This is what I've picked up through osmosis

Socialism is:

a) What they have in Nordic countries/Europe. The "kinder communism"

b) OR actually just as bad as regular communism, what they have in Venezuela/USSR/Cuba. Extremely evil, no freedoms, no 34 different brands of toilet paper, awful. All socialist countries are dictatorships.

These two contradictory definitions somehow simultaneously exist in many people's minds.

Communism is: unquestionably bad. No private property at all, you can't even own a hairbrush. Everything is the same, drab and dreary. Bread lines. Somehow more extreme than Socialism despite commonly being thought of as the exact same thing.

Marxism is: the most extreme form of communism ever. The big bad. Somehow worse than both communism and socialism combined despite being the same thing as them. Some Americans will insist that actually socialism is good because that's what they have in places like Denmark and Bernie said he was a socialist, but MARXISM is bad because that's what they had in the USSR. Associated heavily with the destruction of western values and bringing about horrible things like LGBT rights and abstract art (???)

Anarchism is: a violent, completely free-for-all way of life. Mostly just 17 year old larpers. Destruction for destruction's sake. The exact opposite of communism on their rudimentary political compass, but also somehow part of the left at the same time.

  • ClothesHanger [he/him]
    ·
    4 years ago

    ...but how are you going to pay for it?

    It is annoying, but it is uplifting to see that young people seem to be hard left and have a favorable view of socialism.

    • sexywheat [none/use name]
      ·
      4 years ago

      Holy shit I think that talking point was the most infuriating thing to hear over and over again during the primary.

      Bernie: Medicare for all will save us billions of dollars

      Media: but how are you going to pay for it

      Bernie: ... it will SAVE US BILLIONS OF DOLLARS

      Media: sure, but where will we get the money from to pay for it? Taxes will have to go up!

      Bernie: yes taxes will go up but you won’t have to pay premiums or co pays any more

      Media: sure does sound impossibly expensive

      • Mardoniush [she/her]
        ·
        4 years ago

        Love it when your minimum program is treated as a transitional one.