Pose the question, “What is socialism?” on any street in the United States and you will receive a cascade of conflicting, misinformed responses. Misconceptions about democratic socialism in practice have plagued American political discourse since the 1950s, fueled in part by the legacy of McCarthyism. One of the most persistent misconceptions is the claim that Nordic states represent examples of democratic socialism in practice. In reality, this categorization is false and these claims misrepresent the core principles of a democratic socialist society.
The Nordic states are examples of social democracies, not democratic socialist systems. They remain firmly embedded in the capitalist system, relying on socialist reforms to soften the economic burdens of capitalism and manufacture a facade of equality. The Nordic models simply put a Band-Aid on the harsh reality created by capitalist systems, mitigating a degree of inequality without fundamentally altering the underlying capitalist structure that produces it in the first place. While a social democracy undoubtedly improves the lives of citizens under capitalism, it is far removed from our end goal and because of this, we firmly reject it.
So, what really is democratic socialism?
Democratic socialists recognize that all of the crises defining modern society are not isolated issues; rather, they are symptoms of deeper structural and systemic problems. These issues, including discrimination, homelessness, endless wars, climate change, fascism and poverty, can all be attributed to how capitalism prioritizes profit and greed over basic human needs. A system designed to exploit the many in order to concentrate wealth and power in the hands of a few cannot be meaningfully reformed to produce equality. The social democratic model does not defeat the root of exploitation and inequality, which is why these issues continue to plague Nordic states. Democratic socialists reject the idea that a truly equitable society can be produced through a welfare state and regulated markets, and we demand a more powerful solution.
The democratic socialist solution entails a complete abolition of capitalism in favor of a socialist system, in which the economy is publicly controlled to provide for the people and not to extract profits for private entities. In this model, workers exercise control over their workplaces rather than remaining subject to the top-down rule of their bosses. Its central principle is clear: democracy should not be limited to the ballot box but extended into every industry that shapes everyday life in the U.S.
While this type of economic structure is often dismissed as unrealistic, doomed to fail or believed to cause companies to immediately collapse, these claims are ignorant of the fact that this model already exists in practice, on a small scale.
As of 2025, 22% of the New York’s electric grid is controlled by the New York Power Authority (NYPA), a state-owned entity that provides New Yorkers with electricity at a reduced cost because it is not driven by profit extraction. The NYPA demonstrates a powerful truth: when profit is removed from the equation, affordability and public needs become a priority. This model also allows the state to impose strict employment standards for unionization and workers’ rights, including requiring complete unionization throughout the economy.
Despite immense disapproval from Democrats and Republicans, members of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) in the New York State legislature passed the Build Public Renewables Act (BPRA), which gave NYPA the authority to build publicly-owned renewable energy, cutting electricity costs and helping to meet the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) mandated climate goals. This initiative has already proven effective, as NYPA plans to build nearly 5,000 megawatts of publicly-owned energy. This addition alone could power thousands of homes for New Yorkers at an affordable cost, and it is one of the many climate goals included in the CLCPA.
The BPRA also has strict workers’ rights standards, as explained by the NYC-DSA Ecosocialist Working Group: “Workers made the world. Now they’ll save it with standards set by the AFL-CIO that ensure prevailing wage, diversity in hiring and more. Also establishes the Office of Just Transition to protect NYPA and unionized fossil workers’ pay and benefits while helping them move to renewable roles.”
And yet, despite the immense power this bill gives the state to dramatically improve the lives of every New Yorker, liberal Democrats like Governor Kathy Hochul are refusing to fully implement it. Their refusal to cooperate with the bill’s demands has encouraged DSA to expand our electoral power in order to challenge both Democrats and Republicans and force the state to utilize its authority to protect the people it is intended to serve. The resistance to this act from “progressive” Democrats also highlights the limits of incremental reform within the capitalist system and underscores the need for a deeper structural change.
The current establishment figures are interested in upholding the capitalist system that operates for profit, and democratic socialists will continue our fight to implement our economic model. Democratic socialists recognize that this model is not the endpoint but rather a glimpse into what is possible. We will continue pushing for the complete public takeover of the energy grid through campaigns to establish the Mid-Hudson Valley Power Authority and take down Con Edison in favor of state ownership, but we will not stop there. Our fight will not end with partial reforms or isolated victories and we will continue our fight until every aspect of the economy is transformed into a system where the working class can exercise democratic control and decision-making over their work and lives.
From an early age we are taught to equate the capitalist system with freedom, to believe that if we work hard, we are automatically guaranteed upward mobility and dignity. In reality, pathways towards mobility are often far narrower than we are led to believe, structured in a way that preserves existing social hierarchies and concentrates opportunities for those who are already at the top. This narrative obscures how power is actually distributed under the capitalist system and it persists not because it is true but because it serves the people in power who benefit from lying to us. A democratic socialist society is not a fantasy world and it becomes a real possibility the moment that we understand that we have all been lied to and decide to fight for the future of the world as a whole.
We would like to share a quote from author Ursula K. Le Guin: “We live in capitalism. Its power seems inescapable. So did the divine right of kings. Any human power can be resisted and changed by human beings. Resistance and change often begin in art, and very often in our art, the art of words.” Le Guin expresses how despair is the capitalist system’s greatest ally, encouraging us to believe that no solution is better than our current system, that resistance is futile, that the world will always remain as it is. That belief is precisely what enables capitalists to continue their destruction of human lives while diminishing the voices of the working class, leaving us to be ignored.
But this story collapses the moment we recognize the truth: the CEOs need us, the workers, not the other way around. Without us the economy does not run. Real power has never belonged to the CEOs or those at the top; it has always depended on our labor. Fight not just for yourself, but for your neighbor, your family, your coworkers and for everyone whose right to fulfill their basic needs is compromised by a system that prioritizes profit over people. This is about justice, guaranteeing the survival of our society and the right of every person to live a dignified life. As we say in DSA, “a better world is possible,” but we must first come together to defeat this system of exploitation.
This article was written on behalf of the Fordham Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA) which is an unofficial club.
Matthew Smith, FCRH ’27, is a physics and mathematics major. Cassidy Bernier, FCRH ’27, is a political science major and sociology minor.
