Since it is frequently used on this forum as an insult, will you please articulate...?

Question

(1) why you call liberals/Democrats Socialists &/or Communists?
(2) why that is an insult (in your opinion)?
(3) why socialism~ or something similar~ is *inherently* bad--NOT by giving me examples of awful leaders from each of these...

THANKS! I am really just wondering, so no need to attack...

Chi-Burger... I don't know if you were finished, since it just ends, but I don't remember this happening to me, just seeing it on numerous questions that others asked.

(oops, I wasn't done) and it was clearly meant ONLY as an insult.

Answer 1

hmm, personally I just laugh at the ignorance of people who use those names to label myself and the left.

Answer 2

Democrats typically are the ones who run on, or introduce social programs sponsored by the government. These programs fail most of the time. In other words the money doesn't go to help the person who is needy, but rather these programs are manipulated by individuals. In an economic model Socialism falls between Capitalism which is what built this Nation, and Communism. Capitalism seems to have made us who we are today, and I can't complain too much, can you? I mean we aren't Cuba right?
I think it is an insult more so on the people who built this country to move towards communism. Again Socialism is a step in that direction.

I think the founding fathers wanted us to fall somewhere between a tyranny and anarchy.

Answer 3

I don't do this, but I've seen it from all sides with "lib" and "con" labels. I think the people who do it here do so for the same reason children use "retard" or "spaz" as an insult. To them, it is a condemnation of "different" and thus "suspect."

You've probably seen kids pick sides, and then talk trash to the other side. This label war here is similar, I think. There has been trash talk on the playground as long as I can remember. You are probably too young to remember playing the dozens, but it was simply a game of insulting one another. The "best" insults "won," either by provoking laughter or by provoking anger.

Here at YA, as long as one is distracting from the question at hand by tossing out labels, then one isn't being forced to give reasoned answers.

So the two elements that cause it to happen from both sides are that first, there is an element of perverse entertainment in the name-calling, and, second, it is easier to a lazy poster than thinking the answer through.

As to why "socialist" specifically is seen as an insult, I think that goes back to the Reagan era. Many believe that Ronald Reagan had the last big foreign policy "success" in the fall of the wall, and thus, using "socialist" is an insult because it is widely seen as a discredited policy. Throwing it out gives them a rush of "patriotism" and pride in the Gipper, at the same time discrediting the target with no real intellectual effort.

Answer 4

(1) why you call liberals/Democrats Socialists &/or Communists?
- I personally don't do this. I do think that a lot of Hillary's ideas are inherently Socialist. She is more of the philosophy: to each according to his need, from each according to his ability. And that is straight Marxist.

(2) why that is an insult (in your opinion)?
Being called a Socialist or a Communist really isn't an insult; it's just used as one. People are free to believe in those philosophies and I personally don't care except when it comes to my elected officials.

(3) why socialism~ or something similar~ is *inherently* bad--NOT by giving me examples of awful leaders from each of these...
I disagree with the whole Socialistic model. I believe in self reliance/accountability not collectivism in a communal state where there is distribution of wealth according to need and ability. This model has been proven not to work in several scenarios. The idea may have been great, but the implmentation proved a mess.

EDIT:
Bush Invented Google: I don't mind helping people; however I do mind when I am forced to.

Answer 5

It is not used as an insult. It is used as a discription of philosophy. At one time the word Liberal in America had nothing to do with Socialism or Communism. That all changed by the 1960-70's. The Baby Boomers had a lot of influence due to our numbers and the lowering of the voting age from 21 to 18. Unfortunately, we were primarily a bunch of spoiled middle class fools. We were 18 years old and experts on everything.

One of the big errors made was to embrace the Socialist model of government as not only viable (which it demonstrably is not) but superior to Capitalism. Much of this nonsense was because we wanted to remain children forever. There were many attempts by idealsitic and rather dopey young people to start communes (thus the communistic label) and create their own more perfect society.

America embraced the free enterprise system of Capitalism. This has proven to be the best and most successful economic system in the world. We are a land where all men are created equal with certain unalienable rights. This not only means all people are equal but equally precious. We belive that liberty is our most important asset and we are the land of rugged individualists free to seek our own way, responsible for our own actions and able to pursue our own happiness.

Socialism is the direct opposite of this. In Socialism, the individual has little value. The system is concerned with what they call the collective. In such as system, no individual owns anything. All assets, property etc belongs to the Government. The Government re-distributes these assets as it sees fit.

Socialism is a Godless society. Men are not endowed by there Creator with any rights. Whatever rights they enjoy come from the governent and can be taken back by the government. They are not unalienable rights.

With no God there are no moral absolutes. They ascribe to Moral Relativism. In brief what that means is there is no right or wrong other than what the government decides is right or wrong and that meaning can change at any time. So if someone is old or ill or mentally infirm, they can be killed so as not to waste valuble assets on them that can be better used elsewhere. If someone speaks out against a governement official or is seen as otherwise dangerous, he will simply be hauled away in the middle of the night to prison or execution. There is no appeal.

Socialism is inherently bad because it does not respect or value humans as individuals. It does not reward exceptionalism, it does not reward or even encourage innovation. What it does is destroy the human spirit and spread misery equally.

While professing to be a classless society it always ends up as a two class society. The small well fed, educated, housed and pampered ruling class and the peasantry. The system does not honor or even recognize parenthood. Even your children belong to the state. They take and indoctrinate them from a very early age to honor and respect the State and to inform against their parents and family members who say anything bad about the Government.

Socialism is flawed in theory, too. A country's economy is not a zero sum game as socialist believe. They see it as a finite amout of weath to be shared equally. What they does is keep everyone equally poor, despirate, cold and hungry.

Capitalism actually generates more and more wealth. In America there are "poor" but our poor would probably be considered wealthy in a Socialist state.

Socialism fails everytime it is tried. Capitalism succeeds every time it is tried. To be a Socialist is to be un-American.

Merry Christmas!

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Answer 6

1.) I don't. Not all liberals or Democrats are socialists some of them do show a measure of responsibility.

2.) Socialism and Communism doesn't work. We're not bees in a hive or ants in an anthill. We're free thinking human beings so there's no need to support those who won't support themselves. A certain amount of charity is necessary for those who truly need help but most of us quickly tire of the lazy.

3.) As I said, socialism just doesn't work. There's too many out there that believe it can work if only the right people are in charge, and that's nonsense.

The answer to the question you didn't ask is that handouts are favored by some as a way of buying votes. "Vote for me and I'll take money away from those people who worked hard for it and give it to you so you don't have to work" sounds great to a lot of people. Contrary to what Hillary wrote, it doesn't take a village to raise a child, it takes two responsible parents.

Answer 7

Most fiscal policies of the democrat party follow strict Socialist theory (take from the achievers to support the non-achievers). I can't answer why this is considered an insult - just a statement of fact. Democrats pride themselves on this, so it would be a pretty poor insult.
As to why is Socialism bad, it is because it provides no incentive for achievement. Its very nature punishes the achiever and rewards the slacker. It is by no means a windfall for the underachiever, either. It merely keeps them just comfortable enough to quelch any ambition they might have to better themselves. It is not just due to poor leadership that it has failed everywhere it has been tried.

Answer 8

Really, it's a content-free insult. For the people who use it, who have no clue what Socialism and Communism really mean and what the differences between them are, it's just an expression of contempt. It doesn't actually say anything about the opinions of the people they're talking about, no more than calling somebody an a**hole actually says anything about their anatomy..

Answer 9

what you see as an insult..may be the actual perception of the poster and not some attack..

as most liberals perceive anyone that offers a different point of view other than their own

Answer 10

FabMom has it right. Examples: Hugo Chavez (recently lost a refendum election). Evo Morales (Hugu puppet).

Answer 11

"Communist" still, fifty years later, has a negative connotation in this country, particularly to the right wing. Communists are presumed to be evil people bent on undermining the very fabric of our society.

Socialism is closely associated with communism.

That is the SOLE reason any of these people use these words. None of them has the slightest clue what these political ideologies really stand for.