We can write a bright new chapter for Socialism right here & now...
It starts as is obvious, with the word social. We all know what being social means. It means interaction with others, seeing the importance of having a relationship with others. Naturally you have relationships within your family... but this is different, this is about your relationship with people outside your family circle.
Most people are social. Most people also feel bad if they see others in pain and will most often try to help or at least want to help. We are social animals. We like to see others do well and be happy unless we have something seriously wrong with our mentality. We may not all go out of our way to help others but if we see someone going through a bad time in front of us our instinctual reaction is to try to help. Most of us will offer kind words as the least we can do.
Then there are those who actively engage with those less fortunate, they go out of their way to help, they feed the hungry, they volunteer to serve in homeless shelters or in food kitchens, they give to beggars whenever they see them, they buy copies of the magazines the homeless sell and they try to do something in their communities to make things better for everyone. They have a social conscience.
The people above are being socialists whether they know it or not. They feel something for others other than their direct family or work colleagues. They feel something for the plight of strangers... perfect strangers. This is the socialism that exists in the mind and most people would call humanitarianism, compassion or natural affinity. Suffering or want triggers a response in the mind. I would argue that response is socialism at its most pure. The essence of socialism is human kindness.
There are humans who don’t have these reactions, or very seldom. They may justify this by a number of means. Some of those justifications will reflect a coldness of mind or heart. Others will simply reflect a coping mechanism to already high stress levels where they consider they are far too busy to bother with the needs of outsiders. They may not wish to get involved as it’d only mean a hassle that would take up scarce time and energy. It’s understandable.
This is where socialism at the heart of government comes in. But my contention is that it should not take over the entire body politic. Free enterprise has its benefits too. And nationalization can eventually kill initiative if an initial idealism and dedication dies. I believe a hybrid economic system is the answer. A system where there is a strong emphasis on compassionate socialism that shares a degree of wealth to everyone in the society because we are more interdependent now than ever. We all create this world we live in. In a very real sense we are all in this together. Free enterprise however needs to be well regulated to keep it ethical. This way it complements all other social aspects, it enhances life without constantly dividing it into the haves and the have nots.
Neither the extreme of totalitarian socialism nor that of full, unbridled capitalism is good or healthy for any society. There ought to be a mix of both socialism and capitalism. Certain societies attempt some form of this, Vietnam, China, Cuba and others. faults can be found in these societies of course as they can with every society that has ever been, that exists now or will in the future. But these are attempts to create successful economies for all whereas what exists in the West tends to be somewhat haphazard, leaving things to chance and faith in 'the markets’ to ultimately deliver for everyone. But we see this is not working.
The engine of unbridled or semi-unbridled capitalism can be seen to be failing in its crucible, the USA. The gap between the ever-increasing numbers living on the streets or in their cars in gated car parks and those living in up-market town houses, mansions out of town or penthouses is growing and has grown exponentially during the last many decades. The problems of the United States are legion and currently now border for various reasons on the totally catastrophic.
Some kindness and caring and some measure of sharing is crying out to be initiated from above and below.
A Universal Basic Income, or at the very least a living wage of $15/hour is desperately needed. The response from big business is entirely predictable. The message from their PR firms and lobbyists would be in the form of loud wails of threat, they won’t hire, they’d likely go bust, they’d all flee overseas where labor is cheap and Wall Street would crash. We’ve heard it all before. They say a corporation is treated as an individual in law, well this individual is naturally looking after its own interest. They will never agree to reduced profits or significantly increased benefits.
The only agency that has the power to distribute wealth gained from taxes more equitably to a population that is dropping downscale and dying younger every year and who have ever-decreasing power to do anything about it, is the government. But a government that looks to corporate donations and has corporate lobbyists embedded inextricably in their decision-making process will be deaf to the voice of its citizens. And in the USA both main parties look to these same entities. As Noam Chomsky says, they are both factions of a single party, The Business Party.
Only a steady increase in socialism can mend this situation. And only increased power, increased unity of the people at large and their increased pressure on their political elites can effect the degree of change necessary.
Socialist commentator and journalist Chris Hedges has said that only massive and sustained non-violent civil disobedience will have any effect now. Voting for one or other of the two main parties in the USA will not engender the fundamental changes needed now. We have seen the truth of this over and over and over again and have wound up here, in an ever-worsening situation.
We could go on as we are with capitalism making ever more for the few while the many increasingly find themselves with no work, no healthcare, insufficient income and fast fading hope of ever seeing their circumstances improve. Automation began taking jobs centuries ago. Robotics began having its effect a few decades back. Now we have the online world and artificial intelligence is set to create yet another revolution in servicing the world... and at the expense of myriad jobs.
We need someone to care. The thought of an increasingly dog-eat-dog elites only world of us and them is looming. If its all just about political cronies and their corporate sponsors in a neat elite circle where one hand washes another the vast majority who create the wealth will be increasingly treated as slaves. As a necessary evil to look after the interests, homes and well being of the super-rich. Is that an attractive prospect to you? I don’t think so.
Remember, it’s not all or nothing. There are already a plethora of socialist services in every country. The fire service, much of education, road building and other items of essential infrastructure and all the associated services that constantly require updating. There are the rescue services, both land and sea. And there are the many social services that a decent society can’t do without. Once you start looking you will see socialism all around you and the essence of that socialism is in helping or assisting us all to live better lives. Better lives than we would have if we relied on self-interested corporations to provide all these things.
We need to up the socialism.
And we need to reduce the power of elite money to have things work for their benefit most of the time. Reagan’s trickle down theory didn’t work in case you hadn’t noticed. The mass of people are getting poorer and sicker as the rich get ever richer. We are almost at the end of the cul-de-sac of capitalism. At the very end we are in the perfect trap with no way out. The organic growth of capital and influence has become almost unlimited and is taking over reducing what is known as democracy to a corporate-run sham.
More socialism won’t arrive from the political elites. They are bought and paid for.
The pressure will have to come from below by those who have seen how it can help and are desperate enough to get out there and socialize with others and make it happen.
Those who have recognized what socialism is and exactly how it can be used to turn things around and transform a future looking increasingly cold, cynical and forbidding into something we may one day be proud to call truly civilized.
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All I can say - excellent article!
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