"What the achievement of Socialism involves economically, is the transfer of rent from the class which now appropriates it to the whole people. Rent being that part of the produce which is individually unearned, this is the only equitable method of disposing of it." - G.B. Shaw

" I am afraid that in the ordinary middle class opinion Socialism is flagrantly dishonest, but could be established off-hand to-morrow with the help of a guillotine, if there were no police, and the people were wicked enough" - GB Shaw

This is a very bizarrely poignant time to be reading Shaw's essays on Socialism.

"The young Socialist is apt...to plan the revolutionary programme as an affair of twenty-four lively hours, with Individualism in full swing on Monday morning, a tidal wave of the insurgent proletariat on Monday afternoon, and Socialism in complete working order on Tuesday"

Don't worry; he's arguing that we can't rush it. We shouldn't be putting people in a guillotine even if it would be extremely effective.

Shaw does make a disappointing concession in regard to women's suffrage, saying that he supports it, but women's right to vote does not matter to socialism since women's suffrage is about gender, not class. So women can be excluded from the socialist revolution, in a sense.

Shaw does predict that landlords would kick people out if they had to lose some of their income from rent and return it to the people.

Eww, now Shaw is perpetuating the racially-charged dehumanization of the working class (since the working class was also considered "savage," closer to subalterns than British citizens) by saying Social-Democracy will turn them from "beasts" to "men."

Although he argues for a slow course to Socialism, he also declares himself & others cowards for not wanting to risk their lives or happiness in favor of a future Socialism that becomes other people's problems. Like voting for Biden, it should be something begrudgingly accepted.