In his post “What does the future of socialism look like?’, Assistant Professor of Political Science Alex Gourevitch makes a last ditch philosophical effort to revive his cherished Socialist ideals in saying:
“Socialism as a possibility will exist so long as capitalism persists as a reality.”
And in the very next sentence at least admits:
“But socialism is a possibility that has to be reinvented.” later followed by “capitalism, not socialism, seems like the historically inevitable social order.”
He claims the wrongdoings of socialism as due to interventionist State control, rather than the cutesy ‘local community goodwill egalitarianism’ that he claims as the real socialist ideal.
The one thing we can agree on, is that interventionist State control is bad, and capitalism is the inevitable social order.
Then he gets all convoluted (typical of 2-bit neocheating socialist academics) and makes the statement “a socialist could argue that capitalism constrains consumption” apparently claiming that socialism would increase mass consumerism (as with real socialism we wouldn’t have to work so would have lots of leisure time for entertainment and thus use up resources)…
Errmm…
This display of ineffectual reasoning and clouded judgement brings optimism as it means today’s youth passing through the mind-grinding classrooms of academia may in fact be ready for reality.
Then comes Martin Armstrong and cuts a decisive line between socialism and the future of humanity in ‘This Time It Is Different‘.
For years, I have warned that we will face our worst nightmare – the collapse of socialism.
In the death throes of this abomination… government will become the ugly beast that will devour society to retain power
“Karl Marx, who sought to change society by sheer force, set all this in motion.”
Of course, Capitalism IS the goodwill egalitarianism that ‘Academic Alex’ seeks, for it is the only government system that does away with initiatory force.
Armstrong goes on:
“They have wiped out society placing the entire scheme of socialism as a terrible nightmare that will end badly, and they have ruined the social family structure disarming people that for thousands of years was our very means of self-sufficient survival.
They have lied to themselves and to the people. We have to crash and burn – that part is inevitable. Only when the economy turns down will we then argue over solutions.”
And it’s my view that academics will turn to the idea of ‘social capitalism’ or some other such integration of supposed egalitarian ideals with the reality and morality of property rights.
The trick is, surviving the collapse of government long-enough and being in a position on the other side to influence which direction the inevitable arguments go.