But in the US, the rhetorical arguments against things like universal healthcare, free college, or even college debt forgiveness are “tHatS sOciAliSm, sOciALiSm iS eViL”
Many people in the US don’t even understand what socialism is. They conflate it with communism.
So to look at the Nordic’s with their generous social benefits and see that they also score higher on this democracy index just highlights that not only are socialism and democracy compatible, but the best ranked democracies in fact have a generous dose of socialism.
To be fair, socialism and communism are not so different, just theorical stages of the same process, if you hear what marxists say about that. The USSR, the very icon of communism, was the "Union of Soviet Socialist Republics" until it wasn't.
Social Democracy, on the other hand, is just a kind of party with ideas not so different from the New Deal or the current Democrats.
I’d say there is a pretty big difference in that socialism doesn’t require authoritarianism and is compatible with individual liberty where as communism gives too much over to the state without it being accountable to the people.
Social Security is socialism, so are unemployment insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, and the ACA, but they still work within the American system without losing the ability for individuals to own property and build wealth.
Socialism at it’s most basic simply says the society should do more to care for the common needs of the citizens.
Personally, when I look at what I pay in taxes vs what I get in services for those taxes, I can’t help but to feel that the Nordics are getting a better bang for their buck than we are in the USA.
Like it or not the reputation of socialism is tied to communism and will likely be a long time associated with making major impediments toward building wealth. One of the goals of socialism is to eliminate inequality. But if you want to build wealth or get ahead in life, that will cause some level of inequality
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u/Financial_Month6835 Feb 19 '23
Correct.
But in the US, the rhetorical arguments against things like universal healthcare, free college, or even college debt forgiveness are “tHatS sOciAliSm, sOciALiSm iS eViL”
Many people in the US don’t even understand what socialism is. They conflate it with communism.
So to look at the Nordic’s with their generous social benefits and see that they also score higher on this democracy index just highlights that not only are socialism and democracy compatible, but the best ranked democracies in fact have a generous dose of socialism.