A Conversation for Ask h2g2

Is Socialism considered Evil in the United States?

Post 1

U14993989

Are socialists considered evil-doers in the U.S., similar to pinkos or full blown commies? If more or less true - why is this the case?


Is Socialism considered Evil in the United States?

Post 2

Witty Moniker

Some people do and some people don't. We aren't required to hold a certain opinion.


Is Socialism considered Evil in the United States?

Post 3

U14993989

... supplementary questions: how many socialists are there in the House of Representatives & House of Congress. Is it conceivable that a socialist could be elected president? smiley - ok


Is Socialism considered Evil in the United States?

Post 4

paulh, vaccinated against the Omigod Variant

Eugene V. Debs tried repeatedly to get elected to the White House, but was never successful. He headed the Socialist party of the U.S. Socialism seems better tolerated than Communism, but it still gets little love from people on the right.


Is Socialism considered Evil in the United States?

Post 5

tucuxii

Definitions of socialism and communism can be rather different from those in Europe especially the further right you get and can include free healthcare, any form of welfare, stopping maniacs owning hand guns/ assault rifles/ bazookas/ and thermo nuclear devices for personal use, stopping Nazis and other bigots spouting hate, the requirement to have a driving licence, all taxes, and helping little old ladies across the road.
Mind you Sarah Palin thinks people who hold those views are a bunch of pinkos who don't realise that when Putin farts they smell it in Anchorage.


Is Socialism considered Evil in the United States?

Post 6

tucuxii

>>Some people do and some people don't. We aren't required to hold a certain opinion<<

Careful what you say there aren't any spare rooms left in the Ecuadorian Embassy, so come on in the waterboarding's lovely smiley - winkeye


Is Socialism considered Evil in the United States?

Post 7

paulh, vaccinated against the Omigod Variant

"Definitions of socialism and communism can be rather different from those in Europe especially the further right you get and can include free healthcare, any form of welfare, stopping maniacs owning hand guns/ assault rifles/ bazookas/ and thermo nuclear devices for personal use, stopping Nazis and other bigots spouting hate, the requirement to have a driving licence, all taxes, and helping little old ladies across the road.' [Tucuxii]

You have an interesting way with words, but that's pretty accurate. smiley - smiley People who oppose guns have taken on a new tactic: pressuring pension funds to get rid of stocks in companies that manufacture guns. I don't know how much success they've had so far, but apparently it's making some difference. Libertarianism is hard to locate on the left-right axis. Low taxes are usually associated with the right, but letting gays get married is usually associated with the left. As for going to war with other countries, sometimes the instigator is on the left [FDR, JFK, LBJ], sometimes on the right [Bush, Reagan].

Probably the most seminal political philosopher of all time in the US was Thomas Jefferson, whose words have been sued by both left and right to justify their positions. I'm a hu8ge Jefferson fan, which may explain why I can't make up my mind sometimes smiley - biggrin.


Is Socialism considered Evil in the United States?

Post 8

paulh, vaccinated against the Omigod Variant

In the penultimate line, "sued" should have been "used."


Is Socialism considered Evil in the United States?

Post 9

tucuxii

Of course the terrible truth is that the tea-party is commie plot - imagine the scene Sarah Palin is out shooting moose in her stars and stripe bikini when well known Village People impersonator Vladimir Putin comes striding up stream naked to the waist - classic KGB honey trap (no wonder she keeps banging on about how close Russia is to Alaska). Next thing you know there are legions of blue rinse spezantz making the US ungovernable, tearing the Republican Party apart and advocating isolationism.


Is Socialism considered Evil in the United States?

Post 10

paulh, vaccinated against the Omigod Variant

I like to compare the Tea Party people to two-year-olds who have gotten used to being spoiled and have to adjust to not getting their way. But unlike real two-year-olds, the Tea Party people cannot be counted on to grow up.


Is Socialism considered Evil in the United States?

Post 11

tucuxii

Sounds about right we have UKIP who are from the same mould - angrily denying any evidence that contradicts their narrow world view while latching onto any made up tabloid story, opinion presented as evidence or conspiracy theory that supports their views now matter how flawed, implausible or downright potty it is. Despising the jobless, the homeless and the stateless far more than the greedy the corrupt and the warmongers, wanting to criminalize misfortune.

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/quiz/2014/may/19/quiz-bnp-ukip-quotes-who-said-what


Is Socialism considered Evil in the United States?

Post 12

paulh, vaccinated against the Omigod Variant

"Rape is simply sex. Women enjoy sex, so rape cannot be such a terrible ordeal"

smiley - laughsmiley - roflsmiley - laughsmiley - rofl

It's an ordeal if you're held against your will by someone you don't find at all attractive. That'll cut down on your enjoyment a lot.

And the one about Black people staying black seems to be coming from a perspective not of this Earth.


Is Socialism considered Evil in the United States?

Post 13

Mr. X ---> "Be excellent to each other. And party on, dudes!"

To respond to the original question: It's been my observation that the vast majority of people around here don't even really understand what Socialism is. They just slap the label onto anyone and anything they don't like, as though it seals the argument somehow.

I hate it. It's like they're deliberately choosing not to think.

smiley - pirate


Is Socialism considered Evil in the United States?

Post 14

tucuxii

On this side of the pond a lot of lefties do the same with the word fascist without fully understanding what that means - Perhaps it is not surprising when the most populous country in the world calls itself communist when it has a market economy and a fascist system of government.


Is Socialism considered Evil in the United States?

Post 15

ITIWBS

Eventually American voters, usually smart enough to bet the averages, are going tumble to the fact that American average life expectancy is a bit below the mean for industrialized ccountries and start doing some thinking on causes and consequences.


Is Socialism considered Evil in the United States?

Post 16

swl

That's probably down to a strong Scots heritage tbf


Is Socialism considered Evil in the United States?

Post 17

paulh, vaccinated against the Omigod Variant

The last time I looked, New Orleans had the lowest life expectancy for men of any large city in the U.S. Obesity rates there are alarming, and the dietary practices are nothing to write home about [deep-fried sandwiches, anyone?]. Many of the states with sky-high obesity rates are in the Southern states where the Scots-Irish are a hefty part of the population, but some Northern states [Wisconsin, form instance] also have a lot of obesity. On the other hand, there's a county in North or South Dakota where men live longer, on average, than anywhere else in the country. Since Polish and Scandinavian settlers are common in both Wisconsin and the Dakotas, there are probably some complexities that haven't been uncovered yet. Oh, well. smiley - erm

There's one U.S. ethnic group in which 80% of the adult women are obese. I don't have any data for their life expectancy relative to mother groups.


Is Socialism considered Evil in the United States?

Post 18

tucuxii

Universal healthcare might help and it's cheaper than subsidising insurance companies, it also gives the government the incentive to nudge people on diet, smoking, exercise etc


Is Socialism considered Evil in the United States?

Post 19

paulh, vaccinated against the Omigod Variant

I'm not disagreeing with that, but obesity also has cultural and psychological elements. A least one study has shown that if you regularly socialize with heavy people, you are more likely to become heavy, too. Not that all studies are to be believed. Look at the mess that scientists and their friends in government have made with approaches to cholesterol since the 1950s. Demonizing fats has *not* been effective in lowering incidence of obesity in large populations. Actually, demonizing *any food group is probably counterproductive.
You eat less of one thing, so you'll likely eat more [possibly too much] of another thing. If you repeatedly try to lose large amounts of weight, you'll put severe stress on your heart, as Oliver Hardy, Zero Mostel, and Nell carter discovered to their distress.


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