When I was a baby socialist, I didn't get the "what is socialism" question very often; but when I did, I would just give the "it's when the workers own the means of production" answer and leave it at that.
Now that socialism (the word, if not the actual concept) has become a hot topic in recent months in the US, I've had the question come up a lot more frequently. But when it does, I find myself giving what I feel is a much more accurate and comprehensive answer:
- how socialism is not just an end state, but a process as well
- that a state that is controlled by the working class, acting in its interest as a class, is really the first step in the process
- so while the goal is workers owning and controlling the means of production (the end state), there is a long process to get us from capitalism to socialism (the process - and yes, I know the end state is communism but just keeping it simple); and how that process looks will be different in every time and place
So while I feel my answer to the "what is socialism" question is more accurate, practical experience is telling me this answer is just leaving people more confused and/or uninterested in learning more. So I'm seeking out constructive criticism and hearing from you all how you explain socialism to people who ask you. Honestly I thought this would be pretty simple but it's become more complex and nuanced than I expected.
I focus on market socialism: Socialism is when the people who actually do the work of producing things own and control the tools (factories, equipment, etc.) that they use to be productive. Some socialists have theorized that the best way to get there is to have all the workers own all the means of production through the intermediary of a highly democratic state centrally-planning production, but that's just one extreme. Socialism as a base concept is perfectly consistent with privately-owned businesses in a market economy, granted those businesses are entirely owned by the workers.
I find that people generally find central planning scary, but find co-ops very attractive. Meet the people where they are, and focus on how they could have a greater say in how their workplace operates, and take home more money for the same work.