Why does American youth look positively at socialism when it has been a miserable failure in Eastern Europe and East Asia?

Sigh, here we go again…

Listen, Americans don’t have a fucking clue what Socialism is, but then neither does anyone else, because it’s never actually been tried in the history of Humanity.

The crap the USSR, Cuba, Vietnam, North Korea, People’s Republic of China, etc engage in is a hybrid of oligarchy, plutocracy, anocracy, fascism and kleptocracy, nothing more, nothing less, and it is NOT on the “Left” they are all on the “Right”.

How can I say that? Well, it’s real simple for those with brains. There is NO authoritarianism on the left. The further left you go, the further towards anarchy you are.

Political Spectrum, Left to Right

Anarchy — Direct Democracy — Communism — Socialism — Indirect Democracy — Temporary Dictatorship (one appointed for a set amount of time during times of war kind of thing) — Anocracy (Hybrid of Indirect Democracy and Dictatorship) — Enlightened Dictatorship — Oligarchy/Plutocracy/Kleptocracy — Theocracy — Dictatorship — Fascism — Divine Monarchy — Absolute Divine Monarchy.

So, why is this the true political spectrum?

Furthest Left = complete rejection of lawful behavior, society completely breaks down. This is the very definition of anarchy.

Direct Democracy is essentially mob rule and doesn’t work very well, usually. Every citizen has a say, every citizen can introduce laws, they must be agreed on by at least a majority, etc.

Communism is a socioeconomic system in which the Government owns all means of manufacturing, production, farming and service organizations, that all people, including those in the Government, jointly own the country, businesses, farms, and property, all get paid based on their roles, everyone works for the government, and property is essentially rented form the government. It’s a collective, similar to direct democracy but no private ownership of businesses or property.

Socialism is a socioeconomic system identical to Communism EXCEPT for one crucial area. In Socialism, ownership of private property by citizens IS allowed

Indirect Democracy is where the citizens elect a subset of citizens that govern for them. There are several subtypes such as Parliamentary (Constitutional Monarchy), Representative Democracy, and Republic (which is a Representative Democracy, but the citizens also elect the executive authority).

Temporary Dictatorship is one where due to an unforeseen issue or threat, temporary dictatorial powers are given to an executive authority, for a certain amount of time, by the Legislative Authority.

Anocracy is a hybrid of an Indirect Democracy and Dictatorship.

An Enlightened Dictatorship is one similar to a Parliamentary Democracy or Republic, but the Executive Authority is for life, but is one that is still governed and bound by laws, freedoms, and benevolence.

Oligarchy/Plutocracy/Kleptocracy are small groups of people who govern, aren’t elected by the people, and may or may not be benevolent. Plutocracy is a subtype where those in charge are the wealthiest, Kleptocracy is where those in charge funnel/steal money and make themselves wealthier.

Theocracy is a small group of religious leaders who govern the people based on the religious rites, rules, etc of one religion.

Dictatorship is the rule of 1 person, usually one not inherited by taken by force.

Fascism is very much like a dictatorship but is more strict and stringent, and oppressive.

Furthest Right = Absolute power/rule held by one person (and possibly their spouse), hereditary, and often claims to receive power direct from (or acts as if) he/she is a deity which is, of course, an absolute, divine monarchy.

Now, back to the question…

American Youth want to retain an Indirect Democracy, but to expand SAFETY NETS. What Republicans have been calling “Socialism” or “Communism” for over a century are neither, they are safety net programs designed to protect the General Welfare (Welfare, as used in 1776–1900 means “well being” by the way) like the Constitution tells the Government to do, as well as to make sure ALL citizens of the United States continue to enjoy their inalienable rights to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness, just like the Declaration of Independence says.

The first safety net provided to the people of the United States was their right to follow whatever religion they wanted to or none. The second safety net was so that the people of the United States retain the right of freedom of speech (though not freedom from the consequences of that speech if it endangered others) and so on. The first safety net involving money was the very first Congress of the United States providing veterans’ benefits to those who fought in the Revolutionary War in the Continental Army, or their surviving spouses or children. The second was to issue Government secured loans for “homesteaders”. The third was to offer all citizens to get vaccinated against small pox using an small injection of cow pox (a much milder form of small pox that still created antibodies and helped prevent small pox) for free. As our country became more prosperous the safety nets provided by the Government expanded, just as those who were homeless or jobless or just poor could live, for free, in “poor houses” which also provided basic food, usually a kind of stew or porridge.

It’s also interesting to note that every civilization since the dawn of written history beginning in Ancient Sumer around 10,000 BCE, as well as the oral history of Aboriginal Australians which goes back about 40,000 years provided at least a few safety nets to protect its citizens, such as poor houses, free or low cost health care, food rations and even paid government work (usually building projects). Sumer, Babylon, Rome, Greece, Egypt, Persia, the Indigenous peoples of North and South America, the Ancient Japanese, Ancient Chinese, Ancient Indus Valley, Ancient Jews/Israel, Catholic, Christian and Orthodox Christian nations such as the Byzantine Empire, Islamic countries/Caliphates, and so on ALL had safety nets for their people of one kind or another.

It’s interesting that the only ones who ever seem to cry about safety nets are the wealthy/greedy/prejudiced Conservatives in history, those like Marie Antoinette telling the poor and starving subjects just prior to the French Revolution, “Let them eat cake” when most were eating rats, mice, tree bark, grass and so on.

You know who supported safety nets in the United States?

George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, Martin Van Buren, John Quincy Adams, Samuel Adams, Patrick Henry, Thomas Paine, Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S Grant, Samuel Chase, J Paul Getty, John Rockerfeller, James Madison, James Monroe, Andrew Jackson, and most other Presidents and members of Congress, Supreme Court Justices and so on up to and including Dwight D. Eisenhower, who incidentally was the last true Republican who espoused the ideals of the Republican Party as Founded in the 1854. That was, of course, before Richard Millhouse Nixon chose to bring to racists like Stom Thurmond into the Republican Party and Newt Gingrich and Ronald Reagan began courting the Christian fundamentalists and extremists into Republican Party.

Here’s an easy way to tell if something suggested is Communist or Socialist:

Does it have the government take over all private industries (not create its own, but take over a business that already exists?

If yes, it may be Communist or Socialist.

Does it take over private real property (houses, cars, boats, fishing rods, etch-a-sketches, slinkies, and everything else) from everyone without compensation?

If yes, it may be Communist.

Does it provide money or assistance to the poor, the sick, the injured, the disabled, seek to educate people for little or no cost, or help people pay their bills or prevent people from starving?

It’s not Communist or Socialist, it’s a safety net.