Hm... Looks like American Propaganda is crossing over into Scandinavia...Ganymedes wrote:
As for my personal opinion on socialism... Well, frankly, I despise it! I am strictly against any ideology/policy that is based on a system where everything is controlled by the state. Without personal freedom, my life wouldn't be worth living... Also, socialism is based on a beleif of everybody as 'equal'. Everybody is NOT equal! Everybody is different, they have different needs, different wishes and different beleifs. They should be treated that way too!
Just kidding! Anyhow, communism and the like aren't ideologies that restrict civil liberties as a matter of policy, it just happens that they are usually tossed out the window in countries that subscribe to that certain ideal. Propaganda here in America has rarely neglected to parade this on display. Here in the U.S., communism is synonymous with fascism. The equation "Fascism = Communism = Socialism" is Political Rule #1 for the political media. Carrying it further, if Socialism = Corporate Regulations and Trade Unions, then Regulations and Unions must equal fascism. Before the USSR fell, the mainstream media never failed to show them as "imperialists dedicated to spreading their wretched ideals." Of course they were imperialists, but the media often "forgot" to show starving kids in U.S. colonies Argentina and killing fields in Guatemala. Just try coming to America, going on Hardball, and using the phrase "ruling class" in an un-sarcastic way. I can guarantee that you'll be labeled as some "lunatic Marxist ranting and raving." Seriously, compared to U.S. propaganda, Nazis propaganda looks like child's - play. Ever hear of political correctness? The folks who invented that should be very proud; thought control like that would be hard to copy even in a mega - efficient fascism.
The Soviet Union was in no way affiliated, at least action-wise, with socialism. The propaganda used "socialism" as a banner to unite the workers. After they had been organized into a "labor army," Lenin set at once to destroy the seeds of it, so those laborers would remain nice, unquestioning little workers.
Ever hear of Democratic Socialism? What's so impossible about having strict regulation on big business and still having personal freedom. Just as communism is faulty in believing that "the individual will temper his/her greed for the good of the whole," capitalism assumes that one's greed will be restricted by a sense of morality. And about your point on people not being equal, socialism is about giving people equal opportunities. Propaganda constantly proclaim as being a result of the free market system.
Wrong! In capitalism, the people in control of the wealth and power remain in control of it until something major occurs. Corporations have protectionism, globalization, and government agencies on their side. Not to mention power - lawyers, who can keep harmful products on the market for years. What about that kid who has a rich daddy? Wouldn't he have a much higher chance in succeeding in life than that lower-middle class kid with a used - car salesman parent?
Er... Insert Conclusion Here
Sources Stuff I ripped off from Noam Chomsky.
