I was in a kerfuffle with a western “leftist” on discord. I was once on a server called “socialism” but then i got kicked for being a “tankie”, but that’s not the point of this. When I asked about where “democratic socialism”, which is more of an us-not-them word than anything imo, worked out, they pointed to Gadaffiist Libya. What would be a good response to that?
But don’t they have private ownership?
The US has the Bourgeoisie in the high ranks of the government. China doesn’t. The Chinese gov’t has strict regulations. China does not want a bourgeoisie, The USA does. China just keeps them out of necessity.
So it isn’t socialism?
Yes, it is. If China were capitalist, all these people who got too power hungry wouldn’t be arrested.
But isn’t socialism about the workers owning the means of production. If there’s still plenty of private ownership of the means of production, isn’t that not socialism?
If there’s a democracy in China with the vanguard of the proletariat in power, it is socialism.
So anyone can run and vote for who they want?
Yes
But doesn’t the central committee control who runs
Yes, as long as they are Marxist
I thought the central committee controls who runs?