Are you a social democrat?

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Or would you be a social democratic party if you lived in Sweden or Germany?

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  1. AutoModerator Avatar

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  2. torytho Avatar

    I’m sure I’d be very leftwing in Europe too. Right-leaning politics all over the world seems to be mostly racist and not based in logic or reason or humanity.

  3. limbodog Avatar

    I’m all over the place, and don’t belong to a party. But I like some of their stuff

  4. Odd-Principle8147 Avatar

    Probably not. I liked Angela Merkel a lot. I would probably be CDU.

  5. Flashy_Upstairs9004 Avatar

    Seeing how well the SPD ran Germany these last few years, probably not.

    Maybe if Europe gets more Tony Blair type fellas.

  6. evil_rabbit Avatar

    no, i’m not. i live in germany and have only voted for the SPD in mayoral elections were more left leaning candidates didn’t exist or didn’t have a chance to actually win.

  7. Aven_Osten Avatar

    > Are you a social democrat?

    I guess you could say that. I don’t like labels though, because then that just leads to people saying “You’re not actually [insert ideology]!!!!” whenever I say something that is not within the line of that ideology. I’ve got an general ideal world I’d like to live in, and I don’t have a strict way that I’d like to accomplish it. What matters is if we reach that end goal at all, and if we also don’t do anything horrendous along the way of accomplishing it.

    > Or would you be a social democratic party if you lived in Sweden or Germany?

    Maybe. I don’t know about the specific policies/ideologies of the parties within those countries to say for certain. There’s the “classical” definition, in which the core goal is to transform the economy into a socialist one. Then there’s the more modern definition of simply trying to strike a balance between capitalism and socialism.

  8. Oceanbreeze871 Avatar

    I don’t know what most any of these labels are and place little value on tribalism. Only have a flair cause I thought it was required. lol

  9. fuggitdude22 Avatar

    I think capitalism should be regulated so yes.

    I don’t believe in the Marxist model to communism either because it always evolves into “state capitalism” where a single authoritarian dictates how everyone and everything should operate. Liberty and opposition is stomped.

  10. LiamMcGregor57 Avatar

    Yes, especially in the American context, simply because I support universal healthcare.

  11. OmniMinuteman Avatar

    Id probably be a SD in Europe but in solidly a liberal ideologically. Most SD parties in Europe are basically liberal anyway, at least more so then they are socialist as they originally were.

  12. SabreGrace Avatar

    I consider myself to be. The thing is, everyone keeps saying how both Republicans and Democrats keeping moving to the right. And i can see that logic pretty easily.

    As I get older, Im moving farther and farther to the left. Its just way more civilized and humane in its ideology.

  13. conn_r2112 Avatar

    I don’t necessarily know what a social Democrat is

    I like capitalism but want solid social safety nets for the populace. If that’s social democrat, then I guess that’s what I am

  14. ResponsibleHunt8559 Avatar

    I guess the definition of social democrat is somewhat unclear to me (the same way the term “progressive” is. I’d be interested to see if the negative effects of capitalism could be curbed by strong social safety nets, though I wouldn’t put my money on it. So long as everyone has the quality of life, I won’t complain. I’d probably give them a try but if there was a leftist party I’d likely support that one.

    Labour isn’t working in the UK anymore (Keir Starmer’s approval rating is 26%) the tories are being replaced by farage’s far-right Reform Uk, I’d probably be excited by Corbyn’s Your Party to counter the far right.

    In Germany, I’d likely vote Die Linke most the time. AfD’s rise is scary.

    I like what they did in France Nouveau Fronte Populaire.

    I think in most countries Europe, with the multi-party system, leftist and far-right parties are taking over neo-liberal & neocon platforms. The tories and labor are done in the UK. Macron’s moderate party is dying and New popular front and national rally are fighting it out. Italy elected a fascist. AfD is taking over Germany. There’s more examples.

  15. redline314 Avatar

    Yes I think so, but I don’t know what that signals to anyone else though. I tend to like candidates who support social democracy and/or identify as democratic socialists, and I like some of the things the DSA does. Honestly I don’t know much or care much about the various factions of the left at this point in time. We’re all against fascism from my understanding.

  16. AAAAdragon Avatar

    I am introverted democrat but I try to put myself out there to experience new things and make friends after I hype myself up.

  17. NatMapVex Avatar

    Centrist to Center-left. Whatever party is filled with neoliberal shills, billionaires, the 1 per cent, and the elites.

  18. FortWorst Avatar

    No. I’m Introverted Liberal

  19. tjareth Avatar

    *looks up at my flair*
    ehhhh… could be

    *munches carrot*

  20. DoomSnail31 Avatar

    No. I’m a liberal. Hence me being in this subreddit. If i was a social democrat, i would be active in whatever r/AskSocDems subreddit might exist.

  21. polkemans Avatar
  22. XXSeaBeeXX Avatar

    In so far as I also advocate for a strong welfare state, social justice, and a regulated capitalist system.

  23. LilithVB20 Avatar

    I am all for any party that is for EQUALITY FOR ALL, housing for all, elimination of hate groups, food for all, and they actually do what they promise.

    I suppose I am an idealist.

  24. azazelcrowley Avatar

    I am a market socialist and social democrat. I do not believe in a stateless society nor in market control over particular sectors, especially natural monopolies, even in the context of market socialism.

    I support safety nets, regulation, and an array of state run utilities and essential industries.

    In practical terms I support social democracy and market socialist gradualism through social democratic means, in line with the OG social democrats and their fabian tactics of socialism, and do not think we will see a meaningfully socialist society for generations, though think we may see a social democratic one which begins the process.

    I envision a state of affairs whereby a market socialist democracy contends between “Left” and “Right” in terms of the degree of regulation and state management of industries, welfare and taxes, and so on, with elections revolving around the median voters inclinations.

    (So The “Social Democrats” vs “Libertarian Socialists”).

    In that context some hardliner socialists would argue it is anti-socialist and inegalitarian to, for instance, have a state run healthcare service rather than have the doctors run their own industry, and would instead call it state capitalism. I view this as unworkable, and would instead call it “Social Democracy” in the OG style. The median socialist would probably agree with me (I think), but will differ in the details of precisely how much regulation and state control over such an industry is necessary. Politics would thus fulcrum around “More” and “Less” rather than “Total” and “None”.

    Though I expect “None” would be a sizeable group of the libertarian side due to anarchists, I don’t think they’ll get anywhere frankly if only because they’d need a lot of terms to fully dismantle the state unless they’re illegalists of some kind, which is even more fringe an opinion.

    Another example would be regulation. I do not want factory workers dumping crap in the river because they can then cut themselves a cheque on the savings from not disposing of it properly, and so am fine with the imposition of the state controlling their labour to some extent, and in order to do that, you must in some sense also confiscate some of their earnings and thus you cannot fully commit to the principle of worker self-management or ownership of the product of their own labour in its entirety. You can expand this outward.

    Broadly, I view it as concern for externalities, consumers, and the unemployed VS purely concern for the workers and “Pure” socialism, and think that a party system can broadly handle that discussion adequately.

  25. ThatMassholeInBawstn Avatar

    Yes

    The best counties in the world are run by Soc-Dems, why can’t the US be like the Scandinavian countries.

  26. dutch_connection_uk Avatar

    Probably not. I imagine in Germany I’d probably support the FDP or Greens. For Sweden likely Pirate or Volt.

    Whether or not I support a social democratic party would depend a lot on the quality of the local social democratic party and what leeway the electoral system gives me to vote more honestly. If I’m dealing with proportional representation I’m likely to go for a liberal party, a globalist party, or a pirate party if I can.

    I suppose I might opt for the social democrats in the UK or Canada but it would be pretty grudgingly for lack of better viable options. I already opt for them in the United States.

  27. IzAnOrk Avatar

    I’m to the left of European social democracy. Trying to mitigate the damage of capitalism via a welfare state is better than nothing but it’s a band aid on a chainsaw wound.

    Capitalism doesn’t need to be mitigated, it needs to be replaced with economic democracy.

  28. Kerplonk Avatar

    I don’t know enough about swedish or German politics to say which party I would be in, but I am largely onboard with social democracy as an ideology.

  29. TheOtherJohnson Avatar

    Could you better define your term? Germany and Sweden don’t have the same economic model, Germany is a bit more friendly towards the private sector and public-private partnerships for social services than I think Sweden is.

  30. FoxyDean1 Avatar

    I am a full blown socialist. I am willing to accept social democracy as a step in the right direction, but not as an end goal.

  31. MatthewRebel Avatar

    Whenever I take a political test, it tends to show Social Democrat.

  32. Kellosian Avatar

    Probably, but I’m a Democrat in Texas; my exact specifics are piss in the wind, especially considering the hyper-gerrymandered map Trump wants passed. So I know I’m generally to the left of most Democrats, but anything beyond that is purely theoretical and just splitting hairs

  33. MushroomSaute Avatar

    I don’t know the politics over there, but I believe in democracy and the people’s power and right to vote, but I very much think capitalism (even the free market as we know it today) is a system far more flawed than socialism. In the richest countries in the world, everyone should have their needs met and guaranteed by their government, as far as I’m concerned: those needs of basic food, water, shelter, and healthcare. They can choose to be lazy and not provide to society after that, stay broke, and I literally couldn’t care less – there’s still enough motivation to work and accumulate wealth in pursuing those things that aren’t needs: good food and drink, nice rather than sufficient living space, travel, entertainment, arts and creative exploits, contributing to science (the cool and the helpful), and so on. There’s still room for great private companies in a society that provides every need!

    A person’s literal ability to live shouldn’t depend on whether they can find a job, especially in those economic phases where there simply aren’t jobs for everyone. Unemployment should be seen as a virtue of a society, not a stain to be eradicated, frankly – with all the technological progress humans have made, we should be trying to take away jobs, yet capitalism demands we grow, steamrolling everything in our path like a cancer.

  34. zerthwind Avatar

    It’s hard to say. What is a “social democrat” to you?

    Many of these labels have different meanings from the dictionary, meaning to different people. Especially to the right-wing people.

    I don’t believe in socialism as a working system. Also, unregulated capitalism is just as bad.
    I understand that many of the safety net programs are not socialism. Without them, crime would skyrocket.

    I’m not sure if I came close to an answer with not knowing what others considered the meaning of “social democrat”.

  35. seattleseahawks2014 Avatar

    No I’d say that I’m a social liberal and social democrats are more progressive economically.

  36. Smiles4YouRawrX3 Avatar

    No. I’m a neolib.