I don’t know what the makeup of DSA is like these days. There may be chapters that are more marxist-leninist than others.
But the issue with so-called democratic socialism as a label is that it comes with a belief that the capitalist class can be deposed from power by voting them out, essentially. In practice, in the US, it also tends to have problems with not supporting actual socialist projects in the world (such as China).
The reason the “flavor” of it matters is because when we’re talking about people who don’t support existing socialist projects in the world, or don’t take seriously the confrontational nature of taking on an existing entrenched, exploitative, and violent power structure, it’s hard to take them seriously as wanting the same things.
If only people realized how often the government ignores the will and well being of the general public, they might actually realize that they can’t vote their way out.
I don’t know what the makeup of DSA is like these days. There may be chapters that are more marxist-leninist than others.
But the issue with so-called democratic socialism as a label is that it comes with a belief that the capitalist class can be deposed from power by voting them out, essentially. In practice, in the US, it also tends to have problems with not supporting actual socialist projects in the world (such as China).
The reason the “flavor” of it matters is because when we’re talking about people who don’t support existing socialist projects in the world, or don’t take seriously the confrontational nature of taking on an existing entrenched, exploitative, and violent power structure, it’s hard to take them seriously as wanting the same things.
Anyway, that is where the dissing comes from.
If only people realized how often the government ignores the will and well being of the general public, they might actually realize that they can’t vote their way out.