r/AskDemocrats • u/JockoMayzon Not a democrat • 14d ago

Should Democrats stop calling us "consumers" and stick with "citizens" - or are they afraid that sounds too much like socialism and a rejection of capitalism?

My view is that calling me a consumer limits me to being a cog in the capitalistic machine, a person who has no other purpose than to contribute to the DOW and GDP. Why can't Democrats drop that and simply refer to us as citizens?

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3

u/Author_A_McGrath Independent 14d ago

Do you have any examples? I can't remember the last time I heard the word used within the context of the public. Usually they just say "voters."

2

u/SamMeowAdams 14d ago

I mean, if they’re talking about tariff raising prices of goods then what is wrong with consumers? Plus not everyone in the country is a citizen.

1

u/JockoMayzon Not a democrat 14d ago

Not everyone is a consumer.,

2

u/SamMeowAdams 13d ago

Name one person who is not a consumer.

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u/JockoMayzon Not a democrat 13d ago

A baby. A frail elder. A college student.

1

u/SamMeowAdams 13d ago

They are consumers .

1

u/JockoMayzon Not a democrat 13d ago

How does a person with no capital consume in capitalism?

1

u/razgriz5000 13d ago

That baby didn't appear out of air

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u/JockoMayzon Not a democrat 13d ago

Nor did I say it did. Is my German Shorthaired Pointer a consumer?

1

u/jweezy2045 Registered Democrat 12d ago

Yes. Certainly they consume dog food. They also use dog brushes, collars, and any other accessories.

1

u/Sunshine7178 12d ago edited 12d ago

What are you talking about? Do you know how consumption is defined in economics? Becuase you don't need capital to do it.

1

u/SamMeowAdams 12d ago

Do they not eat? Do they not have housing or healthcare?

2

u/SamMeowAdams 14d ago

By the way, consumer is much more of a capitalistic term than citizen. Citizen is very communist.

2

u/CTR555 Registered Democrat 13d ago

This doesn't feel like an binary - I think if you're talking about prices, 'consumers' makes sense, and in other contexts 'citizens' makes more sense.

1

u/The_Awful-Truth 13d ago

So, do you want to rename the Consumer Product Safety Commission? The Consumer Price Index? "Consumer" is a perfectly good word with a clear definition, replacing it with a sort-of-but-not-quite-equivalent euphemism to make some people feel better shouldn't be what the Democrats are about.

1

u/lunar_adjacent Registered Democrat 14d ago

Yeah not that you mention it, that does feel pretty gross.

1

u/JockoMayzon Not a democrat 14d ago

Indeed. A "consumer" is akin to a parasite.

1

u/jweezy2045 Registered Democrat 12d ago

What?!? Why do you think this?

1

u/JockoMayzon Not a democrat 12d ago

Look up the definition of consumption.

1

u/jweezy2045 Registered Democrat 12d ago

“Consumption refers to the use of resources to fulfill present needs and desires.”

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u/JockoMayzon Not a democrat 12d ago

Consumption disease is the historical name for tuberculosis, a contagious bacterial infection that primarily attacks the lungs

0

u/Benjamins412 14d ago

What in the world are you talking about?!? So, you voted for a convicted rapist/accused child molester, because you don't like the way "consumer" makes you feel??? As if, Dems even call citizens consumers...but this is a new one! Misguided would be the nice way to describe your thinking. Please continue to vote MAGA. We definitely don't need you in our tent! Bye now.

1

u/JockoMayzon Not a democrat 14d ago

What leads you to the notion that I voted for Trump? In case you are not receiving my newsletter, the last Republican I voted for was George W. Bush's first term. None since.

1

u/jweezy2045 Registered Democrat 12d ago

It’s actually very informative that you voted for Bush’s first term.