It's not a strawman when articles like this come from the Communist Party of the United States of America.
Socialism is not Communism. Socialism is not Marxism. That the Communist party sees some hope for themselves because people are warming up to socialism, that it is not the boogie man that people have made it out to be, is irrelevant to the fact that socialism and Marxism are different animals.
So what if they think this means good news for them. That doesn't make Bernie Sanders a Communist! It doesn't make AOC a Communist. And it doesn't make Ilhan Omar either a socialist or a communist, as she runs as a Democrat!
To help guide you out of the weeds you have thrown yourself into, here's an article explaining how Marxism and Socialism are different animals. Socialism is not Communism either. It did not begin with Marx. It began more with
Charles Fourier.
Difference Between Marxism and Socialism | Compare the Difference Between Similar Terms
And now, Democratic Socialism (which Bernie Sanders is), is what you find in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and so forth. Those are not Communist countries. Those are not Marxist states. You need to educate yourself on this more.
Democratic Socialist Countries 2023
Socialism vs. Communism
Socialism and
communism are both built on the premise that individuals contribute to society based on their ability to do so. Both concepts have the government playing a larger role in economic planning, investment, and government control institutions. Both also remove private business as a producer of goods and services.
There is a big fundamental difference between socialism and communism. Individuals under a proper communist system would not have money and would be given what the government thinks you need in terms of food, clothing, housing, etc. The people would not need to work harder to receive the same amount as anyone else. Under socialism, individuals are compensated based on their individual contribution; therefore, those who work harder would receive more.
Furthermore, communism views all property as public property, while socialism allows individuals to still have their own private property.
Communism is an economic and political philosophy, and socialism is an economic philosophy. Lastly, communism abolishes class distinctions as everyone is effectively treated equally, while socialism allows class distinctions to exist, as there is the opportunity for some to achieve more wealth than others.
Democratic Socialism vs. Socialism
Both democratic socialism and socialism advocate for a redistribution of wealth and power to meet public needs, not make profits for a few. Both aim to weaken the power of corporations and increase the power of the working people.
Democratic socialists, however, do not think the government should immediately take control of all aspects of the economy. Democratic socialism focuses more on providing basic needs to all people, such as health care and education. Democratic socialism, unlike socialism, would achieve this through democratic means and not an authoritarian rule.
With what I just underscored, I can get behind 100%. I cannot get behind Communism, which is what you have been conditioned to believe Democratic Socialism is. That's unfortunate, but I hope you understand the difference a little better now.
I welcome you to try harder.
I'm doing all the hard work for you. You could just Google these questions yourself, such as "Is Socialism and Marxism the same thing". It's not hard.
