I would appreciate people not conflating socialism with welfare, especially since the government is notorious for abandoning vets anyway.
this post was submitted on 28 Sep 2025
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i really don't like using the word socialism to mean something like sharing or welfare
Unironically, it is a part of it. It’s capable of showing what a worker-controlled governance could do for it’s people if it was a socialist model. There is a scientific definition of socialism and one that could be used to refer to a welfare/public service part of governance. For the sake of brevity and for reaching a wider audience, this is how the meme was created.
It’s not my OC.
Socialism is when the government does stuff
I think the message is the fact that the government is willing to provide fully tax-payer funded benefits of healthcare, education, etc to it's "workers" and their children based off of their service in exploitation for the imperial core.
Hexbears enjoy a basic meme challenge
no enjoy! only critique!
i know it's not a leftist meme because there's only one paragraph
I think muddying the definition of socialism to a population that already has a notoriously poor grasp on it is a bad thing.
muddying the definition of socialism
Nobody is muddying anything. Unironically, it is a part of it. It’s capable of showing what a worker-controlled governance could do for it’s people if it was a socialist model. There is a scientific definition of socialism and one that could be used to refer to a welfare/public service part of governance.
I’m well aware of both.
It's an extremely unhelpful framing. Just say "welfare" if you want to say "welfare." Don't stoop to asinine definitions that result in saying that the US is "partially socialist" and in fact even Ancient Rome is "partially socialist."
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Socialism is when you blow your leg off killing brown children and then the government claims it's a pre-existing condition but they'll offer a low interest loan to study film so you can express how sad you were killing the brown children
I think the message is the fact that the government is willing to provide fully tax-payer funded benefits of healthcare, education, etc to it's "workers" and their children based off of their service in exploitation for the imperial core. Extends beyond soldiers too.
when you know what socialism is
when you know what a meme is
@people who are bothered by the framing here, i think we all are, but its also important to recognize your average person doesnt know what socialism is and in that framing this in great critique and an easy way to point out a problem. is it based on a false definition? sure. the premise is correct tho and thats what most people seeing this are understanding and what’s important. those people can learn what socialism is after they learn what the US military actually is.
It's an easy way to point out a problem, but it's also an easy way to feed anti-socialist brainworms.
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giving more people a wrong definition of socialism is definitely not helpful
they already have the wrong definition of socialism. they just learned a new perspective about capitalism tho. you didn't always know the correct definition of socialism. seeing a meme on the internet doesn't grant an eternal curse on you that disallows you from ever learning what the correct definition of socialism is
But why would you take your extremely limited audience with a passing viewer as a chance to reinforce a nonsense definition when it's genuinely one of the core difficulties socialism faces that people are systematically misinformed on its basic nature? Why assume that they'll have the inclination to unlearn this false definition that we are contributing to for the sake of this useless "anti-capitalist" gesture? Have we not seen the ideological capture of places like antiwork that failed to have any sort of positive alternative and end up just becoming, to be generous, socdem liberalism?
The very first thing that a socialist should do is try to explain, even in the most glancing terms, what socialism is, and that will on average get more interest and more productive engagement than another "capitalism bad :P" post to go on the pile of decades of liberals nebulously complaining about capitalism.
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I think the original framing and context is that soldiers are offered the benefits that would be offered to all the workers under a socialist governance but instead are offered those "socialist" benefits in exchange for service to enforcing the will of capital.
That isn't wrong, it isn't "incorrect" to say that it is "socialism" even if it isn't scientifically accurate to the word or our niche/specific political definitions. This would matter more on say, my home-instance Lemmygrad then a left-unity board especially when a lot of newer folks are on here. Words can have multiple meanings and those inflections can shift based on the context they're being used. More importantly, I think people hand-wringing and griping about it have more of an issue with puritanism with a bit of a lack of comprehension of context speaking that it's quite easy to just click on a user's profile and take a bit of a deeper dive. In fairness, I've done it myself with being too hasty. Some things I learned while here, I suppose.
In another meme made by the same creator, it's clear what they meant. Not "socialism is when government does stuff" but clearly capitalists and the ones they choose from political will enjoy the benefits we all would under socialist economy. Pretty clear.
I think the message is the fact that the government is willing to provide fully tax-payer funded benefits of healthcare, education, etc to it's "workers" and their children based off of their service in exploitation for the imperial core.
That's becoming seriously curtailed for a long time and it's continuing.
Where did you come to that conclusion?
it was revealed to me in a dream
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The socialism: excellent rates on Ford F-150 ownership and a home out in the middle of bumfuck nowhere where you'll raise kids to be just as soulless as you (if you didn't crush them with the F-150 that is) 
I think the message is the fact that the government is willing to provide fully tax-payer funded benefits of healthcare, education, etc to it's "workers" and their children based off of their service in exploitation for the imperial core.
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I think this is a good meme because
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Government do (welfare/investment) stuff is literally a part of socialism
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It can be understood by the masses
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It does not portray America's imperial adventures in a good light, and correctly blames "enforcing capitalism" rather than idealist factors.
OP, good job.
It isn't even mine! Lmao, people are acting like I haven't been on here for two years.
based on recent suggestions:
Much better
socialism is when you know the thing
but I think what we should really be focusing on is that flag looks more like the UK than the US
Eh, they're both bloody butcher's aprons.
I like Lewis Black’s definition of socialism:
“It’s like enforced Christianity.”
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