General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Capitalism is NOT a dirty word. [View all]Laelth
(32,017 posts)You'd be surprised, it appears, by how much I have read about socialism--i.e. a lot.
But I would invite you not to get bogged down in a futile attempt to discover the "true" definitions of words, here. Like you, I believe that words matter, but I am trying to shape the definitions of three key words, those being capitalism, liberalism, and socialism. My purpose is purely pragmatic. I am not trying to win a debate or discover the "true" meaning of these words. I am defining liberalism (as did Harry S. Truman) in a way that aligns liberalism with capitalism and places liberalism in opposition to socialism. I do so because I want liberals to win elections, and it's my sense that one can't win an election in the United States by attacking capitalism and acting as if capitalism were a dirty word.
If you disagree with this strategy, so be it. I still hope you want liberals to win elections, though.
Thanks for the response.
-Laelth