cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/27921882

Hi! I am a stranger on this instance, I have read a lot of warnings about the “tankie triad”, but wanted to see for myself and keep an open mind.

I watched this video, and it made me want to take a deep dive into socialism/communism, with as much objectivity as I can. https://youtu.be/BeRjTtKFlVM

I understand how capitalism works, and I have doubts that it is a sustainable system for society long term, but social democracy has been a good way of keeping capitalism in-check in Norway. So even if capitalism is not ideal, it is in theory possible to tax the rich more and keep the whole thing going in the future. I also understand the exploitation and the extraction of surplus value, rent seeking etc.

Other capitalist countries such as the US is currently struggling with basic human needs. And that is “the shining beacon of capitalism”.

In Norway it has for a long time been common to use the US as an example of what not to do.

What I am interested in learning is how society would operate and function under socialism / communism. More about the differences. Preferably from less dry sources than The Capital from Marx. Where can I learn more? Preferably a bit entertaining.

It is important to me that it is historically accurate and factually correct.

Look forward to your replies 😊

  • @[email protected]
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    08 days ago

    Communism is the dream of a classless society where everyone is equal and receives an equal share of their fruits of their labor. Socialism is the process of moving towards Communism.

    Real wages when compared to rising costs of living in norway have been stagnant for over a decade. Home ownership rates are still rather high but they have been decreasing steadily since their peak in 2007. How is that the state keeping capitalism in check? Sounds like it is just losing ground slower than other countries.

    How have things been going for the Sami in norway? Are the high-ish living standards in Norway being maintained in part by continue exploitation of the indigenous peoples? How is that keeping capitalism in check?

    Social democracy is capitalism with a facelift. Stalin once said. “social democracy is the moderate wing of fascism.”

    The fact is that under social democrats or liberal democrats the rights of the rich to maintain and expand their wealth are always prioritised over the rights of workers to get a fair share of the wealth they produce. This is because the rich are able to pay to have their voices heard while the workers have little to no excess wealth.

    As for "how society would operate and function under socialism " It would be much the same as it is now only the government would work for the betterment of the masses instead of the betterment of the few. Look at how things are in China and that is how society is under socialism. The government has raised living standards and life expectancy at an insane rate, businesses are taxed significantly and the government has a say on their operations. Most importantly when a rich person or company breaks the law they are held to account, they don’t get a slap on the wrist or a “cost of doing business” fine.

    Socialism is a process and each situation requires different steps at different times and a different system to get it there but the idea of democratic centralism is really important as it cuts down on the capitalists playing 2 sides off each other.