There have been many intelligent socialists.

If anything I'd say socialists in general have

a high percentage of intellectuals in their ranks than other ideologies: such as Einstein,
Bertrand Russell,Noam Chomsky, etc., but this is because there are so few of them and
many people who are intelligent get into socialism.
In general the web population is young. I post at other forums and there a lot of young
people there too. Young people are probably more likely to use the internet to discuss
politics than older people, who may prefer house parties or other forms of organization.
Perhaps its because as you get older you are exposed to more options ideologically and
physically. You have more ways to deal with world issues. As a teen you may think
revolution is the only way to cppehange things because honestly- as a teen- it would be
the only way.


But by the time you're in your mid 30's you are attracted to the idea of radical reform
because you are old enough (maybe you have a degree or enough experience in a field
of labor) to organize for change.
That is a ridiculous claim based on authority. What they want to say is: "we are older,
therefore we know better". Needless to say such a claim is without any basis in real life.
Next time they say that you can say that the same goes for capitalism. Capitalism is just
an infantile hormone rush in society, out of which that same society grows out of.
Personally, I have only radicalized with age. During my worst teenage years I was only
slightly leftist because I had no real problems due to my parents taking care of
everything. Now that I have to deal with everything myself the society seems a lot less
impressive with each passing day.

And I have to agree The fact that they have to resort to authority is an indication that
they have ran out of every real argument against your views. Instead of explaining their
"superior wisdom" to you, they just say that "we have a superior wisdom". If they say
something like: "you will understand", you will have to demand them: "make me
understand now, or I will never "grow up""

Besides, I will quarantee that the 17 year old Marx could have out-argued any 30-year
old cappie wanker that utters such things.
People tend to think they understand the "real" world when they get more tied down to a
structured life. Such as job, kids, house, bills, payments etc.

However they become more subjective about the "real" world as they become more
submerged into a consistant position in society. From this position an alternative
becomes "unreal" as the day to day life becomes normalised and naturalised.

The opposite of their claim occurs, they become so submerged into a set program of
daily life that they lose focus of they wider "real" world.
Some say it's because as you get older you become more pessimistic and realise all
those utopian ideals discussed when you were 19 and high on drugs probably won't
happen. You get older and realise that change hasn't happened and won't happen
anytime soon so you resign and accept the status quo.

That's a negative scenario though because of course there are lots of old socialists who
are an inspiration. I think a revolution is the only way to change things, perhaps violent
if needs be, because capitalism isn't going away
I'm pretty sure that saying originates with Winston Churchill (at least that's who've I've
seen it most often attributed to).
The impression I get is that the majority of posters here are barely out of their teens, if
at all. Not bad for an idea that allegedly passed away with the demise of the USSR!

At 20 I was pinning up a Che poster in my dorm room against the confiscating wishes of
my Navy superiors. At 30 I was a card-carrying member of a Marxist organization. At 52
I'm no longer a card-carrying Marxist (through no fault of theirs), but no less a Marxist.
In fact, I am more convinced now than ever that socialism is the only way forward out of
this godawful mess we call capitalism.

So the answer is "yes", I have lost my head for socialsim.

My advise to you is that before you completely lose your head to socialism, learn as
much as you can about it; become as well grounded in it as possible, because once
you've given yourself up to the inescapable conclusion that capitalism must go and
socialism take its place, you'd better have your head in the right place.
well, there is 2 things that can happen when you grow up:

1. you get more extreme
2. you get more moderate

most of the people get more moderate, that why your parents and most of the old folks
are saying thatto you.

there is no good or bad way to take, really, pick what suit you the most.
It seems that, due to the legacy of the 1960s, there is an enduring stereotype in the
Western world of radical leftists being angry young people who will grow out of it. First of
all, it's just a stupid stereotype. Second, it's completely different in other parts of the
world. For example, where I live, the stereotype of socialists is that they are old, not
that they are young
__________________

Quote:
While [Churchill] was against gassing and tyranny in Europe, he was passionately in
favour of it for "uncivilised" human beings whose riches he wanted to seize. In the
1920s, Iraqis rose up against British imperial rule, and Churchill as Colonial Secretary
thought of a good solution: gas them. He wrote: "I do not understand this
squeamishness... I am strongly in favour of using poisoned gas against uncivilised
tribes." It would "spread a lively terror". He was quite clear about why Britain should do
this. He explained: "We have engrossed to ourselves an altogether disproportionate
share of the wealth and traffic of the world... mainly acquired by violence, largely
maintained by force."
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/06/26/9915

It's not exactly a shock that a man like this gave up any pretenses of being a left-winger
as he aged, if indeed he ever pretended to have them