Reclaiming Socialism Or:Economic Democracy(Recovering a Stolen Word)
By Brian Rush
I want to begin by recognizing that the word “socialism” has had its meaning twisted badly. One of the most important purposes of this book – not the most important purpose, but one of them – important enough that I put it in the title – is to reclaim the word so that it means once more what it once did and, among socialists, still does.Let’s take a look at an on-line dictionary and see what we find. For the first meaning of the word “socialism” I find: 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.And as it happens that’s almost right, but this is not what most people think of when they hear the word.The word “socialism” does NOT mean an economic arrangement in which the state owns and controls business, or in which there is no such thing as private business. Socialists today never advocate this, although there was a time long ago when they did, or at least some of them did.The word “socialism” has been deliberately distorted in meaning by a propaganda campaign conducted by those who fear it. Or rather, they fear socialism, and part of their defense against it has been to alter the meaning of the word “socialism” in popular discourse so that socialism (the real thing) is more difficult to discuss, because it is difficult to name correctly.Let’s see what we can do about rectifying that confusion.“Socialism” refers to an economic system. An economic system is not something that occurs naturally. It’s an artifact of human society, and like all human artifacts it is designed with deliberate intent.That’s not just true of economic systems, of course. It’s also true of a human endeavor such as auto mechanics. Auto mechanics employ certain tools and techniques. For example, they employ a jack and a wrench. But we don’t define auto mechanics as “the use of jacks and wrenches,” do we? I mean, if I use a jack and a wrench to take a car apart and break all of its vital pieces, am I engaging in “auto mechanics”? No, I’m engaging in auto demolition or criminal vandalism or something of the sort, even though I’m using two of the same tools as auto mechanics might use.We define “auto mechanics” in terms of its ends – the repair and maintenance of automobiles – and not by its means such as jacks and wrenches, and we should do the same for“socialism.” State ownership of business is one means that has in the past been advocated by socialists. It’s an obsolete means, since socialists no longer generally advocate this, having discovered better ways to achieve socialist ends. But even if it were not an obsolete means, even if socialists still advocated state ownership of business, it would still not be right to define socialism by this means, since it could conceivably be used to achieve non-socialist ends, just as
jacks and wrenches can be used to destroy cars instead of repair them. In fact, there was a country with the word “socialist” in its name during the twentieth century that did just that: used this socialist means (which was not yet obsolete in 1917 when they started doing it) to achieve non-socialist, even counter-socialist ends. This means that the Soviet Union was lying to the world in claiming to be socialist, just as it was also lying about holding free elections and being a democracy.
Reclaiming Socialism Or:Economic Democracy(Recovering a Stolen Word)
By Brian Rush
Imagine getting up in the morning and going to work for a company that, just by virtue of the fact that you work for it, you own part of. Imagine that the company’s president and other officers have to stand for election every year or two years, and you and all the other employees of the company vote them in or out. Imagine getting an accounting on a quarterly basis of the company’s profitability and receiving a payout of your share of those profits – your due as a worker-owner.Imagine that you get tired of working for the company you own part of and decide to strike out on your own. Imagine that there are on-line services readily available where your skills demand high pay from independent clients, so that being self-employed and entirely your own boss is a matter only of doing the work.Or let’s say that you and a number of friends have an idea for a new business. Imagine anon-profit organization or perhaps a government agency set up just for that purpose, ready to provide you and your friends a low-interest loan, free advice, and lots of other assistance so you can do that – as long as your new business is a workers’ cooperative.Imagine a world in which nobody is obscenely rich and nobody is poor, and the average person makes about double – maybe triple – what most people make today.I can imagine that easily enough. Can you?Would you like to live in a world like that?I sure would. And unlike Lennon’s dreamy vision, this one is possible. We’re ready for it.We just have to believe it and reach for it, and reclaim the word that stands for it.That word is “socialism.”It’s being used today (by its detractors, which is a dead giveaway) to describe something it’s not, a world of giant bureaucracies, stagnant economies, and secret police. That’s not what it means. It means a world in which ordinary people – probably people like you – own the businesses that provide your livelihood, instead of the economy being owned by a few hogs on Wall Street who see you as their peon.
@Clutch SPGs and tank destroyers are different, TDs are designed to stay on the 2nd line (behind the heavies) while SPGs are waaay further back, and basically fire 45* upwards instead of in a straight line
Momentum
@Rodrigo110 But you've seen him
Hey I have a pretty beefy PC, so if u want I can test the ones with mods
@rexzion Ubonktu
Noice german boii
Reclaiming Socialism Or:Economic Democracy(Recovering a Stolen Word)
By Brian Rush
I want to begin by recognizing that the word “socialism” has had its meaning twisted badly. One of the most important purposes of this book – not the most important purpose, but one of them – important enough that I put it in the title – is to reclaim the word so that it means once more what it once did and, among socialists, still does.Let’s take a look at an on-line dictionary and see what we find. For the first meaning of the word “socialism” I find: 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.And as it happens that’s almost right, but this is not what most people think of when they hear the word.The word “socialism” does NOT mean an economic arrangement in which the state owns and controls business, or in which there is no such thing as private business. Socialists today never advocate this, although there was a time long ago when they did, or at least some of them did.The word “socialism” has been deliberately distorted in meaning by a propaganda campaign conducted by those who fear it. Or rather, they fear socialism, and part of their defense against it has been to alter the meaning of the word “socialism” in popular discourse so that socialism (the real thing) is more difficult to discuss, because it is difficult to name correctly.Let’s see what we can do about rectifying that confusion.“Socialism” refers to an economic system. An economic system is not something that occurs naturally. It’s an artifact of human society, and like all human artifacts it is designed with deliberate intent.That’s not just true of economic systems, of course. It’s also true of a human endeavor such as auto mechanics. Auto mechanics employ certain tools and techniques. For example, they employ a jack and a wrench. But we don’t define auto mechanics as “the use of jacks and wrenches,” do we? I mean, if I use a jack and a wrench to take a car apart and break all of its vital pieces, am I engaging in “auto mechanics”? No, I’m engaging in auto demolition or criminal vandalism or something of the sort, even though I’m using two of the same tools as auto mechanics might use.We define “auto mechanics” in terms of its ends – the repair and maintenance of automobiles – and not by its means such as jacks and wrenches, and we should do the same for“socialism.” State ownership of business is one means that has in the past been advocated by socialists. It’s an obsolete means, since socialists no longer generally advocate this, having discovered better ways to achieve socialist ends. But even if it were not an obsolete means, even if socialists still advocated state ownership of business, it would still not be right to define socialism by this means, since it could conceivably be used to achieve non-socialist ends, just as
+6jacks and wrenches can be used to destroy cars instead of repair them. In fact, there was a country with the word “socialist” in its name during the twentieth century that did just that: used this socialist means (which was not yet obsolete in 1917 when they started doing it) to achieve non-socialist, even counter-socialist ends. This means that the Soviet Union was lying to the world in claiming to be socialist, just as it was also lying about holding free elections and being a democracy.
Reclaiming Socialism Or:Economic Democracy(Recovering a Stolen Word)
By Brian Rush
Imagine getting up in the morning and going to work for a company that, just by virtue of the fact that you work for it, you own part of. Imagine that the company’s president and other officers have to stand for election every year or two years, and you and all the other employees of the company vote them in or out. Imagine getting an accounting on a quarterly basis of the company’s profitability and receiving a payout of your share of those profits – your due as a worker-owner.Imagine that you get tired of working for the company you own part of and decide to strike out on your own. Imagine that there are on-line services readily available where your skills demand high pay from independent clients, so that being self-employed and entirely your own boss is a matter only of doing the work.Or let’s say that you and a number of friends have an idea for a new business. Imagine anon-profit organization or perhaps a government agency set up just for that purpose, ready to provide you and your friends a low-interest loan, free advice, and lots of other assistance so you can do that – as long as your new business is a workers’ cooperative.Imagine a world in which nobody is obscenely rich and nobody is poor, and the average person makes about double – maybe triple – what most people make today.I can imagine that easily enough. Can you?Would you like to live in a world like that?I sure would. And unlike Lennon’s dreamy vision, this one is possible. We’re ready for it.We just have to believe it and reach for it, and reclaim the word that stands for it.That word is “socialism.”It’s being used today (by its detractors, which is a dead giveaway) to describe something it’s not, a world of giant bureaucracies, stagnant economies, and secret police. That’s not what it means. It means a world in which ordinary people – probably people like you – own the businesses that provide your livelihood, instead of the economy being owned by a few hogs on Wall Street who see you as their peon.
+7B O N K go to butter jail!
Stop it, get some vodka
+1@Whatseatoya Doesn't work, mine is GreenKerbal #9430
I see two haboobs
+1@Whatseatoya Yup
@Random04 And that's fine
@Whatseatoya You should try C++
lol C# is the worst of C and the worst of Java in 1
Oh god no there he comes nooo
+1@Whatseatoya You said in your bio that you're good at programming, so what language do you use?
You're really good at making tanks!
@Ruvien0Republic0Engineer Nasty kapitalist propaganda
+1)~:
+1Fantastic job bud!
+1
+1T@SilverStar I fell in love with that mod
+1@Ultimatepretzel9 Rick is everywhere y'know
@Biro Just an old spanish joke... you wouldn't understand...
this might help you (click me)
@AN2Felllla Especially the scout kea
@AN2Felllla love your planes btw
@Clutch @SilverStar
T
Oh btw what language do you program in?
+1You got 165 points, currently 9th place, for more info , click here (not a rickroll)
+1@Hellosss38 Jet and prop only for visual
@Oukarine You have 185 points and are currently 7th
@Whatseatoya Submit as many as you want, class doesn't matter
+1@Nofferston The only way you'd lose your first place is if wernster himself would join
@SilverStar World of Tanks, World of Tanks Blitz and War Thunder are all p2w, I prefer space invaders, the best shooter
good job! tho desc doesn't contain nation and manufacturer
+1You're great at making these parts!
+1@Nofferston Sure! just don't invite platinum or they'll steal your well-earned 25 updoots
+1@Clutch Oh, a tablet btw that's wot blitz, there's a pc version with bigger maps and better graphics
@Clutch on an e-reader?!
@Clutch Have you played world of tanks? It's a pretty nice game, kinda p2w, but fun
You have 349 points!! You are first (you are like 60 points ahead of the 2nd one)
here's the entire spreadsheet
+1You have 40 points, and are currently 7th
For more info, click me
@necroganz You can submit as many as you want, even from the same class
+2@LittleJerry Yes
@Whatseatoya Noice
@Clutch SPGs and tank destroyers are different, TDs are designed to stay on the 2nd line (behind the heavies) while SPGs are waaay further back, and basically fire 45* upwards instead of in a straight line
@Nofferston You're right, but it has still has a quite accurate model, and it would be quite a lot of work to change it all
+1