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Do you think people who support democratic socialism are usually thinking independently, or are they mainly influenced by ideological framing?

My answer is indoctrination.

That does not mean every supporter is stupid or incapable of thinking. It means democratic socialism is often presented through a very selective moral and economic framework.

People hear slogans like “tax the rich,” “free healthcare,” “free college,” and “healthcare is a human right,” but they are rarely forced to answer what happens after the slogan.

The Nordic model, for example, is not funded only by billionaires and corporations. Countries like Denmark and Sweden fund large welfare states through broad-based taxation, high consumer taxes like VAT, and heavy taxes on the middle class. That part is usually left out.

There is also opportunity cost. Money directed through government cannot also be used by families, businesses, churches, charities, investors, entrepreneurs, or local communities. Every government program consumes resources that could have been used elsewhere.

And then there are incentives. If you punish productivity, investment, risk-taking, and success too heavily, you eventually get less of those things.

My issue is that many people are taught capitalism’s failures while government failure is ignored. Markets can fail, yes. But bureaucracies fail too. Politicians have incentives. Agencies protect themselves. Programs grow beyond their original purpose.

So yes, I see support for democratic socialism as more indoctrination than independent economic reasoning—not because every supporter is unintelligent, but because the ideology is often taught with the costs, tradeoffs, and government failures conveniently minimized.

I have been wanting to get a new pet.

I’ve had 2 dogs and both of them have passed.

I’m torn between these two.