[Image Source: https://america.cgtn.com/2018/11/05/how-did-socialism-become-a-dirty-word-in-the-us]
This week we got to watch a video about how “Socialism Sucks (full title: Two Economists Drink Their Way Through the Unfree World)”. It was a virtual talk that basically talked about the consequences of socialism and why it’s the worst.
I will start out by saying that I liked his acknowledgement that socialism and capitalism are on a spectrum and that no country is purely socialist or purely capitalist. I thought it was interesting that he deemed socialism and capitalism to be the two opposing ends (instead of, say, communism) but I really love the thought.
Now, on to my deeper analysis and thoughts. First, the idea that socialism is a reaction to the failures of the current capitalistic system we have in the U.S. is a fair and accurate accusation. However, my question is why is that a negative thing? The acknowledgement that there are problems with the current system is the first step is seeing that it’s about to crash and burn. It’s like a car, lights go off, you get what’s broken fixed but it is, in the end, temporary and eventually it’s time to get a new car before it gets you killed. The fact that so many young people are turning to different ideas does not make it a “fad”. That is the thing about generations, each one is supposed to grow and be better. I guarantee that there were people being dismissive towards the progressive ideas of the youth back when there was segregation, or even during the gay rights movement. The fact is, people are always going to be dismissive of new ideas, especially if it is youth led. More people now than ever are educated and active in the public sphere, whether that be as an activist or just a general player. The growing socialist movement is a reaction, it is brought on by the suffering and negativity of the current system, and, as such, is a byproduct of the failure of capitalism. If capitalism worked, there would not be a need for a movement against it.
The speaker goes on to claim that socialism destroys competition, and that competition is what has made the United States so amazing and grand. However, if the U.S. was truly the competitive state people either believe or wish it to be, free of all government interference or regulation, there wouldn’t be much innovation at all because monopolies would develop and crush the competition. If that were to happen, then there wouldn’t be any innovation, because companies would not have to compete, they rule the market. Socialism, in moderation, is not evil. It is not destructive. Most importantly, it does not result in totalitarianism or a stagnant society. Any kind of extreme is bad, but creating a system that is more socialist than capitalist would not be the end of the world or this country.
People do have the wrong idea about socialism, and that applies to both those who support it but also to those who oppose and fear it. Education is critical to ensure that people are aware of what the difference is between a socialist system and a totalitarian one, because they are different and are not mutually exclusive nor strictly connected. There are problems that can be fixed with reforms and regulations, but because of this cultured fear of the big, bad socialism, it’s a million times harder to create them.
Overall, I found the talk interesting, if only for the perspective. It is always interesting to hear people’s opinion on the whole socialism v capitalism debate and how people like to depict the most extreme (often worst case) view of either of them. Neither system is perfect, and I’m a big believer in moderation. There are problems that need to be fixed and if capitalism is not going to do it (and it has not yet) then I think there should be a change in attitude and policy and right now that change is looking to be a socialist one. It will be very interesting to see what happens when this socialist youth grows up and is given the responsibility to fix the problems that those before have created. Do I think we need to go full socialist? No. Do I believe that we need to start heading that way? For sure, and I can just go drinking around the U.S. to see that.
