socialism is not when the state does stuff

socialism is not more taxes

socialism is not "equality of outcome"

socialism is not "post-modern neo-marxism"

socialism is not against individual freedom

socialism is not authoritarianism

socialism is simply:
a democratic economy

"democratic" means that the many hold power, not the few. this means that the organizations of production, distribution, and investment are owned by a large number of people instead of a handful of large investors and managers.

ideally, this translates to the whole economy working towards the ends of the majority of the people. this does not mean that they are managed by every worker, simply that whoever manages such an organization is beholden to the interests of all the people involved.

whether all of these organizations need to be coordinated centrally (by means of a council, or a vanguard party) or whether they should be left alone and be directed by the market (market socialism) is a specification, the basic idea is that the economy should work for everyone.

it is crucial to understand that means of redistribution, such as taxation, social programs, ubi, etc., are not what socialism is (although they can be means of class struggle). those will always hinge on capital. the idea is not to have redistribution, but just distribution.

until we realize this vision, we cannot have democracy. voting will remain only a superficial lever of a democratic society, until the real power - i.e., the power over the material conditions that dominate our lives - will be democratized.