The majority of Americans--it's no secret--have long since been brainwashed to believe some variation of the following:
#1. Socialism is evil
#2. Europe is disastrous
#3. the Free Market is KING
#4. and AMERICA IS #1!!!!
I could go on, of course, but chances are you've heard all this before, so there's really no reason to expound on the obvious--like how homosexuals and Mexicans are destroying our country, how San Francisco is Babylon, how healthcare is for people who can afford it, and how everyone else can fuck off.
That said, I guess I should start off by disclosing that I live in San Francisco. But enough about me.
The point of this blog is that I'm sick to death of all the blanket statements people make--particularly about Socialism--with absolutely no idea of what they're talking about. I'm under no illusions, of course, that by writing a blog I can do much about it or even contribute much to the general debate. As much as I want to be optimistic, the truth is, our country is so fucked right now that there's not much we can do outside of wait around until our grandmothers die off (sorry, Grandma), and even THEN, considering the incredibly poor investment we've made in education, it's incredibly unlikely that our younger generation will be any better equipped than the current one to solve our nation's problems.
Even so, if for no other reason than to amuse myself, a friend or two, and some internet randos, I figured I should take some of my own advice and educate myself about what the hell I mean when I say "Socialism." For example, when I think about Socialism--which is a lot--I can't help but be bothered by how little I know about actual European Social Democracies besides maybe what my friend, Charles, tells me or what I've picked up from watching Michael Moore movies. The more I think about it, it's pretty sad. While on the one hand, I know a lot more about Socialism than the average American, I know next-to-nothing about how ACTUAL Social Democracies really work (like how their governments are structured, what benefits they afford their citizens, and how people live on a day-to-day basis).
So, with that in mind, my idea is to educate myself (and maybe one or two others) about existing Socialist Democracies, Socialist theory, and in general, how much better off we'd be in America if we embraced Socialism, gave up some of our stupid American ideas, and maybe even gave a shit about other people. Or maybe I'll discover that everything I've believed about Socialism is completely unfounded, that the people in Europe are dying to live in America, and that America really is #1 like they say. But somehow I doubt that.
Very interesting, Rachel M! I'm also curious about how ACTUAL social democracies work. My country -which claims to practice the "Socialism of the 21st Century"- is very far from being a real democracy. I'll keep following your research to educate myself.
ReplyDeleteI find Venezuela really interesting because it seems like Chavez has some interesting ideas, but just from the little bit I've read about it, while the intent might be good, it just doesn't sound like it's come together quite right. (Okay, so that's likely an understatement, but I'm trying to keep an open mind!)
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