US lawmakers introduce bill to ban TikTok

Silvanus

Elite Member
Legacy
Jan 15, 2013
12,359
6,495
118
Country
United Kingdom
I'm not really too hung up on who's more capitalist than the other, just saying the rankings when you look it up says countries like Sweden are more capitalist than the US, and Sweden is definitely not socialist.
"The rankings" don't say that, though, because there are no objective rankings. The rankings from a right-wing thinktank say that, because they have a clear interest in doing so.

My main point is wanting socialism is a really radical and extreme view and there's no guarantee it's gonna be any better either.
What do you mean by "socialism" when you say that, then? Social democracy? Democratic socialism, as practised in dozens of countries worldwide? They're "radical and extreme", even though the US's brand of capitalism is much rarer and has worse outcomes?
 

Satinavian

Elite Member
Legacy
Apr 30, 2016
1,966
819
118
I'm not really too hung up on who's more capitalist than the other, just saying the rankings when you look it up says countries like Sweden are more capitalist than the US, and Sweden is definitely not socialist. My main point is wanting socialism is a really radical and extreme view and there's no guarantee it's gonna be any better either.
If a ranking has Sweden as more capitalist than the US, i would question the ranking.


Ok, let's compare the numbers from your study from Sweden and the US

The first category is "Rule of Law" and Sweden scores higher on every single point there, significantly so for the majority . Sure, that is believable and also good for business, but has little to do with capitalism.

Next is regulatory efficiency, where numbers are similar except for "labor freedom" where the US scones noticably higher. Yes, we all know that it is easy to hire and fire in the US. And that is even capitalist. The points are still not nearl enough to cover the differences from Rule of Law.

Then we have Government Size. The US scores vastly higher than Sweden on both tax burdon and government spending. That is because Sweden has much higher taxes and much higher government spending. Sure, that would be capitalist and would guarantee the US a big lead

... if not for the third point : "Fiscal Health": Sweden gehts whopping 95.8 points and the US gets literally 0. Did you know that the US is going to bunkruptcy at the moment and the Dollar having become utterly worthless paper ? I didn't hear such things. That is nearly 80 points below Zimbabwe and nearly 60 points below Turkey. And i would guess that this is the sole reason the US comes out lower than Sweden in the rating.

Last point is Open Markets where the numbers are very similar, with a slight lead for Sweden because of all the EU trade agreements (and all EU countries get the same in trade freedom, so it doesn't really say much about Sweden specifically).


Also notable is that US "Fiscal health" seems to have tanked more than 50 points since the Biden victory... It is pretty obvious that this stat only is used to manipulate the overall score to make a political point.
 
Last edited:

Buyetyen

Elite Member
May 11, 2020
3,129
2,362
118
Country
USA
I'm not really too hung up on who's more capitalist than the other, just saying the rankings when you look it up says countries like Sweden are more capitalist than the US, and Sweden is definitely not socialist. My main point is wanting socialism is a really radical and extreme view and there's no guarantee it's gonna be any better either.
Tell me you don't know shit about socialism without saying you don't know shit about socialism.
 

Phoenixmgs

The Muse of Fate
Legacy
Apr 3, 2020
9,828
836
118
w/ M'Kraan Crystal
Gender
Male
"The rankings" don't say that, though, because there are no objective rankings. The rankings from a right-wing thinktank say that, because they have a clear interest in doing so.



What do you mean by "socialism" when you say that, then? Social democracy? Democratic socialism, as practised in dozens of countries worldwide? They're "radical and extreme", even though the US's brand of capitalism is much rarer and has worse outcomes?
They are the rankings that come up when you search for it, not my fault there isn't a left-wing thinktank that does them as well... Just because they came from someplace you don't like, doesn't mean they are wrong either. If you want to criticize something, don't use lazy ad-hominem attacks, criticize like Satinavian did down below. Just because Trump said something doesn't make it wrong nor does something Obama says is inherently right either.

You're just trolling at this point...

The literal simplest definitions, keep it simple stupid (KISS).

Capitalism - country's trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit
Socialism - means of production are owned and controlled by the state
---

If a ranking has Sweden as more capitalist than the US, i would question the ranking.


Ok, let's compare the numbers from your study from Sweden and the US

The first category is "Rule of Law" and Sweden scores higher on every single point there, significantly so for the majority . Sure, that is believable and also good for business, but has little to do with capitalism.

Next is regulatory efficiency, where numbers are similar except for "labor freedom" where the US scones noticably higher. Yes, we all know that it is easy to hire and fire in the US. And that is even capitalist. The points are still not nearl enough to cover the differences from Rule of Law.

Then we have Government Size. The US scores vastly higher than Sweden on both tax burdon and government spending. That is because Sweden has much higher taxes and much higher government spending. Sure, that would be capitalist and would guarantee the US a big lead

... if not for the third point : "Fiscal Health": Sweden gehts whopping 95.8 points and the US gets literally 0. Did you know that the US is going to bunkruptcy at the moment and the Dollar having become utterly worthless paper ? I didn't hear such things. That is nearly 80 points below Zimbabwe and nearly 60 points below Turkey. And i would guess that this is the sole reason the US comes out lower than Sweden in the rating.

Last point is Open Markets where the numbers are very similar, with a slight lead for Sweden because of all the EU trade agreements (and all EU countries get the same in trade freedom, so it doesn't really say much about Sweden specifically).


Also notable is that US "Fiscal health" seems to have tanked more than 50 points since the Biden victory... It is pretty obvious that this stat only is used to manipulate the overall score to make a political point.
Again, I'm not claiming expert knowledge or anything. All I did was look up the rankings and that's the main one that comes up. I honestly don't care if the US is more capitalist than Sweden or Denmark, I like the policies of said countries and that's what matters to me. Again, the fact is places that most liberals like and would like the US to copy most policy from are not socialist.


Tell me you don't know shit about socialism without saying you don't know shit about socialism.
Uhh... socialism is a pretty basic concept... Can you tell me the most (in)famous example of socialism?
 

Silvanus

Elite Member
Legacy
Jan 15, 2013
12,359
6,495
118
Country
United Kingdom
They are the rankings that come up when you search for it, not my fault there isn't a left-wing thinktank that does them as well...
!? "It's not my fault I picked the first thing in google" is not a point. You shouldn't be looking for "Most capitalist v socialist!" rankings in the first place, because that's simplistic drivel and doesn't mean anything.

Just because they came from someplace you don't like, doesn't mean they are wrong either. If you want to criticize something, don't use lazy ad-hominem attacks, criticize like Satinavian did down below.
If you want to pass them off as "the rankings", as if they're objective or authoritative, then the source of those rankings is a completely valid avenue of criticism.

As for why they're wrong: they provide no coherent or consistent definitions for the terms they're judging. That's enough to render the list entirely worthless.

You're just trolling at this point...
Uh-huh, and I already pointed out that 1) you got one of those definitions wrong to begin with, and 2) those definitions aren't mutually exclusive, while you're arguing elsewhere that socialism and capitalism are mutually exclusive.

Uhh... socialism is a pretty basic concept...
Oh, is it! That's interesting, considering you got the definition wrong when asked to provide one.
 

Phoenixmgs

The Muse of Fate
Legacy
Apr 3, 2020
9,828
836
118
w/ M'Kraan Crystal
Gender
Male
!? "It's not my fault I picked the first thing in google" is not a point. You shouldn't be looking for "Most capitalist v socialist!" rankings in the first place, because that's simplistic drivel and doesn't mean anything.



If you want to pass them off as "the rankings", as if they're objective or authoritative, then the source of those rankings is a completely valid avenue of criticism.

As for why they're wrong: they provide no coherent or consistent definitions for the terms they're judging. That's enough to render the list entirely worthless.



Uh-huh, and I already pointed out that 1) you got one of those definitions wrong to begin with, and 2) those definitions aren't mutually exclusive, while you're arguing elsewhere that socialism and capitalism are mutually exclusive.



Oh, is it! That's interesting, considering you got the definition wrong when asked to provide one.
Which country is more capitalist wasn't the crux of my point; thus, I went with the 1st result.

How would I think socialism and capitalism are mutually exclusive when I searched for rankings for which country is more capitalist?

There's nothing wrong with the definition.

Then give us a no-bullshit definition. One paragraph minimum. This should be fucking hilarious.
Why do you need such a long definition for a basic concept?

Funny how you can't answer a simple question about socialism...
 

Silvanus

Elite Member
Legacy
Jan 15, 2013
12,359
6,495
118
Country
United Kingdom
Which country is more capitalist wasn't the crux of my point; thus, I went with the 1st result.
OK. So we can just move on, without taking anything in that list seriously.

How would I think socialism and capitalism are mutually exclusive when I searched for rankings for which country is more capitalist?
You tell me. You've insinuated that one precludes the other in the past.

There's nothing wrong with the definition.
The definition you gave involves the means of production being controlled by the state. That definition fails to cover most socialists and most theories of socialism. It fails to cover the utopians, the social democrats, the syndicalists... it even fails to cover Marxist socialism.

If your definition of socialism doesn't even manage to cover Marxism or social democracy, then it's kinda useless.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Buyetyen

Phoenixmgs

The Muse of Fate
Legacy
Apr 3, 2020
9,828
836
118
w/ M'Kraan Crystal
Gender
Male
In other words, you can't provide a definition.
I keep things simple, no reason to make something more complex than it is and socialism is a one sentence definition. What about my super simple question that you haven't answered?

OK. So we can just move on, without taking anything in that list seriously.



You tell me. You've insinuated that one precludes the other in the past.



The definition you gave involves the means of production being controlled by the state. That definition fails to cover most socialists and most theories of socialism. It fails to cover the utopians, the social democrats, the syndicalists... it even fails to cover Marxist socialism.

If your definition of socialism doesn't even manage to cover Marxism or social democracy, then it's kinda useless.
If it's not the crux of my point, then sure. I'm not going to take something anyone says completely seriously if it's not the crux of their point. People generally ramble on to some degree.

Since when? You do have to pick one system to a point, you can't really be 50/50 socialist/capitalist.

Huh? Social democracy isn't socialism.
 

Buyetyen

Elite Member
May 11, 2020
3,129
2,362
118
Country
USA
I keep things simple, no reason to make something more complex than it is and socialism is a one sentence definition.
Yeah, exactly. You can't provide a definition because you don't know what socialism is. Drop the sophistry and just say that.

What about my super simple question that you haven't answered?
It was a stupid question, so I went ahead and disregarded it.
 

Silvanus

Elite Member
Legacy
Jan 15, 2013
12,359
6,495
118
Country
United Kingdom
If it's not the crux of my point, then sure. I'm not going to take something anyone says completely seriously if it's not the crux of their point. People generally ramble on to some degree.
They will indeed, just like how people will generally run occasionally. And then there are Olympic athletes.

Since when? You do have to pick one system to a point, you can't really be 50/50 socialist/capitalist.
You can't be "50/50" because assigning proportions to something like this is completely arbitrary.

But yes, you can have a society with prominent capitalist elements and prominent socialist elements.

Huh? Social democracy isn't socialism.
By most widely accepted definitions, it is a form of socialism, usually on the lighter side, or hybrid system that incorporates socialism.

Y'see what you've done is cooked up a simplistic, narrow definition that fitted what you thought it was... but which excludes the most widely recognised forms, including not only democratic socialism & social democracy but also Marxism.

You keep saying it's a "one sentence definition", but you got that definition wrong.
 

Phoenixmgs

The Muse of Fate
Legacy
Apr 3, 2020
9,828
836
118
w/ M'Kraan Crystal
Gender
Male
They will indeed, just like how people will generally run occasionally. And then there are Olympic athletes.



You can't be "50/50" because assigning proportions to something like this is completely arbitrary.

But yes, you can have a society with prominent capitalist elements and prominent socialist elements.



By most widely accepted definitions, it is a form of socialism, usually on the lighter side, or hybrid system that incorporates socialism.

Y'see what you've done is cooked up a simplistic, narrow definition that fitted what you thought it was... but which excludes the most widely recognised forms, including not only democratic socialism & social democracy but also Marxism.

You keep saying it's a "one sentence definition", but you got that definition wrong.
And my point is still 100% valid.

No, you really can't.

Social democracy is a government system that has similar values to socialism, but within a capitalist framework. It's core system is still capitalism.
 

Phoenixmgs

The Muse of Fate
Legacy
Apr 3, 2020
9,828
836
118
w/ M'Kraan Crystal
Gender
Male
Yeah, exactly. You can't provide a definition because you don't know what socialism is. Drop the sophistry and just say that.



It was a stupid question, so I went ahead and disregarded it.
Surely someone that knows socialism can tell me the most famous implementation of it.
 

Buyetyen

Elite Member
May 11, 2020
3,129
2,362
118
Country
USA
Surely someone that knows socialism can tell me the most famous implementation of it.
It's a stupid, bullshit question. You want me to say something like the USSR or China as a gotcha. Neither of those were socialist. In fact, they never really were purely communist either because they still had a ruling class. And yes, there is a difference between socialism and communism.

If you want a really good bit of media that teaches you about socialist ideas and values: Star Trek. Gene Rodenberry conceived the Star Trek future as one where things had to get worse before they got better, but made way to a post-scarcity socialist utopia. Or close enough to it.

That said, I have my doubts you'll take any of this to heart. You are a profoundly incurious individual and have no interest in learning new things. If you did, this conversation would have been radically different and far less contentious.

Social democracy is a government system that has similar values to socialism, but within a capitalist framework. It's core system is still capitalism.
Another thing you don't seem to get is that socialism is not the opposite of capitalism, but an answer to it. We're not talking matter and anti-matter as you seem to think.
 

Silvanus

Elite Member
Legacy
Jan 15, 2013
12,359
6,495
118
Country
United Kingdom
No, you really can't.
So you are still insisting they're mutually exclusive, then.

What exactly is stopping it? What's stopping you (for instance) from having lots of worker-run industries, but also others that are privately owned?

Social democracy is a government system that has similar values to socialism, but within a capitalist framework. It's core system is still capitalism.
Socialism does not require the complete abolition of capitalism. You yourself were insisting just a few short posts ago that you didn't think they were mutually exclusive. Did you forget?

The fact is that only some of the most radical forms of socialism-- communism, anarcho-socialism, anarcho-syndicalism etc-- require the dissolution of the entire capitalist framework and state.

I'm not surprised that despite your confidence that you definitely could define the entire concept in one simple sentence, you actually don't know what it is.
 

Phoenixmgs

The Muse of Fate
Legacy
Apr 3, 2020
9,828
836
118
w/ M'Kraan Crystal
Gender
Male
... You know a whole bunch of us believe in abolishing states right? Like how do you manage to be this weapons grade wrong all of the time?
Yeah, that's not socialism (you can technically say it's a very extreme version of socialism or fork).

It's a stupid, bullshit question. You want me to say something like the USSR or China as a gotcha. Neither of those were socialist. In fact, they never really were purely communist either because they still had a ruling class. And yes, there is a difference between socialism and communism.

If you want a really good bit of media that teaches you about socialist ideas and values: Star Trek. Gene Rodenberry conceived the Star Trek future as one where things had to get worse before they got better, but made way to a post-scarcity socialist utopia. Or close enough to it.

That said, I have my doubts you'll take any of this to heart. You are a profoundly incurious individual and have no interest in learning new things. If you did, this conversation would have been radically different and far less contentious.



Another thing you don't seem to get is that socialism is not the opposite of capitalism, but an answer to it. We're not talking matter and anti-matter as you seem to think.
What's the 2nd "S" in USSR stand for? China is capitalist.

I never said socialism was the opposite of capitalism, it's just a different way of doing it. I said the people that think socialism is basically the cure for everything wrong with capitalistic society are dumb.


So you are still insisting they're mutually exclusive, then.

What exactly is stopping it? What's stopping you (for instance) from having lots of worker-run industries, but also others that are privately owned?



Socialism does not require the complete abolition of capitalism. You yourself were insisting just a few short posts ago that you didn't think they were mutually exclusive. Did you forget?

The fact is that only some of the most radical forms of socialism-- communism, anarcho-socialism, anarcho-syndicalism etc-- require the dissolution of the entire capitalist framework and state.

I'm not surprised that despite your confidence that you definitely could define the entire concept in one simple sentence, you actually don't know what it is.
You have to pick a core system to use, you can put a bunch of socialist ideas into capitalism but it's still capitalism. It's like a video game, which needs a core gameplay loop.

How are you gonna determine which industries are private and which are not? Just randomly assign half of them to private? I'm for all industries that make good/services that are necessities be run at least non-profit, which means likely state-run. But that's still a capitalist system, that's its core.

Capitalism doesn't require no socialism either, but you have to still have to pick. They aren't mutually exclusive but you still have to commit to mainly one or the other.

I consider communism its own thing because it is too radical for me to just refer to as socialism. You can't say all these things are labeled as XYZ when you can have people very much for/OK with some of those things and be very much against other things that fall under the same umbrella. That makes the label too broad to be of use like saying a video game is action adventure genre. I defined socialism as a definite thing purposefully so it can be discussed without the other person asking "well, what to you mean by socialism?" and it ceases being proper vocabulary if you have to explain to someone the word every time.
 

Silvanus

Elite Member
Legacy
Jan 15, 2013
12,359
6,495
118
Country
United Kingdom
You have to pick a core system to use, you can put a bunch of socialist ideas into capitalism but it's still capitalism. It's like a video game, which needs a core gameplay loop.
...

Moving on...

How are you gonna determine which industries are private and which are not? Just randomly assign half of them to private? I'm for all industries that make good/services that are necessities be run at least non-profit, which means likely state-run. But that's still a capitalist system, that's its core.
Why're you asking me? Countries make different decisions. A country could have entirely different sectors socialised from another country... and yet the two could have the same proportion of socialised industry as a measure of expenditure/employment/production. This is why its useless to try to make numerical rankings or ascribe proportions of capitalism/socialism. Its not objective. There is no numerical scale. The rankings would be arbitrary.

Capitalism doesn't require no socialism either, but you have to still have to pick. They aren't mutually exclusive but you still have to commit to mainly one or the other.
Why? So far you're just insisting I "have to" and that one has to be the "core". Why?

I consider communism its own thing because it is too radical for me to just refer to as socialism.
And yet communism, by all accepted definitions, is a form of socialism.

Your own definition-- means of production controlled by the state-- was wrong as a definition, but most closely aligns with the transitional dictatorship phase of Marxist communist theory.

You can't say all these things are labeled as XYZ when you can have people very much for/OK with some of those things and be very much against other things that fall under the same umbrella. That makes the label too broad to be of use like saying a video game is action adventure genre.
You absolutely can have myriad different forms under one descriptor. That's how the English language works.

It's more like using the term "video game" to begin with. That's a descriptor. But it includes wildly different things, from Frogger to Horizon Forbidden West.

Does this make the term "video game" too broad? No, obviously not-- because if you wanted to be more specific, you could, but "video game" is a useful category with meaningful associations.

I defined socialism as a definite thing purposefully so it can be discussed without the other person asking "well, what to you mean by socialism?" and it ceases being proper vocabulary if you have to explain to someone the word every time.
Yes, but your definition was wrong. It doesn't cover the majority of forms of socialism. You've shown very clearly from this entire conversation that you've got a simplistic, kid's understanding of what it means.