Socialism has baffled me because of its peculiar characteristics, first and foremost it remains as a deeply intellectual political philosophy that has been argued over and over by numerous individuals many of whom would score pretty high on an IQ test.
But what differentiates Socialism from other political schools such as liberalism, conservatism or libertarianism is that it remains as a ideology meant to benefit the masses, yet it was hatched in the minds of a handful of intellectuals.
It is an interesting paradox, because unlike other movements those who instigated the ideals of Socialism had very little to benefit from if it were in fact enforced. To the contrary they had everything to lose, back in the days of Marx and Engels if one was an intellectual it also meant that one possessed a great deal of wealth and that one was also in a position to amass further wealth.
Yet, these worthy individuals decided to forgo their personal advantage and managed to formulate a thesis that would eventually benefit the whole of human kind.
But, what intrigues me the most is this, on paper Marxism seems the perfect solution, similar to Buddhism preaching us how to liberate ourselves spiritually Marxism preaches how one can liberate oneself economically and socially. Then why isn't it widely accepted, why is it seen almost as a pariah ideology in certain parts of the world.
The fact remains that it is essentially an intellectuals philosophy that was meant to uplift the lower social classes, a tad bit condescending don;t you think. The objective of this article is not to diss socialism or its ideologues but rather to emphasis the complexity and comprehensiveness of the movement.
For many the word socialism means bigger government, bad living conditions and working like machines. Unfortunately this cannot be further from the truth, Marxism in its most pristine form is about liberation at least in the material world.
The biggest barrier to the propagation of the movement today remains the level of intellect, it is unlikely that an entire populace would be able to decipher the meaning of the philosophy, thus I believe that Socialism is destined to be stuck in the heads of intellectuals at least for some time to come.
I like your post as it has some good points.
ReplyDeleteThe thing with socialism, especially in America, is that one dollar spent domestically is viewed as a socialist dollar spent. Spending money on domestic programs such as education and health care is viewed as a flawed scheme and should be left to the private sector. What we are beginning to see is a nihilistic greed that is ruining what used to be a strong middle class. This is where the road to socialism begins.
The difference between a socialist and a republican/capitalist is that the capitalist believes in one man's right to become rich and everyone thinks they are going to become that man some day. While capitalism could be a good thing when left in check, what we are experiencing is a capitalism where the wealth is to be obtained at all costs, even if that means leaving domestic institutions to rot or be bailed out by the government at some point.
Looking to Hegel, Hegel points out that riches and wealth are largely due to luck and mostly based in inheritance, which is in stark contrast to a modern capitalist's belief that he has accomplished his success entirely on his own through his intellect and work ethic. What the capitalist fails to realize is that his money came from the masses and his greed left unfettered will eventually deplete the disposable income of the middle class therefore leaving him without sustainability and any future markets. Thus, the capitalist has to grasp for anything left at his disposal and begins to attack the portion of his income taken by the government; taxes, even though taxes is the income of the system that makes his enterprise possible.
Republicans think taxes should be lowered and ultimately eliminated. They think government is interfering in their lives and that the free market is the only path to success. The myth, of course, is that the market is free. Rarely is there a free market left here in America, this is especially evident during economic down turns and in times of corporate financial instability. The American government is bailing out the housing market as we speak and we have just experience a major intervention of the government into the so-called "free market" with the economic stimulus package.
People are beginning to see the effects of nihilistic capitalism and are becoming fed up. Eventually, the middle class and working class will begin to look at the taxes being taken out of their check and wonder what they are getting out of them. The middle and working class will begin to walk down the road to socialism or at least begin to adopt more socialist and collectivist policies such as universal education and universal health care.
Be patient as we take the road past republican democracy and venture to socialist democracy.