Reformist movements-have any effected your personally?

[Le Libérer]

Yeah you got it right, I am writing a paper on this subject and will probably pick the topic of feminism, even though its probably been stomped down and beaten to death in classes all over the world.

But it got me to thinking, what a great thread it would make. So!

Think about impacts of earlier reform movements on your life today. How is it different because of earlier labor, feminist, civil rights, environmental, and educational or political reform movements? And what have been the consequences?

The second part of the discussion is about sucess and failures of movements.
Think about the causes of success and failure for particular movements. What causes some to become widely appealing and have major impacts on change? What causes others (regardless of the validity of their concerns) to simply wither away in the dustbin of history? Can you think of some that have evolved into stable organizations without much impact on social change? Can you identify others that have become stable enterprises of sorts, constantly selling T-shirts and other emblems without doing much?

The first thing that came to mind was the oxymoron and commericalization of Che Guevera image.

[Smyg]

My great grandfather was a social democratic unionist, and apparently wouldn't have met his wife without the socdem movement. :D

Anyway: Pretty much every part of my life has been affected. Sweden was, after all, dominated by social democracy - which sadly was corrupted from its original over time - for many, many decades. A bit too much to reflect over at once, I'd say.

[Le Libérer]

Humm... I may move this to OI, let the blood hounds taste some fresh blood. ;)

[Le Libérer]

My great grandfather was a social democratic unionist, and apparently wouldn't have met his wife without the socdem movement. :D

Anyway: Pretty much every part of my life has been affected. Sweden was, after all, dominated by social democracy - which sadly was corrupted from its original over time - for many, many decades. A bit too much to reflect over at once, I'd say.

Interesting! besides yourself being born, and yes I can see how that would be overwhelming to consider. What is one specific area could you elaborate on?

[Smyg]

Well, for one, health care. I would, if I had been born at all, most likely died without the sort of public health care we have, even if it is increasingly dismantled. I suffered from many rather bad accidents and diseases during childhood, and without the health care system we would never have afforded that kind of treatment.

And then there's school, care of the elderly, labour rights, equal rights for women, equal voting rights, - everything. While social democracy isn't my piece of cake - I'd be restricted for that :D - I must admit that Sweden would have been far inferior without the early socdem movement, which since has sadly stagnated and died on the inside.

[Demogorgon]

Obviously my life has been completely affected by reformist movements. I receive quality healthcare for free and just recently all prescriptions here became entirely free (before there was a small flat charge on all prescriptions) because of a left-reformist Government in Scotland.. Free education also. I can't be legally discriminated against for my sexual orientation and there is also far less social discrimination, to the point I can no longer say it affects me.

My complaint against reformism is for all that it did not do, but I don't deny that it did a lot.

[RGacky3]

Well I've lived in europe and the US, so it depends where, but yeah reformist movements have benefited anyone that has ever gone to a public school or made a living wage.

[Le Libérer]

Well I changed my mind because of time restraints to something I can write about with my eyes closed. The health care act and its effect on those living with HIV/AIDS.

Here goes:


Up until March 2010, when the Affordable Health Care Act was signed by President Obama, it was nearly impossible for Americans living with HIV/AIDS to obtain private health care insurance. It has also been a barrier for them to obtain care by qualified providers.

Insurance companies will no longer be allowed to deny coverage to anyone, including those living with AIDS. People with low to moderate income will be eligible for tax subsidies that will allow them to buy coverage. “The report calls for implementation and scale up of health care reform. “The elimination of pre-existing conditions, lifting of lifetime and annual spending caps on health coverage, the expansion of access to prescription drugs, allowing people to remain on their parents' health insurance policies are matters of life and death for people living with HIV/AIDS” (Managed Care Weekly Digest, Atlanta. pg. 1043).

Since the beginning of the AIDS crisis, those with HIV had to wait until they had a full AIDS diagnosis before receiving Medicaid insurance. In 2014, they will no longer have to wait for HIV to convert to AIDS. An HIV diagnosis will be enough to receive Medicaid. This will make a profound difference as far as medical treatment, as well as obtaining HIV anti-viral medication. The new law will increase opportunities in health and well being programs, diversity and cultural competency, and health care providers for under served communities.

In the past, those who needed HIV medication, had to be case managed as well as be 133 percent of the federal poverty line (about $14,000 annually for a single person) to obtain life sustaining medications without no cost to them. Programs that assisted were called AIDS Drug Assistance Programs (ADAP). In most states, funds for these programs were frozen, putting many people who were living healthy productive lives on waiting lists until further notice. With health care reform, now those who have Medicaid will have complete access to their medications and in return, people living with HIV/AIDS will lead healthy, productive, quality lives for many years to come.

References

HIV/AIDS; New State of AIDS in Black America Report Recommends Full Implementation and Scale Up of Health Care Reform and National HIV/AIDS Strategy. (2011, February). Managed Care Weekly Digest,1043. Retrieved November 23, 2011, from ProQuest Health and Medical Complete. (Document ID: 2267666221).

[Smyg]

Here, the thought of denying HIV/AIDS infected people their medication, is rather alien to almost everyone but the most neo-liberal and the most extreme.

[Jimmie Higgins]

Personally: I come from a mixed-race family and so reforms fought in the hopes of easing racial segregation and racial restrictions obviously had a direct impact on my family.

My parents were also both in unions and so even living through a time of decline in unions allowed my family to have more stability than they would have under different circumstances.

I went to public school from the early 80s to mid-90s and went to college with help from affirmative action programs for low-income and minority students (shortly before these programs were eliminated). Through these programs I had access to free tutoring and had a part-time campus job.

In fact my confusion (as a pro-union progressive Democrat) about why these kinds of programs were under attack (my entire life) and my feeling of betrayal at Bill Clinton and the Democrats led me first to reject the Democrats and mainstream politics and eventually led me to a path where I became involved in activism and then became a radical.

[NGNM85]

I was a small part of the effort to get the decriminalization of cannabis on the ballot, here, where I, and a majority of my fellow citizens, voted it into law. Now less young people, especially ethnic minorities, are going to jail for a victimless 'crime.' I have a number of regrets, but that isn't one of them.

[OHumanista]

It affected me me less than someone in Sweden, but it definitely has.
Rising economy and industrialisation because of social-democratic reformism is making my home country finally end the long period of rural demi-feudalism and complete foreigner control of industry...sure no big deal when compared to socialism, but it's like moving from a proto-capitalist country to a fully capitalist one. (and that offers a far better ground to plant socialism in the future of course)

If my family was poorer it would probably have a more significant impact than just the "environment" around me as we would probably depend on SD help programs like good part of the population. (we're not rich or even close to it, but live well enough, especially for proles)

[Smyg]

Reformism beats doing nothing, capitalism beats feudalism, paper beats rock.

[Franz Fanonipants]

my grandfather was a bracero, he told my father he should leave mexico immediately and go to the US as a result.

i'm pretty sure that i've probably broadly benefited from any number of new deal/great society leftover programs. from my high school legally mandated to provide free lunches to affirmative action policies.

[Ocean Seal]

Well for one, the Civil Rights Act which Ron Paul wants to roll back is probably one of the most appreciated reforms from my perspective. In addition, immigration reform is the reason that I'm living in the US. Public schools, public roads are also quite nice. Lets see other important reforms. The minimum wage (being that I have made minimum wage or close to it at several jobs). Those are the ones of the top of my head.