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Bernie Sanders Surge Reflects US Shift on Socialism
http://www.voanews.com/content/bernie-sanders-surge-reflects-us-shift-on-socialism/2951986.htmlNo. It doesn't.
The people of the US, by and large, do not realize what socialism entails. They are much less willing to support it when they realize how much of our society must be changed, invented, or left behind. I don't think we'll get there through the various current political methods, as doing so makes it harder in some senses to unite in the face of the massive mechanisms of modern capitalism. But if you ask people if they are willing to stand up, you will get very few agreements. This shift is merely representative of a generational change, a public less-receptive to "red scare" attacks, and confusion around the terms "social democracy", "democratic socialism" and "socialism" (always remember the media's diversion from truly socialist attempts and positive identification of "socialism" with liberal capitalist countries like Sweden).
The Sanders surge is, for me, not exciting because of what it represents in real political and socio-economic gain. That stands to be highly limited. Modern capitalism has developed the most impressive and comprehensive anti-democratic oppressions in history, and there is usually little progress without long, dedicated struggle.
It's exciting because it represents a huge opportunity for those of us interested in moving beyond capitalism. People identify each issue as something that needs to change, that we want to change. We have hope, some awareness, and a lot of compassion. There is a movement somewhat interested in uniting against the various oppressions of capitalism. Much of it arises from struggles as important as the greater cause of humanism and far more radical and immediate.
We have to be able to unite and have our voice on the table in this leftward movement. We need a strong leftist voice advocating a platform of systemic change through individual policies and broader shifts. We on the left need to be able to come to compromises and agreements, stepping back and framing things more generally, and play a part in the upcoming discussions. If Sanders is elected, we may have a microphone, if not a voice. We need to be able to advocate for specific policies and platforms like that presented by Black Lives Matter while avoiding the general disagreements that have historically weakened us. We must be effecting change in the meantime, or we will lose legitimacy. And of course, we must physically and emotionally be present in support of the oppressed, always.
But we can make our voices heard--and the cool part about this movement is that, at least with almost everyone I've spoken to, is that people are listening.
The Sanders surge is, for me, not exciting because of what it represents in real political and socio-economic gain. That stands to be highly limited. Modern capitalism has developed the most impressive and comprehensive anti-democratic oppressions in history, and there is usually little progress without long, dedicated struggle.
It's exciting because it represents a huge opportunity for those of us interested in moving beyond capitalism. People identify each issue as something that needs to change, that we want to change. We have hope, some awareness, and a lot of compassion. There is a movement somewhat interested in uniting against the various oppressions of capitalism. Much of it arises from struggles as important as the greater cause of humanism and far more radical and immediate.
We have to be able to unite and have our voice on the table in this leftward movement. We need a strong leftist voice advocating a platform of systemic change through individual policies and broader shifts. We on the left need to be able to come to compromises and agreements, stepping back and framing things more generally, and play a part in the upcoming discussions. If Sanders is elected, we may have a microphone, if not a voice. We need to be able to advocate for specific policies and platforms like that presented by Black Lives Matter while avoiding the general disagreements that have historically weakened us. We must be effecting change in the meantime, or we will lose legitimacy. And of course, we must physically and emotionally be present in support of the oppressed, always.
But we can make our voices heard--and the cool part about this movement is that, at least with almost everyone I've spoken to, is that people are listening.