For the Sake of Democracy

Yes, this is for socialism and against capitalism. Give socialism a chance before the bullets start flying. Because socialism has a great chance of restoring democracy, when capitalism has proven to have none. In fact, capitalism is feeding social malaise and is actively killing off democracy, if not the planet.

Democracy is to deliver much for the welfare of common people. This presumes people matter. And it is people, living safely on this planet, that make the case for socialism. Sadly, if there were hundreds of millions of people on the socialism page ready to fight for it, it might still be too little too late, given the death grip of capitalism. We are here at this dire place and moment because the controlling politicians are steadfast clinging to capitalism that has turned cannibalistic. Capitalism comes with an inherent element and characteristic of exploitation. This exploitation has grown unfathomably strong and complex over the years. Under America’s form of capitalism, you are still your master’s slave, it is not a functioning democracy, and America is losing its way and place in the world.

We Need to Better Understand Socialism

If you read only one article comparing the evolution and characteristics of socialism and capitalism, it should be this ten-minute read by Richard D, Wolff, Professor at University of Massachusetts and New School University in NYC. Or, read the full book, Understanding Socialism, at Democracy at Work.

Socialism is a friend to democracy and a deterrent to fascism. Capitalism spawns fascism and, indeed, serves as the driver of world contention and wars. China and Russia are themselves both autocratic capitalist states and the USA is becoming more like them every day. But the USA is mounting resistance.

There Is No Tweaking Capitalism

Think of it this way. Democracy is a function of its controlling “engine”. If the engine is capitalism, you get a democracy that produces elitists that answer to no one and effectively own everything. If democracy’s engine is socialism, democracy is an enabler of society, most able to achieve fairness and accountability. Are we in it for the money, or in it for the people? There is no absolute answer, but morality says we should lean into a democracy that is for the people, as originally designed. Most simply, capitalism as practiced is anti-social.

A Personalized Analogy of Social Versus Capitalist Redemption

Consider a young person that commits crimes and goes away to prison. She comes back to society “rehabilitated”, never to partake in crime again. Yet society, even if the person does a measure of good normal things over the years, can never fully release the person, always keeps her under shadow. In a certain meaningful sense, this person can do no right.

Contrast this person with another, one born into privilege who flagrantly does as she pleases regardless of the rules, with no consequences other than more privileges. She gains power and surrounds herself with similar aspiring others who get to share in the abundance of privilege, as she flirts with deification. It is a drastically different life experience for this person who can do no wrong.

This analogy is not typical, but it exemplifies a pattern that does happen. Economic disparity propagates immoral treatment and unfair judgment. Even if the Trump instance is brought to justice, it will not turn the putrid capitalist tide. It’s more than the lost rule of law that puts people on lists into an assigned caste. Only socialism can stop the trend.

After the Bullets Fly

Controlling politicians are dead set on preserving and protecting capitalism. Even as people are routinely gunned down and threats increase all around, politicians hold fast to the money bag. The government is protecting capitalism rather than the people.

Capitalism’s most flagrant and extreme exploitation comes as war. War is not the answer, but war and rumors are upon us. The USA has not won a war since World War II, and world wars punctuate world order change, yet the allure of profit still makes the capitalist forces eager. Through the Ukraine conflict, powers the world over are seeing how the new/last generation of war will be fought. Conventional weapons nor nuclear powers will control the outcome on the new artificial intelligence (AI) dominated battle field. Rather than body bags coming home, it might be drones outside the windows that finally wakes everyone up to the inhumane insanity.

Probably nothing stops today’s burning war fuse. Whatever is left and whoever wins, socialism will still be there as the fair and equitable answer.