On Thu, 21 Sep 2000, Ken Brown wrote:
I think you hit the nail on the head here. For most USAns these days the word "socialism" doesn't really mean anything specific, it is just a generalised insult (much the same as the way people on the left sometimes use "Nazi" or "Fascist").
There were a few big rants on this topic a couple of years back... <pause for thought while Ken pays a visit to Alta Vista...>
Yep, http://www.inet-one.com/cypherpunks/dir.98.10.12-98.10.18/msg00019.html has a rant about Rosa Luxemburg and various people redefining the word "socialism" so that it included only ideas they didn't like & excluded ones they did. It was a sort of reply to a thread started by Jim Choate:
Since I was mentioned in passing, socialism (at least the way I use it) is the central management of resources and people without private ownership. Facism is the central management of resources and people with private ownership (of course if you don't manage it the way they want they do take it away - so it does have a 're-definition' of ownership). When I call anarcho-capitalist, libertarians, and even Tim a socialist, I mean it in the context of they want to manage the resources to some model they feel is 'reasonable' and if you disagee too damn bad. The fact it isn't THEIR private property they want to manage doesn't seem to impinge into their reptillian psyche not at all. In effect they believe in angels among men, and as a consequence they must be the angels. The view in effect reduces my right to decide as an individual and that is realy what makes it 'socialist'. The REAL litmus test should be "Does that behaviour interfere with the expresson of my beliefs?". If the answer is no then it isn't any of the other parties business and the behavior should have no further regulation or limitation (unless at a later time it does cross the 3rd party expression test). Oh well, another of those COTUS half-baked rants... ____________________________________________________________________ He is able who thinks he is able. Buddha The Armadillo Group ,::////;::-. James Choate Austin, Tx /:'///// ``::>/|/ ravage@ssz.com www.ssz.com .', |||| `/( e\ 512-451-7087 -====~~mm-'`-```-mm --'- --------------------------------------------------------------------