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Daymon Pascual's avatar

You make a very good case overall that civ is hard and needs a balance of opposites to thrive. Individual and Collective are the main opposites that need to jive and complement each other. Where the collective benefits the individual and vice versa.

Western Capitalism is eating itself alive at this point, and I mean that quite literally. It's just one extreme that needs to come back into balance with the other, or die.

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Neural Foundry's avatar

The Fabian wolf in sheeps clothng is such a fitting symbol for gradualism. The data on Sweden and New Zealand reversng course with market reforms really undercuts the idea that you can sustain democratic socialism without eventual liberalzation. The math on entitlement spending makes the point pretty clear too.

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AussieManDust's avatar

Socialism is the malaise of The West. Here in Oz we are ruled in Fiat by "Trotts" Albanese, our Prime Minister, whose nickname was bestowed upon him after he founded his University Leon Trotsky Club. 😪 23% of our Workers have now nominated for our NDIS, the National Disability scheme. WHICH 23%? Why, the 23% of black muslim child soldiers that have invadxxxx emigrated to Australia. My Tax dollar feeds the Enemies of The West & the Haters of Christians...

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James M.'s avatar

I would actually be supportive of a CITY adopting socialism (or at least a kind of pseudo-socialist welfare system)... I just don't think that New York City and Seattle are good places for that kind of experiment, and a leader/party/coalition would need more than 51% of the votes in an election for such a mandate.

But socialism CAN be practiced under capitalism. In a liberal country with a free market, communities can organize themselves in any ways they like. Of course, building socialist communities requires BUILDING, not just devising slogans or taking tax money or employing a bunch of layabouts in government offices. In other words, it's hard. So 'socialists' generally shy away from it.

https://jmpolemic.substack.com/p/towards-a-democratic-socialism

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