All this begs the question: what would winter look like in a different world? What might change in a socialist society? In a society where ordinary people democratically controlled their workplaces and their world, how would we navigate the contradictions of winter differently, making room for the pleasures while coping with the challenges?
Of course, because such a society would be based on the democratic input of everyone involved, it is impossible to establish beforehand exactly how such a society would deal with any given winter. But it is at least worth hazarding some guesses, sketching out some ideas — if for no other reason than to reaffirm our hopes and aspirations that a different world is possible.
First, it’s worth saying that in a socialist society, the first priority would be meeting the basic needs of everyone. Houses without people would immediately be filled by people without houses — a logical and immediate way to solve the crisis of homelessness that currently exists side by side with the crisis of the overproduction of homes, the bubble which burst in 2007, leading directly to the Great Recession.
The right to have a home would replace the right to buy a home. And just like the right to housing, the right to heating would also be guaranteed by society — replacing the right to scrimp and save our way through the deadly cold.
- KBOO