Younger voters not particularly scared of the word "socialism"

[August]

Originally Posted by mookiemookie

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ed...nt_a_bad_word/

I think the Republican/Tea Party needs to have more of an understanding of demographics.

I think the Democratic/Communist party needs to recognize that the Republican party and the Tea Party are two totally separate entities.

[mookiemookie]

Originally Posted by August

I think the Democratic/Communist party needs to recognize that the Republican party and the Tea Party are two totally separate entities.

The "socialist" rhetoric is the same from both of them, so I lumped them together. It doesn't change the point at all.

[AVGWarhawk]

Originally Posted by August

I think the Democratic/Communist party needs to recognize that the Republican party and the Tea Party are two totally separate entities.

That would probably be a good idea. I remember the cold war in a different light. You know, nukes parked off the Florida coast. Things of that nature. Rhetoric that meant something for a REAL problem. So these young folks are not afraid of Socialism or some such thing. I guess they are ok with nukes parked 80 miles off the Florida coast?

[Egan]

Part of the reason, I suspect, is that it is bandied around so often by segments of the right who haven't even the vaguest notion of what socialism is and use it to attack anything they don't believe in that it has become incredibly devalued, Exactly like sections of the left and their childish and -virtually always utterly wrong use of the word 'Fascist.' Is it any wonder that when you cry wolf enough everybody stops listening? Words are too important to be used wrongly - especially when, like 'Socialist' and 'Fascist' they have such profound meanings and connotations.

[GoldenRivet]

Originally Posted by Egan

Part of the reason, I suspect, is that it is bandied around so often by segments of the right who haven't even the vaguest notion of what socialism is

Socialism: a theory or system of social organization that advocates the vesting of the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution, of capital, land, etc., in the community as a whole.

yeah, we know what it is.

and i dont think that I should be a 1/300,000,000th owner of General Motors

nor do i think I should be a 1/300,000,000th owner of any other industry

Business are started by private men who create business models that either work or dont.

when they work, the man makes more money which is exactly what he set out on doing in the first place.

what incentive would anyone have to work hard to become successful if the government just went "Ok everyone... come and get your government subsidized success!"?

answer - zero incentive

The problem with Socialism is that it breeds what is referred to as a welfare state.in a welfare state, the people are powerless to better their financial position unless the Federal Government does it for them.

Sorry, but not even the United States Government wields that sort of power over me.

[Freiwillige]

The American model was based on the exact opposite ideals of Socialism.

In fact if you follow American history the more free and independent we are as a nation the better we do. Socialism isn't worth the garbage bag I would use to haul it away with!

And as far as the youth. Of course they don't fear Socialism. They also lack a decent education here and what education they do get is filled with leftest idealism. The dumbing down of America has been going on for years and the news and media back when they weren't bought and sold used to report on it.

So you have all this left leaning propaganda bombarding our youth from Radio to MTV to Hollywood and you wonder why kids see Castro and Lenin as Cult hero's. you can follow that paper trail all the way back to McCarthy
no even Roosevelt.

Its no longer a war for social and economic beliefs, Its a war for the youth's mind.

This is as true and relevant today as it was yesterday.

[AVGWarhawk]

Originally Posted by Freiwillige

The American model was based on the exact opposite ideals of Socialism.

In fact if you follow American history the more free and independent we are as a nation the better we do. Socialism isn't worth the garbage bag I would use to haul it away with!

And as far as the youth. Of course they don't fear Socialism. They also lack a decent education here and what education they do get is filled with leftest idealism. The dumbing down of America has been going on for years and the news and media back when they weren't bought and sold used to report on it.

So you have all this left leaning propaganda bombarding our youth from Radio to MTV to Hollywood and you wonder why kids see Castro and Lenin as Cult hero's. you can follow that paper trail all the way back to McCarthy
no even Roosevelt.

Its no longer a war for social and economic beliefs, Its a war for the youth's mind.

This is as true and relevant today as it was yesterday.

[DarkFish]

really, what's so bad about socialism? (socialism, not communism, as I can see how communism is bad)

besides, compared to the Netherlands, socialism is almost non-existent in the US. Obama's got any socialist characteristics? Don't make me laugh.
Here even the liberal parties have got a similar policy as Obama wants.

[krashkart]

Originally Posted by Freiwillige

And as far as the youth. Of course they don't fear Socialism. They also lack a decent education here and what education they do get is filled with leftest idealism. The dumbing down of America has been going on for years and the news and media back when they weren't bought and sold used to report on it.

Why fear it? Wouldn't it be better for them to understand what it is and let them make up their own minds as to whether a step in that direction would be a good thing for their futures?

I do agree with your point about the "dumbing down of America". The networks give us more bias and pundit hapablap and not enough of the real meat of things. Thankfully we still have the freedom to think for ourselves.

[Freiwillige]

Originally Posted by krashkart

Why fear it? Wouldn't it be better for them to understand what it is and let them make up their own minds as to whether a step in that direction would be a good thing for their futures?

I do agree with your point about the "dumbing down of America". The networks give us more bias and pundit hapablap and not enough of the real meat of things. Thankfully we still have the freedom to think for ourselves.

Exactly. Teach it absolutely, along with every other political system with out 'sspin and let them decide. For that's whats great about American's is that we at least at one time thought for our self's.

But I also believe that each state is sovereign and its not the fed's job to impose systems. So if one state's voters (California) wants socialism and another (Texas) wants Capitalism so let it be.

[mookiemookie]

Originally Posted by Egan

Part of the reason, I suspect, is that it is bandied around so often by segments of the right who haven't even the vaguest notion of what socialism is and use it to attack anything they don't believe in that it has become incredibly devalued, Exactly like sections of the left and their childish and -virtually always utterly wrong use of the word 'Fascist.' Is it any wonder that when you cry wolf enough everybody stops listening? Words are too important to be used wrongly - especially when, like 'Socialist' and 'Fascist' they have such profound meanings and connotations.

Absolutely correct. Any idea that's anything left of hardcore Ayn Rand is labelled "SOSHULIZM!" by folks who have no understanding of the concept, save for the fact that it's an "-ism" and therefore must be bad.

[AVGWarhawk]

Originally Posted by mookiemookie

Absolutely correct. Any idea that's anything left of hardcore Ayn Rand is labelled "SOSHULIZM!" by folks who have no understanding of the concept, save for the fact that it's an "-ism" and therefore must be bad.

Over generalizing.

[VonHesse]

Originally Posted by AVGWarhawk

So these young folks are not afraid of Socialism or some such thing. I guess they are ok with nukes parked 80 miles off the Florida coast?

Sure, pack them all into a time machine and ship them back to 1962, and I bet they'd be just as concerned about nukes off the Floride coast as everyone else was back then.

But there aren't nukes parked off the off the coast anymore. Haven't been any for over 45 years.

I'm just sayin...

[AVGWarhawk]

Originally Posted by VonHesse

Sure, pack them all into a time machine and ship them back to 1962, and I bet they'd be just as concerned about nukes off the Floride coast as everyone else was back then.

But there aren't nukes parked off the off the coast anymore. Haven't been any for over 45 years.

I'm just sayin...

And Iran just wants to make a reactor for well...energy There are still talks of nuclear arms reduction even today. ICBM sir. No need to park'em off the coast.....just saying