All throughout our lives we are lectured by educators, media pundits, and our parents about the failings of socialism. Socialism, according to them, was this nice idea about equality that never really worked. Or, socialism was a terrible one-party dictatorship like the ones that used to exist in Eastern Europe – where you couldn’t speak your mind and had to lineup for ages just to get a few poor-quality products. Whatever socialism is, they say, it’s had its day and is a thing of the past.