Not to be outdone, Michele Bachmann accused most of her fellow Republicans of being "frugal socialists."
"Socialism means failure and socialism kills a growing economy. ... Because socialism is a principle that I will reject, and I will work to eradicate socialism all across the United States government. Unfortunately for too many Republicans, they also aspire to be frugal socialists. ... We can't preserve liberty if the choice a year from now is between a frugal socialist and an out-of-control socialist."Is anyone still frightened by this bogeyman?
Through overuse, the word "socialist" no longer has any meaning, at least not in American political discourse. It's simply a term for anything you don't like. If the dog soils your carpet, you can yell "Bad dog!" or you can yell "Socialist dog!" Same thing.
10 comments:
The word 'socialism' has meaning to me. It means a society without exploitation, where the free development of each is the condition for the free development of all.
You can also say that a socialist is someone who asks the social question (why is there such pauperism when industrial production is so advanced?), and who follows it through properly.
USSR etc. - just capitalist. Wage-labour etc.
You have to draw the line somewhere with regard to what words to fight over.
I said AMERICAN political discourse, b.
Nobody ever claimed that American political discourse was particularly rational.
Through extensive abuse in 2008, the R-word has joined the S-word in the Lexicon of Meaningless American Political Insults.
Here in France the S-word is slowly being drained of meaning, but that's because of wishy-washy neoliberal policies of the PS.
That some of us are willing to spend more and get less out of our health care dollar instead of being labeled Socialist speaks volumes on our level of rationality.
Dogs are socialists, cats are libertarians.
myiq2xu says:
"Dogs are socialists, cats are libertarians."
LandO says:
Nah. Cats are Royalists.
Curiously, myiq, by that logic sheep would be socialist too. Doesnt seem to match reality.
Harry
Cats are Bonapartists. At least, I've known one or two Cats of Destiny.
Destroy language and people can't say anything.
Post a Comment