# I Pit the Empire **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 5, 2010, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-empire/559559 "2010-11-05T08:14:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 17
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-empire/559559/321 "2010-11-10T14:36:39Z")
> [@Commissar](#): > > As stated previously, it was necessary only because we granted the Empire dominion over half of Berlin in a moment of generosity. Wait, now Germany is the Empire? Which is it? I’m beginning to think you really don’t know what happened in World War 2. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-empire/559559/322 "2010-11-10T14:59:59Z")
> [@Commissar](#): > > As stated previously, it was necessary only because we granted the Empire dominion over half of Berlin in a moment of generosity. That was a mistake, and hence the Soviet leadership sought to rectify it by building a physical boundary in order to minimize the effects of Western propaganda on East Germans. Wow, the Evil Empire has so filled me with propaganda and dishonest representation of the fact that I’m totally confused. I thought East Germany tried isolating West Berlin from everything necessary to survive. In fact, I was led to believe there was this airlift into West Berlin by the allied forces just to feed the people. My bad. So far commissar, you’ve done a good job. I see you’ve converted exactly…_no one_… to your cause. Perhaps it’s because communism is universally seen as a failure, or perhaps people don’t like the nightmare of living in a repressive society. Then there’s the possibility that there is a limited number of insane political idiots out there and only one has found this board so far. ---
**Author:** ![42fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/b487fb/32.png) [@42fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/42fish)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-empire/559559/323 "2010-11-10T15:15:01Z")
> [@LouisB](#): > > Way overpriced. But she love you long time! ---
**Author:** ![Lare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/53a042/32.png) [@Lare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lare)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-empire/559559/324 "2010-11-10T15:35:15Z")
> [@42fish](#): > > I think you could get some satisfaction from his sistren. Only ten dolla! I think you’ve mis-identified the cistern here. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-empire/559559/325 "2010-11-10T15:42:47Z")
Mods: Can we have this thread moved to Cafe Society? It really is darling. ---
**Author:** ![Commissar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c68b51/32.png) [@Commissar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Commissar)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-empire/559559/326 "2010-11-10T17:25:02Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > Wow, the Evil Empire has so filled me with propaganda and dishonest representation of the fact that I’m totally confused. I thought East Germany tried isolating West Berlin from everything necessary to survive. In fact, I was led to believe there was this airlift into West Berlin by the allied forces just to feed the people. My bad. The Airlift had nothing to do with the Wall. Your digression is meaningless. > [@](#): > > So far commissar, you’ve done a good job. I see you’ve converted exactly…_no one_… to your cause. Really, now. You expect me to turn users of a website designed for the benefit of brainwashed, pampered capitalists into good socialists? Interesting. Would you also expect me to crash a KKK rally and gain new members for the NAACP? > [@](#): > > Perhaps it’s because communism is universally seen as a failure, or perhaps people don’t like the nightmare of living in a repressive society. Then there’s the possibility that there is a limited number of insane political idiots out there and only one has found this board so far. Brainwashing: exhibit A. Look at yourself - you are so deluded that you cannot even imagine anyone with a different political or economic theory. Here’s a little lesson, buddy: people don’t “universally” believe, think, or like anything at all. The fact that you cannot fathom perfectly rational individuals that do not share in your ideals says nothing about socialism, but does say a lot about your limited mental processing capacity. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-empire/559559/327 "2010-11-10T17:32:15Z")
> [@Commissar](#): > > Look at yourself - you are so deluded that you cannot even imagine anyone with a different political or economic theory. Here’s a little lesson, buddy: people don’t “universally” believe, think, or like anything at all. The fact that you cannot fathom perfectly rational individuals that do not share in your ideals says nothing about socialism, but does say a lot about your limited mental processing capacity. So you admit that many of the people on this board who support capitalism are perfectly rational and the only reason that you can’t fathom why they don’t share your ideals is because of your limited mental processing capacity? That’s very brave of you. ---
**Author:** ![Commissar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c68b51/32.png) [@Commissar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Commissar)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-empire/559559/328 "2010-11-10T17:50:07Z")
> [@Darth\_Panda](#): > > So you admit that many of the people on this board who support capitalism are perfectly rational and the only reason that you can’t fathom why they don’t share your ideals is because of your limited mental processing capacity? > > That’s very brave of you. I never denied that most of you capitalists are perfectly rational in your beliefs. It is quite possible to rationally reach a wrong decision. Unlike\*\* Morgenstern\*\*, at no point did I make the outrageous allegation that all sane people think as I do. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-empire/559559/329 "2010-11-10T17:52:26Z")
> [@Commissar](#): > > I never denied that most of you capitalists are perfectly rational in your beliefs. It is quite possible to rationally reach a wrong decision. > > Unlike\*\* Morgenstern\*\*, at no point did I make the outrageous allegation that all sane people think as I do. Fair enough. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-empire/559559/330 "2010-11-10T19:20:00Z")
> [@Commissar](#): > > … > Unlike\*\* Morgenstern\*\*, at no point did I make the outrageous allegation that all sane people think as I do. I think if you put your finger on the pulse of this thread it would be fairly apparent to you that _everyone_ here pretty much views your political philosophy as either “bat-shit insane” or trolling. I’d like to see you participate in a non-political thread. I think you might have something to offer in a different arena. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-empire/559559/331 "2010-11-10T19:28:47Z")
Considering the political proclivities of the two, I propose we merge the accounts of **Der Trihs** and **Commissar**. (Two points for guessing what the final name would be.) ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-empire/559559/332 "2010-11-10T19:36:51Z")
Are you still claiming that October 1917 was the first time in the world for socialism? Because that in and of itself shows you know nothing about the topic at hand. ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-empire/559559/333 "2010-11-10T19:48:58Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > I’d like to see you participate in a non-political thread. I think you might have something to offer _in a different arena_. (italics added for emphasis) Plus > [@Ludovic](#): > > Considering the political proclivities of the two, I propose we merge the accounts of **Der Trihs** and **Commissar**. (Two points for guessing what the final name would be.) Equals **THE THUNDERDOPE** Two men enter, one man leaves! Two men enter, one man leaves! ---
**Author:** ![Tristan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tristan/32/18058_2.png) [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-empire/559559/334 "2010-11-10T20:12:56Z")
I give up. Our red friend here has no interest in actually discussing anything, just distorting history and glossing over facts. He has managed, somehow, to brainwash himself. That’s kind of impressive. One last round of question that I don’t expect to have answered: If the Soviet Union was so great, and the people were so well taken care of, why did thousands of them take to the streets to protest the attempted putsch of the hardliners at the end of 1990? Why did the Soviet Union have to use tanks and troops to force the people of Hungary to remain a Communist state? Why was it necessary to make speaking out agaisnt the Politburo or the Party an arrestable offense? Does not a stable and thriving society have within it a place for disagreement, and discourse on those disagreements? ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-empire/559559/335 "2010-11-10T21:01:17Z")
> [@Commissar](#): > > The Airlift had nothing to do with the Wall. Who said it did? The ten-month long Soviet blockade of road, rail, and water routes into the U.S., U.K., and French sectors of Berlin occurred long before the wall was built. That’s a pretty crippled attempt at hand-waving, my friend. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-empire/559559/336 "2010-11-10T21:17:59Z")
> [@Commissar](#): > > As stated previously, it was necessary only because we granted the Empire dominion over half of Berlin in a moment of generosity. That was a mistake, and hence the Soviet leadership sought to rectify it by building a physical boundary in order to minimize the effects of Western propaganda on East Germans. And feeling remorseful for their sentimental generosity the next morning, the Soviet leadership made it up to themselves by taking the eastern half of Poland and giving it to…wait for it…the Belarussian SSR. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-empire/559559/337 "2010-11-10T22:14:28Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > Considering the political proclivities of the two, I propose we merge the accounts of **Der Trihs** and **Commissar**. (Two points for guessing what the final name would be.) Jeanny? ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-empire/559559/338 "2010-11-10T22:46:12Z")
> [@Commissar](#): > > IUnlike\*\* Morgenstern\*\*, at no point did I make the outrageous allegation that all sane people think as I do. It’s just that the rest of us are making the perfectly sensible allegation that **no** sane person thinks as you do. Yes, I know he’s trolling. But let’s play with him a little before he goes away! Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Dissonance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85f322/32.png) [@Dissonance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dissonance)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-empire/559559/339 "2010-11-10T23:05:12Z")
> [@Commissar](#): > > > [@Dissonance](#): > > > > I am not a Trebizondian citizen in the sense that there is no longer a Trebizondian citizenship - or well, a Trebizond. I consider myself a Trebizond because that is where my loyalties lie; I see no reason why a person must change his self-perceived identity to accommodate current political trends. > > In that case, you have a perfectly valid reason to self-identify as a Trebizondian, and none of us would have valid grounds for challenging that personal decision. We do not have to accept it or agree with it, to be sure (for we may well have our own ways of classifying ourselves and others), but that does not diminish the subjective truth value of your statement. Sure, if I wanted to be batshit insane the fact that Trebizond ceased to exist in 1461 would have no bearing on self-identifying as a Trebizond. Keep on fighting the powers that be insisting 1991 never happened and there’s still a Soviet Union to pledge your loyalty to. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-empire/559559/340 "2010-11-10T23:29:05Z")
> [@Dissonance](#): > > Keep on fighting the powers that be insisting 1991 never happened and there’s still a Soviet Union to pledge your loyalty to. Heh. In 1991, even Russia saw it as worth divesting themselves of large swathes of the European side of their Empire in order to get rid of the Soviet Union. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-empire/559559.md?page=16) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-empire/559559.md?page=18)