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It’s politically profitable to call things socialist or communist, as Americans have a distaste for both. 2% tax raise for the top 1% of wage earners? Socialis

It’s politically profitable to call things socialist or communist, as Americans have a distaste for both. 2% tax raise for the top 1% of wage earners? Socialist. Gets used to flip votes in the elections. Even very poor Americans who would literally have a much higher standard of living under socialism are taught to despise it.

331c8c71 4y ago
> Even very poor Americans who would literally have a much higher standard of living under socialism are taught to despise it. Pretty much the same for people living in oppressed countries. They would benefit from at least some liberties but are taught to despise them (and the west for having them).
- Sawamara 4y ago
  "And the west for having them" - nope. Thats a propaganda line by the US goverment, and lately by the EU right wingers. There are much better reasons to despise the West than the percieved "freedom" they have. Like their actual acts of genocides and exploitation.
  - 331c8c71 4y ago
    Agreed, probably not for the liberties per se but rather for hypocrisy.
- Matl 4y ago
  I doubt it, I have met many people from such countries and far from hating the West for having liberties, they despite that the West wraps their resource extraction, geopolitical interests and exploitation as delivering liberties for domestic consumption. The West has directly supported the overthrow of a fair number of rather progressive leaders, at least by world scale.
alchemist1e9 4y ago
> Even very poor Americans who would literally have a much higher standard of living under socialism are taught to despise it. Are you sure about that? The very poorest Americans likely have higher living standards than you think. Homelessness due to mental illness or drug abuse is a separate population, I mean working poor. What socialist system would you like to hold up as an example?
kcplate 4y ago
The perception disconnect between the US and the rest of the world is that examples of “socialism” are dramatically different. Is socialism defined by the Cuba/Venezuelan example or Scandinavia/Nordic examples? I think what people see as socialism in the US is more related to their understanding of the term from the Cuba/Venezuelan flavor than Scandinavian flavor. Americans have a distaste because they see people who prefer attempting a dangerous escape from those socialist countries to living in them.

331c8c71 4y ago

> Even very poor Americans who would literally have a much higher standard of living under socialism are taught to despise it. Pretty much the same for people living in oppressed countries. They would benefit from at least some liberties but are taught to despise them (and the west for having them).

Sawamara 4y ago
"And the west for having them" - nope. Thats a propaganda line by the US goverment, and lately by the EU right wingers. There are much better reasons to despise the West than the percieved "freedom" they have. Like their actual acts of genocides and exploitation.
- 331c8c71 4y ago
  Agreed, probably not for the liberties per se but rather for hypocrisy.
Matl 4y ago
I doubt it, I have met many people from such countries and far from hating the West for having liberties, they despite that the West wraps their resource extraction, geopolitical interests and exploitation as delivering liberties for domestic consumption. The West has directly supported the overthrow of a fair number of rather progressive leaders, at least by world scale.

alchemist1e9 4y ago

> Even very poor Americans who would literally have a much higher standard of living under socialism are taught to despise it. Are you sure about that? The very poorest Americans likely have higher living standards than you think. Homelessness due to mental illness or drug abuse is a separate population, I mean working poor. What socialist system would you like to hold up as an example?

kcplate 4y ago

The perception disconnect between the US and the rest of the world is that examples of “socialism” are dramatically different. Is socialism defined by the Cuba/Venezuelan example or Scandinavia/Nordic examples? I think what people see as socialism in the US is more related to their understanding of the term from the Cuba/Venezuelan flavor than Scandinavian flavor. Americans have a distaste because they see people who prefer attempting a dangerous escape from those socialist countries to living in them.