Social Anthropology

Social anthropology is one of the four or five branches of anthropology that studies how contemporary human beings behave in social groups and siuations. Practitioners of social anthropology investigate, often through long-term, intensive observation (Includin research and participation), the social organization of a particular person: customs, economic and political organization, law and conflict resolution, patterns of consumption and exchange, kinship and family structure, child rearing and socialization, religion,
Socialists must understand ; economic anthropology; environment ; development.
Ethnic and gender identity based politics; Intersectional of ethnicity/race, and class; Anthropology of human rights; Anthropology of human inequality; Ethnic inequalities and economic transformation in the planet mission to eliminate poverty. The development of civil society in the world. The impact on this process, climate change policies (focus on their impact on sustainable and livable  communities), Science and Technology Studies , sociology of organizations and institutional sociology, theories of power. anthropology of war, violence and conflict, nation-state, ethnicity, and economic anthropology.
Many Liberals and Socialist here in America are clueless to the culture and societies of others.
The problem is ignorance and inexperience. Many socialists feel that the world should adhere to American values and perpetuate socialism on those values. This is utter non sense.
People of different culture and societies have social morays and values of there own, which many American, even socialists do not understand..
In the beginning of Star Trek, Captain Kirk speaks about new cultures and civilizations.
When many Star Trek and its predecessor shows viewed the different values and natures of alien beings.
People criticized Benazare Bhuto when she had an arranged marriage. She explained, even as a Socialist, that this was her way and her religion.
If one where to go to Japan or Korea and start preaching the American gospel, they would tell you they have different values and culture.
People have their way of life, communication, environmental, and value system different from ours.
There are some who believe we should force people to see things our way. This didn’t work in Italy as I once was told by my cousin. A fellow socialist, this is Italy, not America, we do things differently here.
If American Socialist are going to be successful, we will have to follow the view of Gene Roddenberry. Also, Burt Wolf says, ” Travel melts away, ignorance, prejudice, and opens our minds.”
In dealing with people the mutual respect of being alien and foreign come to understanding. Democratic Socialism will free us all in different ways.
With universal understanding, tolerances, and acceptance of similarities and differences. We are all human beings and have many of the same needs. respect is a major ingredient. And diplomacy must be learned.

Free Market Capitalism

. I keep hearing only Free Market Capitalism will save us.

Free-market capitalism has come to dominate our economic thinking. It has even led to the mistaken view that there is no other variety of capitalism than the free-market kind. Capitalism is the view that a nation’s economy, for the most part, is better left in private hands rather than being centrally planned by government. In this respect it differs from political and economic systems.

There is no such thing as free-market capitalism . The government championship of free markets make exceptions for patents, and copyrights, which constitute government regulations that favor publishing companies and pharmaceutical companies.

DNA and Seed genes can belong to companies who can ruin our lives if we use them. Seeds farmers have had free and used for 600 years in America are now owned by private companies.

With labor exploitation, poverty, industrial pollution and the lack of compassionate efforts, capitalism has a history of destruction. Sure one could argue the entrepreneurial value and goods for services and jobs. But these can be had by alternative economies.

There is also further empirical evidence to show that even when individuals act selfishly from perfect economic freedom they rarely enhance the good of others, or even themselves. One such bit of evidence is known as “the tragedy of the commons.”

“The race to the bottom,”, whereas the optimal outcome for each individual is not to cooperate while others do cooperate. An example is tax competition among nations. Each nation may benefit from having a high tax on corporate profits to promote income equality. But nations can benefit individually with a lower corporate tax rate to attract business from other nations. This hurts all but the one that lowered the tax rate. To be competitive, each of the other nations would have to lower its tax rate, thereby “racing to the bottom” with a result less favorable in promoting income equality and the good of all.

The poverty rate in the world is 90%.

Universal Health Care and other social programs have a evidence that they do work and are beneficial to society.  With our current Corporateocracy  our futures maybe hopeless.

Wit such a record of destruction, it is difficult to see how Free Market Capitalism will save us. Is this a Utopian pipe dream? Of course.