• shani66@ani.social
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      7 months ago

      But that is almost universally said in response to people pointing to things that were in no way socialism or communism. They have actual definitions.

      The glorious democratic people’s republic of korea is literally none of those things and no one is stupid enough to fall for a name there, but it happens all the time something like China.

        • areyouevenreal@lemm.ee
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          7 months ago

          Except there is exactly that: socialism is where the working class owns the means of production.

          Anyone who suggests otherwise is normally a right wing or centrist nutjob. People who debate if the USSR are debating how well it meets that criteria, not what the criteria actually is.

          Also there are loads of people who are socialists but not MLs. Not all communists are MLs or Maoists either. Anarchist communists, libertarian marxists are communists that don’t fit into that group. Anarchists in general are socialists that don’t agree with MLs or Maoists or authoritarian regimes like China or the USSR.

          Stop going around spouting centrist nonsense and actually read socialist theories if you want to legitimately criticise it. You can’t criticise such a broad range of systems without first understanding what they are and what they have in common.

            • areyouevenreal@lemm.ee
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              7 months ago

              So basically anyone left of a social democrat you don’t support? As far as I am concerned social democrats aren’t real socialists but support hybrid economy.

              Out of curiosity do you have any problem with anarchist communism, market socialism, or any other true socialist ideology that is pro civil liberties?

              Also MLs do want a democracy, it’s called democratic socialism (which are different from social democrats, yes it’s confusing). As far as they are concerned the democracy we live in now isn’t real, and I tend to agree with them on this as do many other leftist groups. Just to be clear I haven’t been an ML in a while.

                • areyouevenreal@lemm.ee
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                  7 months ago

                  How can a society without a state - anarchism - possibly be authoritarian? There are no police or military to enforce any authoritarian policies is many forms of anarchism. What you are saying doesn’t make sense.

                  I actually agree with you that MLs can be authoritarian. That’s part of why I left those ideologies behind. What I don’t agree with is painting all socialist ideologies with the same brush. Some are based on direct democracy which is always going to be more democratic than representative democracy, weather you think that’s a good thing or not.

                  I also don’t believe we live in a true democracy as it’s controlled through political and economic corruption including lobbying, as well as the two-party system created through FPTP voting systems. Not to mention manufactured consent. So to me those checks and balances aren’t that effective, especially compared to real direct democracy.

                  Edit: also MLs believe in checks and balances last I checked. The USSR was full of bureaucracy for this very reason.

          • aidan@lemmy.world
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            7 months ago

            Except there is exactly that: socialism is where the working class owns the means of production.

            No that’s Marxism. Socialism existed before Marx. Generally socialism is understood to be some form of collective ownership(in a strict form) by a community or state, but that could take the form of worker control, complete democratic control, or what it is in a lot of cases which is technocratic beuracrat control. In a less strict form it could even include voluntary cooperation.

            • Trek@union.place
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              7 months ago

              that’s just various examples of the working class owning (and managing) the means of production

              • aidan@lemmy.world
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                7 months ago

                So the USSR was socialist? And so is North Korea? The state controls the means of production.

                • Trek@union.place
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                  7 months ago

                  Did I say they were? I was referring to “collective ownership (in a strict form) by a community or state [which]…take[s] the form of worker control, complete democratic control” as an example of the working class owning the means of production, and challenging the idea that “collective ownership” and “working class ownership of the means of production” are mutually exclusive.

                  • aidan@lemmy.world
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                    7 months ago

                    I didn’t say “which”, I said “could”. While what I said does include what you said, it also includes “collective ownership (in a strict form) by a community or state…which is technocratic beuracrat control”

      • aidan@lemmy.world
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        7 months ago

        Couldn’t I just say what you point to as a failure of capitalism is in no way a free market?

        • J Lou@mastodon.social
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          7 months ago

          Markets ≠ capitalism

          Even an idealized capitalist market economy found in economic models violates workers’ inalienable rights. The only way to fix that problem is Economic Democracy where all firms are structured as democratic worker coops @lemmyshitpost

          • aidan@lemmy.world
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            7 months ago

            Capitalism doesn’t have a founder, it has no one to write what it’s core tennants are. So yeah of course you can redefine it to be whatever you want and I could do the same. That’s why it’s more useful to be more precise, which is why I said it’s not a free market, which I suspect you also oppose. But again, no country is anywhere near a free market, just as no country was anywhere near Marx’s communism.

            • J Lou@mastodon.social
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              7 months ago

              I am not redefining Capitalism. I am defining it the way capitalists do. Even in the idealized economic models of fully free market capitalism, capitalism is still wrong. Fully free market capitalism would still inherently violates workers’ inalienable rights.

              Depends on what is meant by a free market.

              Marx’s communism is not the only alternative to capitalism. There are market-based alternatives to capitalism as well