What is a New "Socialist" Village?

[Brian Turner <myrd62@yahoo.com>]

What I'd like to know is exactly what Hu/Wen et al
have in mind when they talk about New "Socialist"
Villages?  As Chomsky once put it, that word has
become so "evacuated of meaning" & "debased" in 20th
century discourse that before proceding one has to
unravel exactly what the person means.

I've been in Vietnam for 2+ years, and have heard two
different conceptions of "socialism" (1) one-party
politics [i.e. the economic system is totally
irrelevant; e.g. calls for journalistic relaxation
bring forth defenses of "socialism"].  (2) a system
for paying employees where everyone is a lazy bum and
sits around offices doing nothing while collecting a
fixed unbreakable paycheck.  

The idea of worker councils or co-ops is so far off
the radar it invariably solicits blank stares of
incomprehension.  

On someone's Amazon review (an English teacher in
China) they said they asked a student what "socialism"
was, and the student answered "love the country".  

So what does the leadership mean in China now when
using this word?

--- Matt Hale <husunzi@hotmail.com> wrote:

> Thanks for the link, Hairong.
> 
> Does anyone know any details about the Party's new
> "Shehuizhuyi Xin Nongcun 
> Jianshe (Socialist New Village Construction)"...[deleted]

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