Why is communism a bad word?

[HeyYou]

Communism = People in power like to abuse it = dead people as result.

Communism in it's true form with no people in power = best possible version = Never going to happen, there are always people who like to abuse others.

I don't think communism has a monopoly on that particular event. :D

[kthompsen]

I don't know about "bad word", but in America, it makes people recoil because we generally like government/society to be as diffuse as possible. Americans historically have an inherent pessimism about governments. Our very founding was based on trashing our government and the taxes it imposed. Then we drew up a constitution that separated branches of power and gave rights to individuals. Trying to control it all is like trying to play whack-a-mole. And Americans generally like it that way. They're comfortable with the chaos.

 

Communism is centralized and monolithic...It has some good ideals, but being centralized scares the above type of people. Anything centralized is easier to control. It doesn't take a genius to realize once a powerbase is in one spot, then there are less steps to take it all. Communism puts all it's eggs in one basket. He who controls the basket controls the people. I think even the current trend of Leftist Antifa kids are just faux "communists" themselves. At the end of the day, they'd hate it.. as they're mostly individualists at heart themselves. Especially anyone involved with identity politics. They may *think* they want control now (simply because having Power is tempting), but at the end of the day, they want an open and diffuse society just like a lot of others. They have more in common with the people they hate more than they realize. They'd kill themselves in a society like Khmer Rouge era Cambodia, that literally turned everyone into a robot. That's what true Centralized Power inevitably does - sets out a program and tries to make everything exact and uniform. No way they could handle it. They'd be the first to be lined up at the wall and shot, for trying to "be themselves".

 

The kind of cultures that slip into Communism are the ones that didn't know any better in the first place. Which is countries that were Monarchies before. Russia simply traded a Czar for a Poliburo, China traded an Emperor for a Commitee, etc. These were ALREADY centralized cultures - so they didn't stand a chance when another centralized system took over. It's just the same thing, by another name. But in America, it's more of a "bad word", because we don't have a good history with being treated like "children" of the King/State. And even if it did gain a foothold, it'd die off even quicker than "New Coke". I almost want to see it happen though.. just because it's a lesson some people need to see for themselves.

Edited May 26, 2018 by kthompsen

[MrJoseCuervo]

Communism sounds like a good idea on paper.

 

Perhaps if human beings weren't involved in it it might work in the real world.

[JaYmZeE311074]

There has never been a communist state to date - communism is the final stage of an ideology of which which socialism is a major step and nobody - not the USSR (the clue is in the name - Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) or China, who although they have the Communist Party of China (or CPC) as the sole governing party, have actually achieved their original ultimate goal of communism.

 

As for democracy and capitalism - What democracy - the illusion of choice, that's all that exists now. Capitalism - well I've no idea what type of system we are using now but it is NOT capitalism that much I'm certain of.

 

In lieu of me ranting like a nut job - If you fancy educating yourself to the state of things just now I highly recommend watching any or all of the following....

 

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3203700/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

 

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1166827/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

 

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1928296/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

 

unlike most critiques - they actually have suggestions on how to move forward from the farcical situation we find ourselves in just now.

[WakahisaSensei]

The negativity in my own experience comes from the misconception that people believe you can only have one or the other. Research suggests the most functional systems (historically speaking) often had elements of both, usually with a slight to heavy lean on capitalism.

 

There has been many historical and cultural reasons for communism becoming a "bad word". Not least among such is the tendency for people to poorly define it and distinguish it from socialism. There are also varying schools of thought not just on types of communism but also the relationship of communism and socialism. Despite what many people believe, it is actually possible to have socialism without communism and communism without socialism. It seems paradoxical but this is often because people fail to distinguish between the political system and the economic system.

 

I believe poor education on the topic (intentional propaganda in many cases) coupled with history and culture has painted the negative view. In truth, Communism is no worse than capitalism. Both are theories on potential systems with pros and cons. I doubt a perfect capitalist state has ever existed either. The ideal system protects business and working class. It provides a safety net but also the promise that hard work can increase one's wealth. But the human element throws a wrench into that plan.

 

That's what I think. But I could just be a fool without his coffee.

[skyquest32]

Because they destroy a culture from the inside out, introducing it into a society along with hybrid Marxism and pc thinking is a easy way to strip a nation and a people of all identity and ground the hapless nation into submission, its a slave mentality.

 

A power play good for the elite who hold to non such views themselves. Just like Christianity was used in the past, now its this, and the flat earther version of atheism, to those who ironically make a religion of it in there non scientific evangelism, for all intents and purposes. ''Faith in Atheism of a true believer''.

 

A simple adaptation, but the same things apply as time gos by. The effect is functionally the same.

 

An easy way for the truly strong, weak or cunning to hold and keep power over the clueless. Ask many dictators, and look how there inner circle conducts themselves.

 

No conspiracy, its very open, just use logic, reason, study the present and history...consider sociology and current popular attitude, a monkey could figure it out.

 

The masking is thin, and its adapted, but the philosophy has escaped the third word for sure. More and more see this so its becoming less and less of a issue contextually.

[dikr]

It's a theory that fails to recognize human nature. I know that you didn't want us to discuss all the bad (and failed) examples of communism in history, but the lack of successes does also teach us something about the theory and how well it resonates with reality. I read some posts about it a few pages back where this point was addressed but not fully understood.

 

We are, at our very core and first and foremost ... individual animals. Selfishness and competition are just as embedded in our genes like our dependency on water and oxygen. Put any ten very hungry people in a prison cell and drop in one loaf of bread and they will fight over it, regardless of their political views or convictions. This is not a pretty side of humanity when it comes to achieving goals for the benefit of us all, and of course it is held in check by the opposite motivation, empathy, to give us the ability to work together in groups, (ironically, also helping us in our competition with OTHER groups), but that also evolved to better our personal chances of success and survival of our own genes.

 

So communism doesn't reflect our nature all too well as it attempts to defy thousands of millions of years of evolution. We aren't too good at sharing with anyone apart from our closest ones and we live and breath competition in much more ways than most people can imagine. Sadly capitalism does a much better job at reflecting our nature as it revolves around it. Repressing our nature requires strict adherence by everyone for it to work, which requires a repressive government, leaving too much power with too few, at which human nature kicks in again with it's wonderful ability to corrupt anyone which has too much power for too long.

 

p.s. I don't think capitalism as we see it today is the way forward at all and we do need to intervene in our own success as a species to make the world a better place for future generations and start wising up by doing the things we do a lot more efficient and smarter.

Edited September 29, 2018 by dikr

[HadToRegister]

Communism on paper looks great, it's when People are added to the equation, where it all goes to hell, because you always get corrupt people at the top who decide to keep the money and everything else from "Trickling Down" to the masses.

Much like American Politics when that moron Reagan implemented the biggest lie to the American people called "Trickle-Down Economics" AKA "Supply Side Economics"

Only the uneducated and easily swayed people (AKA "Useful Idiots") bought the idea, and here we are, 30+ years later waiting for all of that Off-shore non-taxable money to come trickling down to us.

Thanks to Fox News, even more people in the US have been brainwashed into believing that raising the minimum wage, and things that would help the middle and working class are BAD things, while giving Corporations and the 1% are GOOD things.

Much like the abhorrent system we have in the US today, with the traitorous Russo-Republican McConnell, Ryan, Graham, et al who would rather allow a foreign power dictate our elections in order to appease Foriegn than to allow more with the Soon to be Dictator Trump in power while the indoctrinated Fox News brainwashed "Useful Idiots" usher in the demise of our Democracy.

I'm glad I'm the age I am, so I can die before the Republican completely destroy the Planet with their Climate Change Denial, because the America I was born in, while watching the Moon landings on TV (Proud of going to the moon, and proud of science etc) has turned the US into a bunch of Morons who think the Earth is Flat.
The Comedy movie called "Idiocracy" has become a Documentary for the US.

[JaYmZeE311074]

Communism on paper looks great, it's when People are added to the equation, where it all goes to hell, because you always get corrupt people at the top who decide to keep the money and everything else from "Trickling Down" to the masses.

Much like American Politics when that moron Reagan implemented the biggest lie to the American people called "Trickle-Down Economics" AKA "Supply Side Economics"

 

Only the uneducated and easily swayed people (AKA "Useful Idiots") bought the idea, and here we are, 30+ years later waiting for all of that Off-shore non-taxable money to come trickling down to us.

Thanks to Fox News, even more people in the US have been brainwashed into believing that raising the minimum wage, and things that would help the middle and working class are BAD things, while giving Corporations and the 1% are GOOD things.

 

Much like the abhorrent system we have in the US today, with the traitorous Russo-Republican McConnell, Ryan, Graham, et al who would rather allow a foreign power dictate our elections in order to appease Foriegn than to allow more with the Soon to be Dictator Trump in power while the indoctrinated Fox News brainwashed "Useful Idiots" usher in the demise of our Democracy.

 

I'm glad I'm the age I am, so I can die before the Republican completely destroy the Planet with their Climate Change Denial, because the America I was born in, while watching the Moon landings on TV (Proud of going to the moon, and proud of science etc) has turned the US into a bunch of Morons who think the Earth is Flat.

The Comedy movie called "Idiocracy" has become a Documentary for the US.

I'd wholeheartedly like to agree with the above post...

 

Plus - "Idiocracy" is a cracking movie - purely for the basic premise of the film if for nothing else.

 

It is not just America that has lost it's way - it, as per usual, is the world leader on this front but here in the UK we're almost as bad - Trump being the main reason I'd separate us - if the USA ousts him in the next election or if we elect Boris Johnson then it'll be all square..... No chance of us going back to the Moon anytime soon - there isn't any money in it - we used to do things, "not because they are easy but because they are hard" - no more - mankind is stagnating and the impending arrival of super-intelligent AI may well be the end we deserve (I firmly believe AI will see us as we see ants in their ant hill if we're building a road - the ant hill gets destroyed - we don't hate ants, we're just building a road)

 

Most political theory looks good on paper - Capitalism looks good on paper - and it failed completely a decade ago.........

[pricelessppp]

Before I say anything, I would like to state the terms under which I plan to direct these topic. I'll do so as clearly and briefly as I can.

 

a) Even though is hard and probably pointless to discuss politics in an abstract way, I would like to refer that I am not speaking about communist governments in particular; this is not a debate about the Soviet Union, neither North Korea (even though I have reasons to doubt those were truly communist governments). So please, let's not fall under arguments such as "the Soviet Union repressed and killed the opposition", or "Cuba had multiple crisis". All of this facts are true, but can rely on subtleties such as the world financial and economic situation, the current wars of the time or any other material circumstance. So I'd like us to speak here about marxism as a political, economical and even philosophic structure and project: no Fidel Castro, no Stalin, no anybody, but the ideas, critics and theories that marxism encompasses, and which only aims were, for Marx, freedom and equality among man.

 

b) Marxism is a complex matter: let's not reduce it to simplifications and chatter. I say this because I've heard arguments such as 'Marx was crazy and was talking non-sense", or "he is an evil man who wanted to banish private property", AND EVEN "if there's no private property, that means that this computer and this socks you are wearing would belong to the state". None of this are true, and are silly things to say; to say this things only proves either that you've never read Marx's works or that you've never made the effort of thinking about them seriously. Marx was a clever and quite human man, who intended to describe and analyse the economic system, and to transform it into a better, more including and fair one. (And no, communism doesn't imply that the socks you wear and the computer you use would belong to the state!!)

 

c) The reasons why I wanted to open this topic is one of understanding, so please, no fighting! I'll explain myself better: where I am from, fascism killed and tortured thousands of people only to repress communism. Here, marxism is not necessarily a bad word, even when it has its detractors. But I have got a friend that lived in the USA and says that over there to be communist is... she told people looked at you nearly as if you were an alien, haha. Now, I don't know if that's true!! But I do notice in every forum I participate in, that communism is very hated or misunderstood. And, even when I am not saying one should be a communist (I am not a communist myself), hatred to communism is a different thing, and has to respond to something. Because one thing is to say: "I don't agree with this for such and such reason", and another is to say "bloody communists!!, stupid communists!!", "Marx was a crazy assassin!!" or anything such as that. So... why is communism a bad word over there?

 

d) I truly insist on the point a). Thanks.

They belive in snitching & speech suppression & are mostly military dictatorships & beilve in abortion & assisted suicide of adults/minors and a who lot of other evil things. And they also are violent cry babies who make violent threats & possibly violent mobs & love George soros which is also evil.