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The political opposition's fixation with incoming Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York continued in December 2018 with the online sharing of a graphic that attempted to link her to a quote whose origins have been disputed. The graphic, first posted a month earlier, showed a black-and-white picture of the congresswoman-elect alongside the phrase Under capitalism, man oppresses man. Under socialism, it's just the opposite. The meme was subsequently spread by a Facebook page listed for musician Ted Nugent, with the addition of the caption Do not shut this woman up. This shit is gold: We consulted Ocasio-Cortez seeking comment but have yet to hear back. However, not only did we find no record of her having made such a statement, the phrase itself is a misstated version of a much older phrase with unclear origins. The original version -- Under capitalism man exploits man. Under socialism it's just the opposite. -- has long been attributed to economist John Kenneth Galbraith, who passed away in 2006. But it has also been described in other accounts as an old Soviet joke or a wry Russian joke, including in Jules Archer's 1977 book Police State: Could It Happen Here? -- published 12 years before Ocasio-Cortez was born: As we have previously chronicled, Ocasio-Cortez has been particularly targeted by mockery and false claims about her.
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