Socialism For Dummies.

Probably the best economics teacher I have come across on the internet. His approach to the subject is simply the best. Appreciation from Colombo, Sri Lanka.

OMG this guy studies if I am not wrong economics in the 20th century and all he did was manipulate people by saying this mars socialism is not socialism, Lenins communism or socialism is not socialism, the 3rd socialism is not socialism, this is socialism and when this one fails some other guy will say this socialism is not socialism. And he studied this system for 40 years and he is advocating the only thing he would do is to put in a capitalist system that somehow workers who work in a foreign company, which is not even theirs that would decide what to produce and how much money to pour into products. How would you explain to the retail workers what PR is or B2B and B2C? I mean you must be really stupid to even introduce this failed system to others. If we look at Denmark or Norway that has nothing to do with socialism. It is a strong capitalist economy which people pay 56% of their taxes so they can have public schools, transport etc. and financial help to the people who really need it. Social means the people who need help who are poor.

All the 'experts' are on the government payroll. Hopelessly compromised

This was supposed to be Socialism For Dummies. So, after listening for 50 minutes to Dr. Wolff on Socialism, I've found out that Socialism is not Statism. However, instead of evading the matter and enumerating all the things Socialism is NOT, can anyone tell us what Socialism actually is?

so kind to make a video for 2020 Libertarian party voters

Protect this man at any cost

"Socialism is when the government does stuff"
-Carl Marcks

As a capitalist, I find it extremely hard to engage with socialism as a concept. As Wolff himself admits, socialism means so many different things, and there's no one "socialism". When people are advocating for socialism as an economic system, political system, or both, I have no clue what they're talking about. All I can make out is that socialism aims to eliminate class by giving workers more power. But even that is primarily economic socialism.

If socialism is when the government plays a larger role, at what point is capitalism considered socialism? While I like capitalisms, I recognize the many many flaws in our current system. The solution to many of these flaws seems to be government intervention, which I'm a HUGE advocate for. I think the government should play a much larger role in stopping corruption, empowering the impoverished, and encouraging ethical practices. Am I a socialist? Based on some of the proposed socialist solutions (an example being Participatory Economics, including worker coops and worker voting), I'd say I'm certainly not a socialist. But I support healthcare for all, and I wish for expanded education and housing programs. I've always described myself as a capitalist who advocates for expanded social programs, or progressive for short.

Another topic worth considering is: Is the label of socialist worth the amount of confusion? If socialism isn't a coherent and describable political system, how on Earth are we supposed to implement it? If we implement it through gradual, various social programs, isn't that just Capitalism + social programs and expanded government? If we abolish CEO's and managers and give the power to the working class, I have a whole host of questions and concerns that in my mind make it completely unfeasible, if not downright impossible. It's confusing to me, and I'm ACTIVELY trying to figure out why my peers seem to find it so appealing. If I can't get answers from one of the biggest names in socialism, I'm weary to think perhaps my questions don't have answers.

I had a fan of a certain austrian ex painter's part in 1930s and 40s Germany tell me he thought of donald trump socialism

It's definitely important to have a Nurnberg type trial ,before those with the Bribe money get away with this ! The working class of the USA must have Justice !

It is a good title because socialism IS for dummies :)

beautiful

good work

Socialism works until you run out of other people's money Margaret thatcher.

Mr. Wolff, what you have just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.

I don't know why socialism is more palatable when explained to me by an old dude from New York, but it is

What fantastic lecture, thank you👏

The govt will go to any means it had to stop socialism but child porn and men transitioning into Women are perfectly fine to allow? .. interesting

Hands down the best explanation for what socialism is not that I've ever heard. Thank you Professor Wolff!

Halfway through and ironically, I don't know what socialism is still and what it would look like if we replaced our capitalism with this. But I learned a lot! Oooh, watch part 2!!!

Marxian economics is like homeopathic medicine. Quackery at its finest.

Bernie Sanders was lying the whole time or would tell you to vote for the Socialist Party . Or maybe he was lying half the time either way you're not using the right science .

I'm all for the raising the living standard of the common man by the agency of socialism if that what it takes. The models we had to go by in the twentieth century and beyond were systems that were and are principally interested in ideology and absolute obedience to the state. They didn't care and still don't care who they step on to achieve complete power. If we have Socialism let's
have a type that has to answer to an opposition party. Any political party that dominates government without organized opposition becomes corrupt.

Now 2023 and we see socialism is for dummies.
I’ve listened to him debate capitalists , the one debate the capitalist shows him we already have his idea within the capitalist structure. It’s every person that starts their own business with no employees, we have farm co-ops now. We have the nuclear family pure socialism the way he describes. No laws preventing the size of any socialist company to have every person that belongs to it.
It’s all available but it still hasn’t caught on 8 years later from this video. Why this man spends his life trying to convert capitalism that has lifted millions out of poverty.
To bad we can’t go back in time and tell this guy it isn’t going to work his ideas are totally rejected when it comes to swapping out capitalism for socialism. He is an angry old socialist that will never understand socialism doesn’t scale , people are not all nice responsible citizens so treating a corporation of thousands of people like a 5 person families is like getting all your extended family to agree on Turkey or ribs for thanksgiving or gif forbid politics be spoken at tge dinner table. It doesn’t work end of story.

Socialism is really just a form of porn for people who have Freudian fantasies about gulags and mass-Un-Alivings of the innocent. It's really amazing that these kinds of sociopaths keep preaching utopia when the failed system has such an utterly astounding body count ... at this point in history it would make more sense to regard Socialism as a kind of cult for serial-Un-Alivers.

"Capitalism isn't doing too well for the last 6, 7 years"
Checks date of the video
Ouch.

"Capitalist Richard Wolff doesn't exist, it can't hurt you"

Capitalist Richard Wolff:
"Capitalism is when the company does stuff. The more company does stuff, the more Capitalist it gets, but if it does real stuff, its Corporatism."

It’s time we made pee pee on capitalism!!

No.
The Fire and Police Departments, oh, and public schools and libraries....and street lights, are when "the government does stuff."
The abolition of all private property, even, in some theories, personal property, and the subjugation of all autonomous exercise of work and/or will to the supposed greater good of maximizing
control of the economy (and the culture and the relationship of people to their community and to each other) by the state (nominally as directed by "the people") is SOCIALISM.
We all get to share in the same mediocrity, as "equals."
This prof's simple-Simon reduction is as disingenuous, and almost as condescending, as his delivery.

The argument that socialism is a bad word in America today is garbage. The reason “there is no debate” is not because “it is too scary” it is because there is literally no remaining argument for socialisms viability. It died with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Cry more about it.

This otherwise beautiful lecture is marred by the phrase ‘poor stalin’. That should be edited out or qualified with mention of information about his atrocities on his own population. He killed millions?

The professor is not telling the entire truth. Stalin did follows Lenin steps to literally transfer the ownerships and management and whatever of the state enterprise back to the working populations , HOWEVER, he, and the Soviet partisan found out, they come to realize that, from the experience helping other left wing movement, militants and otherwise since the 1920s to come. That the other side, the Capital Business class side, that they will do all they can to took back everything, and at the rates of worker ran enterprise, the Soviet would not be able to produces enough small arms, armored vehicles, artillery, bullets and foods to even last a short wars, against a much more industrializes army (whom can out produces and thus outlast them) AT the were during the Spanish Civil Wars, and they, the Soviet governments had industrializes so much, improves the living conditions and material conditions of their people, updates their weaponry so much, but it's was not enough, because if you recall, the left wing united Front, the Republican faction LOST that wars against the right wing united Front of the Nationalist. So Stalin administration list out a plans to reorganizes the Soviet Industry under a state planning more direct state controls models TO PRODUCES enough equipment for the already incoming wars, regardless what dude in Mongolian want to go to wars or not, the Axis are coming, and none of complains gonna stops the united right wing army, the Axis army.
HOWEVER, it's was always the plans to return these industries from state ran BACK to the working population as Commune, Coops, whatever, working people own the mean of economic production! , but guess what? Stalin pass aways because he was old, and over works. Then what? well the administration that came after Stalin decide "You know what? the Soviet Union industries gonna be primarily state owns, but small coops and communes are allows, with states instruction" and that last until the Soviet Union dissolves.
It's was AFTER Lenin and Stalin passing, that the latter leader of the USSR decide, this was enough.

SOCIALISM

is when the

Socialism is LITERALLY EVIL AND KILLED MY DOG

Arise, ye pris'ners of starvation
Arise, ye wretched of the earth.
For justice thunders condemnation

government is when the socialism does stuff

stuff is when the socialism does government

stuff is when does government socialism

socialism is when the government does socialism

the government does socialism is when the stuff

the stuff is when the socialism does government

No those are natural monopolies. Capitalism requires competition econ 101

my favourite boomer 😍

Lennon just wanted to give peace a chance

this lecture genuinely cemented my socialist beliefs. thank you professor Wolff.

Socialism is close, but it's not the final answer. It would be a good step though. In a sense, the best system in the end is both Socialist and Capitalist, because you'd be getting what you actually earn, and we'd all be one super-group. Might sound bold, but I have a theory that definitively solves why empires fall, how to stop it and reverse it despite the difficulties, how to definitively measure morality by gives and takes, and some ideas for methods of pier-investment and pier-review for various systems. Also, it's all connected to some fun stuff from history, as if an instruction manual has been miswritten and misused. Anyway, sorry for preaching. Maybe we'll put a video up soon. Still finalizing things. Anyone invested, feel free to inquire. ;-}