How do you say “socialism” in French?
A week ago, I attended the Global Progressive Forum, organized by Poul Ryup Rasmussen, former Prime Minister of Denmark and held in the Parliamentary hall of the European Union – an amazing space for such an event. It is called the Hemicycle and is a large oval space surrounded by 3 floors of “sky booths” containing the translators who were borrowed from the EU for the purposes of this two-day session. For an American, at least of my generation, it is with some embarrassment that I watched many of the representatives from various African, South American, Asian, and European countries in a facile way move between languages depending on who their audience happened to be. Me, I was consigned to grabbing the earphones whenever the speakers departed from English. (I’m happy to say that both of my children have avoided the mono-linguistic shortcomings of their father…)
A second, equally simple, observation at the GPF was the comfort that virtually the entire rest of the planet has with the idea of socialism and, perhaps more to the point, social democratic systems where the state plays a far more important role ensuring the social welfare of all its citizens and workers. America’s often outright hostility and deep skepticism of the role of government – not to mention the idea that government can be as well run an enterprise as any private organization of similar scale – has confused me for years. After all, my parents generation benefitted from the astonishingly successful governmental intervention in both the domestic economy and in international relations with more success than any other period in modern history. Government was the answer to the Depression and to the rise of fascism across the globe. No private enterprise could have achieved either outcome, much less had the foresight that was the Marshall Plan and the reconstruction of Japan and Korea. Yes, and the same generation was on duty when Vietnam happened and the Cold War flourished, but as a whole, there were an awful lot of good things about that era, and one has to think we may well be headed into a similar time. Lord knows, there are as many compelling challenges on the table.
May we live in interesting times.
(I’m happy to say that both of my children have avoided the mono-linguistic shortcomings of their father…) Terrific, you can now introduce them to the high stakes world of deciphering the dronings of international has-been politicians.
Comment by Menlo Bob — July 6, 2009 @ 7:31 am
(”Government was the answer to the Depression and to the rise of fascism across the globe.”) Government was forced into action after fascism was allowed to rise to a level of that which forced us to act for self preservation. A wise government would not have allowed the actions that led up WWII happen. Men were crossing into Canada to volunteer long before our government was to get involved. So I disagree that government was the solution to the rise of fascism. The will of free men to support their country in times of war were, I feel, the answer. Mans free will, not governments ability to dictate it, is what will lead us to a successful society. Why does it have to be the governments responsibility to see that we succeed? Should they, the government, not just set the rules, then allow us, the citizens, to prosper by our own wills and desires to succeed? I believe less government control, and the proper amount of oversight will lead us to prosper again. I don’t believe socialism is the answer.
Comment by Rex — August 29, 2009 @ 2:26 pm