This week, following the recent win in the Democratic mayoral primary of Queens Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani (A.D. 36), a Democratic Socialist, who attended high school at the Bronx High School of Science, we asked readers for their opinions on socialism.

 

The Merriam Webster definition of socialism is any of various egalitarian economic and political theories or movements advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods.

 

The Merriam Webster definition of democratic socialism is a political movement calling for the establishment of a decentralized, socialist economic system within a democratically run political system. According to their website, the Democratic Socialists of America “believe that working people should run both the economy and society democratically to meet human needs, not to make profits for a few.”

 

“My opinion on socialism? I’m for some new ideas because it seems like the old ideas that we’ve been having seem like the same old things have been going on. It doesn’t seem like it’s working. I think it would be good to try something new. I guess that’s why he [Zohran Mamdani] did better than [Andrew] Cuomo.”

John Leak,

Burnside resident visiting Norwood

“I think the meaning of socialism makes no sense because we are a democratic republic, so there is no need for that, no. Why would they want to complicate our lives more than it is already.”

Edward Ferreira,

Olinville

“Socialism ensures the wellbeing of everybody in the community and everybody being able to have life without fear that you are going to lose your home at every step, and you are able to go to the doctor and pay for what you need without a problem; that’s what democratic socialism wants, and that has always been the idea.”

Sheila Sanchez,

Williamsbridge

 

“I don’t agree totally with socialism; I would lean more to democracy. [U.S. President Donald] Trump is more of a fascist or something like that. Socialism is not for us, no.”

Laurence Brown,

Hunts Point visiting Belmont

 

“‘Socialism’ is a word that rich people use to try to avoid paying their fair share—their membership dues if you will—to the society that enabled them to become rich in the first place. Thus, public schools, parks, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, emergency services, public health initiatives and most things we take for granted were all opposed by the rich and powerful as ‘Socialism.’ I think that strategy is pretty well played out.”

Ron Kuby,

Manhattan

 

*Síle Moloney contributed to this article