Then what’s the solution? They’re suspicious of education. They have poor media literacy (and often poor literacy in general). They live in a filter bubble of like-minded individuals, and they’ve been told that everyone outside that bubble wants to kill them or take away their way of life. They’ve essentially been indoctrinated into a cult, and if you start out trying to deprogram a cult member by saying “so actually the devil isn’t so bad,” you’re probably not going to get very far.
If you have an hour, I recommend reading Masses, Elites, and Rebels: The Theory of “Brainwashing.” Neither of us are somehow elites that see beyond the system, and the working class isn’t stupid. People license themselves to believe what they think materially benefits them. As capitalism decays, the working class is more radicalized. When you hide your intentions, you sow distrust among the working class, resulting in failed tactics.
I appreciate the resources, thanks. I’ll look into those.
Also, I’m afraid that I may have implied something about rural folks that I didn’t intend. I don’t think that they’re stupid, by any means; or cruel, or inherently evil. I think that they’re victims of misinformation and indoctrination, that they’re lied to and manipulated every four years to vote against their self-interest, and that at this point they have a generational stake in opposing the word “socialism.” And while I’m certainly no elite who sees beyond the system, having been on both sides of this, I think I have a perspective on both the way that capitalist propaganda warps facts and also the way that rural people (at least certain rural people) interact with that propaganda.
To be clear, I’m not suggesting that socialists hide the end goal; I’m just saying that using the words that conservatives have spent billions of dollars co-opting and redefining for 70+ years is likely fighting an uphill battle. And perhaps not one that can be won. The meaning of the word “socialism” doesn’t particularly matter to the indoctrinated, as the GOP agitprop have discovered; calling anything “socialism” immediately brands it as evil, even if the thing they’re calling “socialism” is companies rainbow-washing their merchandise during the month of June.
As you noted, people license themselves to believe what they think materially benefits them, but the fall of capitalism is showing that the indoctrinated working class has already been conditioned to blame its collapse on socialism, even as socialists are the very people trying to excavate them from the rubble.
So, no, don’t lie or hide intention. Just be clear about the specifics, and avoid charged language.
I really recommend you read the articles. It does more damage by avoiding actually discussing socialism, you’ll be branded a socialist regardless. Avoiding “charged language” just means you sow distrust when people catch on that this is socialism, it’s dishonest and harmful.
By hiding your intentions, you only compound the problem, not fixing it.
Then what’s the solution? They’re suspicious of education. They have poor media literacy (and often poor literacy in general). They live in a filter bubble of like-minded individuals, and they’ve been told that everyone outside that bubble wants to kill them or take away their way of life. They’ve essentially been indoctrinated into a cult, and if you start out trying to deprogram a cult member by saying “so actually the devil isn’t so bad,” you’re probably not going to get very far.
If you have an hour, I recommend reading Masses, Elites, and Rebels: The Theory of “Brainwashing.” Neither of us are somehow elites that see beyond the system, and the working class isn’t stupid. People license themselves to believe what they think materially benefits them. As capitalism decays, the working class is more radicalized. When you hide your intentions, you sow distrust among the working class, resulting in failed tactics.
Another good article is Marketing Socialism, and it’s only 4 minutes long.
I appreciate the resources, thanks. I’ll look into those.
Also, I’m afraid that I may have implied something about rural folks that I didn’t intend. I don’t think that they’re stupid, by any means; or cruel, or inherently evil. I think that they’re victims of misinformation and indoctrination, that they’re lied to and manipulated every four years to vote against their self-interest, and that at this point they have a generational stake in opposing the word “socialism.” And while I’m certainly no elite who sees beyond the system, having been on both sides of this, I think I have a perspective on both the way that capitalist propaganda warps facts and also the way that rural people (at least certain rural people) interact with that propaganda.
To be clear, I’m not suggesting that socialists hide the end goal; I’m just saying that using the words that conservatives have spent billions of dollars co-opting and redefining for 70+ years is likely fighting an uphill battle. And perhaps not one that can be won. The meaning of the word “socialism” doesn’t particularly matter to the indoctrinated, as the GOP agitprop have discovered; calling anything “socialism” immediately brands it as evil, even if the thing they’re calling “socialism” is companies rainbow-washing their merchandise during the month of June.
As you noted, people license themselves to believe what they think materially benefits them, but the fall of capitalism is showing that the indoctrinated working class has already been conditioned to blame its collapse on socialism, even as socialists are the very people trying to excavate them from the rubble.
So, no, don’t lie or hide intention. Just be clear about the specifics, and avoid charged language.
I really recommend you read the articles. It does more damage by avoiding actually discussing socialism, you’ll be branded a socialist regardless. Avoiding “charged language” just means you sow distrust when people catch on that this is socialism, it’s dishonest and harmful.