Socialism is still a dirty word

By Henry Lamb

In the 1950s, the word “socialism” was as vulgar as the four-letter words, which, when uttered by a youngster, could result in a mouthful of soap. Not so today. Perhaps contemporary acceptance of the term is the result of tolerance lessons, or political correctness that permeates progressive thought today. It could be ignorance; schools no longer teach the flaws of socialism. Or, what’s even worse, today’s acceptance of the term is more likely to be acceptance of the system.

When Representative Maxine Waters blurted out in a congressional hearing that she was ready to “socialize” the oil industry, it caused only a minor ripple in the media. There’s no way of knowing, of course, whether any school teachers seized on the event to discuss with their students why government should, or should not, follow Ms. Waters’ advice and “socialize” the industry. This would have been a great teaching opportunity. Read more...