Simplistic thinking settles for extreme precepts of ‘left’ and ‘right’ ideologies; but a robust social fabric is in fact nuanced and complex. As I have written in the past, meaningful improvement of present problems will take much more than a change of government or the sex or race of leaders. If only it were so easy. This discussion dares a look beneath the veneer of buzz words like ‘socialism’ and ‘capitalism’.
Is socialism still an American taboo? Not so much, says professor Richard Wolff; nor was it in the past, says Nation columnist John Nichols. Richard D. Wolff is Professor of Economics Emeritus, University of Massachusetts, and a Visiting Professor in the Graduate Program in International Affairs at the New School University in New York City. He has authored or co-authored more than a dozen books, including his most recent; Capitalism’s Crisis Deepens: Essays on the Global Economic Meltdown 2010- 2014, and he hosts the weekly Economic Update podcast. John Nichols’ many books include The “S” Word: A Short History of an American Tradition…Socialism, and, most recently, Dollarocracy: How the Money-and-Media-Election Complex is Destroying America. Here is a direct audio link.