So how do people react to “democratic socialism”? Some people hear Marxist socialism (which it is not) or they hear communism and go straight to the cold war, Meanwhile others call themselves true Socialists and are offended by Sander's use of the term. But maybe we should hit the pause button.
“Sociology professor Lane Kenworthy thinks Sanders’s use of the word socialism is causing much more confusion than it is adding value. Mr. Kenworthy suggested a more fitting term for Sanders would be “democratic socialist capitalist,” which essentially means very liberal.” (Christian Science Monitor).
Even the word liberal though is in context, as Sanders largely emulates FDR and, frankly, his tax ideas seem less liberal than those under Eisenhower, who he calls a good republican. We have to take into account the radical shift to the right, for lack of better words. (and I wish I had better words, but I'd like to post this before the debate).
Some are even playing the Hitler card. Hitler who established a totalitarian regime said “"Liberalism is a disease of the mind that weakens and corrupts human beings." Sure, the Nazi party's full name was the National Socialist German Workers’ Party. Yet according to politifact “there was little socialist about the party’s platform or Hitler’s actions once he acceded to leading Germany in the early 1930s”. The focus was on building nationalism.
“Barbara Miller Lane, professor and co-editor of a compilation of Nazi ideology before 1933, said: The Nazis opposed all traditional socialism, wanting to substitute something they called ‘German socialism’ or ‘Aryan socialism.’ This meant citizenship and privileges only for ‘Aryans’ (meaning non-Jews), concentration camps for others."
In all fairness, this is practically the opposite of what Sanders, whose grandparents died in the holocaust, who marched with MLK, who stood up for women's rights, who stood up for gay rights before mainstream America did, who is careful not to create more terrorism by pushing everyday citizens into extremism with more ungrounded hate, stands for.
And the root word matters. The root word is democratic... His goal is to involve as many people in the political process as possible, to restore voter rights, to limit corruption in the political process. To overturn Citizens United.
Sanders warned of consequences involving both the Iraq War and the banking crisis (and global warming)... all of these involve corruption on some level... and collectively this country largely missed the warning. Tonight when watching the republican debate, one may ask the question of which candidates are fueled by the fossil fuel industry.
Sanders has stood before congress to ask if what we now have is an oligarchic system, a form of government where a small group of people have control. (Watching some of the clips embedded in the video below should adequately address this). Sanders wants a restoration of the democratic process.
The irony is that if we are owned by terms so easily, others know this and use them to pull our strings... we become the tools of manipulation... hard for anyone to claim absolute freedom I suppose... but frankly recognizing manipulation is one of the greater aspects of moving forward... to see past media, past politicians that are bought (who don't even know they are bought), to see the hidden strings connected to the products we buy, to transcend the people traps we pass down from generation to generation... and the drama dominoes we keep on flicking.
Are we free or are we owned? Are we interested in cutting some strings and waking up? Maybe I'll learn something new tomorrow, and maybe you disagree with Sanders, but lets be fair about it:)
*One Chance, like the words of Sanders, is meant in context. We certainly may have more than one chance to make a difference, but in this lifetime, this is our one chance to elect Bernie Sanders and to catalyze on the type of energy that has afforded us this rare opportunity. It is a chance to lend our voices to a higher game*
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