:
: : Communism is too authoritarian and capitalism is too materialistic.
: : Social democracy is the only hope for the world.
: Communism, according to Marx, has three characteristics:
: 1. a classless society.
: 2. social ownership of the means of production.
: 3. no state. (ie NO "authoritarian" government): Does this sound like Russia to you? or China? If you are TRULEY looking for alternatives to the absurdity of the world around you then start from the beginning with the famous document of 150 years ago, the Communist Manifesto.
: Instead of Communism and Capitalism, think about it this way:
: * Individual ownership of the means of production (for the neccessities of life) OR
: * Social ownership of the means of production.
: Who CONTROLS these things? How SHOULD it be controlled?
: Socialism, which is the transition from Capitalism to Communism, can be (simplistically) described as two things: Democracy & Abundance. If you can successfully implement these two things, democratic control of the means of production to implement abundance, eventually you reach Communism as described above.
: How to get to Socialism is another thing altogether. Marx proposed a scientific way (find out more and think for yourself!) But it starts with these ideas:
: * As soon as you leave the organisation of society up to someone else, you start to stuff up (ie you can't be given a democracy like we have been, you need to construct it! get on the streets in protest, now!)
: * "People in power have misused it, and now a better world has to be built" - Malcolm X (ie the ruling class is getting away with the ruthless exploitation of people and of the earth. Don't LET them get away with it!)
: * "The mass media manufactures consent" - Naom Chomsky (ie the role of the mass media is the alienate us from what is going on in the world, to demonise progressive ideas - everything from ecologically sustainable technologies to concepts like Communism) - seek out your information, don't let yourself be fed!
: * Human nature is a product of society, not the other way round - if you think that the idea of Socialism sounds good but we are just too greedy for it to work, well insult your own human nature and not the tireless work of millions of people around the world still in the Communist movement today despite the supposed collapse of communism in 1989.
: the last point is: in order to understand the world, you must try to change it. But in order to change the world, you must try to understand it.
: oh yeah, try to have some fun as well, its important.
Socialism IS democracy. Socialism is basically the world taking control of the world, with everyone having the same influence as everyone else. Socialism, TRUE socialism (and communism as well) has NEVER been implemented before in all of history, so you can't very well judge what the socialist future would be like by referring to its 'past'. Thank you.
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