How did Communism become so popular given just how much it goes against human nature? (Israel, boycott)
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Communism works well for two sets of people... people who want control over others, and those who do not understand life to the point where it's OK if everyone is not equal.
Times were tough back in 1917CE. The German military was flailing for a way to get Russia out of WWI, & they hit upon the notion of transporting Lenin & crew back to Russia in a sealed railroad car. That worked, the Russian government collapsed & Lenin & the Bolsheviks took power - after a lot of confusion & infighting. Which was what Germany wanted - or @ least, thought they wanted.
Then the Depression, & there were lots of political & economic dislocations because of WWI. France & UK carved up the former Ottoman Empire, for instance, laying the groundwork for continuing problems in the Middle East. Germany was saddled with massive reparations & loss of territory. The US also suffered, although of course we were on the winning side of WWI - still, it was parlous times.
Communism, despite its unlikely development in Russia, of all places (Marx thought it would be the developed countries that would bring forth Communism - UK, Germany, France, etc.) - seemed to work, @ least for public consumption. The Communist Party did learn to keep a tight leash on the media - which they probably considered to be a Western Civilization luxury in any event, & so the rules didn't apply to them.
& so people in the World were quite hopeful about Communism - especially if they could industrialize & modernize Russia, & actually deliver on a comfortable life - food, housing, education, medical care, work - for everyone. The more reality went out of synch with the much-trumpeted official reality in the USSR, the more the Soviets clamped down on their media (& everyone else's too). It was a massive con game, a modern Potemkin Village.
Can someone explain? Yeah, Communism's "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs" philosophy sounds nice, but anyone with a functioning brain and isn't mentally challenged should realize just how incredibly impractical and a slap in the face towards human nature the very concept is. There are ALWAYS people that are better than others, people that are far smarter, people that are just overall far superior to others, as such of course it's just natural for people to be above others. I mean, has there EVER been a nation/state that was Communist yet didn't end up being ruled by evil greedy **** heads?
The Soviet Union sure as hell in no way ever practiced what they preached. The vast majority of people were little better than poor peasants while those in the politburo and at the top greatly enjoyed wealth, fame, prestige; the likes of which the vast majority could never hope to achieve. Did those at the top honestly not see how massively evil hypocritical they were? Sure you can complain about Capitalism, but at least with Capitalism there's no question or hiding in letting you know you either work or become a stupid bum. It truly amazes me how so many honestly thought Communism could in anyway work, much less lead to this great egalitarian utopia. Karl Marx should've been drowned at birth.
Bc it's a system meant to counter human instinct for selfishness not exploit it?
Can someone explain? Yeah, Communism's "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs" philosophy sounds nice, but anyone with a functioning brain and isn't mentally challenged should realize just how incredibly impractical and a slap in the face towards human nature the very concept is.
People don't choose communism. They have no choice unless they are the ruling class.
Communism is no good, but with pure Darwinian capitalism, what really separates humans from other animals?
straw man
ˌstrô ˈman/
noun
1.
an intentionally misrepresented proposition that is set up because it is easier to defeat than an opponent's real argument.
Can someone explain? Yeah, Communism's "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs" philosophy sounds nice
This is a Biblical (and other) Quote, BTW, so perhaps you need to take issue with Christianity or Judaism.
The parable of the talents:
"And to one he gave five talents (gold, silver), to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability"
Many similar quotes in the Bible and many other works of man:
""Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, And laid them down at the apostle's feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need" (Acts, 4:43-35)."
Do you also want JC drowned at birth along with Karl?e
BTW, the "pull" of "communism" is simply the same thing as the "pull" of safety in numbers, villages, tribes and most other societal concepts. People are stronger together than separately. It is the strangest thing to hear "anti-communist" people praise "The Military" which is an authoritarian and socialist/communist type of construct. Every grunt is a grunt.
In my opinion, Mr. Marx was a philosopher - and for you or anyone to say that the world would be better off without his noticing what was going on (the natural progression of capitalism) is crazy. This is yet another example of brainwashing. If you or I truly believe some our system is better, why would we have to spend one moment "fighting" or ranting against something that was a "loser"? It should be obvious, right???
As with all philosophies (and as our founders did) you take what you feel is universal from the writers, governments, etc. of the past and you cast out the other stuff. Of course, we can see (slavery, civil war and MANY other problems right up until today) that our system is FAR from perfect.
The appeal of communism to many people is the same basic appeal as equality, civil rights and fair doctrines have. People KNOW the world is a "big fix" and they seek something better. Communism, which was never really practiced, just didn't happen to be the right ideal. But many of us would say the same about Authoritarianism, yet the examples of Xi, Putin and even Trump show that a large amount of people think that's a "good philosophy".
Bottom line is that most people are sheeple and are forced into thing by "the mob". This type of destruction of culture and society (as in Russia) will last for generations. It's fresh in their minds how "free" Germany and their own dictators resulted in 25+ million of them being dead or jailed. So now they are naturally an abusive people and society. Just as an abused child often turns to an abuser as an adult.
However, the current USA has little room to talk...sorry, but we should be doing MUCH better given our resources and the amount of time which has gone by. Instead we are treading water and going backwards...
Last edited by craigiri; 06-09-2018 at 02:23 PM..
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Blows against the empire
