We’ve had plenty of instances of “Real Communism” being tried at various stages of social and industrial development. And we’ve had a wide range of results, from the abysmal failures in Romania and Israel to the marginal victories in South Africa and Vietnam to the genuine economic miracles in China and Yugoslavia.
What we haven’t seen is an ideal Star Trek style global utopia. As a result, countries with large capitalist run media tend to suffocate any kind of domestic progressive dialogue with “Um, aktuly…” critiques while their own leadership does Nazi salutes at Presidential inaugurations and profit off the munitions used to flatten whole townships in Gaza neighborhoods.
At some level, you can’t take this critique seriously because its purely reactionary. The folks who insist efforts at socialist reform should never have been tried are the same ones that want us to get back to a Bourbon Dynasty ruling the world.
That’s not what I said, nor is it something I ever would say. We have, in fact, seen “real communism,” and we see it still today. The largest-scale example in history is the Ukrainian Free Territory, which functioned through a decentralized system of direct democracy at the community level. It lasted about four years during the Russian Civil War and was ultimately destroyed by Soviet invasion. For centuries, examples of communities functioning through mutual aid and other left anarchist principles have existed and continue to exist. I have personally visited several such communities and cooperatives, briefly living with one of them. Just because there is no “communist country” (which is an oxymoronic phrase) does not mean “real communism” has never existed.
Sure, Communism can work at small scales where there is a culturally homogeneous population. Which is why cities and municipalities have the freedom to adopt communist ideals.
The USA in total is far too large and diverse to make it work country wide. We are, by design, neither culturally, politically, or geographically homogeneous.
It would take an all powerful small ruling class forcing compliance in order to make it work on such a large scale. Now we are back to Totalitarianism operating under the guise of “the good of the people!!”
Even at the small scale, we have examples of this not working. CHAZ/CHOP were taken over by opportunists that wanted to benefit themselves at the expense of all others in the community. There is simply too much diversity of thought in the USA to make it work.
Which is why cities and municipalities have the freedom to adopt communist ideals.
They do? Since when?
The USA in total is far too large and diverse to make it work country wide.
Where is your proof of this?
neither culturally, politically, or geographically homogeneous.
You sound no different than the right-wingers pretending that “cultural (ie, racial, since right-wingers don’t actually have the foggiest clue what culture is) homogeneity” is what makes countries successful.
It would take an all powerful small ruling class forcing compliance in order to make it work on such a large scale.
Many small collectives in the US adopt communist values, like Menenites, Mormons or Amish.
My proof is that, despite the overall majority of social media users stating that communism is the way, it hasn’t been adopted country wide because the actual majority of people don’t want it, aka a difference in ideology, aka non homogeneous population.
So saying that every single person in the USA that doesn’t subscribe to the same ideology based on their own personal experiences and surroundings isn’t just a personal political identity, it’s racism?
Says historical accounts of communism being “gently forced” onto a non homogeneous population.
I see that you are just one of those people that thinks everything is tied to race. Saying a population is non homogeneous is not racist. You are putting that spin on it based on your own preconceived ideas.
it hasn’t been adopted country wide because the actual majority of people don’t want it
Your argument is as flat as month-old Coke. The vast majority of people EVERYWHERE did not want liberalism (or the capitalist pillaging and looting it apologized for) - it had to be forced onto people through brutal colonialist violence - yet here we are, aren’t we?
I see that you are just one of those people that thinks everything is tied to race.
I’m not the one that “tied” everything to race, Clyde - ask your “western” ancestors why THEY fetishistically “tied” everything to race to such a degree that their oh-so-precious “western” civilization is incapable of existing without it.
Saying a population is non homogeneous is not racist.
Clyde, defining “sameness” purely by RACE is white supremacist.
“We’ve never seen REAL Communism!!”
That line is older and more tired than my 92 year old uncle.
What is the point of this comment?
The world is worse off for having spent time reading this
It’s the click-whir response of someone who has been programmed to hear and respond to an argument that only reactionaries are making.
It’s also true though. We’ve seen people try. We’ve seen how authoritarians coop it and do horrible shit. But we’ve never actually seen communism.
We’ve had plenty of instances of “Real Communism” being tried at various stages of social and industrial development. And we’ve had a wide range of results, from the abysmal failures in Romania and Israel to the marginal victories in South Africa and Vietnam to the genuine economic miracles in China and Yugoslavia.
What we haven’t seen is an ideal Star Trek style global utopia. As a result, countries with large capitalist run media tend to suffocate any kind of domestic progressive dialogue with “Um, aktuly…” critiques while their own leadership does Nazi salutes at Presidential inaugurations and profit off the munitions used to flatten whole townships in Gaza neighborhoods.
At some level, you can’t take this critique seriously because its purely reactionary. The folks who insist efforts at socialist reform should never have been tried are the same ones that want us to get back to a Bourbon Dynasty ruling the world.
The truth often gets repeated.
That’s not what I said, nor is it something I ever would say. We have, in fact, seen “real communism,” and we see it still today. The largest-scale example in history is the Ukrainian Free Territory, which functioned through a decentralized system of direct democracy at the community level. It lasted about four years during the Russian Civil War and was ultimately destroyed by Soviet invasion. For centuries, examples of communities functioning through mutual aid and other left anarchist principles have existed and continue to exist. I have personally visited several such communities and cooperatives, briefly living with one of them. Just because there is no “communist country” (which is an oxymoronic phrase) does not mean “real communism” has never existed.
Ok, I misspoke.
Sure, Communism can work at small scales where there is a culturally homogeneous population. Which is why cities and municipalities have the freedom to adopt communist ideals.
The USA in total is far too large and diverse to make it work country wide. We are, by design, neither culturally, politically, or geographically homogeneous.
It would take an all powerful small ruling class forcing compliance in order to make it work on such a large scale. Now we are back to Totalitarianism operating under the guise of “the good of the people!!”
Even at the small scale, we have examples of this not working. CHAZ/CHOP were taken over by opportunists that wanted to benefit themselves at the expense of all others in the community. There is simply too much diversity of thought in the USA to make it work.
They do? Since when?
Where is your proof of this?
You sound no different than the right-wingers pretending that “cultural (ie, racial, since right-wingers don’t actually have the foggiest clue what culture is) homogeneity” is what makes countries successful.
Lol! Says who? You?
So your argument is “NO YOU!!”?
Many small collectives in the US adopt communist values, like Menenites, Mormons or Amish.
My proof is that, despite the overall majority of social media users stating that communism is the way, it hasn’t been adopted country wide because the actual majority of people don’t want it, aka a difference in ideology, aka non homogeneous population.
So saying that every single person in the USA that doesn’t subscribe to the same ideology based on their own personal experiences and surroundings isn’t just a personal political identity, it’s racism?
Says historical accounts of communism being “gently forced” onto a non homogeneous population.
I see that you are just one of those people that thinks everything is tied to race. Saying a population is non homogeneous is not racist. You are putting that spin on it based on your own preconceived ideas.
Your argument is as flat as month-old Coke. The vast majority of people EVERYWHERE did not want liberalism (or the capitalist pillaging and looting it apologized for) - it had to be forced onto people through brutal colonialist violence - yet here we are, aren’t we?
I’m not the one that “tied” everything to race, Clyde - ask your “western” ancestors why THEY fetishistically “tied” everything to race to such a degree that their oh-so-precious “western” civilization is incapable of existing without it.
Clyde, defining “sameness” purely by RACE is white supremacist.