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posted by cmn32480 on Friday December 18 2015, @10:46AM   Printer-friendly
from the how-do-you-spell-that dept.

The Guardian reports that "socialism" was the most looked-up word on Merriam-Webster's site this year, a change the American dictionary publisher attributes to US presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, who has positioned of himself as a "democratic socialist".

As a socialist (or communist) myself, I personally think it's great that especially people from the United States try to figure out the meaning of the word beyond McCarthyism. I'm glad that people show interest in politics and finding out about positions of candidates.

Past years winners are available on Wikipedia.


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  • (Score: 2) by Nuke on Friday December 18 2015, @02:12PM

    by Nuke (3162) on Friday December 18 2015, @02:12PM (#278184)

    ..... it's great that especially people from the United States try to figure out the meaning of the word [socialism] beyond McCarthyism

    My knowledge of US political history is a bit vague, but I'd never imagined that McCarthyism was socialism.

    Also, just because people learn about something it does not mean that they will like it. In fact the more I hear politicians on any part of the spectrum preaching their views, the more I find I disgaree with them.

    I've heard that "Nazi" (aaarrgghhh, Godwin!) is another favourite look-up, but I don't see much empathy resulting.

    PS: My title is a quotation - by King Edward VII of Britain

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 18 2015, @02:45PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 18 2015, @02:45PM (#278198)

    My knowledge of US political history is a bit vague, but I'd never imagined that McCarthyism was socialism.

    I suspect it was a badly worded sentence, and what it actually meant was:

    "...figure out the meaning of the word [socialism] beyond [that popularised by practitioners of] McCarthyism"

  • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 18 2015, @02:45PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 18 2015, @02:45PM (#278199)

    Perhaps you've heard the notion "Socialize the costs; privatize the profits".
    If we're all Socialists, why is it that only the 1 Percent are doing better?

    .
    Joe "back-shooter" McCarthy was a classic bully.
    Mostly, he was about political opportunism.
    A term used to describe McCarthyism is Red-baiting.
    McCarthyism was an anti-Communism thing.
    USA needed another enemy after WWII (to keep the Military-Industrial-Congressional Complex going) and picked its former ally, the Soviet Union.

    I don't know how you could possibly have gotten McCarthyism so completely upside-down.
    Your quote about Socialism is way off the mark as well.
    On these topics, you should start reading and do less posting.

    -- gewg_

    • (Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 18 2015, @03:24PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 18 2015, @03:24PM (#278211)

      DisregŠ°rd that, I suck cocks.

      -- gewg_

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 18 2015, @05:00PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 18 2015, @05:00PM (#278259)

        Pray-tell, why should we disregard the opinion of cock-suckers?

        I estimate that they make up at least 40% of the population.

    • (Score: 2) by Nuke on Saturday December 19 2015, @09:01PM

      by Nuke (3162) on Saturday December 19 2015, @09:01PM (#278706)

      I don't know how you could possibly have gotten McCarthyism so completely upside-down.

      Whoooosh!

      Your quote about Socialism is way off the mark as well.

      It was not my quote, but King Edward VII's. I thought that one would get you going.

  • (Score: 2) by Hyperturtle on Friday December 18 2015, @03:41PM

    by Hyperturtle (2824) on Friday December 18 2015, @03:41PM (#278218)

    Yes, that's crazy to mix McCarthyism with socialism. How does "the red scare" or anything related to him -- and his communism witch hunt --even mix like that? It's just as bad as the hoax to get out of school. That guy even used the word comrades in that letter.

    I'd almost think mistaking the two was the result of well planted propaganda or genuine ignorance. With the hoax, the kid probably knew better (even students know the difference) and did it to be funny and was probably gobsmacked it was taken so seriously in LA.

  • (Score: 1) by BrockDockdale on Friday December 18 2015, @09:00PM

    by BrockDockdale (5983) on Friday December 18 2015, @09:00PM (#278355)

    McCarthyism was anti-communism and anti-socialism. But the fact remains that most Americans are socialists (sitting far to the left of what the media reports, for example) but don't even know it.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 18 2015, @11:14PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 18 2015, @11:14PM (#278393)

      Don't Bogart that joint, my friend.
      From your description of what you see, that must be some really good shit.

      You're quite wrong.
      Most USAians are Right^W Wrong Wingers. [politicalcompass.org]
      If they were actually Leftists, they would be voting for Ralph Nader, David Cobb, Cynthia McKinney, Jill Stein, Dennis Kucinich, etc.

      If we plotted Bernie Sanders on that grid, I figure that vertically he might be a tiny bit closer to the center (but not below the dividing line).
      Horizontally, however, he would be in with that cluster of Blues.

      My perception of USAians as a whole is that they don't know history and they willingly accept whatever Lamestream Media tells them.
      They also don't want to vote for someone who won't be in the top 2 finishers.
      In short: Sheep.

      In 2016, we'll have a chance to see if they're actually fed up with the status quo and
      1) show up at the polls
      2) cast a vote for something different and (one hopes) better.

      -- gewg_