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Socialism is a school of thought where all persons in a society cooperatively own, share publicly, and proportion democratically all goods and services in that society. The obvious utopian implications aside, it is a theory which has obvious obstacles to overcome in the face of dastardly aspects of the human psyche that allow us (indeed often force us) to succumb to greed, influence, powerful manipulation, temptation, corruption and other negative aspects of human society. As a result, many theorists speak of its ingenuity while leaders continually fail to implement it properly in our worldly societies.
Oft referred to as “The Father of Socialism”, Karl Marx first proposed his theory of “socialism” (known as “Marxism”) in his manifesto, Das Kapital: Kritik der politischen Ökonomie, published in 1867. This egalitarian approach is what most modern people conjure in their mind when one speaks the “evil” word socialism. However, it held a different majority interpretation in the late eighteenth century after Henri Comte de Sainte Simon first coined the French phrase socialisme. Initially, socialist thinkers viewed socialism as a school of thought whereby the society utilized advances in technology and melded this with improved social planning to increase output and thus increase the wealth for all. In this view, one might view socialism as a merit-based wealth system where a person could distinguish himself or herself as long as all prospered. Every industrial unit had a place and every worker a role. Organization was central, as organization is the integral linchpin that prevents bottlenecks in any process. With organization, as technology advanced, so too did society, or at least this was the hope of the early socialists. One might joke that this is similar to the Japanese kan ban but on a much more grandiose scale.

Ironically, the very human elements that hamper our existence and for which socialism was realized in order to dispel have influenced modern thinking and morphed socialism into an egalitarian societal function rather than an economic treatise on individual discipline and societal order. The idea of democratic socialism, to which Dr. Cornel West and many others subscribe, has become a fundamental viewpoint of the modern black nationalist movement and by other more liberal persons who perceive it to be just. This debate has been raging since the nineteenth century and promises to not subside in the certain future. As long as humans continue to exert their influence on the proper “ideal” of socialism, then the very system realized in order to aid all will be damned by all.

Having said all that, I believe that the United States is progressing steadily toward the adoption of this modern egalitarian philosophy of socialism. It is diluted and useful for their purposes; it is not what early socialists would have wished upon an educated citizenry. In a republic the size of the US, consensus shall never be achieved universally. President Obama's views may seem naive, but they have long-standing, well-founded roots in democracy that extend as far back in history as Ancient Greece. It is not therefore unbelievable that he and numerous other persons believe in what they perceive to be a more humane economic system and civil societal status.

Yet, the majority of Americans are rooted in their capitalistic methods; this includes many members of long-establish minorities. It has served them well, though many suffer often at the hands of more skilled, better connected, luckier and more educated workers. Sometimes this results in simple competitive economics meant to weed out the unsucessful processes and thereby drive down the cost of goods and services as the industry reaches economies of scale and scope. However, it results too often in cronyism, legalised prejudice, neglect and hellish poverty among those who seemingly cannot "catch a break." Yet, no other system rewards those who work diligently like capitalism. Those who have arisen from the killing floor to own a home in TriBeCa or Beverly Hills may attest as much.

In the end, no system is perfect. Socialism may seem the perfect centrist viewpoint -- a compromise between two polar opposites. However, one need only look to Europe to view the ramifications of its experiments with socialism, particularly where government intervention is concerned. No matter what you believe, choose wisely your words and America's destiny. It is always exceedingly difficult to turn about.