here is the synopsis
A former Marine and a public school teacher in two different states find themselves broke and unable to sustain their livelihoods through their jobs. Activated by the energy of the 2016 Sanders presidential campaign and the murmurs of a state-wide teacher strike, both turn to socialism, a once-fringe ideology, to tackle problems larger than themselves.
THE BIG SCARY “S” WORD delves into the rich history of the American socialist movement and journeys with the people striving to build a socialist future today.
With inequality growing, a climate catastrophe looming, and right-wing extremism ascending around the world, many Americans are wondering whether capitalism is to blame.
But what is the alternative? Socialism is plagued by conflicting definitions. Is it dictatorship or democracy? Norway or Venezuela? Reform or revolution?
This film explores where American socialism has been, why it was suppressed, and imagines what a renewed American socialism might look like.
hot take
bernie and the squad were a bad thing for the US left
responding to your hot take:
Bernie did more for the US left than any of the diehard CPUSA 90s holdouts ever did. The US left did not exist before Bernie in any meaningful sense. Bernie at least resummoned the spectre of communism even if he was a succdem who ultimately ate shit.
:punished-bernie: I summon The Spectre of Communism!
:flattened-bernie: ... and end my turn
:pete: I play "Fix Iowa Caucus" and it's twice as effective because my hero card "McKinsey Consultant" gives me a bonus to all fix actions, including elections and bread prices.
You now have 1hp
I play PAC of greed, it allows me to draw two additional election consultants!
The SuccDem to communist pipeline exists but also we should probably still educate the kids so that they know the basics.
What has Bernie done for the US left besides tell them to vote for democrats?
I'm ok with this.
I genuinely do not see a problem. How many of you were once libs that were brought in by the rehabilitation of the word socialism through socdems like Bernie?
Probably a good thing. It's extremely easy to unbrainworm people on "socialism is when the government does stuff" which makes it quick to pull them into real socialism.
I genuinely do not see a problem. How many of you were once libs that were brought in by the rehabilitation of the word socialism through socdems like Bernie?
Zero, we are all natural communists who are born with the right skull shape to comprehend theory, unlike everyone else :very-smart:
The libs were all purged in the Great Banning of Arr Slash Chapo Trap House
Ironically, the thing that made "socialism" a not-scary for me was when the republicans spent 10 years calling obamacare socialism. I'm like motherfuckers, that was your own counter-offer to an NHS
:wojak-nooo: NOOOO socialism was definitely in a stronger state in the mythical past of 20 years ago
Socialism is when basic welfare shoehorned in a capitalist framework and must be funded at enormous expense for, ironically, much the same reason as the falling rate of profit in business in perpetuity until you lose one election and the entire thing is ripped apart, then used an an example of how big government doesn't work
That old ad with the crying Native American but it's Karl Marx looking at piles of liberal American takes about socialism
socialism is when the government does stuff, and the more it distorts marxism, the more american it is
She's coming around, but has been a lifelong liberal. This is why struggles to make coherent anti-capitalist arguments. She wants to, but she's spent 4 decades believing in liberalism (not neoliberalism), and is now trying to make the shift.
That's good but she doesn't seem like she fully grasps the leftwing that resides beyond Liberals.
I don't think that disqualifies her from being included in some SucDem take on Socialism. If anything, it seems like she's a perfect fit.
Nordic socialism or socialism with american characteristics doesn't exist and shouldn't be talked about. What's not socialism cannot be shoehorned into being called a socialism. When that thing fails all the westerners will again resort to saying "Look socialism failed. It never works."
My biggest gripe with Bernie and the Squad or any "progressives" is their usage of phrases like "corporate socialism". It's not socialism. Bailing out big business isn't any way related to socialism. If you continue to perpetuate that talking point then an average person is going to get a wrong idea. As for those arguing that an average person wouldn't know better, teaching them the wrong thing isn't how you should remove western anti communist propaganda. Also, Putting up white socdem nations(is it even socdem) as socialist countries while bashing any remotely non white country like Venezuela , China or Vietnam as authoritarian country only serves the anti communist agenda and results in radlibs like V*ushites.
What do you mean by saying socialism with American characteristics doesn’t exist? I thought it was generally accepted that socialist states had to accommodate national characteristics. Where has there been socialism where that hasn’t been the case?
Hell, I thought socialism was when no food before Bernie brought the word back. I know now that the things he advocates for isn't really what socialism means to us, but it did change my subconscious concept from a neutral/negative to a positive one. now look at me, ma! No hands!
I know there's doubt that working on the lib to left pipeline is worth it, or even whether it does more good than harm. But I, too, was once a lib, and that gives me hope. At the end of the day, I think/hope this is going to destigmatize the word "socialism" even more for people, which is a good thing. People have to be receptive to the word before they can be informed about what the actual definition is.bernie and the squad were a bad thing for the US left
Meh. They'll be footnotes in history, one way or another.
People on The Left are just desperate to see and hear leaders who seem like they are at least trying to do the right thing. Obama created that illusion in 2008. Sanders/AOC created that illusion under Trump. I'm sure we'll have new people to do it in the future.
But when the illusion breaks, people don't come out of it thinking their insincerity is a strike against Leftism. They come out of it thinking we should do better. That's good for Leftism.
But when the illusion breaks, people don’t come out of it thinking their insincerity is a strike against Leftism.
I think that these people do exist. We don't see them here. They go off to become like Tim Pool fans.
this won't be that bad. who cares about the soc dem/dem soc separation when casting off profit isn't on the table? it would be genuinely better if the government did more stuff and wasn't expected to return a profit. kill the car and apply the post office model to amtrak. nationalize the fucking internet and the electrical grid in the name of national security. why the fuck not? make them better without letting at&t and verizon do nothing but pocket the cash anyway. take china's lesson. crack down on government corruption and the whole "the government wastes our money" argument will look fucking stupid. the world needs america to stop strangling it more than it needs to try and wait on america to pursue communism by revolution. if we stop spending money on coups and projection and cops, the rest of the world might stand somewhat of a chance.
