What is "socialism"? - An attempt to clear up myths/misconceptions

[vivster]

sc94597 said:

vivster said:

Let me tell you, I live in a socialist country and it's an unstable mess here. I'm basically wondering every day why I even go to work when the state would just easily steal money from hard workers and give it to my lazy ass. I think I may be doing socialism wrong.

Germany is not a socialist country. It's more like socio-political ordoliberalism with a strong focus on welfare capitalism. A socialist country likely wouldn't have billionaires while the average salary is 47000 USD. 

Here are some easy means to tell if a country is organized according to socialist principles: 

1. Are most associated workplaces managed democratically? If so, are profits shared among the workforce or do they disproportionately go to stock-holders or proprietors? If either of these are no, then the country is not socialist. 

2. Are markets more tailored toward circulation and use or are they more tailored toward accumulating enough personal wealth as possible? If the first, then it might be a market socialist economy. If the latter, then it is a variety of capitalism. 

3. Are there absentee landlords who can evict people whom are occupying a piece of land or a home? If so, then the country is not socialist. 

4. Are financial institutions centralized by a either 1. the bourgeois state or 2. private-public partnerships? If so, then the country is not socialist. 

5. Can people easily exit the wage labor-force and still produce income or join a community which would supplement them? If not, then the country is not socialist. 

Welfare capitalism =|= socialism

That you think it is okay that the state (through taxes) and capitalists (through usury) exploit workers strongly implies that you're not a socialist, merely a welfare capitalist. 

Semantics. Why can't this be considered modern socialism? It's social enough to care for the poorest and capitalist enough to be stable and competitive. Seems like an awesome system to me, considering how it works so well for so many people.

Sorry, but I do not feel exploited in the least and I'm sure none of my countrymen do unless they're hardcore neoliberals. I'm absolutely fine with the tax system, though they could actually raise them some more, especially on the wealthy. And capitalists exploiting workers in Germany? Where did you get that crazy idea from? Germany has some of the if not the strongest laws of worker protection in the world. Our minimum wages, paid leaves and legal power over employers are the envy of most nations. If you add to that the extreme consumer protection and privacy laws I fail to see how you could talk about exploitation here.

I feel very much enabled and supported by the state and I am gladly paying my high taxes for it. I have zero fear to ever end up in a position where I will not be able to live my life to the fullest because I know my state has my back at all times.