Let’s Talk About… Democratic Socialism

Everybody already seems to have an opinion about democratic socialism. You either love it like Bernie Sanders and AOC do, or you loath it with a burning passion. But what are we really arguing about? If you stop and listen, those two words, democratic and socialism, can mean fundamentally different things to different people. So, who’s right? Matt Kibbe breaks it down word by word in the latest video from the “Let’s Talk About…” series.
#democraticsocialism #democracy #socialism

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[michaelhorning]

What we need are reforms to limit the concentration of economic power by corporations. Democratize the free market.

[GeorgWilde]

"It wasn't real socialism. It was authoritarian socialism." - They go even further. They sey it was capitlism... State capitalism (which is a contradiction in terms).

[WhiteFyre]

Matt, going by how you defined democracy, I now understand that democracy doesn't exist at all in Australia nor America. ✨🌸✨

[J]

The video attacks the term democratic socialism, which is indeed a strange term and probably a contradiction in itself as socialism cannot be democratic by definition. However, the proponents refer to Scandinavia as their preferred model and this is the political order that needs to be addressed. As someone who has lived in a social democracy, which is a better term although not the original one: das Rheinland modell, I can confirm it is possible. It is not a failure as socialism is therefore it can be a valid option to choose. However, there are prerequisites to the success of the model. The first thing to know is that the core is pretty hard capitalism. First you need to make money, then you can redistribute it. Secondly, there needs to be a monoculture consisting of people with more or less the same work ethic. We are all going to pay a lot of taxes and when some try to squeeze out of that deal, problems arise. Experience teaches that even combining a protestant and a catholic work ethic is somewhat problematic. Next, the government cannot be corrupt as they will be handling enormous amounts of tax money that needs to be redistributed somewhat fairly. While nowadays almost all countries are to some extent social democracies, only the protestant countries in Northern and Western Europe manage to maintain a functional social democracy. Perhaps also New Zealand and Australia. If and once the prerequisites have been fulfilled, you will have a capitalist country where you'll pay a lot of taxes. In return, you get a number of state services. When the economy tanks you won't have to leave your house because of the welfare system but when the economy booms you'll be dragging this welfare system behind you like a large led ball.

[TheCossak]

there's a difference between democratic socialism (ie: communism lite) and social democracy (ie: socially responsible capitalism)

[chasityrhodus]

“Democratic socialism” kinda makes as much sense as Bernie sanders (policies) & “Budget chair...” 😳
Dude that doesn’t even know the difference in secured vs UNsecured loan(s), &/or how to calculate APR on credit card debt...😩

Every fed income tax-payin (especially in private-sector) American should educate themselves on these policies (NOW!)

[workingguy-OU]

The people can be in charge as long as they are better armed, better trained, and better organized than the police they have around them. That won't ever happen.

[scientchahming]

Technically, the Nordic system is social democracy, not socialism.

[jakerote]

"we all disagree on stealing from people" uh they believe in high taxation...

[perrywidhalm]

Democracy means the rule of the majority. Period.

[brianjetton]

Many seem to confuse a Democracy and a Republic. America is a Constitutional Republic, not a democracy (nor Democratic Republic, which is redundant.) We elect representatives to speak for us so that we can go about our daily lives. I don't think the founders ever intended for the average citizen to have daily updates on political issues. Problem seems to be that the people representing us are more concerned with working toward their own interests. And when Trump worked to expose this, they went nuts.

[MonaLisa-rmiv]

We here in Austria and the dudes in Germany call it social democracy… maybe that causes less anxiety in the freedom guys over there in the United cooperations of America🤓
And, we can vote for very unsocial parties 🎉

[floydwilkes]

Fair enough. How would such a system — one predicted on reasoned deliberation and persuasion — be effected, organized and branded? Our current system seems to have evolved — I would say devolved — into a plutocracy of kleptocratics dominating an oligarconomy producing very undesirable, inequitable outcomes for the vast majority of franchise holders? Do you agree? Are you content with the status quo? If not, how would you modify it to improve it?

[robertbrown]

Not sure where this guy comes down with regard to being for or against socialism. If he's suggesting that we need to look at some sort of hybrid, or rather "a kinder, more caring" brand of socialism, then good luck. Everytime it has been tried, it ends up with an authoritarian style government. Its all there for you to see, when looking at the historical track record of socialism. But wait, what about Scandinavian democratic socialism? Sorry, but all of these countries have free market economies - some more economically free than the USA. Look it up.

[neuromancerk]

7 Democratic Socialists disliked this video. I'll give them credit for at least watching it. ;)

[jacksonwatkins]

Matt, could you facilitate a serious conversation, or just do a video about the trade offs of Democracy itself? (As in Democracy as a form of government (Popular or Representative), not as a voluntary process or a market mechanism). I think it is safe to say that there are certain things that most people believe shouldn't be subject to a vote (giving people the legal right to kill someone because a person simply wants to, the legal right to rob someone at gun point simply because a person feels like it), to me not allowing people to vote on those things is un-democratic by definition, but that doesn't mean it's wrong not to make those things subject to a vote. This to me means that a serious conversation needs to be had about the extent to which people should be able to vote on outcomes that impact not only them but everyone around them. It seems to me that the Democratic Republic tension based balancing act is nearing a tipping point, and perhaps there is an alternative that doesn't require there to be a perpetual structural tension.

[mustang]

Isn't democratic socialism the missing step in Marx's theory, between free market capitalism and totalitarian socialism?

[williamoverton]

Civility is bipolar you have a community supporting a society.

[fernandesjean]

Instead of taking care of each and everyone, socialism is considering people within a group and we know that the though of a person is always smarter than the though of a group of them. That's why this ideology is spoiled from the beginning.

[lukeearthcrawler]

Democratic socialism always sounded like a partial abortion to me.