Gratz? In America, you are allowed to have any beliefs you choose.
If you are Russian, what’s up with all the virii on your porn sites?
Speaking of how people are, how do the recent discoveries in neuroeconomics inform your philosophy?
“Challenges” are an inherent characteristic of human society, and the single greatest reason why we need governments in the first place. The worth of a government can, to a large extent, be gauged by how effectively it responds to these inevitable challenges.
It is my strong belief that the People’s Republic of China is not only the greatest nation in existence today, but also in the entire history of mankind. It is a powerful, highly centralized nation in which a single party proudly guides an immense populace into the future. It is a brilliant melding of Marxist-Leninist theory and private ingenuity. It is a glimmering beacon of hope and prosperity, an awe-inspiring trend-setter that will bravely shepherd all of humanity into a golden age of socialism.
But is it perfect? No, of course not. Perfection is unattainable. The presence of “challenges” is not a compelling argument against the Chinese system, as such a high standard would by necessity condemn all possible political and economic systems. We can never reach perfection; we can only keep trying.
Batista was a horrible leader for Cuba. He was little more than a tool for corrupt interests. He was so bad that anything else looked like a good alternative for the Cuban people. The Catholic church actually supported an overthrow of Batista. That’s why Castro never expelled the Catholic church although he did suppress it.
If you go to Cuba you see that Che Guevara’s image is very prominent and it is actually rare to see an image of Castro. After the revolution Castro knew that Cuba could not honor two hero’s of the revolution. Casto had Guevara go to South America where he was killed. Castor turned Guevara into the patron saint of the revolution and all was well because Guevara was dead. Castro could do what he pleased and Guevara could be honored as a saint.
Again, Cuba is a mess. On average, in Havana there are 300 building collapses a year because the housing and construction is so neglected. Havana at one time was a beautiful city but Castor’s communism has turned it into a disaster. (I haven’t been there since the last major hurricane so I can only imagine the devastation of that event).
If you go to Cuba it is evident that “communism” is a fatally flawed, idealistic theory that doesn’t work in the real world. There is no case history that can show that communism is valid. “Socialism” we can argue all day. Some degree is socialism is necessary. It’s a matter of where the line is drawn. Communism is a pipe dream of people that are dissociated from reality.
Well, all I can say is that if you know much about today’s Chinese system, you’ll find that it does not resemble what Marx envisioned at all. If your idea of Communism is just a single party state with an authoritarian government, I guess China fits that description. However, you’re kidding yourself if you think you’ll find anything like a happy classless society there.
That is an interesting conspiracy theory you have there. Is there any documentation to bolster your allegations? And why is it that the Cuban people “could not honor two hero[s]?” I notice that the US denizens have no intellectual difficulty revering a handful of “heroes” (actually, a bunch of slave-owning lowlifes, but what the hell) simultaneously. Are you saying that the Cuban people are less intelligent than you are?
What a silly logical fallacy.
Let us assume, for the sake of argument, that your allegations concerning Cuba are correct. How does this prove that Communism “is fatally flawed?” I notice that Mexico is not doing too well; does this mean that capitalism is also “fatally flawed?”
Also, you keep getting tangled up in the irrelevant Communist/socialist distinction. If it helps you, think of Communism as the underlying theory, and socialism as the actual on-the-ground implementation (which, of course, can vary greatly depending on the people implementing it). If you’re trying to determine whether a country is Communist or socialist, you’ve already made a serious mistake; it’s either both or neither.
Now hold on a second, I recognize this… You write for the Onion, don’t you?
The OP reminds me of the bearded intellectuals of 1968, who discussed how great Mao was, thousands of miles away from China and in front of huge dishes in Parisian brasseries, while the Chinese people were dying of hunger by millions.
Is that lifetime batting average for Mao? Or just the revolutionary Mao, How do you reconcile the 100 flowers Mao, great leap Mao, cultural revolutionary Mao, and/or West envy on his deathbed Mao?
Which could be, I suppose, a valid point in other circumstances…
… But I must reiterate that I am a Soviet by birth, upbringing, and loyalty. I am not a bearded intellectual of the decadent West - Communism is my heritage and my birthright.
Unlike the vast majority of you, I know how this system works, and I like it. I like the fact that my father, the son of peasants, was able to receive a completely free basic, college, and medical education. I like the fact that my mother, born to a tour guide and an engineer, had the opportunity to become a preeminent microbiologist renowned throughout my nation. I like the fact that I myself, having come into this world with numerous life-threatening abnormalities, received the thousands of hours of free expert health care that it took to turn me into a fully functional and non-disabled human being.
Believe you me, I know what a functional socialist nation looks like. I am the product of such a nation, and I will carry my pride of this fact to my very grave.
Either you are crazy, you are out of your mind or you can’t read. Of course, the US honors a multitude of heroes. The US, for all it’s flaws, is not a dictatorship. Cuba is.
Have you ever been to Cuba? Apparently not. Castro rolled Guevara up the flagpole as the patron saint. He probably was the one that had Che killed but we’ll never know that for sure. Brilliant political move. In a dictatorship there has to be a someone who is worshiped. Castro was smart enough (unlike the idiots in N. Korea) to make that saint someone other than himself. Go into any tourist shop in Havana. You can buy all the Che t-shirts you want but you won’t find a Fidel shirt. There are some Fidel post cards of pictures taken 50 years ago but that is about all. Che is promoted as someone to be revered. There was not room for two charismatic leaders in post-revolutionary Cuba. Throughout Cuba there are only a couple of Fidel statues and images but Che is all over the place.
Communist/socialism. You do a reality check. Just as unfettered capitalism doesn’t work, communism absolutely doesn’t work and recent history has proven that. N. Korea and Cuba are failures. China and Vietnam are thriving because, while they may claim to be communist, they are not. They are very capitalistic.
Again, we can argue forever as to what degree should exist between capitalism and socialism. Nevertheless, communism has been proven to be a failed ideal that only resulted in the creation of dictatorships and misery for the common people.
Go ahead and tell us you are a communist. You would be more honest if you told us you were just trolling.
As I have already stated, comrade Mao was a flawed visionary.
He was a great man, to be sure. His leadership was invaluable in driving the fascist Japanese invaders out of China, as well as the cowardly fascist Kuomintang. Mao freed his people, and his people owe him an eternity of gratitude.
Having said that, comrade Mao made some mistakes once it came to interpreting Marxism-Leninism, as he attempted to do in the Great Leap Forward and in the Cultural Revolution. These mistakes were effectively corrected by subsequent party leaders.
Overall, Mao was a magnificent leader, as not everyone can save more than a billion individuals from capitalist deprivation. The fact that he went on to make a couple mistakes does nothing to diminish his greatness; it simply makes him human.
Let us not start backpedaling now, my friend. Here is what you said: “After the revolution Castro knew that Cuba could not honor two hero’s of the revolution.”
I still ask you, why not? What makes the Cuban people different from you and I? Why, according to you, can they not accept more than a single revolutionary hero?
Your statement reeks of ignorant Yankee racism, and I call you out on it. Please either explain your allegation or withdraw it.
How very ignorant of you.
You are basically stating the same sentiment as I tend to receive from a lot of Americans. Namely: because China allows for private enterprise, it is a capitalist nation.
To this, I always reply as follows: “Alright, but that means that the United States is Communist. After all, it recognizes child labor laws, welfare programs, and maximum working hours. All of these are socialist ideas. Hence, according to your argument, the presence of socialist economic theories makes you entirely socialist.”
Why is Taiwan so much wealthier (for its size) than the PRC?
Under what cicrucmstances will you consider emigrating to PRK ?
Er, do you mean the PRC or the DPRK?
If the prior, I am willing to move myself and my family there at the drop of the proverbial pin. The future belongs to them, and I want a piece of the action.
If the latter, then as soon as the Kims are out of power. Communism and nepotism are like capitalism and justice - entirely incompatible.
Hmmm. Suspiciously good English for someone “born and raised in the Soviet Union.” Writing style sounds a lot like that other new member who started the I Am a Racist thread, which in turn reminded me of someone else. Not that I’m saying they’re all the same person. But hmmm.
Using the excesses of Mao and Stalin to argue against theoretical communism is just as hypocritical as using the excesses of Rove-Cheney Corporate Kleptomania to argue against theoretical capitalism.
And since we’re exposing our political bents, let me say I’m a Moderate … which lumps me with the communists in American parlance, since there “moderate” has come to mean “slightly to the left of Pinochet.”
I read that thread, and was entertained by it. Having said that, I must point out that our writing styles are kilometers apart. He is far more verbose and less eloquent than I am.
Moreover, you may or may not have gathered that I find racism and other discriminatory philosophies entirely abhorrent. I strongly believe that we are all humans, and deserve to be treated as such at all times.
Thirdly, your allegation is neither subtle nor clever. I am a Communist, I am proud to be a Communist, and I am willing to support my beliefs in an intelligent manner. The fact that you think that I sound like an uneducated redneck reflects poorly on you, rather than on me.
Finally, yes, my English is good. It is not a difficult language. I was born and raised in the Soviet Union; I received my undergraduate and graduate degrees in the US.
Do tell. Name names, it’s the stasi way after all; I’m sure the OP would appreciate.