Socialism 101: Jack London At Yale

Socialism vs. Social Democracy

What you'll learn

Define the basic tenets of socialism

Explain the basic tenets of social democracy

Examine the mindset of how socialism was perceived at the turn of the 20th century

Understand the basic concepts of socialism vs. capitalism

Requirements

No experience needed, just an open mind

Description

In 1906, my great-grandfather Dr. Alexander Fitzgerald Irvine was the secretary of the Socialist Party of Connecticut and a fellow at Yale University where he taught studies in divinity. He sought to shed some light on the subject of social protection. He had first-hand experience as a reverend in the New Haven religious community. He became very aware of parishioner stealing and other forms of skulduggery used to acquire the most prosperous benefactors. He despised the practice of selectively seeking profitable parishioners while ignoring the plight of the downtrodden. He felt that this practice was in conflict with Jesus’ teachings.My great-grandfather further believed that, due to this hypocrisy involving the church’s duty to the poor, the government needed to take an active role in offering a hand up to those in need. He strongly advocated that it should not be assumed that the church and pity be the sole final resources for those in need.It is only through serious dialog, we come closer to the truth. This dialog is about common sense approaches to governance through the incorporation of social democratic safety nets, incorporated into a nation whose financial foundation is based on capitalism. It should be no surprise that the first harsh reality Americans have to face is the fact that, under capitalism, it is the duty of for-profit corporate entities to maximize profits for their shareholders, and that makes good financial sense. If the directors of a board of a publicly owned entity fail to meet this duty, the CEO is quite often voted out by the majority of shareholders in order to bring in a new CEO who will have that same duty; to maximize profits. The end result is that the company either raises its prices, at the risk of losing business or shakes up the company and becomes more productive. This often entails getting rid of the proverbial “dead wood,” or the new CEO will soon find themselves to be out of a job.The need for money is at the root of both blue-collar crime, and white-collar crime. We live in a society whereby it is, for all practical purposes, a crime to be poor. It becomes a dog-eat-dog world whereby the struggle to survive drives people to go outside of their comfort zone and often be forced by circumstances to do things counter to their good nature and personal ethics. We live in a society where it has become, “every man for himself,” and both white and blue-collar crime increases as people do whatever it takes to survive. In a society whereby money is the main driving force, the “haves” will do everything they can to keep their wealth, while the “have nots” will do everything they have to, in order to acquire wealth. With a corporate-protectionist government approach to big business, the line between the haves and have-nots is becoming increasingly insurmountable. Health, education, and welfare become major barriers to entrepreneurial opportunity. Without forms of social democracy such as universal healthcare and education, the potential for enterprise is squandered. People are precluded by these basic economic barriers from reaching their potential.Pure capitalism has to be tempered with social programs that protect the citizenry from economic catastrophes brought on by natural disasters as well as corporate greed. For example, when gas suppliers artificially inflate the price of gasoline, it can have a devastating ripple effect on the entire society. When the state of Texas experienced an extreme prolonged freeze in the winter of 2021, the power grid was overworked and the price of a megawatt hour went from $40 to $9000 during the storm. This was pure capitalistic supply and demand – maximizing profits. In 2021 rapid-acting insulin was just over $8. In the United States only, the price increased to over $300, even though there was no shortage of pig insulin. These are among the many examples of where the essential industry is privately owned and subject to greed. Pure capitalism needs to be moderated with social democracy for the protection of the citizenry. Yet, with the pharmaceutical industry having a history of being the biggest defrauders of the US Government under the False Claims Act, every time legislation is proposed to provide relief on price gouging, it is met with cries about how it’s unfairly turning the country’s capitalistic ideals into socialism. The pharmaceutical industry stresses that they have to be free from price regulations because it’s a free market society.For years, government-funded universal healthcare has been labeled as socialized medicine and discouraged at every level. Horror stories of how people in other countries were butchered by underpaid physicians and had long wait times to get limited care. Social democracy and socialism are two different animals. One type of socialism refers to totalitarian governments while the other refers to the duty of government to provide for the basic needs of the citizenry, i.e., healthcare, education, and welfare.Societies have to recognize that allowances have to be made for the human condition. At any moment a catastrophe could beseech working people and they suddenly find themselves in a world of hurt.We have a constitution designed by our founding fathers to protect the citizens of the United States against the potential of government overreach. Unfortunately, in recent years our rights have been diminishing as a corporate influence on our congress has increased. As a nation, we need to rethink our priorities for governance. We have for years told the rest of the world what a great system of government we have, yet we know we could be doing a lot better.Social democracy would place the emphasis back on individuals and stop Corporate America from receiving favorable treatment by buying our politicians via dark money. We can accomplish this hefty ambition, and at the same time improve corporate solvency and profitability. We need to examine the middle-ground measures that could benefit individuals and corporations as there is a symbiotic relationship between the two whereby one cannot exist without the other. We need to always be looking at new ideas and rethinking our options.A universal basic income (UBI) provides the citizens of a country or state with a given sum of money, regardless of their income, resources, or employment status. The theory behind the UBI social model is that it can potentially prevent or reduce poverty and increase equality among citizens. By providing a UBI, free healthcare, and education, America could ensure a premium and robust workforce and make life better for everyone. The US could reach its entrepreneurial and commercial potential by providing the opportunity for individuals to start their businesses by having their healthcare, education, and living expenses covered. Most people have aspirations and dreams and want to work and better themselves. Most people want to be an integral part of their community and want to enjoy life. Individuals who choose not to be a part of the workforce could live off their UBI and not become a burden or negatively influence those who want to work. Doing so could vastly improve productivity by lessening industrial accidents and the stress caused by workers who tend to be hostile or are a negative influence. Getting rid of the employees not wanting to be there would benefit the work environment of others who want to be productive members of the workforce.

Overview

Section 1: Introduction

Lecture 1 Yale is a University, and not a Monastery

Section 2: Jack London Speaks

Lecture 2 Jack London at Yale

Section 3: Yours for the Revolution

Lecture 3 Yours for the Revolution

Section 4: Part 2

Lecture 4 Yours for the Revolution part 2

Section 5: The Reviews

Lecture 5 The Reviews

ITargeted audience are those seeking to understand the historical base of socialism in the United States