Socialist Progressives
In reply to the discussion: Dumb question: what's a Socialist? [View all]Jackpine Radical
(45,274 posts)Pronounced with a snarl, and synonymous with "fascist," "Nazi," "Commie," "totalitarian," and whatever similar vaguely pejorative political descriptors the wingnuts can be counted on to loathe without having a clue as to the actual meaning of.
Beyond that, it's kinda deep water. Most around here would preface the word "socialist" with "democratic." You will probably get about as many definitions as there are socialists.
Maybe it's something like what the Berger court said about porn--they can't define it, but they know it when they see it.
Personally, I find myself about as drawn to certain forms of anarchism and communitarianism as I am to what I understand to be socialism, because I have a healthy distrust of government in general and suspect that they are all eminently corruptible. I favor ideas such as worker ownership, of non-hierarchical, networked models of social organization, and distributed decision-making.
Sorry, I'm getting off into a free-associating ramble and not actually answering your question, but there are certain others around here who are more fully schooled in these matters than a simple old shrink like me, and I'm sure they will gladly share their wisdom with us.
Thanks for the question.