4 ms·

Not only does socialism suffer from a "No True Scotsman" problem (there is a wide disparity, from within and without, regarding what the term means), I dare say

Not only does socialism suffer from a "No True Scotsman" problem (there is a wide disparity, from within and without, regarding what the term means), I dare say that's true of just about every -ism under the sun. (TODO: invent a political ideology that includes a formal specification.) :)

anoncake 7y ago
"Socialism" being an ambiguous term would not be that much of a problem if people stopped pretending it isn't and every socialist is a tankie. It's hard to believe someone is arguing in good faith if they criticize anarchists for trying to build a totalitarian dictatorship. We have a problem with people seeing Ms. Scott from England, thinking her skirt is a kilt and getting angry when she claims she can't play the bagpipe.
- averros 7y ago
  Totalitarians have used anarchists to achieve their goals in the past. Anarchists themselves may believe they're fighting the Man, but they're just being useful idiots. When the general populace gets fed up with anarchist antics and rioting they start clamoring for tougher law enforcement (and stronger leaders). That's when totalitarians come in.
- lukifer 7y ago
  No dispute. Obviously decades of anti-Soviet propaganda (which does encapsulate many legitimate critiques) have muddled the conceptual landscape, both in terms of oversimplification, and in emotional charge. And, we have significant status quo bias regarding our particular neoliberal form of capitalism; you can't tell a fish about water. Still, even correcting for those historical factors, I think every -ism, or school of thought, suffers from similar problems in subjective perception: it's easy to find nuance and diversity of opinion if one looks for it, and equally easy to find bad actors, tribalist talking points, sloppy thinking, etc, if one looks for it. > We have a problem with people seeing Ms. Scott from England, thinking her skirt is a kilt and getting angry when she claims she can't play the bagpipe. :)

anoncake 7y ago

"Socialism" being an ambiguous term would not be that much of a problem if people stopped pretending it isn't and every socialist is a tankie. It's hard to believe someone is arguing in good faith if they criticize anarchists for trying to build a totalitarian dictatorship. We have a problem with people seeing Ms. Scott from England, thinking her skirt is a kilt and getting angry when she claims she can't play the bagpipe.

averros 7y ago
Totalitarians have used anarchists to achieve their goals in the past. Anarchists themselves may believe they're fighting the Man, but they're just being useful idiots. When the general populace gets fed up with anarchist antics and rioting they start clamoring for tougher law enforcement (and stronger leaders). That's when totalitarians come in.
lukifer 7y ago
No dispute. Obviously decades of anti-Soviet propaganda (which does encapsulate many legitimate critiques) have muddled the conceptual landscape, both in terms of oversimplification, and in emotional charge. And, we have significant status quo bias regarding our particular neoliberal form of capitalism; you can't tell a fish about water. Still, even correcting for those historical factors, I think every -ism, or school of thought, suffers from similar problems in subjective perception: it's easy to find nuance and diversity of opinion if one looks for it, and equally easy to find bad actors, tribalist talking points, sloppy thinking, etc, if one looks for it. > We have a problem with people seeing Ms. Scott from England, thinking her skirt is a kilt and getting angry when she claims she can't play the bagpipe. :)