Is it Fascism? Is it Socialism? Words mean things.

[Nevilledog]

https://newsletters.theatlantic.com/peacefield/6206c37b9d9e380022bed32f/is-it-fascism-is-it-socialism/

*snip*


Now we use these terms all day long and no one knows what they mean. I was talking with my friend Preet Bharara, the proprietor of a newsletter on politics and justice, and we were frustrated (as many of us are) by how much of our public discourse is short-circuited by people who don’t understand basic terminology. I wondered if I should write something about this, and Preet suggested that I do it.

He’d already challenged me to eat my fill of Indian food, and that went well, so I decided to try it.

Still, it’s hard to boil these concepts down to basics. There was a thing, years ago, called The Handbook of Political Science. It’s now out of print, but no one wants to read hundreds of pages of that. Instead, let me offer a quick and dirty version of some of these terms, with a bit of snark and apologies to Ambrose Bierce (wherever he is) for incompetently lifting a Devil’s Dictionary approach.

Some of my fellow political scientists and historians will take issue with what I have here. I say to them: If you want to have long arguments about Juan Linz or Hannah Arendt, let’s do that in our patched elbows over some sherry. For now, I just want informed and engaged citizens to think twice about the kinds of words they’re slinging about a tad too loosely these days.

Let's dive in.

*snip*

[kimbutgar]

1. Someone should create a,pill that asks voters what they support after giving blind definitions

Of socialism and fascism

Are you for a country that advocates for Social security,Medicare for all, living wages, roads and infrastructure upgraded?

It for a country where the rich get richer, they pay less or no taxes, you’re in your own if you get sick, crumbling roads and bridges that can collapse, etc,

I’m not a wordsmith but someone outdoor really make the socialism Democratic priorities acceptable. Fool them with a push poll like the repukes do all time. I’d love to hear the push polls they do to drive down President Biden’s numbers. We could pay them back with polls against the TFG cult party.