Socialism

"Communism is a Red Herring" according to AI

Over a century of anti-communist propaganda has made debate regarding the role of government and labor in the running of the economy nearly impossible. A significant portion of the population has been fully trained to react with Pavlovian negativity to any suggestion of worker empowerment, regulatory authority, public ownership, or anything that exists outside of laissez-faire capitalism.

"Poverty is not socialism. To be rich is glorious." -Deng Xiaoping

In order to achieve progressive reforms, we must change the conversation around these issues to avoid these deeply ingrained emotional reactions, and reconnect to our shared goal of improving quality of life.

Communism is a Red Herring

Socialism is just a red herring, due to its constant confusion with Communism by pretty much anyone who makes arguments against it, and occasionally when quoting the movie Clue. Given their close political motivations and the fact that most people can't tell them apart anyhow (at least in America), both topics will redirect to this page. When attempting to persuade a libertarian or conservative, these concepts only distract attention from the issues and prevent real discussion of practical policy.

Socialism and Communism are used as a thought-terminating cliché in American politics. Cold war propaganda caused every evil, dystopian, authoritarian nightmare scenario that could be conjured up to be labeled communism by politicians and the media. Capitalists and libertarians intentionally blurred the lines between communism and socialism, so that propaganda that was originally anti-Stalin became effectively anti-State. The result is a reflexive rejection of any government policy that seeks to improve the lives of citizens at the cost of taxation, even if there is a huge net savings to society (e.g. universal healthcare). These associations are formed through endless repetition, not logical argument, allowing them to bypass our brain's reasoning centers. Decades after the fall of the USSR, the only purpose it serves it to enable billionaires to prevent people from rationally considering policies that raise taxes on billionaires and coming to the logical conclusion.

Any system that prioritizes ideology over best practices is inferior to one that does not. If worker ownership of the means of production is good for net human happiness, then it should be pursued. Revolution is highly unlikely to increase happiness. The best evidence we have is that a mix of capital investment, worker ownership, and state-run institutions is the optimal way to maximize happiness, a result that defies ideology. The nice thing about this is that it's basically what all liberal democracies are already doing, and the democratic framework already allows us to adjust these ratios with public policy. Focusing on evolutionary changes to the incentives that will optimize the balance of a mixed economy should be prioritized over utopian visions of a stateless future.

Clue was right. Communism, libertarianism, fascism, anarchism, and other ideologies distract us from the real goal of continual self-improvement. If you care about worker ownership of the means of production, push for corporate tax incentives that favor worker-owned companies. If you want to be persuasive and have a real conversation about policy, do everything you can to avoid any mention of socialism or communism.

Clue - Communism is Just a Red Herring

The Proletariat Hasn't Read Theory

Lefties who are way too into "theory" will probably not appreciate this approach. However, metaculture seeks to meet people where they are at in terms of education and beliefs. And the unfortunate truth is that more than a century of capitalist propaganda has made the distinction moot in the minds of most. So even though most Communist and Socialist theory is spot-on in its criticism of capitalism, and has moved far beyond Stalinism and Maoism in its prescriptions for society, an explicit endorsement is not practical for rhetorical purposes.

"If you go carrying pictures of chairman Mao

You ain't gonna make it with anyone anyhow"

-The Beatles

The Pavlovian rejection of anything labeled "Socialism" and "Communism" are too strong in the minds of the general public, and must be avoided in the interest of actually being persuasive.

What Has Worked Best?

Communism has been tried and it did not succeed in producing a happier society, nor did it succeed at building actual communism.

"All that matters is your commitment to *building the World Republic*. You must seek out your revolutionary brothers and sisters. Find out how much communism they've built. Then, together, maybe you'll be able to build as much as 0.0002% of communism. But it won't be *easy*." -Disco Elysium

A mixed economy has produced the best historical outcomes for both wealth and happiness, and has the advantage of being the system we have already built over two centuries of industrialization and democracy.

The best way for Capitalism to avoid promoting Communism in the next generation is to implement Socialist reforms to improve economic justice.

For an example of the kind of theory that working class people have been consuming, and the concept of socialism and communism that you must speak to if you want to meet them where they are, this review of a course from Hillsdale College gives a good overview. If they have read good theory then you don't need to persuade them. These are the concepts you must assume people think of when you use the language of Marxist theory.

I Failed a Right-Wing Philosophy Class

A Constantly Improving Society, Not Utopia

metaculture's philosophy is rooted in realism not utopianism, and evolution instead of revolution. If a mixed economy is the goal, revolution is unnecessary--we already have that! It's just a matter of adjusting the balance of power between capital and labor.

We must avoid the inevitable war that will result if large-scale transformations in the economy and distribution of wealth are implemented without sufficient democratic support and incrementalism. Tax rates should be increased slowly, and incentives should be used in favor of mandates in order to encourage transition towards worker ownership.

Find Out More

See Economics and Capitalism.

Communism vs. Socialism - What's the Difference?

The video game Disco Elysium is an amazing exploration of the dynamics of communism, fascism, capitalism, and revolution. In the interest of mixed-media explorations of philosophy and education, a playthrough of this game is highly recommended.

Why Disco Elysium Is The Most Hopeful Game I've Ever Played

Dialectical materialism, as explained by a Vietnamese ASMR artist. She has a whole channel reading Marxist texts in a soothing whisper. Learn theory with tingles!

Learn Dialectical Materialism like a Viet pro

Commie Music

Money for Nothing is a rant against the welfare state. Born in the USA is a jingoistic jingle. It's important not to interpret song titles literally without listening to the lyrics.

Dire Straits - Money for Nothing

Rage Against the Machine - Take the Power Back