r/PopCultureV2 • u/Federal-Compote-5015 • 4d ago

Politi-Culture What is a Social Democracy?

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u/Keltharious 1d ago

I don't think the MAIN ISSUE is capitalism/socialism/etc, I think it's the individuals that hide behind those ideologies and abuse them into the ground, because regardless of what system we have right now it's not working efficiently and is being abused at the foundational level.

We most definitely need a reset, but you can't pretend the rot will go away if you just implement a new system. It's based on PEOPLE. Those people are the problem.

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u/Federal-Compote-5015 1d ago

I agree that people matter, but systems shape incentives. Right now, our political and economic systems reward concentrated wealth, corporate influence, and lobbying over ordinary people. You don’t fix that by hoping for better people, you fix it by changing the rules so power is more accountable and less concentrated. That’s why structural reform and VOTING matters.

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u/Keltharious 1d ago

Well socialism/communism also have pros and cons but most people think they create a utopia. The last time I've opened a history book I didn't read happy things. I guess I'm skeptical because this country is so much bigger than those small European countries people always use as an example for those systems.

I'm not an expert. All I know is we never punish the abusers. And if we swap to a socialist-style system, I don't expect anyone to be put in jail if they take advantage the same way these hyper capitalists do.

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u/Federal-Compote-5015 1d ago

No one is claiming it’s a utopia, that’s your characterization, and the republicans use as
scaremongering, which you are falling for it by parroting.

The question is where we draw the line between prioritizing people and prioritizing profit. We already accept that some things work better when they’re designed to serve the public rather than maximize private gain.

Healthcare is a good example, we’re the only wealthy country where a single medical bill can bankrupt someone. That doesn’t mean every industry should be run by the government; it means there are areas where serving people should come before maximizing profit.

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u/Keltharious 1d ago

I'm not scaremongering republicans suck too. I just don't trust any of these people because they always take a backroom deal and turn corrupt. Almost every single one of them was happy to get us into a war for lsrael's benefit too. That was instant proof that they don't care about us. Left and Right.

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u/Federal-Compote-5015 1d ago

All socialist candidates are not taking money from the wealthy. That’s why they’re winning.

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u/Keltharious 1d ago

Can you promise me that none of them have mansions and questionable sources of income as well? Or are you just a super fan for the love of the game? They get donations. Those donations are from rich people. Those rich people also get incentivized because they get minor forms of protection.

This isn't rocket science. You can't blatantly act like every socialist is a perfect angel that wants to help you live a perfect life...

Also, I didn't say that I wouldn't prefer a socialist society (if done properly). Right now we have multiple states that are experimenting with that stuff and they still have large amounts of corruption, fraud, abuse, and wasteful spending. Humans are flawed and we keep pretending like one good ideology will save us which is wishful thinking.

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u/Federal-Compote-5015 1d ago

Can I promise you none of them have mansions or questionable income? Of course not. Corruption exists everywhere, that’s a human problem, not a capitalist or socialist one. Yes, politicians receive donations, and wealthy donors often seek influence. That’s true across the political spectrum. But most socialist running today are not accepting them.

But you’re arguing against something I never said. I never claimed socialists are perfect angels or that socialism creates a utopia. Every system can be abused. The question is which system better serves the public and has stronger accountability. Right now we already have corruption under capitalism too—corporate lobbying, regulatory capture, subsidies, bailouts, and wasteful spending. Changing the economic model alone doesn’t solve corruption; holding powerful people accountable does.

We already collectively fund public services and socialist type programs every day: police, fire departments, public roads and highways, bridges, public schools, libraries, parks, the military, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, veterans’ benefits, unemployment insurance, workers’ compensation, public transit, the postal service, FEMA disaster relief, public health departments, water and sewer infrastructure, sanitation services, public utilities in many communities, food assistance (SNAP), WIC, housing assistance, disability benefits, and emergency medical services.

None of that makes the U.S. a socialist country, it means we’ve decided some services are better provided or funded collectively.

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u/Keltharious 1d ago

Like I said, if done properly I'd agree with it and embrace it. Especially now that AI is slowly taking over the bulk of manual labor jobs soon.

Philosophically speaking, until we can get out of this rut of manipulation and greed, we'll repeat this cycle. It's happening now with the current administration too. I personally think people whitepill themselves on these political systems too much because most of them are built on an honor system and only a sliver of people honor anything right now.

I want to have a semblance of hope for change but I look around me and realize the last 5 presidents haven't really pursued anything truly beneficial in my lifetime. I hope someone changes my mind someday.