Socialism for Absolute Beginners

You've probably heard the word "socialism" in the media. More often than not, it's used as a pejorative. Why is that? Is socialism really that bad, or is there something else going on? In this episode, we'll take a look at socialism at the very surface level. This video is intended to be sent to friends and family who may be familiar with the term, but don't really understand what socialism is all about. I hope you find it helpful!

Socialism for Absolute Beginners – Second Thought

New video every Friday!

Citations and further reading:

Socialism 101

23 Things They Don't Tell You About Capitalism

Grad student stats

US's Report on Intervention in Chile

Chilean Statistics and Project Cybersyn

Follow and Support Second Thought!
CashApp: $JTChapman

Watch More Second Thought:

About Second Thought:
Second Thought is a channel devoted to education and analysis of current events from a Leftist perspective. Welcome!

[SecondThought]

Howdy, friends! I hope you find this video helpful. Remember to send it to your non-socialist friends and family so that we're all on the same page when we're talking about socialism.

[Luis-vxtx]

Imagine being told "You deserve healthcare and a democratically managed workplace" and getting angry at that.

[ValerietheLovelyDeadlyItalian]

The day I stopped hating socialism was the day I learned what socialism is. Coincidentally, the day I stopped loving capitalism was the day I learned what capitalism is.

[the_mangerine]

Still not entirely sure what it's all about, but from what I can gather from the video:

People having a say and do in how their life is run leads to better quality of life. Feels pretty simple and beneficial honestly, why is it shunned so much?

[thecardczar]

This man is a hero. So brave to put his face out there with this content knowing he's kicking the hornet nest

[EmperorNefarious]

I still can't believe I ended up learning about socialism because I was trying to understand why the suburbs suck and parking minimums are bad. What a pipeline, glad I let it happen.

[Basilica_]

I cant believe second thought isnt just a disembodied voice echoing from a cloud

[emraldbeast]

To start this out I just want to say I'm constantly sending your videos to friends because the more people that wake up change will happen sooner.

[agnieszkajakubowicz]

Few years back I was taking some courses for fun at a local community college here in California. At one time the professor asked how many of the students identify as socialists and I eagerly raised my hand, only to realize that I was the only in a class full of young people who audibly scoffed at the idea. It was quite shocking and eye-opening for me. Shocking, because I had assumed young, educated people would be more idealistic. Eye-opening because it made me realize how the propaganda from the red-scare era was still alive in the USA all those generations later. Glad to see channel like this spreading much needed education.

[FRISHR]

Chile: "We just made Socialism work!"

CIA: "So anyway I started blasting!"

[bitnecromancer]

When I was in high school I asked my history teacher to explain what was so bad about socialism. Their answer was "It just is". I remain, to this day, unconvinced.

[spudinho]

Another really helpful clip! For anyone who wants a user-friendly guide to how capitalism exploits the workforce, I would suggest reading "A People's Guide to Capitalism" by Hadas Thier. She explains in detail and in an accessible way how the value of our wage is always significantly less than the value we create - and how the system known as capitalism is based on endless expansion, leading to conflict and environmental degradation in the non-stop quest for profits.

[SomeJohndoe]

So basically the common problem with all these systems is people. People corrupt, even those who start out with good intentions seem to end up corrupt when power comes into play

[Sabeximus]

It's ironic that generally pretty much everyone agrees that countries should be run democratically and that there should be no one dictator. Yet, somehow suddenly it is okay for companies and workplaces to work exactly like that. Why aren't we applying democracy to workplaces as well?

[cnwil]

This is why education and knowledge is so important for the progression of a society. Societies exist because of its people.

[lucassullivan]

Careful, this video oversimplifies socialism and capitalism in an extremely bias manner. It simplifies both concepts so much that key details are left out. If you want a holistic view on both political ideologies, I suggest reading comprehensive books on them.

[elioperez-wilson]

It means so much that you mention Chile. My family is from Chile and they left during the reign of Pinochet my grandfather was imprisoned and tortured at the national stadium. The horrific coup that ensued in 1973 was a disgusting example of American intervention in other nations.

[ghostofsilence]

Weird thing is my dad says he hates socialism. That socialism ruins countries. I asked him to describe a system that would work in all these failed socialist countries he keeps yammering about. He described roughly what you described as socialism and said it was capitalism. The "anti socialist" in my family is an even bigger socialist than me. Wtf does that tell you?

[nomijecker]

I happened upon your channel from a different video essay channel and I am so grateful. Trying to start learning more

[_Zodvik]

“I can’t wait to finish this raft and escape capitalism!” Said no one ever.