Young Democratic Socialists (youth section of Democratic Socialists of America) are a diverse collective, informed and inspired by a variety of movements and figures in the long struggle for social justice. From the American labor movement, to the fight for civil rights, from European Social Democracy to women's liberation, the Young Democratic Socialists takes lessons and hope from the wide history of our progressive project. But YDS is not a theoretical debating society. We are proud of our heritage as socialists, but don't get bogged down in endless arguments about how many Karl Marx books can fit on the head of a pin.
We are the nation's largest socialist student and youth organization, but unlike many socialist groups, we don't think we are the end-all-be-all of progressive politics in America. We work in coalitions, as a principled ally of a variety of struggles. We work to be a socialist voice within the left, but don't think that we should tell other movements that we have all the answers. We want to see a progressive, democratic majority in the US, and work in good faith to build that majority.
Progressive Democrats, queer activists, people of color, Greens, labor activists, feminists, we have come together because we don't think there is currently room in US politics for our vision of a society based on solidarity, instead of greed. We are going to make that room.
Democratic Socialists believe that both the economy and society should be run democraticallyto meet the needs of the whole community, not to make profits for a few. To achieve a more just society, many structures of our government and economy must be radically transformed through greater economic and social democracy so that ordinary Americans can participate in the many decisions that affect our lives.
Democracy and socialism go hand in hand. All over the world, wherever the idea of democracy has taken root, the vision of socialism has taken root as welleverywhere but in the United States. Because of this, many false ideas about socialism have developed in the U.S. With this link, we hope to answer some of your questions about socialism.
http://www.ydsusa.org/whatisds.html |
Mary
Flavio