Socialism in Sābanto

Photo by Elena Mozhvilo on Unsplash

* SPOILERS ALERT *
TAKE ME TO A SAFE BLOG WITH NO SPOILERS

First I will start with some snippets of reviews that I have recently received.

“Why is Oliver both a socialist and a killer?” 
“Did I read a piece of fiction that failed to hit the mark, or a disguised manifesto?”
“While capitalism and elitism is under heavy critique in the novel, and the proposed solution seems somewhat rooted in socialism . . .”
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Is Sābanto “The Crimson River” a critique of capitalism and elitism? Absolutely yes. I hope no one who has read the book has any doubts about that. Steven White and his purchases of art and gold that serve no one but himself; Leo using his position of power to oppress others; John Leggett being more concerned about his profits than the workers and work conditions at the factory. 
Socialism, however, is such a broad term, and I feel that it is often misused. I can’t claim to be an expert in politics and socio-economic theory, but based on its definition, socialism is characterized by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. This is not what is being represented in the book.  

A more precise definition comes from socialist politics, and although it originated within the socialist movement, it supports economic and social intervention to create social justice. It came to embrace a mixed economy within a predominantly developed capitalist market economy and liberal democratic polity that expands state intervention to include income redistribution, regulation, and a welfare state. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialism)


There are a few questions that anyone reading Sābanto “The Crimson River” should consider:

1. The ferry connecting Covedale and Riverlea is the only means of transportation between the two cities. Should the ferry operator be allowed to increase fees and have fewer people transported than current demand, in order to increase his profits?
2. The Leggett Factory transports workers to the factory at the docks. Should the owner of Leggett ensure that the transport is safe to minimize accidents causing death?
3. What makes one person superior to someone else?
4. Should it be possible and even common for a person working forty or more hours a week to live below the poverty line and not be able to afford food and shelter?
5. There are a certain number of people, either disabled, ill or old who are unable to work. At what point is it OK to discard them from our society?

These questions come down to what is often called “social justice,” and many of you may even be able to reduce the above questions to one theme: “decency.” Only those with extreme capitalist views would say that the free market should be the sole determiner of fees, and that people ought to simply find better jobs in order to improve their working conditions and salaries and save for illness or retirement. Unfortunately, for a lot of people in the world of Sābanto, this is not possible.
But it’s Socialism!! Yes, if you care about others, you have to be at least a little bit socialist.
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I would like to invite you to discuss the ending of the book where the people of Riverlea are dragged from their homes, beaten, packed into trucks, segregated, filtered and put into cages like cattle. Can social justice be forced on people “for their own good?” What is the motive behind this relocation and who is orchestrating the evacuations? What do you think the “socially just” consequences of placing disadvantaged people in gated communities might be?

Bonus:
“Why is Oliver both a socialist and a killer?”
Because no one is black and white. Oliver’s actions are also not coming from wanting social justice, but from wanting to be in opposition to Friends.