What is Socialistic?

[The Idler]

I've heard the right (generally the less-informed ones) refer to things as being "socialistic". What does this mean? And how does it differ from "socialist"?

[Nolan]

It means you're a communist-fascist-nazioid who wants more taxes, hates white people, and want to kill grandma with Obamunist death panels and burn her body in an Auschwitz-type crematorium and make hammer-and-sickle soap.

[x371322]

Haha. Hammer and sickle soap? wtf? :laugh:

[cb9's_unity]

Socialistic is a word almost exclusively used to condemn any 'big government' proposals.

However this very clearly stems from the conservative misunderstanding of socialism. Something 'socialistic' would be anything that helps tear down the capitalist system in order to build a socialist one. Welfare, when used stabilize and secure capitalism from a potentially revolutionary working class, is in no way 'socialistic'. Any sort of welfare, or 'big government', is nothing more than the capitalists in government being smart enough to realize that the free-markets themselves can't save capitalism from its death.

[CartCollector]

Yeah, according to Bill O'Reilly (who is one of the more moderate commentators on Fox News, and if you don't believe me watch Glenn Beck), socialism is when the government controls the economy and owns everything. So anything that the government does relating to the economy (besides cutting spending, lowering taxes, and deregulating industry) is "socialist."

[AK]

I've heard the right (generally the less-informed ones) refer to things as being "socialistic". What does this mean? And how does it differ from "socialist"?Generally, "socialistic" is a term used by rednecks, patriots, assorted indoctrinated right-wingers, the Bourgeoisie and other all-round douches that is applied to governments and government policies that seek to repair a small bit of the damage that they - and big businesses - did without sounding like total fucking idiots for incorrectly labelling such things as "socialist" and facing the scrutiny of the left-wing.
Observe:
"...and in other news, the government wants to raise the taxes for the rich and help the homeless to find employment and housing"
"YAAAAAARRRRGH!! SOCIALISTIC ASSHOLES!"

[anticap]

Simply put: it's an attempt to associate something with socialism when the facts show that it has nothing to do with workers democratically controlling the means of production.