Politics

I don’t think that word means what you think it means. ~ Inigo Montoya

Both the foolish and the manipulative are quick to thrust the words “socialism” and “communism” at those who disagree with them, usually with no regard for what these terms actually mean. This resource attempts to improve the heat to light ratio by providing some overlysimple definitions of terms we hear misused every day.

Capitalism

Capitalism holds that the means of economic production should be held by private individuals for the purpose of creating profit in competitive markets. A key characteristic is a strong preference toward private ownership and control vs. those elements being controlled by any sort of government.
Government type: The people elect representatives
Ownership of Production and Assets: Private
Disparity between rich/powerful and poor/weak: High
Core concept: Profit for individuals who earn it

Socialism

Socialism is a response to Capitalism’s perceived faults, i.e. that wealth and power tend to rise to the top, leaving those below with little input into how society will function. It’s main characteristic is the belief that the means of production should be either state or cooperatively owned, and that people should cooperate socially and strive for an end to major differences in political and economic power within the group.
Government type: Elected, but more centralized
Ownership of Production and Assets: Private
Disparity between rich/powerful and poor/weak: High
Core concept: Group welfare through consensus

Communism

Communism is a far more extreme response to Capitalism that holds that there should be no political power or class differences among the people, and that all economic production and assets should be owned by a small ruling class that ensures that this extreme social equality is achieved and maintained. A key quality is the lack of private ownership of most anything, with everything being owned by the state.
Government type: Few members, complete power
Ownership of Production and Assets: Government
Disparity between rich/powerful and poor/weak: None (other than the very small ruling class)
Core concept: Equality among the people at all costs

Fascism

Fascism is an ideology based on a strong national identity, usually made and kept so by similarity in race, culture, religion, etc. Power is focused on an elite ruling class that is trusted to take the country in the right direction, often via force against those who seek to weaken it. The key element of fascism is the creation of pride in one’s identity as a member of the nation, which manifests both naturally and purposely as disdain or hatred for those not in the group.
Government type: Few members, complete power
Ownership of Production and Assets: Government, with chosen private extensions
Disparity between rich/powerful and poor/weak: Little, because the weak will not be present
Core concept: Universal pride in a unified, powerful, and feared nation

Ok, now for a bit of opinion (I tried to keep it out above as much as possible):

1. When people accuse Obama of being “socialist” by wanting to have healthcare or education for all, they’re not entirely incorrect. The problem with their statement is not that these concepts aren’t socialist, it’s 1) that they don’t know what socialist means, and 2) the complainers usually support a whole host of similar services, such as public schools, a public police and fire presence, etc. If they reject socialism they should reject it in all cases, not in just the ones they’ve been told to dislike by their favorite form of confirmation bias media.
2. The dimmest of those attacking the current administration are those who are accusing the liberals of being fascists. Their error is remarkable because they are likely to belong to the Tea Party movement, which can easily be seen as the strongest force for fascism in the world today. They would prefer that people look and act like them, they want the world to fear our military power, and they exhibit extremely violent rhetoric/behavior towards those they think are causing harm to the country. Finally, they unify behind a spiritual center, which in this case is Christianity. This is fascism. The irony is thick when they use this term (which they don’t know the meaning of) as a label for liberals.

A working understanding of the meaning of words like these is not a matter of pedantry, it’s a prerequisite to having any sort of useful discussion.

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Notes

¹ Please understand that this is meant to be extremely short for the purposes of getting one started on these subjects. This is not meant to be confused with a polisci degree or even many hours of reading on the topic.
² Challenge people when they use terms that they don’t understand. Either demand that they use the proper definitions of terms, or agree to forego their use altogether. Instead of saying, “Do you take the socialist view on healthcare?”, say instead, “Do you think a good education is a right that society should provide?”