
Poor white guys used to love socialism 100 years ago. Coal wars in the Appalachians, farmers collectives in the Midwest, and Italian anarchists in New York. But then the red scare happened and the propaganda sunk in. They were taught that socialism = authoritarianism, and that never taxing rich people would somehow make them wealthy.
The idea that the people who are economically disadvantaged deserve it is a legitimizing myth created by the wealthy so that you don’t question existing systems of power. Do you think that the Appalachians are poor because those people are inherently inferior? Do you think that’s why black people are poor? Do you think that someone who did grueling farm work for their entire life to care for their family didn’t try as hard as someone who already had money and made good investments?
It’s inherently a wildly awful ideology to see “mediocrity” as a moral failing deserving of punishment, but someone coming from a poor family and lacking the social opportunity or luck to accumulate wealth also isn’t mediocrity. And if you parse out the consequences of your worldview that “poor people deserve it” you get some obviously monstrous conclusions.
Also before someone points it out yes I know that describing the Appalachians or black people as universally poor is incorrect but I had a limited word count in one comment and was pointing to general trends of economic inequality which are not universal, but are noticeable as a result of historic and continued social marginalization.
I was referring to the 1920s being 80 years into socialism existing as a concept. Okay so it’s the shit where we quibble about the definitions until the words don’t mean anything anymore gotcha. Okay if we go with the definition of socialism as in meaning a social safety net like Europe (which many people will disagree with mind you myself included) then you would include the labor governments of Britain and Australia which were in power 100 years ago
A neurosurgeon does labor, for which they are well compensated for. A neurosurgeon is a worker who is at most likely a low-millionaire. That is fundamentally different from the class of people who passively accumulate billions from doing nothing except having money to make more money. A multimillionaire neurosurgeon is much closer to you or I or the poorest American than they are to a billionaire.
What would be the point in working hard to make money then? You wouldn’t even be able to enjoy the fruits of your labor then. This country is what it is because of the constant drive to be the best. That’s why we’re the richest country on earth and it’s responsible for a myriad of innovations that would likely have never occurred otherwise. Taxing only the top 5% is fucking insane. We’d become the most mediocre country on earth because nobody would have any drive to succeed.
It definitely fucking will. Our tax dollars will build more public spaces, better roads, public transport, schools, childcare, etc. prices of things will go down because the ultra rich will instantly cease to exist. Affordable means affordable for everyone with that little economic class difference.
Now I’m just confused what you were even saying then. Socialist groups existed in America 100 years ago (like the Socialist Party of America). You said socialism didn’t exist 100 years ago, so I pointed out governments in case you meant governments. And then you say you only meant the United States? So socialism has never existed as a concept because America has never had a socialist government? What?