Not Fake News is pleased to introduce our newest contributing writer, Helen Bass, a 16-year-old high school junior who we believe will provide a new, fresh and youthful voice to our content.
Helen is fascinated by U.S. history, does everything she can to stay informed, and now is determined to help inform others.
“The idea of possibly bringing people to a different mentality or outlook excites me,” Helen said. “I write about things that mean something to me, and more importantly, mean something to people everywhere.”
As a teenager, Helen views events in a different prism than do adults. Current events, both political and otherwise, will shape her future and that’s something she realizes.
“I'm growing up through these events and they have truly molded and formed my views,” she explained. “I care about all people and my writing will reflect that, as well as my distaste for the lack of morality I see in today's world. You can expect to see me write about controversial topics as well as things that catch my eye in the news or daily life.”
We look forward to Helen’s contributions to Not Fake News and are pleased to provide this venue so she can express her views and broaden her impact. Here is her first entry:
The Gratuitous Fear of Socialism
Socialism is a transitional state between the overthrow of capitalism and the realization of Communism. Usually, people who don't rely on things like welfare, social security, or other government programs with socialist undertones are the ones creating a stigmatism around the word socialism and its ideology.
Donald Trump claims to hate socialism and those associated with socialist ideas. He is the capitalist's "golden boy." It's probably a little bit easier to hate socialists and their ideas when you're one of the few who doesn't need the safety net socialism creates.
There is a stigmatism around socialism; many people believe it is a leftist extreme, but it’s not directly connected to one party. The ideologies of socialism can be supported by any party/person, but because people constantly associate socialism with things that give it a negative connotation it’s rarely supported. The term “Democratic Socialist” referring to the far left scares away support from moderates or others fearful of extremes, left or right.
Socialism is not communism; this is a common misconception driven by people in the government who know that associating the two concepts will scare people away from socialist ideas and policies. It creates a barrier between incorporating socialist ideas into our government and economy.
Allowing yourself to accept policies that don't align with your party is important. Just because an idea is coming from a Democrat doesn't mean a Republican should disagree with it and vice versa.
Donald Trump recently took to Twitter to protest the closing of a GM plant in Ohio that is no longer financially viable. Only able to produce one model, the cost of the necessary upgrades made that untenable. However, Trump managed to use bully tactics to keep the plant open. This is the government intervening in private business, which most would categorize as a socialist action. Even though you may not notice, socialism is all around us in our daily lives.
Socialism and capitalism both have their drawbacks and advantages. This is why we need an economy with a balance of both. It's important to fully understand socialism and what it truly is, as well as to accept policies and changes with socialist undertones.
Don't limit yourself to a party and stay within their ideological boundaries. At the end of the day, decisions should be made based on your ethics, mindset, and what you believe should be done. It's not a matter of staying perfectly aligned with your party, but instead making a decision that you have faith in.
Don’t be afraid of change, and don’t let fear tactics prevent you from fully educating yourself and making proper and morally satisfying decisions.