Hate communism! ... but what is it? (revolution, speeches, ideologies, party)
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I grew up in a different country where the communist party is just another political party and actually, in the US, you can vote for the communist party.
Everybody hates everything that has to do with communism, the communist party, etc.
But what is "communism"?
I bet more than 95% of americans don't even know the actual definition of communism.
I grew up in a different country where the communist party is just another political party and actually, in the US, you can vote for the communist party.
Everybody hates everything that has to do with communism, the communist party, etc.
But what is "communism"?
I bet more than 95% of americans don't even know the actual definition of communism.
So, are you going to tell us the definition since we don't know??
com·mu·nism n.
1. A theoretical economic system characterized by the collective ownership of property and by the organization of labor for the common advantage of all members.
2. Communism
1. A system of government in which the state plans and controls the economy and a single, often authoritarian party holds power, claiming to make progress toward a higher social order in which all goods are equally shared by the people.
2. The Marxist-Leninist version of Communist doctrine that advocates the overthrow of capitalism by the revolution of the proletariat.
I think most Americans are still influenced by the 1950s "Red Scare / Witch Hunt," and have it ingrained in their mind that communism is evil. I don't really have an opinion either way, but do think there are some redeeming qualities to the concept - it just hasn't been put into action very well, apparently. My late Great-Uncle Lou was a communist who was born in Russia, and also lived in China and Cuba before coming to the US. He would go on and on about the benefits of communism, but I was too young to understand... and he'd usually fall asleep halfway through his speeches, LOL.
My late Great-Uncle Lou was a communist who was born in Russia, and also lived in China and Cuba before coming to the US. He would go on and on about the benefits of communism, but I was too young to understand... and he'd usually fall asleep halfway through his speeches, LOL.
So if communism was so great why did he come to the United States? Im not trying to start a debate or anything I am just trying to see the logic in your uncles opinion.
My neighbor who is Russian lived in St. Petersburg during the 70's, 80's, and the collapse of the Soviet Union and she always described to me how horrible the quality of life was over there. Her biggest complaint was how horribly inefficient everything was made, how people were in constant fear of the KGB, and how there were constant shortages of food. I think her best story regarding to how inefficient communism is, was about how shoes would be delivered into town and the only sizes they would have would be mens shoe size 9 and a womens size 3 (I dont remember the exact sizes of the shoes she gave in her story but you get the picture). She also would talk about how the local market would somedays carry bread, other days just carry meat and some bread, and some times carry nothing. In Russia it all depended upon how the government felt they should distribute the goods and services among the people. Of course stories can always be over exaggerated but from the sounds of it I will take capitalism any day.
Of course there is the argument that none of those countries were actually communist because communism is impossible to implement due to the fact you are always going to have people living higher quality lives than others.
I think Animal Farm and 1984 pretty much summed up any form of large government and the hypocrisy and inefficiency that comes along with it.
"The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings; the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries."
-Winston Churchill
I grew up in a communist country and yea, there were shortages of food, electricity, water, and everyday we were forced to sing the 'revolution anthem'; if we didn't sing it, we risked some punishment which would lead to failing the grade; you had to be careful who you talked to, what you said, because you never knew if you were going to be ratted out, and then be taken to prison.
Although I was a child back then, I can tell you that when i was 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 years old, i would have to get up at 4am and go make a line to get our rationed weekly food supply. It was actually kind of fun, cause i got to hear the gossip in the neighborhood; one thing about growing up in a communist country is that you become a bit more mature ahead of time; i guess thats why i hate seeing all these punk, pathetic kids whining and crying about santa when they are 7 years old...hell, that's another rant....
anyway, communist living, sucked!!! On paper the theory sounds fine, but it might only work if it was run by heavenly creatures.
Communism is the false hope that mankind is heading for an economic paradise on earth, that we can make it happen faster by acts of barenaked willpower, and that even the most savage such acts are justified in its name because there is no morality outside of the pursuit of the communist utopia. In practice it enthrones the wicked because it tips the political balance in favor of violence.
I think most Americans are still influenced by the 1950s "Red Scare / Witch Hunt," and have it ingrained in their mind that communism is evil. I don't really have an opinion either way, but do think there are some redeeming qualities to the concept - it just hasn't been put into action very well, apparently. My late Great-Uncle Lou was a communist who was born in Russia, and also lived in China and Cuba before coming to the US. He would go on and on about the benefits of communism, but I was too young to understand... and he'd usually fall asleep halfway through his speeches, LOL.
I think communism is evil. Given its false belief that a workers' paradise is on the way, and because it acknowledges no morals outside itself and predicates itself on acts of naked willpower, it tries to stir up as much violence as possible. It claims man can use violence as a tool rather than seeing violence as the undoing of humanity. It boils down to an embrace of certain means in the name of something that cannot happen as a result. So to understand communism in practice you can discard the promise of utopia and look at the political embrace of violence.
I think communism is evil. Given its false belief that a workers' paradise is on the way, and because it acknowledges no morals outside itself and predicates itself on acts of naked willpower, it tries to stir up as much violence as possible. It claims man can use violence as a tool rather than seeing violence as the undoing of humanity. It boils down to an embrace of certain means in the name of something that cannot happen as a result. So to understand communism in practice you can discard the promise of utopia and look at the political embrace of violence.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CamaroGuy
Communism killed at least 50 million people in Russia so it can't be all that good.
Communism is an ideological theory; it can be neither good nor bad, virtuous nor evil. It is what the people make of it; the same can be said of any ideological system. It's people who corrupt, not ideologies. Communism in its truest form is supposed to be a system of absolutely no government, allowing people civil liberties and cooperation among all (it's antithesis is fascism); obviously, this has never worked. You both speak of communism as a person when in fact it is the people behind it that drive the killings and poverty of it all. You get the right person behind it and you can run any ideological theory into the ground (yes, that includes capitalism).
Last edited by kb09; 01-30-2009 at 12:10 PM..
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