3 ms·

That's fair -- there does seem to be a term conflation here. Socialism in the modern usage in the USA, amongst young people at least, tends to refer to 'democra

That's fair -- there does seem to be a term conflation here. Socialism in the modern usage in the USA, amongst young people at least, tends to refer to 'democratic' socialism which is more like highly regulated capitalism on the Western European model. People who tend to support socialism are really saying they want more unions, single payer healthcare, more regulation, etc. And that's very different than historical socialism which looks more like Venezuela than Denmark.

phoobahr 7y ago
Which is why, to first approximation, anyone outside of the US views your mainstream progressive as hard right and your right-of-center as fascist.
- bmmayer1 7y ago
  If by "anyone outside of the US" you mean "anyone living in Western Europe" then yes...I think you underestimate the deep conservatism of many, many high-population countries from Russia to Brazil to the Philippines to Nigeria.
  - phoobahr 7y ago
    I'm Canadian and I've lived in South America and South East Asia. I've travelled elsewhere rather extensively. In my experience, no need to point out that it's not universal, the US is the only place that worships the profit motive whilst aspiring to fascism. Lots of places have those things by de facto argument but nowhere else does conservative thought mean desiring a state where these things come as a secondary consequence if not a primary motivation. Let alone while being championed as freedom(tm). The US is a very strange place; perhaps the one metric it is most exceptional. I've met, lived & worked with and admired many American people. I can appreciate the American experiment and ideals. It's just too bad what those Americans do in the name of those American ideals that seems so very.... unamerican.
    - bmmayer1 7y ago
      > the US is the only place that worships the profit motive whilst aspiring to fascism This is such a red herring and quite impossible to argue with.

phoobahr 7y ago

Which is why, to first approximation, anyone outside of the US views your mainstream progressive as hard right and your right-of-center as fascist.

bmmayer1 7y ago
If by "anyone outside of the US" you mean "anyone living in Western Europe" then yes...I think you underestimate the deep conservatism of many, many high-population countries from Russia to Brazil to the Philippines to Nigeria.
- phoobahr 7y ago
  I'm Canadian and I've lived in South America and South East Asia. I've travelled elsewhere rather extensively. In my experience, no need to point out that it's not universal, the US is the only place that worships the profit motive whilst aspiring to fascism. Lots of places have those things by de facto argument but nowhere else does conservative thought mean desiring a state where these things come as a secondary consequence if not a primary motivation. Let alone while being championed as freedom(tm). The US is a very strange place; perhaps the one metric it is most exceptional. I've met, lived & worked with and admired many American people. I can appreciate the American experiment and ideals. It's just too bad what those Americans do in the name of those American ideals that seems so very.... unamerican.
  - bmmayer1 7y ago
    > the US is the only place that worships the profit motive whilst aspiring to fascism This is such a red herring and quite impossible to argue with.