Socialist Progressives
In reply to the discussion: What led you to socialism? [View all]toddaa
(2,518 posts)Hard to believe.
I still consider myself to be a libertarian, but it was after reading Benjamin Tucker, when I realized that usuary was not compatible with liberty. Capitalism's greatest accomplishment is its ability to market the notion that indentured servitude is a choice and you can opt out anytime you wish. Greatest economic scam ever created. Even now, I am still sometimes suckered into believing it.
I suppose I'm not a particularly good state socialist, as I have an inordinate amount of distrust for hierarchical systems. The deeper the heirarchy, the easier it is to hide bullshit. That said, there ain't a lick of difference between "public" and "private" hierarchical organizations. Both suck. I think a community with full, noncoercive participation is ideal, but I'm afraid it doesn't scale. There's always going to be some number of assholes who ruin it for the rest of us. The larger the community, the greater the possibility for assholism to run amok. A federated socialist state is the best option, provided we place plenty of restrictions placed on positions of power. Assholes* can still be assholes, but they just can't do any damage if they manage to finagle themselves into a position of power.
* - yes, I am well aware that I am frequently an asshole, which is why I never, ever should be put in charge of anything.