What "democratic socialism" means to me.
Last edited Sat Sep 5, 2015, 12:25 AM - Edit history (1)
It's a phrase we've seen a lot here on DU(sometimes interchangeably with "social democracy", which is not necessarily the same thing-though it would still be a great improvement on what we've got).
To me, "democratic socialism" means a continual process of democratizing life...in fact, democratizing the creation of reality, so that we might all shape what reality can be(rather than simply letting the term "reality" be used by reactionaries and the privileged to set limits on what they will allow to be done).
This means democratizing as many of the economic decisions in life as possible-not that economic decisions are the only ones that matter, but that they do condition most, if not all, of the other decisions that are made, that we COULD make, in life.
It also means fully democratizing the political process, so that the voices from below have as much of a say as the voices from above, and so that we have as many choices at election time as possible. It also means getting rid of the Electoral College, so that, for the first time in our history, we elect the president by voting simply as Americans, rather than through assigning the candidates block votes from artificial and pointless divisions known as "states".
It means democratizing the workplace so that all who spend the bulk of their time in it are treated with respect and dignity, so that all have a chance to bring as much of ourselves to the work we are to do as possible, giving working people as many chances as possible to learn new skills and ideas and to teach the things we know and can suggest and do in the workplace, so that the best decisions, made as collectively as possible and made for the good of all in the workplace and all in the world can be made, so that no one in the workplace is ever denied the chance to have a say in what happens there, or is ever treated as "deadwood"
a term I'd like to ban if the First Amendment didn't actually make that impossible, since it degrades and destroys everyone it is applied to), and where as few people as possible are kept low-skilled and powerless within the workplace or are forced out of it for someone else's short-term profit and then treated as if they(we)are no longer of any value.
It means democratizing the means of creation and expression, so that everyone who wishes to bring something of themselves forward as creativity for its own sake can have every chance to do that and, again, so that what is created is affirming and inclusive for as many of as it can be, rather than reducing "creativity" as it largely is now for most of us)to the creation of advertising slogans and as art/music/word forms-as nothing but commodity and fashion. It's partly the idea of "art as a hammer"-but not just the hammer that smashes the old world-the hammer that builds the new world(or worlds)as well.
It means democratizing the means of preserving order...so that we might find a way to preserve the physical safety of the people, on our streets and in our homes, without the resort to quasi-military methods or the collective withdrawal of the presumption of innocence and the right to live one's life without living under constant harassment and repression from entire groups of people at once, based on race, ethnicity, religion, or class.
It means democratizing the means of international relations...so that we will no longer let anyone, without our knowledge, without our open consent, inflict suffering or death on other countries. It means making sure that the decision to do something as potentially insane as going to war with someone else will be made only after the people are told exactly what the consequences of this would be and give our consent to those decision to risk those consequences, reserving at the same time, at any moment, to withdraw that consent and to require whatever institution of power made that decision to go to war(or launch drone strokes, or even, Goddess help us, to use nuclear weapons again at some point) may be revoked by the people and use of force brought immediately to an end.
And it means doing all of the above without the use of censorship, secret police, block committees, wiretapping, informers, or gulags.
I'm aware that most of the ideas I've expressed above won't happen anytime soon, if ever. And I know that the candidate I am supporting this year will not bring them about if elected president.
But it's what, as one humble person in one scarred, ancient, but somehow still breathing world, I would like to eventually see happen as a democratic socialist.
What's not to like?