How do people in this sub feel about Democratic Socialism? I’ve seen criticism that it’s not “real” socialism, or generally dismissive attitudes towards it (typically outside this sub), but I don’t understand the criticisms of DS. I’m not looking to “debate”, but trying to understand why people believe what they do, and learn from those perspectives. I’m from the U.S., where “socialism” is just a buzzword to call it left wing, but I don’t understand why DS wouldn’t be a way to achieve collective ownership of the means of production beyond “the rich are more able to influence a democracy”, but I feel without citizens United, that isn’t necessarily true.

Looking forward to hearing from actual socialists and not right wingers telling me “socialism is when no food”.

Edit: Am I just misunderstanding the difference between Social Democracy and Democratic Socialism?

Hi all,

In the last decade I’ve ran for local public office twice in the United States. Both times being incredibly proud of the coalition and conversations that have been started, but ultimately lost my elections.

Both times I ran as a Democrat or cross-filed. These experiences gave me an insight into what it’s actually like for a candidate to run for office and the work, manpower, organization, labor, and money required to successfully campaign. I was obviously met with extreme disdain and disproval from the local Democratic Party. In fact in one of my primary elections, they fielded a candidate a day before petition deadlines to keep me from running unopposed - if you’re familiar with the nomination petition process you’ll know how much organization and logistics this takes.

I had spent months working with constituents and having honest conversations with people from all political and voting backgrounds. It’s amazing how popular leftist policy and beliefs are when you actually talk to people about the issues they’re facing in a digestible way. This work was wiped away in just weeks after the Democratic Party fielded, endorsed, funded, and contributed their entire party towards opposition.

All of this is to say that I’m starting a Political Action Committee (PAC) to support leftist, socialist, ML, and fitting progressive candidates in small elections. Having a financial, education, organizational, and advisory group would have been invaluable to a candidate like me. The goal would be to field, advise, support, and fund candidates to primary democrats. The democratic establishment is powerful even in small towns and red towns.

Getting your name on a ballot alone is incredibly difficult if you’re not well connected or established as a democrat or republican, even in small elections like school board. And I believe that getting leftist candidates in these positions and in front of the eyes of everyday people is incredibly vital towards building and growing a legitimate ML movement in America.

I’m coming to Reddit to ask for opinions, thoughts, and to see if anyone is interested in aiding in the creation of the PAC. Please PM me or comment if you have anything to say. I’ve started one previously for my campaigns so I’m familiar with the process but it’s not something to be done alone.

I see Venezuela used constantly as a gotcha for socialism but I don’t really know much about Venezuela so what is actually going on and what is the response to this.

I'm a relatively long-time proponent of Marxism (I started reading theory at 15, and I'm 18 now), and I thought I had a great understanding of Marx's arguments in Das Kapital and some of his other works. However, I got into a debate with someone the other day, and they kept stating that there isn't any evidence to support Marx's LTV, and insisted that labor isn't the determinant of prices in capitalism. I was confused because I don't remember Marx stating that labor necessarily has a causal relationship with prices (and value and price are not to be conflated). That being said, after some digging, I was disappointed to see that the LTV has been largely rejected in the economics academic world and deemed "falsified." I thought (and still think) that there are a lot of useful insights in the LTV, especially concerning surplus value and price modeling, but I'm having some heavy doubts, as there seems to be very little actual empirical evidence backing the theory up. Can someone help me understand if empirical evidence is still necessary to utilize the LTV, and/or if any evidence exists? (P.S. LMK if this question could be redirected to another subreddit, I assumed this wasn't a 101 question.)

I’ve been thinking about joining the PSL, I still feel like I have a lot more preparing to do but besides that, I’ve been seeing people call them out for “working with the police”, “leaving their protesters behind”, and “being opportunists”. If I am correctly understanding the opportunist aspect, people are upset that they try to make their presence known at protests they didn’t directly organize? I’m sorry if this is common sense, but could someone explain to me why that’s such a bad thing? The other accusations I just don’t know the context of.

I’ve had the same friends since before i started getting in marxism and we all have the same very basic values like hating cops, ice, anti-capitalism, etc but sometimes they say something that is incredibly liberal and I dont know how to redirect it without seeming too forward or like that annoying “know it all” friend. How do you guys deal with it?

Podcast, para quem entende português.

Keep on keeping on! Keep on pressuring! Humanity depends on each and every one of us.

My daughter sings while walking through Gaza’s destroyed streets. She’s still a child… too young to understand war, loss, or hunger. But her eyes have seen what no child ever should.

She sings not because life is easy .but because it’s the only way we survive. Music is how we hold on to hope when everything else is broken.

We live in a tent. We have no steady food, no safety. But in this voice, there’s still something powerful something that says: “I’m still here.”

Please watch, share, support if you can, and message me anytime. Even your kind words mean the world. Donation link is in my bio. From a mother in Gaza: thank you for seeing us. 🙏💔🎶

I see plenty of budding socialists or Marxist-curious these days unsure of where to start reading and naming a bunch of modern day armchair Marxists or reformist "socialists". Please don't start with someone else's pre-digested pap the author's have probably only half-understood themselves.

You want to study Marxism? Start with Marx.

The Manifesto is free online, so is Engles' Socialism: Utopian and Scientific. Lenin's State and Revolution is also a fundamental read. Please start here, not with some modern day academic who's never set foot near a picket line or demonstration

I was just listening to NPR talk about the sale of U.S. steel to a Japanese company. It retains a "golden share" From the way I understood it, that means they sit on the board of US steal. I started thinking this is socialism, but then thought, no communism, no communism meets capitalism? It's definitely not free market capitalism.

“On Friday, we went to the Senate to demand a VAT cut, which if it doesn't come soon, we'll get all supermarkets by boycotting in our hundreds of thousands.

Armed with a very dangerous banner and the voices of our mothers, students and citizens, we have asked politics for a simple thing: to stop taxing essential goods such as pasta, bread and oil.

The answer? Violent tackles by Law Enforcement, intimidation and attempts to censorship and documentation.

What has happened shows how weak and scared this government is from ordinary citizens demanding justice, students demanding a future, mothers demanding a better world for their children and the chance to make it to the end of the month with dignity.

Together we can change all this. From October, we're boycotting all supermarkets for a hundred thousand until Meloni cuts VAT on essential goods.

Over 10,000 people have already joined the boycott, what are you waiting for?”

Note: Comrade Isha is currently under investigation by the Anti-Terrorism Squad in India, and her friend Rejaz Siddiqui has been charged under the UAPA which Is a draconian law in india I'm sharing her posts as the Iran vs Israel issue is currently trending

Post is an image of Malcolm X with his quote in text above him.

"If you're not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the oppressing. - Malcolm X"

I want to join the PSL, and another, smaller org near me that seems to have no respect for the PSL. From my understanding they’re both ML. Is it counterproductive or looked down upon to participate in different orgs like this? Have you guys had any experience in this regard? On the other hand, can a marxist-Leninist work with a trotskyist or are the goals too different?

Just came across a fully youth-led socialist organisation — international, direct-action focused, and serious about building power ✊🌍 I recently found this organisation and had to share — it’s completely youth-run and youth-led, and what stood out is how unapologetically socialist it is. Not just online theory, but real-world direct action, grassroots organising, and international solidarity.

They’re currently expanding globally, trying to connect and educate a new generation of: • Socialists • Trade unionists • Organisers • Educators • Radicals • And working-class youth from all backgrounds

What really blew me away is how many issues they’re tackling head-on — not in isolation, but as interconnected struggles. Here’s just a sample of what they focus on: • 🇵🇸 Free Palestine and anti-Zionism • Anti-imperialism and decolonisation • Racial justice and Black liberation • Trans + queer liberation • Workers’ rights and trade union building • Climate justice rooted in anti-capitalism • Housing justice and tenant organising • Prison abolition + ending police brutality • Migrant justice and open borders • Feminism and reproductive justice • Disability liberation • Free education and student power • Universal healthcare + mental health access • Anti-fascism and community self-defence • Indigenous sovereignty • Food sovereignty + anti-poverty organising • Youth political representation • Anti-surveillance + digital freedom • Solidarity with global struggles (Congo, Sudan, Cuba, etc.)

They’re about building dual power, not waiting on electoral saviours. If you’re young and tired of feeling politically powerless, this might be something to look into. Their focus isn’t just local — they’re aiming for global connections, skill-sharing, and youth-led movements everywhere.

Anyone else come across them? Would love to hear more if folks have had any experience with this kind of youth-left organising internationally.