I'm willing to bet that many of you think that socialism is when the government does stuff, and the more stuff the government does, the more socialist it is.
First of all, that's just wrong, so jot that down. Socialism is the worker ownership and control of the means of production.
Back in the olden days this meant owning factories, farms, etc., but obviously most of us aren't factory workers or farmers anymore: the means of production are the places where we work.
The point of my post is to give you a sense of how socialism, as defined above, is implemented for rich white collar workers, but not for the average essential worker picking up your trash or stocking grocery shelves (you know, without which society would collapse).
| Essential worker | White collar worker (e.g., me) |
|---|---|
| actually does something useful | I move pixels around on a screen |
| makes minimum wage | I make 130K |
| if company makes record profits, they get shit. or maybe a pizza | I get a share of company profits in a bonus |
| do not own any part of the company | I get stock options. I literally own (a small) fraction of the means of production |
| Sure, sign up for this health insurance scam | free healthcare. I don't pay a cent |
Are you seeing a pattern? All the people who wring their hands and cry about socialism (members of my class) are the ones who benefit most from socialism in their workplace. Don't let them lie to you. Join a union. Demand your rights.