this post was submitted on 25 Nov 2025
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Explain Like I'm Five
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People often confuse socialism with communism. The confusion is deliberate by a lot of right wing propaganda. When talking about socialism with Americans, you have to explain to them that the fire department is an example of socialism. As are other public services, like roads, police, libraries, and some utilities.
Of course in America, some people think profit is more important, so they are doing everything they can to privatize services. For example, in Texas they are slowly killing public education, and toll roads have taken over normal highway construction.
As I mentioned, people are being conned and scared of the word so that they will elect people will be replacing what remains of public services with private ones.
"liberators"? Did you mean Libraries?
No that's socialism.
Corrected. (But libraries are liberators!)
100% true!
There are exceptions even here in Texas. My city has no toll roads and has a publicly owned power company.
We don't have private power companies in this county. What are they gonna compete on? Price? They would buy the power from the public company. Service? The service is honestly good.
I dream of moving to a different. State but I thank my lucky stars I grew up in this city.
Socialism and communism have a lot more in common than communism and what the soviets (and those they inspired) did.
Fire departments aren't socialism, they're social services. Socialism is when the whole economy is social services. Social-ism. A capitalist economy with lots of social services (like Norway) is called a social democracy.
:(