Why is socialism becoming increasingly popular in the United States?

Did you misunderstand me or are you trying to be clever?

I never said you were thieves - I said the sentiment you expressed is shared by common thieves.

FYI, I put myself through art school, dude (and I'm not a Boomer). After tuition, books and art supplies I blew a helluva lot more money on my education than most of my fellow students did, and I took out loans to cover the expenses my jobs didn't cover. It took me ten years to pay off those loans, and the interest was considerable. I know ALL about the hardships, and I have nothing but respect for the people who did or what my wife and others who served in the military did - used their veterans benefits (MGIB) to pay for their education.

You should take great pride in getting yourself an education and paying off your loans. If you got a grant of some sort along the line that's cool, too, but there's nothing cool about taking the bread off of other people's tables - particularly those who didn't go to college - to pay for a decision and a responsibility you took for yourself.

 

Million years ago, Charles Murray wrote "The Closing of the American Mind" and spoke of visiting a college library. Whole courses are devoted to Marxism. There were a large number of books about Marxism. Given that Marxism has shown to be a poverty creating totalitarian failure, why would there be more than one, explaining its failure?
I do think one day, scarcity may no longer exist. If/when that happens, Marixism might work. Until then it will not.
But these teachers get a pay check from the government that buys them everything they need. They don't understand how wealth for them to actually buy is created. So they wonder why everyone can't just get these checks. Government just needs to print and issue them.

 

You can start by looking at the popularity of the proudly avowed Democrat Socialist.

Sanders has highest favorability among possible 2024 contenders: poll | The Hill

 

The right wing is rising in Europe because the left wing philosophy has failed. The latest push has been against Dutch farmers in the name of radical climate change policies.

The trouble is it's too late because the EU bureaucrats are in charge and are not about to give up power.

The EU bureaucrats are too full of themselves to realize what will happen if they put western farming operations out of business. What's left is the third world, and they can't feed themselves in many cases. But what the heck! If lots of people starve to death, that's less CO2 in the atmosphere, right? Mission accomplished!

 

My kids weren't taught that. Are you saying there are socialism courses being taught in K through high school in the US as part of the curriculum? Do tell.

 

I only took one course of that type. It was an economics course called "The Planned Economies." Believe me, the far left students would not have liked it. Course covered the economic history of the Soviet Union starting with Stalin's 5 years plans. When you have few people with limited information trying the top down approach to running an economy, shortages and failure is almost a given.

 

I like your sentiment, but socialism in America masquerades under many different agreeable names, seldom under "socialism."

 

I've heard hypotheticals asking how many people were involved with producing and getting a banana or pencil to a consumer. It was in the thousands. (The answer would include things like everyone involved with shipping the banana from source to consumer). How on earth would any centralized authority be able to account for all of those people and what needs to get done on even the simple things?

"Democratic Socialism" is a popular term. You get to vote once for what you want. And only once.

 

Getting an education is prideful, having to pay off loans is not prideful and taking that away from people literally makes their lives better. What exactly is the benefit of burdening the youth and others with paying loans in addition to all the other **** they have to pay, especially when it’s hard enough out here as it is.

And for the record, you putting yourself through school is not the same as people trying to put themselves through school now. What worked for you back then ain’t gonna work now, not in this economy.

 

All over the Internet. I cited one article in Post #3, along with a reference to socialist Bernie Sanders' presidential campaigns of recent years.

Pfft. You must lead a pretty sheltered existence. I know quite a few Commies, socialists and anarchists - in fact, one of them and his ANSWERnik comrades made the news in our area today.

Several protesters block traffic on I-95
https://foxrichmond.com/news/local/several-protesters-block-traffic-on-i-95

I'll post the photo from the article here, as well:



See the older fellow in the foreground with the baseball cap buttoning up his jacket?

The article won't tell you this but I can - that's Phil Wilayto, the head of the local Workers World Party (WWP) outfit in Richmond, VA. He's a genuine Commie idiot, and he probably organized this ANSWERnik clusterhump. Nine kids in their twenties were arrested but Phil's name was nowhere on the list. I hope him or the WWP had the decency to pay their bail.

Oh, in case you don't know what the WWP is, welcome to 1959:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Workers_World_Party
https://www.workers.org

The WWP was behind the founding of the socialist-communist and Islamist riff-raff in the ANSWER Coalition, which is your premier "progressive" protest astroturf organization- you'll find their little yellow signs at all their demonstrations:

https://www.answercoalition.org


But commies don't exist! They're just a "fear" that "will never go away".

 

"the socialism that exercises direct control over a country and its economy through nationalization/collectivization"
Not Happening

socialism that exercises indirect control through government mandates and regulations
This is the role of government

The question you mean to ask is why is the ELECTED government doing what the PEOPLE WHO ELECTED IT to do?

The answer is that you would call any government activity you don't specifically approve "SOCIALISM" which is your way of screaming
BOOGIE MAN

 

LOL! I never heard of the Workers World Party. Looking it up, I'd be surprised if they had more than 1000 members. But, you better run for the hills, those socialists are coming for you.

However, to make your point, maybe you should cite their membership and show that it is rising. Go ahead, give at least SOME data, instead of some fringe articles that show that socialists and commies exist (nobody is denying this, the question is are they increasing in numbers).

On the other hand, the populist far right movement is not so small and unheard-of.

 

No it hasn't.

 

The OP asked why has it gotten so popular. Even if your statement is true and the politicians were just doing what the people wanted, that only confirms that it is getting more popular.

I think the perfect illustration of this is the rise of Bernie Sanders along with the belief that someone else should pay the financial obligations stemming from people opting to go to college and in many cases not working while doing so.

For you to act like this is a fictitious boogeyman is bereft of reality. It is a very real concept, and a large swath of the younger generation does not see the word Socialist as a bad thing at all. In previous times, there is no politician that would ever succeed by calling themselves a Democrat Socialist, but in today's America, he probably deserved to win the nomination.

 

Karl Marx was pretty good in the situation he was in, in Dickensian England.
What he said was applicable there, not really in the US at that time, and
given that he died in 1883 so didn't even see the second stage of the Industrial
Revolution, you have to make allowances for him getting some things wrong.

We have some pretty bad problems with our Neo Liberal and Neo Conservative
policies because they are terrible, so I'm not surprised people are reaching for
Marx as an alternative.

I would guess what we need is
1. Democracy, but democracy relies on the media and the politicians telling the
truth, which they generally don't. And that really is the place to start.

 

Cry me a river. It might not be glamorous, but one can take a lot of pride in being an adult, taking responsibility for your own life, decisions, and actions, fulfilling commitments, putting yourself through college and not taking the bread off of other people's tables.

For the record, that's bullshit. It was the most difficult thing I ever did and sometimes I look back and wonder how I did it. I also mentioned that my wife paid for her college through her military service. Do you think that was easy?

 

So much for:

That didn't take long.

 

If it's the better socio-economic system why has it failed everywhere socialists have tried to implement it?

(Cue the usual excuses)

I know what real socialism is and what it's about, and usually it's about power-grabbing, not cooperation.

 

Worst system there is except all the others. Heard an Iranian Mullah say that Democracy is government of the people, by the people for the people. But the people are insane.

You have an example of success? Do tell.

 

For the record, I don't know when you went to school but between 1963 and 2021 the cost of college has gone up 135%, far out pacing inflation. The point being, when you did it, it was a lot easier.

 

Where has it failed? Can you prove your point without going to communism, which is different.

 

Marxism has never been tried.

 

Why is socialism becoming increasingly popular in the United States?

Because the marxists are better at recruiting support than the rest of us are at reminding people that socialism has never been successful anywhere and can exist only under autocratic governments. We would have to give up democracy and freedom in order to have a socialist economy. Not likely to happen but the marxists are working hard at it.

 

Everywhere it has been implemented. Make a list and you will have you answer.

 

Your comment hit me with that "late stage capitalism" remark. As far as I can tell, there is no such thing, and frankly I don't even think; contra to the OP; that socialism is becoming increasingly popular. I think it's a lot simpler than that. Getting free stuff is what's popular and after having the opportunity to get high and watch Netflix during the pandemic with a government check showing up, many long for that as a full time occupation.

Of course the cost of living issues you mentioned are real.

Ultimately though, you can't win the battle for free stuff. Over time the side that offers it wins.