SOCIALISM – is an economic and political system based on public or collective ownership of the means of production, aiming for equitable wealth distribution and social welfare rather than private profit. Core principles include state-regulated economies, reduced income inequality, and public control over key industries. (Encyclopedia Britanica + others).
Understandably this system would need to be built into a country’s constitution for the country to be truly socialist. Typically governed by communist parties: China, Cuba, Laos, Vietnam & North Korea. Each operates differently within their own economic system. I’m sure that is why our founding fathers provided room in our system to do both (social welfare & private profits). All through 2016 and into the 2024 election we had MAGA Republicans swearing that the Democrats were going to bring on socialism. The Democrats wanted to make the US a socialist country. Well, that didn’t happen and wouldn’t happen without changes to our constitutional framework. Yes, we do have social programs. Some as old as 1932 and others as recently as 1996. Programs broken into two types; social insurance (benefits based on eligibility criteria like age or work history) and social welfare (means-tested based on income). Programs like SNAP, WIC (food assistance), Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP (healthcare), Social Security, TANF (housing & income). All programs designed for those in need. Our fellow citizens, our fellow Americans.
What concerns me more than sharing with others, or someone getting a little more of a hand up than someone else, is the final section of the definition of socialism that references “public control over key industries.” This is slowly happening in front of our eyes with how the FCC is choosing to pull licenses or withhold licenses/mergers from companies who don’t publish, print or speak highly of the current administration. The expected purchase of Warner Brothers Discovery (WBD, HBO Max, CNN and its film studios) by Paramount Skydance is another. Paramount Skydance Corporation is an American multinational mass media (forms of media that reach large audiences. Including broadcast, digital, print, social & streaming) and entertainment conglomerate (a parent company that owns & controls many subsidiaries). Paramount Skydance is owned by David Ellison, son of Larry Ellison, both strong supporters of the current administration and in a position to control the narrative.
Paramount paid $16 million dollars to settle a lawsuit between CBS & Trump in 2025. Sixteen million is a small price to pay for the current administration to help push through your purchase of another organization. After the lawsuit was settled, Larry Ellison made conservative (Trump friendly) changes to the organization and the information it reported. It also plans to remove TV host Stephen Colbert because he dared to call the settlement a pay-off. It was. By the end of the Paramount Skydance purchase, they will control the following.
TikTok, CBS, CNN, HBO, Discovery, BET, Cartoon Network, Comedy Central, Fandango, Miramax, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount, Pluto TV, Showtime, TBS, The CW, TNT, WB, and others.
Purchase as many news media outlets & platforms as possible and control the narrative (information) that is delivered. Besides being a return to a monopoly, it sounds more like what occurs in countries like North Korea, Russia, China, Cuba, Vietnam, etc. A government run media that provides you with what they want you to hear, not what you need to hear.
I was watching “The American President”, probably for the 6th time. Yes I told you before I was a romantic. Somewhere around an hour and 29 minutes into the movie, the President (Michael Douglas) and his political advisor (Michael J. Fox), have a dialogue about the information that people are hearing during the campaign for re-election. At one point during the banter between the 2, the political advisor reminds those in the room that it is his right to question our leaders. I’ll paraphrase here; It is not only our right, but our responsibility. He continues to say people want leadership. And in the absence of genuine leadership, people will listen to anyone that steps up to the microphone. They are so thirsty for it, they will crawl through the desert to a mirage. And when they discover there is no water, they will drink the sand.
The President responds “they don’t drink the sand because they are thirsty, they drink the sand because they don’t know the difference.” There was a key analysis of this quote by Penn Sate University. The metaphor is that people will accept poor leadership, bad ideas, or misinformation not because they are desperate, but because they cannot distinguish between fiction & non-fiction. Controlling the narrative controls the information, which controls the feelings. Then all you know is what you are told. It is easier to tell you what to be afraid of, and who is to blame, than it is to accept & tell the truth.
Key Interpretations:
- The Power of Misinformation: People often settle for harmful solutions (the “sand”) because they are convinced it is beneficial (the “water”) due to a lack of understanding or critical thinking.
- Responsibility of Leadership: Leaders have the responsibility to guide and educate, rather than exploiting a “thirsty” population’s lack of knowledge.
- Desperation vs. Ignorance: While desperate people may be easily fooled, the core issue is an inability to tell the difference between a good option and a dangerous one.
Penn State University +4
I seem to like the different views on news outlets. It allows me to see things from different points of view and then make my own dame decision about how I feel. The same push is being made with the current administration’s desire for the government to run elections. But only in certain states. Just the ones they need to win in an election, to maintain power. I’ve said before I believe in standardizing the election format, but that does not mean controlling them. It is a state’s responsibility. No election has ever been won/lost because of fraud. No elections have ever been contested at such a level until the current administrations attack on the system. It all started with the lie of a stollen election (still unfounded).
Be careful how much control you’re willing to give up because of the fear of something else.