General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: For the Epsteinth Time - a Democratic Socialist is not a Communist! [View all]GiqueCee
(5,248 posts)... reversing the order of the two words sounds like simple semantics. I have nothing but admiration for the Nordic nations' form of governance.
The USSR gave socialism a bad name, and an even worse definition, and no one seems to agree on a basic definition boiled down to its essence, which, it seems to me, should be to put the best interests of people ahead of the best interests of corporations and oligarchs. I also don't like to conflate capitalism with free enterprise; they are most definitely not the same thing. Capitalism is the control and manipulation of money, or "CAPITAL". Capitalists often work to suppress free enterprise in their efforts to eliminate, or at least minimize, competition. And capital is the lifeblood of any enterprise, free or otherwise.
It was never my intention to demean Sweden, or any other country, by misinterpreting their forms of government. Perhaps we should work on a solid explanation of the difference between Democratic Socialism and Social Democracy. I hate being misunderstood, so I try very hard to get the definitions of terms tossed about in today's political debates correct, and we both know how flagrantly conservatives deliberately twist and pervert the meanings of words like woke, or acronyms like DEI, or Antifa. So I would benefit from your assistance in understanding more clearly how best to refer to Sweden's form and methods of governance.
Have a nice day, Celerity!