Political & Elections

In what way is he correct, Longprime?  

There have been many Socialist states and/or economies in history. Some have lasted, some have not, and a few have veered into Communism. There are multiple variations of the theme, but they exist. 

From wiki: 

Socialism: A socialist economy is based on some form of social ownership, which includes varieties of public ownership and independent cooperatives, over the means of production, wherein production is carried out to directly produce use-value sometimes, but not always, coordinated through economic planning and a system of accounting based on calculation-in-kind or a direct measure of labor-time."

Communism (from Latin communis - common, universal) is a revolutionary socialist movement to create a classless, moneyless, and stateless social order structured upon common ownership of themeans of production, as well as a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of this social order. This movement, in its Marxist-Leninist interpretations, significantly influenced the history of the 20th century, which saw intense rivalry between the "socialist world" (socialist states ruled by Communist parties) and the "western world" (countries with market economies), culminating in theCold War between the Eastern bloc and the "Free World".

We can argue that those dictators that appropriated either a Socialist or Communist economic platform were doing it to control the masses, but why is it relevant?  

Not all Socialist or Communist leaders are despots, either.  

The point is that Joe Occupier didn't understand that Socialism has been an integral part of history for a long time.  

This is the part that gives me a headache.  

In a way, could that young man be correct?

The countries that we normally think as socialist or communist were perhaps more of a Dictatorship than the economic systems mentioned. The imposed economic system was the mechanism that the dictator used to domesticate the proletariat.

I would love to know where that kid went to school.  The video was fantastic.

My son is in 8th grade in a NYC public school.  I'm a history buff, particularly American history, and am extremely well read on the subject.  D1 is a certified middle and high school history/social studies/economics/civics teacher, and D2 is a medievaist.  Son is my only kid who went to public school at this age and his depth and breadth of knowledge of history staggers me.  They learn names, dates, background, tiny details within larger issue. He is incredibly conversant on obscure details and causes of major events.  Son would have made mincemeat of the young man in the video.  I wonder if that young man went to a crunchy private school or something because it's a myth that NYC public schools don't teach history.  They emphatically do.  (Crappy job in math and literacy, but that's another rant.)