The Big Scary 'S' Word

Simply a must see.

"When we all do better, we all do better." -Paul Wellstone

Unfettered capitalism is the titanic of our time, above the waterline it looks like an unsinkable permanent behemoth, but its rapidly taking on water and before long it will only be a cautionary tale.

I'm here for it.

Watched the Big Scary 'S' Word and was not scared nor entertained. It was over an hour long ramble that could have been reduced to thirty minutes if all the fluffy sniveling whining dog whistle bits were removed and Socialism/Capitalism was properly explain by economists. I enjoy hearing about injustices being righted as much as the next guy, but not having my time wasted.

I will start by saying I didn't feel this film was some mastermind propaganda film to convert you to socialism. However if you are right leaning or far right you are probably going to disagree with me on that.

The film doesn't spew a bunch of leftist or liberal talking points for 80 minutes. Rather it tries to shine some light on the history of socialism, and leftism as a whole but particularly in America. Laying out the factual events in history that people both on the left and right would agree are morally good, actually have roots in socialism, or leftist ideology. So to equate any form of socialistic thought with the USSR or poverty and hardship is just illogical and oblivious to history.

The movie brings many collegiate historians and people who identify as socialist, in order to state some points which from an objective point of view should be universally accepted, but aren't because of the McCarthyism and red scare era politics that has been engrained into most American's brains.

Martin Luther King, Einstein, the Pledge of Allegiance, America the Beautiful, much of the New Deal, much of the labor movement and civil rights movement, all of these are socialist.

What is not? Communism. Dictatorship of any kind. Even the failures of Venezuela are half market failures, half from American blockades and sabotage. Anything smeared by MAGA types, the orange idiot, and McCarthyism then or now.

The one utterly ridiculous negative "review" shows why this film is needed. A long red baiting rant free of facts, only showing he never saw the film at all.

As a history primer this works well, with a number of famous historians included such as Cornel West and Erik Foner.

I am a 65 year old man who has grown cynical and withdrawn from most political matters.

The hope and optimism in this movie was so rewarding to watch. I left the Republican party when Reaganism came to power and started the debt crisis. When Obama failed to do substantial reform I left the Democratic Party. I've been without a party as I still don't see anyone that I can vote for who is addressing the real problems that face the US, our culture, or our communities.

I am not ready to be a Socialist but if one were on my ballot I'd give them a fair hearing to see if they were willing to tackle the real issues and not play the games that seems to be the real passion of the Rs and Ds.