Why don't America rightists understand the difference between Socialism and Communism

[Oerdin]

I'm not a big supporter of either system but I get tired of reading the socialism = communism fallacy in thread, after thread, after thread. How can so many people be so poorly educated in political science?

 

[bhsup]

Sweden: Socialism
Stalin: Communism

I got it, I got it.

 

[George2816]

I'm not a big supporter of either system but I get tired of reading the socialism = communism fallacy in thread, after thread, after thread. How can so many people be so poorly educated in political science?

because rush and ann and all the other righty people told them that communism and socialism is bad!

 

[plarq]

How can so many people be so poorly educated in political science?

How can't? I got my political science degree from CFC OT. Guess my political understanding?

 

[Merkinball]

Who is exactly that doesn't get it?

 

[Phlegmak]

Sweden: Socialism
Stalin: Communism

I got it, I got it.

Sweden: Capitalism.

 

[Oerdin]

I won't name names. That only causes fights but suffice it to say this fallacy is so common that it has annoyed me for years.

 

[Demetrias]

It results in large part because of their common roots and in their common opponent free market capitalism.

 

[Elrohir]

I'm not a big supporter of either system but I get tired of reading the socialism = communism fallacy in thread, after thread, after thread. How can so many people be so poorly educated in political science?

Because we encounter so much stupidity on a day to day basis, that differentiating between the different forms is difficult for us.

In all seriousness, I know that socialism doesn't equal communism. It's a stepping stone towards communism.

 

[Fugitive Sisyphus]

Or maybe the definitions of the terms socialism and communism depend on the context in which they are used?

 

[cubsfan6506]

Because we encounter so much stupidity on a day to day basis, that differentiating between the different forms is difficult for us.

In all seriousness, I know that socialism doesn't equal communism. It's a stepping stone towards communism.

Hope thats sarcasm if not wouldn't that make libertarians the stepping stones to facists.

 

[QuoVadisNation]

It could be the cold war mentality. The USSR has the word 'socialist' in it! Stalin's a Nazi!

The straight answer to your question is that most Americans just don't know. Most people don't even when World War II ended, why would they know the differences between two intellectual ideologies? They're normal people.

Some of the best conversations about Socialism I've had was while drinking champagne in a high-rise in New York.

 

[History_Buff]

Because they mean very different things to different people. You're forgetting that Socialism as an exact term refers to the precursor to Communism. However, neither of these systems have ever been implemented as originally conjectured.

Nor are the Scandinavian countries Socialist. They are Social Democracies with (comparatively) heavily regulated Capitalist Economies.

Not is the United States a Free Market Society. The US has many controls on their economy, which can often seem more convoluted than 'Pinko' European countries.

And then you have people who call themselves certain titles because of a social issue when their economic tastes don't agree, or they name themselves after the party they vote for, when those parties have very little to do with the original political theories they may have espoused.

The problem is that people say a generic term with about 10 different meanings, and assume everyone is talking about the same thing. Then when someone argues that for instance "Communism is bad, Socialism is not", then someone can scream, "Hitler was a socialist!", and then someone else yells Godwins Law, and things go downhill from there.

 

[Godwynn]

Sweden: Socialism

That is incorrect.

Sweden: Welfare State

 

[Elrohir]

Hope thats sarcasm if not wouldn't that make libertarians the stepping stones to facists.

Semi-sarcasm.

And no, it wouldn't, because economically, libertarians favor less governmental intrusion into the economy than fascists do. They want no intrusions at all, while fascists want intrusions only to secure national security and to serve the country, and so on. And they're political views make libertarians a non stepping stone for fascists.

 

[Berzerker]

well, aint communism just the name Stalin or Lenin gave to socialism?

 

[MobBoss]

I won't name names. That only causes fights but suffice it to say this fallacy is so common that it has annoyed me for years.

Then you are full of baloney. If you dont have the guts to name names with someone you disagree with then whats the point of your ranting ad hom?

 

[puglover]

Then you are full of baloney. If you dont have the guts to name names with someone you disagree with then whats the point of your ranting ad hom?

Maybe he's not naming names because user-specific posts aren't legal.

 

[potatokiosk]

I'm not a big supporter of either system but I get tired of reading the socialism = communism fallacy in thread, after thread, after thread. How can so many people be so poorly educated in political science?

Wikipedia states that Communism is "considered a branch of the broader socialist movement" by many people. So if somebody considers Communism a type of Socialism, there's nothing wrong with them saying Communism is Socialism. Yet you're saying that this is uneducated, so why don't you enlighten us on what Communism and Socialism really are? It seems to me that the only real difference between the words is that socialism sounds friendlier.

 

[MobBoss]

Maybe he's not naming names because user-specific posts aren't legal.

Yeah, but a ranting ad hom is simply a troll thread...so your point being?