What socialists almost get right

I agree with North Carolina socialists… well, to an extent. The ever-growing attraction of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) stems, in part, from one understandable cause: the weakening of voluntary associations through which people formerly cared for community members. Strong and legitimate feelings of alienation and loneliness stem from this shift away from robust local relationships. DSA chapters in North Carolina recognize the power of community and seek to provide a sense of belonging.

Tar Heel State DSA groups include those in the Catawba Valley, Charlotte, Piedmont/Triad, Triangle, and Wilmington. They are part of a growing socialist movement which exerts increasing influence over the Democratic party. Former Gov. Roy Cooper’s recent campaign comments and the latest Carolina Journal poll reveal the DSA’s impact on this year’s US Senate race.

The DSA capitalizes (pun intended) on legitimate social issues to advance their cause. They properly diagnose some of society’s ills. Yet, their prescriptions will not lead to healthy community.

WHAT THE NC DSA GETS RIGHT

Each DSA chapter in North Carolina promotes the socialist cause via their web presence. Chapters present the essentials of DSA ideology: Capitalism is inherently exploitative, class struggle is inevitable, and the state must own the means of production. This is all false. Yet, these chapters touch upon truth when they recognize our society’s deficit of caring community.

Many DSA members yearn for community and join the movement to find comradeship. One member of the Charlotte chapter wrote, “I have a support system of people who I can turn to.” Another said, “I believe DSA can play a role in bringing a cause and sense of belonging to those who feel left out or behind.” These DSA members recognize the human need for community.

Socialist ideology addresses people’s desire for close social bonds. The Charlotte chapter’s by-laws note, “The Chapter is organized primarily to promote social welfare…in the belief that human beings should be free to develop to their fullest potential.” The Piedmont Triad DSA supposedly believes “in the things which are necessary for ordinary people to live free and dignified lives.” To promote human dignity, the chapter established a Mutual Aid Committeeto pursue “non-transactional care—people supporting one another because we share a community and a stake in each other’s well-being.” Who could disagree with that?

Those who love freedom can disagree. To be more precise, they can agree with the need for community but disagree that socialism pursues legitimate means to achieve supportive communal ties. People must find community in voluntary associations which pursue non-coercive means of social betterment.

THE BETTER PATH FORWARD: FREEDOM

Sociologist Robert Nisbet’s classic work, “The Quest for Community,” provides an alternative to socialists’ coercion-based community. Nisbet recognizes that “Freedom is to be found in the interstices of authority; it is nourished by competition among authorities.” Fortunately, North Carolina still contains various authorities (voluntary associations) that form healthy communities.

Churches, fraternal organizations, clubs, local historical societies, and other groups, provide communal spaces for Old North State residents. These organizations establish structures of authority through their voluntary nature. The authority of a local church pastor, for example, is not based on coercion. He exercises his authority through spiritual conviction and persuasion.

Such authority is starkly different from the centralizing nature of socialism. Competition among authorities is anathema to socialism. Socialists seek state control over the means of production and, by extension, all aspects of citizens’ lives.

The Wilmington DSA, for example, abhors competition. This DSA chapter suggests that under socialism, large businesses will be owned by the national government, mid-size business by states or local governments, and smaller businesses by worker co-ops. Such extensive power over the means of production directly limits the freedom of citizens to pursue other social relationships. By controlling citizens’ income, the government effectively decides what non-state communities can exist. Every voluntary association requires funding.

Nisbet acknowledged this underappreciated threat of socialism: “The political enslavement of man requires the emancipation of man from all the authorities and memberships (obstructions to the popular will, as the Nazis and Communists describe them) that serve, in one degree or another, to insulate the individual from external political power.” History proves that socialist collectivism subjugates both individuals and voluntary associations.

TRUE COMMUNITY HAPPENS IN FREE ASSOCIATION

The need for community is very real, especially in our era. But true community only flourishes in the context of political liberty and free markets. This context enables one to choose to attend church, to serve through a local fraternal organization, or to enjoy needlepoint with fellow sewing club members. The relationships formed in such close-knit communities check state political power.

DSA members’ desire for strong community is not wrong. Yet, by advancing the socialist movement they will destroy the healthiest forms of community. Coercing others through collectivist state control is wrong. DSA members should, instead, look to the wisdom of Nisbet and embrace voluntary cooperation. As this great sociologist noted, “freedom thrives in cultural diversity, in local and regional differentiation, in associative pluralism, and above all, in the diversification of power.”