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I think the term "socialist" has a different connotation in the US than in Europe. In Europe, a third of all voters (roughly) vote for parties that call themsel
by wlievens 15y ago
I think the term "socialist" has a different connotation in the US than in Europe. In Europe, a third of all voters (roughly) vote for parties that call themselves socialist, while these parties are really center-left, in all likeliness quite to the right in terms of what the average American considers socialist.
- bgarbiak 15y agoYes, I know about these different connotations. However, painting a sort of a symmetry between these two labels is - in my humble opinion - a step too far. Imagine someone saying Arrington is a socialist. Such "accusation" would have completely different weight than labeling him as a racist.
- Selvik 15y agoDepending on the context (country/period) "I'm a socialist" can signify both "I want to nationalize everything, kill the conservatives and, if possible, bring in the soviet army" or "I want slightly more progressive taxes and state funded healthcare". They don't make them like they used to ...
- wlievens 15y agobgarbiak does have a valid point, in that today there are few places on earth where "I'm a socialist" implies the first meaning rather than the second.
- Selvik 15y agoI don't disagree, but you have to remember ... some people that supported stuff like the weathermen* in their twenties now have tenure, cushy government jobs etc. A lot of these are now "moderate" social-democrats, progressives or liberals. But sometimes only in the sense a white nationalist is a republican, ie. for lack of "better" options. *http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weather_Underground http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weather_Underground
- middus 15y agoMoreover, there is no mainstream socialist movement in the US. Merely calling Obama a socialist does not make it true.
- michaelcampbell 15y agoThat's his point; it's used as a perjorative in the US where in Europe it is not (without regard to the truth of it.)