Difference between a Democratic Socialist and a Social Democrat [View all]
https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-difference-between-a-Democratic-Socialist-and-a-Social-Democrat
The key difference between the two here is the degree of acceptance of Marxist theory and the premise that capitalism must necessarily go. While democratic socialism advocates converting a society from capitalism to a communist society through democratic means, social democracy supports maintaing the capitalist framework, and working inside it, using economic and political interventions and government regulations/services to help the working class.
To me, '
social democracy' seems like what we've got and what some countries, particularly in northern Europe, do a bit better while '
democratic socialism' seems like the slippery slope to communism that RWers freak about.
Just to keep things "interesting," Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez aligns herself with the
Democratic Socialists of America which is "a left-wing organization of democratic socialist (!), social democratic (!!) and labor-oriented members in the United States."