Tips on 21st century socialism

[el_chavista]

The 21st century socialism has been so associated to the Venezuelan Bolivarian revolution that in this Stalinist Spanish forum "Todo sobre el comunismo" (http://www.forocomunista.com/) , any post about 21cSoc is moved to the Venezuelan sub-forum :lol:
It is because of utopian socialist Heinz Dieterich's 1996 book by the same name and his support until a couple of years ago to Chávez.

Actually, the 21st century socialism is an ideological reaction of leftist intellectuals to the fall of the USSR and its consequent neo-liberal hegemony.

Just anti-neo-liberalist seem to be some 21st century socialists like R. Burbach, O. Nuñez y B. Kagarlitsky (authors of Globalization and its Discontents. The Rise of Postmodern Socialism. London and Chicago, 1997), who merrily stated that any movement may be considered socialist just if it demands limits to the market and if it pursues the redistribution of the incomes. So, by this token even keynesianists may be considered socialists.

But don't get misled, there are real Marxist Socialists of the 21st century. Michael Lebowitz and Scottish economic school members, for example, are fully aware that there is no socialism without people taking control of the means of production.

[HalPhilipWalker]

In the United States, many people do consider any attempt to limit markets and redistribute income socialist. Witness the protests over the Affordable Care Act and the reaction that it caused. I believe this has to do with the tradition of antiMarxist propaganda in the U.S. and the ideological hegemony that capitalism has over this country.

As for Venezuela, I tend to support Chavez and think that while he seems to be commited to reformism, he is doing more to keep socialism alive in the modern era than any other single person alive. Any Marxist has to reconcile themselves to world that they actually live in, and in this world, Chavez is the new Lenin.