and honoring the rights of workers. And they want a more equitable system in general.

Democratic socialism, American style, recognizes that this country has ample resources to care for its people much as the Nordic countries do. If we were to reduce military spending and made caring for people our top priority, Americans would be far better off. Instead of supporting our capacity to wage two far-flung wars simultaneously, we could fund education, child-care, job training, mental health care, and other people-first priorities.

And we’d have money left over.

The propaganda in America has traditionally been that “socialism is always a disaster.” Except that’s not close to being true. America is full of socialist institutions that exist for the public good- fire and police departments, the military, public works departments, and the list goes on. Moreover, government itself is a socialist undertaking. Former Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) once said, “Government is what we decide to do together”- a classically socialist concept.

We could decide that we want the federal government to create a system similar to the Nordic countries. We could determine that we wish to have a cradle-to-grave social welfare system, including free education, child care, and healthcare. America has the financial resources to do this. Of course, it would mean re-directing money away from less effective programs like the military. Then again, reassessing our priorities is long overdue.

Democratic socialism, American style, doesn’t propose throwing the baby out with the bathwater. What it does is to recognize that pure capitalism is exploitative and a recipe for oppression and inequality. Of course, absolute equality isn’t possible, but that’s not what democratic socialism seeks. It’s about creating a system that doesn’t deposit the lion’s share of money and power in the hands of a small minority.

Of course, the wealthy and powerful have a stake in convincing those lower down the socioeconomic food chain that even democratic socialism will place them in chains. Their propaganda counts on the less-informed not fully understanding their options and what democratic socialism might mean for them and their future.

The truth is that we need not live in a system dominated by the military-industrial complex. We don’t have to be prisoners of a system that feeds off constant war and conflict to sell its products worldwide. The tax dollars used to prop up the military-industrial complex could have a far more productive and compelling purpose. Those resources can and should be employed to provide for Americans who frankly deserve better.

Even with that discussion unresolved, the vestiges of socialism are all around us. If you’ve ever driven on a public road, walked in a public park, or received an unemployment check, you’ve benefitted from socialism. Any program undertaken for the public good is, by definition, socialism. Does that automatically make it wrong or unAmerican? Of course not. If your house is on fire, are you now less likely to call the fire department? No, you’re going to want them there yesterday to put out the fire and save your property.

My point is that socialism isn’t what most Americans think it is. It’s not an evil specter lurking in the shadows, seeking to rob innocent Americans of their initiative and desire to be successful. Indeed, any program created for the greater good is a “socialist” program. That doesn’t make it wrong. In many cases, it just means it’s the most efficient way to deliver the most effective services to the greatest number.

Social Security? Socialism. Medicare? Socialism. Food stamps? Socialism. Unemployment insurance? Socialism. Public works programs? Socialism. Unfortunately, it’s those who profit from the ignorance of the middle class who maintain the charade that “SOCIALISM BAD!!!!”

Capitalists have a stake in maintaining the status quo. They know that if they can maintain the false narrative that “SOCIALISM BAD!!!!” they can deflect attention from their own greed and avarice. However, the REAL problem isn’t socialism. It’s runaway, unchecked capitalism, in which the wealthiest are allowed to created tax loopholes to avoid paying taxes.

There’s no reason why a small business should pay more in taxes than Amazon (which in at least one year paid ZERO in income taxes). There’s even less reason why some like Jeff Bezos should be able to avoid paying the majority of his taxes while Joe and Ethel Sixpack pay every cent they owe.

The reason for that is that the Sixpacks get W-2s mailed to them every year. And the IRS receives a copy, so they know exactly how much Joe and Ethel earn. The superwealthy don’t get W-2s, so the IRS has no idea how much they make. As a result, it’s far more difficult for the IRS to ascertain their yearly income and determine if they’ve paid their fair share of taxes. And what money they do owe in taxes is often filtered through tax shelters, with the result that they might pay less in income tax than those making $100,000/year. Of course, you can do that when you have a battery of top-notch tax attorneys and accountants working to find every loophole and tax shelter available.

It’s also why the bulk of the IRS’ enforcement efforts has been to go after the low-hanging fruit, people like Joe and Ethel Sixpack. Unfortunately, the superwealthy have been able to cheat without consequence for too long. Congress wrote the tax code to benefit the superwealthy. It wasn’t written to help the middle class. This is why the superwealthy get tax credits for things like yachts and vacation homes.

And so we return full circle to democratic socialism. What it’s really about at its core is fairness, the idea that the rich shouldn’t be treated differently because they have better tax lawyers and accountants. Nor should workers be exploited by CEOs angling for their year-end multi-million-dollar bonuses. Without workers doing the front-line work, CEOs and others in senior management wouldn’t benefit as they do. Rewards, then, should be shared fairly and equitably across a business- by the workers who create wealth and the managers who steer the company through sometimes troubled waters.

MLK was right- we MUST do a better job of distributing wealth in this country. Years ago, I worked at a Target store over the Christmas holidays. I worked my tail off for Oregon’s minimum wage- $8.85/hr- while the company’s CEO sat in his plush office in Minneapolis, raking $24 million/year.

I can’t speak to what the day-to-day duties of Target’s CEO were, but he damned sure didn’t work so much harder than I did that he deserved to make more than 1000 times what I made per hour if I worked full-time…which I didn’t.

The worst part was that Target thoroughly propagandized all front-line employees against the need for a union- “Target is a family; we don’t need a union.” The company exploited employees coming and going, but Target could do what they wanted without fear of consequences because we weren't unionized. All they had to do was to fire whoever might have been trying to engage in union organizing. Before you knew it, they had a very compliant workforce.

Capitalism is by its very nature exploitative. Sadly, American capitalism has become the de facto standard through generations of intensive propaganda and misinformation. Because of this, most Americans believe that our capitalist system is far superior to anything else in the world.

All that means is we’re willing to settle for far less than we deserve. Instead, we eagerly consent to a system in which the majority toil for the benefit of a small minority. If you can look at that and respond that democratic socialism will ruin America, I’d submit you’ve spent too long feeding at the propaganda trough.

Americans deserve better than toiling endlessly to prop up an oligarchy that doesn’t give a damn about them and that views them as units of production. We deserve to live in a socioeconomic system that treats citizens and workers more equitably and fairly than is currently the case.

Of course, if you’d rather see trillions of dollars continuing to be funneled to our military when our infrastructure, schools, educational, and healthcare systems are woefully underfunded, then, by all means, continue voting for the status quo.

Nothing changes if nothing changes.

I happen to believe that America, which sees itself as the greatest country in the world, could do so much better.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. If you enjoyed it, why not pass it along to a friend or two who might similarly enjoy it. If you REALLY enjoyed it, please consider subscribing or donating via Venmo (@Jack-Cluth). Magnus is running low on kibble. :-)