• appel@lemmy.ml
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    1 year ago

    Whenever someone calls something “socialist”, ask them to explain socialism to you and watch their argument fold like a wet blanket. They usually have no idea. In fact, many would love a healthy dose of Northern European socialism in their lives, as long as you call it “Owningthelibism” or something.

    This is why we can’t have nice things.

    • Tetsuo@jlai.lu
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      1 year ago

      I had multiple times experiences like that with American redditors.

      They would say that socialism is nazism because National Socialism.

      So yeah, didn’t know really what to answer to such level of ignorance.

      • Notorious_handholder@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        I’ve always countered that with the following :

        Yes, Nazi’s, the very trustworthy group that would not lie about calling themselves socialists for propoganda and popularity reasons (post ww1 German public had popular sentiment with socialist ideas). The same ones that went out of their way to then kill Jews, communists, socialists, and other individuals that believed in socialistic ideals.

        I’m also sure that the democratic peoples republic of Korea has very fair and free democratic elections!

        If they continue arguing about it after that then I know they’re a lost cause

    • XEAL@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      Bless the cold war brainwash with loads if patriotism on USA citizens. It seems to still be working.

    • TimeSquirrel@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      There are “socialists” running around who don’t know what socialism is. Hint: it has nothing to do with government-subsidized services.

      • InputZero@lemmy.ml
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        1 year ago

        Yeah but they’re still linked. Like, yeah socialism has nothing to do with welfare programmes. However in the real world where a government is involved government welfare programmes are the most obvious tools that the government uses to enact socialism. Talking about one leads into talking about the other. Unless we’re talking anarchy.

        Attica! Attica!

      • Eldritch@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        While that’s technically true. It’s not truly accurate. Considering that at the time a lot of these terms were coined. Healthcare was either nonexistent or a much different thing. Nationalizing basic needs makes a lot of sense in, and is often an agenda of socialist and communist systems.

        Just because they don’t match or evolved past those archaic definitions doesn’t make you more right or them less ultimately. We might large that they should go further. But there’s no true Scotsman Naval gazing is only counterproductive.