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RE: Communism - 6/30/2008 9:43:38 AM   
Alumbrado


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As already posted, communism isn't the mainstay of philosophy 101 courses that the OP presumes, but it is well represented in criminology, social economy, and politcal science courses.
Read Chiricos on the various systems that followed tribalism and feudalism in the West.  Mercantilism had its brief day, and capitalism grew with the inflation of the ranks of the middle class in the more prosperous countries, communism elsewhere.
All were merely frameworks on which to hang the eternal dynamic of super- and sub-ordinates in human relations.

(in reply to stella41b)
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RE: Communism - 6/30/2008 10:56:54 AM   
Caius


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quote:

ORIGINAL: stella41b
Communism is an unworkable idea? Please, don't make me laugh. By the way the number of Slavs killed under Stalin is actually 66 million, not 20 million. You are, of course, assuming that all these 66 million were all lily white and pure of nature and character? Not subversive, not working against the communist system? Maybe also some of those 66 million weren't down to the direct use of force by the government against them, but conflicts between the Ukrainians and the Russians, people in Chechnya against Russians, conflicts between each other rather by way of communism being implemented and local conflicts between borders and peoples being exacerbated.


A good point, I was thinking about this earlier. Not that Stalin wasn't a brutal leader, but we're talking about a massive nation straining to organize its resources to meet the needs of its many people in hard times while sharing some 60, 000 kilometers with neighboring nations and a history of leaders known for putting down an iron boot in order to secure stability (not that this puts the nation in particularly rare company of course).  How can we be at all confident that had not the generally capitalistic system remained in place similar atrocities would not have happened? They were certainly happened in other places in the world under leaders who had espoused ideology very different from Bolshevism.  Though again, not to be interpreted as in any way excusing Stalin's draconian rule.

quote:

ORIGINAL: stella41b
But you know this much I will add, and this from my own perspective of having lived on both sides of the Iron Curtain, there are just as many diehard communists clueless about capitalism living in Eastern Europe as there are diehard capitalists clueless about communism in the West, which only goes to make you wonder what the Cold War was really all about.


Two governments that never really had much against each other until late in the game (when it had become most dangerous) using the carefully crafted mutual animosity of their peoples to frighten them into excusing massive forceful expansionism?

quote:

ORIGINAL: stella41b
How can you explain then the Phony War between the Allies and Hitler between 1939 and 1940, when the West stood back and left Poland unprotected between Hitler and Stalin? In the light of the French surrender, was it not the case that Britain did not have the power ton take on both Germany and the Soviet Union, not even when financed by the US? And for US interests after the Depression wasn't a major conflict in Europe the ideal opportunity to increase their markets and expand into Europe to provide for an economic recovery? What was Lend and Lease really all about?


Well, I don't think there's ever been much secret concerning any of that.  Though I would say the Allies at that point had no real capability to force Germany's tactical priorities. And while I would say the U.S. interest in such structures as the IMF was pretty transparent and obvious, the Americans in the know at the time must have thought the opportunity had been come by honestly. WWII is, after all, one of the few cases of American military action that began with probably unimpeachable intent.  And Europe did need to be rebuilt.

< Message edited by Caius -- 6/30/2008 11:01:28 AM >

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RE: Communism - 6/30/2008 12:26:36 PM   
slaveboyforyou


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From: Arkansas, U.S.A.
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quote:

Ever consider that maybe Karl Marx never needed to work in his life due to having such an idea? Or maybe that Engels was his patron? Would you say the same of a corporate CEO who inherits power over a corporation from his family? Was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart lazy because instead of working he chose to write music and compose symphonies? Was Peter Tchaikovsky leeching off people, or sponsored?


No I didn't consider that for obvious reasons.  He had a wife and seven children that came close to starving to death.  Three of his children died from disease that tend to affect the poverty stricken.  Marx was a selfish, lazy piece of shit.  CEO's don't tend to inherit that status from their family.  A CEO is a job that has consequences.  Mozart and Tchaikovsky didn't try to completely change the social structure and force others to live under their ideas.  I also don't recall either having families that went without because of their pursuits. 

quote:

Communism is an unworkable idea? Please, don't make me laugh.


Okay, name ONE country where it's been successful.  All countries that have had communist revolutions have either completely dismantled the system or are in the process of shifting toward capitalism. 

quote:

By the way the number of Slavs killed under Stalin is actually 66 million, not 20 million. You are, of course, assuming that all these 66 million were all lily white and pure of nature and character? Not subversive, not working against the communist system? Maybe also some of those 66 million weren't down to the direct use of force by the government against them, but conflicts between the Ukrainians and the Russians, people in Chechnya against Russians, conflicts between each other rather by way of communism being implemented and local conflicts between borders and peoples being exacerbated. 


Well that's the number I have ever heard, but let's suppose that's accurate.  What point are you trying to make?  It's okay to murder 66 million people?

quote:

But wasn't this was what the Second World War was about? Fear of Hitler's Right vs. fear of Stalin's left?

How can you explain then the Phony War between the Allies and Hitler between 1939 and 1940, when the West stood back and left Poland unprotected between Hitler and Stalin? In the light of the French surrender, was it not the case that Britain did not have the power ton take on both Germany and the Soviet Union, not even when financed by the US? And for US interests after the Depression wasn't a major conflict in Europe the ideal opportunity to increase their markets and expand into Europe to provide for an economic recovery? What was Lend and Lease really all about? 


No, the Second World War in Europe was started because of Hitler's invasion of Poland.  I think the Allies were pretty patient with him up until then.  I don't know what point your trying to make with the rest of this drivel.  Of course the United States was aiding Britain to further her own interests.  A "phony war"?  What are you talking about?  What did you expect the Allies to do about Poland? 

quote:

I'm not trying to present an opinion here, just speculating. About what? I'm not sure to be honest. I just have the impression that both sides have only half the story and that this was how it was meant to be. Anyone else feel similar?

By the way no flames at this point please. Much of what's written above could be wrong, I'm just thinking off the top of my head. I'm just curious.   


It's clear that you don't have a clue what argument you're trying to make.  I didn't know what to address, because you rambled throughout your post. 

(in reply to stella41b)
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RE: Communism - 6/30/2008 2:29:41 PM   
Caius


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quote:

ORIGINAL: slaveboyforyou

CEO's don't tend to inherit that status from their family.



I thought you lived in America?

quote:



Okay, name ONE country where it's been successful.  All countries that have had communist revolutions have either completely dismantled the system or are in the process of shifting toward capitalism.



I'll do it for her. Cuba (despite  crushing financial pressure brought to bear against it by capitalist nations)? Vietnam (despite having seven million tons of bombs dropped on it)?   China? (not everybody's favorite but probably the next great super power)?  Cyprus? (nothing much to say here, just a lovely little country that happens to be run by communists)? The fact of the matter is that there are plenty of nations which have functioned perfectly well, and peacefully, as declared communist states for decades, and they haven't all had to have revolutions.  There are quite a few more where the communist party plays a major guiding role in coalition governments.  Nobody is claiming that it's a perfect system (or even a good one, really, that I've seen here so far) but your steadfast insistence that its beyond conception that a communist government could function for any significant period of time without the people rejecting it or dissolving into anarchy and barbarism just seems to suggest you are unaware of some facts germane to this argument.

quote:

No, the Second World War in Europe was started because of Hitler's invasion of Poland.  I think the Allies were pretty patient with him up until then.  I don't know what point your trying to make with the rest of this drivel.  Of course the United States was aiding Britain to further her own interests.  A "phony war"?  What are you talking about?  What did you expect the Allies to do about Poland?


She is talking about a different stage of the war than you are, I believe.  As to what she would have expected, perhaps being polish (or having lived in Poland in any account) has exposed her to cultural memory of Poland being pummeled while the allies that had sworn to protect, and later to liberate, it seemed to be taking a breather.  I too feel there's little the Allies could have done at that juncture that would not have so overexposed them that they risked losing everything at once, but that must have come as small consolation to the polish.

quote:


It's clear that you don't have a clue what argument you're trying to make.  I didn't know what to address, because you rambled throughout your post.


She's provided a lot more by way of historical account and factual statement than you have, and with a lot less bias from where I'm sitting.  Not to mention her perspective as someone who has lived under both capitalist and communist rule.   She even has a little disclaimer at the end admitting she's cast her net wide with her comments and asking not to be flamed...

< Message edited by Caius -- 6/30/2008 3:02:31 PM >

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RE: Communism - 6/30/2008 2:50:04 PM   
stella41b


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Joined: 10/16/2007
From: SW London (UK)
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quote:

ORIGINAL: Alumbrado

As already posted, communism isn't the mainstay of philosophy 101 courses that the OP presumes, but it is well represented in criminology, social economy, and politcal science courses.
Read Chiricos on the various systems that followed tribalism and feudalism in the West. Mercantilism had its brief day, and capitalism grew with the inflation of the ranks of the middle class in the more prosperous countries, communism elsewhere.
All were merely frameworks on which to hang the eternal dynamic of super- and sub-ordinates in human relations.


Thank you. No hard feelings, huh?

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RE: Communism - 6/30/2008 4:05:15 PM   
slaveboyforyou


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From: Arkansas, U.S.A.
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quote:

I thought you lived in America?


Yeah I do, so?  I stand by my statement.  You will find very few corporations with CEO's that inherited that position.

quote:

I'll do it for her. Cuba (despite  crushing financial pressure brought to bear against it by capitalist nations)? Vietnam (despite having seven million tons of bombs dropped on it)?   China? (not everybody's favorite but probably the next great super power)?  Cyprus? (nothing much to say here, just a lovely little country that happens to be run by communists)? The fact of the matter is that there are plenty of nations which have functioned perfectly well, and peacefully, as declared communist states for decades, and they haven't all had to have revolutions.  There are quite a few more where the communist party plays a major guiding role in coalition governments.  Nobody is claiming that it's a perfect system (or even a good one, really, that I've seen here so far) but your steadfast insistence that its beyond conception that a communist government could function for any significant period of time without the people rejecting it or dissolving into anarchy and barbarism just seems to suggest you are unaware of some facts germane to this argument.
 

Well all of your examples are wrong.  Cuba is an extremely poor country that would have failed initially without foreign aid from the Soviets.  It has only managed to hold on by opening up to the idea of capitalism.  Vietnam has never fully implemented communism.  Private enterprise and multinational corporations are heavily involved with the nation's economy.  China?  Don't make me laugh.  China has completely changed it's economy around and gone capitalist.  It's an economy in transition.  Cyprus doesn't practice communism economically either. 

You haven't named one nation that practices true communism.  I never made claimed that governments calling themselves communist don't exist.  But they don't practice Marxism, and they never really did. 

quote:

She is talking about a different stage of the war than you are, I believe.  As to what she would have expected, perhaps being polish (or having lived in Poland in any account) has exposed her to cultural memory of Poland being pummeled while the allies that had sworn to protect, and later to liberate, it seemed to be taking a breather.  I too feel there's little the Allies could have done at that juncture that would not have so overexposed them that they risked losing everything at once, but that must have come as small consolation to the polish.


No she isn't.  She clearly said 1939-1940.  Poland was invaded by the Nazis and Soviets in September of 1939.  Great Britain and France kept the promise they made in the treaty with Poland by declaring war immediately after the invasion. 

quote:

She's provided a lot more by way of historical account and factual statement than you have, and with a lot less bias from where I'm sitting.  Not to mention her perspective as someone who has lived under both capitalist and communist rule.   She even has a little disclaimer at the end admitting she's cast her net wide with her comments and asking not to be flamed...


Well you're sitting in a position of misinformation if you think that.  She didn't provide any factual information.  I never claimed to be without bias.  I despise communism, and I have never pretended not to.  I don't need to live in a communist country to know that our system is better.  I don't need to live in North Korea to know that I would never want to live there.  So spare me the hogwash about perspective.  I didn't flame her.  I answered her challenge to my post.  We debate political ideas in the forums all the time, and I have been perfectly courteous. 

(in reply to Caius)
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RE: Communism - 6/30/2008 4:08:19 PM   
camille65


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quote:

ORIGINAL: candystripper
I think it's a shame if communism is no longer taught in Philosophy 101 classes.  There was a time whwn universities and colleges thought they owed a duty to students to expose them to different world views and broaden their horizons.
candystripper


Why do you assume this?
As far as I know you are incorrect. Communism is still discussed. In high schools. Colleges. Around bonfires.


_____________________________


~Love your life! (It is the only one you'll get).




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RE: Communism - 6/30/2008 4:51:57 PM   
Caius


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quote:

ORIGINAL: slaveboyforyou

Yeah I do, so?  I stand by my statement.  You will find very few corporations with CEO's that inherited that position.



My comment was meant to suggest incredulity that anyone could really believe that privileged positions like CEO are not in some sense generally inherited.

quote:



Well all of your examples are wrong.  Cuba is an extremely poor country that would have failed initially without foreign aid from the Soviets.  It has only managed to hold on by opening up to the idea of capitalism.  Vietnam has never fully implemented communism.  Private enterprise and multinational corporations are heavily involved with the nation's economy.  China?  Don't make me laugh.  China has completely changed it's economy around and gone capitalist.  It's an economy in transition.  Cyprus doesn't practice communism economically either.

You haven't named one nation that practices true communism.  I never made claimed that governments calling themselves communist don't exist.  But they don't practice Marxism, and they never really did.



Wow, you could have worked for Reagan...

Cuba survived for a long time before and after soviet aid and despite punitive economic action by the U.S. following their rejection of submission of yet more colonialism.  That it remains poor to this day only makes its government's accomplishments for its people and its enduring popularity with them more impressive.  An entire continent looks to them as an example of what leftist policy and good planning can bring a nation through.  Vietnam had come as close to "wholly implementing" communism as any nation has almost immediately after its people secured their nation through a great deal of sacrafice -- its a very telling detail about your position here,  your continued use of ambiguous terminology along the lines of "moving towards capitalism"; every nation strikes a balance of policy, any piece of  which might be viewed from the outside as particularly leftists or rightist and communism covers a great breadth of ideas.  China may have changed it's tune on foreign markets, Vietnam may have opened its doors to a lucrative tourist industry and Cyprus may be a presidential republic that just happens to have a communist in every major post, but I assure these remain highly socialist nations.  Reliance on the catch-phrases of the day, such as "China is basically becoming a capitalist nation in communist clothing," will not cover for  lack of any detailed knowledge of the internal mechanics of these nations.

quote:



No she isn't.  She clearly said 1939-1940.  Poland was invaded by the Nazis and Soviets in September of 1939.  Great Britain and France kept the promise they made in the treaty with Poland by declaring war immediately after the invasion.



She also clearly said that France had surrendered, meaning she was likely talking about the latter half of 1940 when the Germans, at the insistence of Hitler himself, turned their war machine on the Soviets, with occupied Poland in-between

quote:



Well you're sitting in a position of misinformation if you think that.  She didn't provide any factual information.  I never claimed to be without bias.  I despise communism, and I have never pretended not to.  I don't need to live in a communist country to know that our system is better.  I don't need to live in North Korea to know that I would never want to live there.  So spare me the hogwash about perspective.  I didn't flame her.  I answered her challenge to my post.  We debate political ideas in the forums all the time, and I have been perfectly courteous.



She provided plenty of factual information about disparate events. 

There's bias and there's bias.  You despise communism, but you have at best a grade-school understanding of it. 

Nobody claimed you should have to live in a place in order to know you don't want to, but you might consider shutting up and listening to someone who has lived there if you want an accurate impression of it. 

And finally, I consider your last comment of that post a flame because, unlike your previous points, which, despite being formulated more around your attested bias than any detailed treatment of the facts, were direct responses to matters you two were already combative over, that last one was just petty and unnecessary.  You directly quoted her request not to be flamed and then essentially told her she was contributing nothing to the dialogue.

< Message edited by Caius -- 6/30/2008 5:31:01 PM >

(in reply to slaveboyforyou)
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RE: Communism - 6/30/2008 5:21:31 PM   
slaveboyforyou


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From: Arkansas, U.S.A.
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quote:

Wow, you could have worked for Reagan...

Cuba survived for a long time before and after soviet aid and despite punitive economic action by the U.S. following their rejection of submission of yet more colonialism.  That it remains poor to this day only makes its government's accomplishments for its people and its enduring popularity with them more impressive.


I like Reagan, so thank you.  Cuba started getting aid from the Soviets almost immediately.  Castro came to power in 1959, and the Soviets started sending aid in 1962.  The Soviets increased that aid in 1968 when Castro endorsed their invasion of Czechoslavakia.  The aid didn't stop until the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.  I don't call that a "long time."  Cuba has endured our embargo because no one else observes it.  It barely survives now, and the economy is slowly moving forward toward capitalism.  The accomplishments it's made in education and medical care have come at the expense of other things.  The loss of freedom of speech, freedom of movement, and free enterprise are pretty tidy sums to give for a free education and free medical care. 

quote:

Vietnam had come as close to "wholly implementing" communism as any nation has almost immediately after its people secured their nation through a great deal of sacrafice -- its a very telling detail about your position here,  your continued use of ambiguous terminology along the lines of "moving towards capitalism"; every nation strikes a balance of policy, any piece of  which might be viewed from the outside as particularly leftists or rightist and communism covers a great breadth of ideas.


Vietnam moved away from that policy rather quickly in the 80's.  My position is hardly amibiguous.  You are the one that claimed communism works.  Either it does work, or it doesn't.  Striking a balance is not in the Marxism playbook.  If you believe that, you need to read what Marx wrote. 

quote:

China may have changed it's tune on foreign markets, Vietnam may have opened its doors to a lucrative tourist industry and Cyprus may be a presidential republic that just happens to have a communist in every major post, but I assure these remain highly socialist nations.  You're reliance on catch-phrases such as "China is basically becoming a capitalist nation in communist clothing." will not cover for your lack of any detailed knowledge of the internal mechanics of these nations. 


China may have changed it's tune?  It has completely reversed policy.  It is a wide open economy and free enterprise is flourishing among native Chinese peoples.  It's not just the foreigners.  Cyprus has never practiced communism, and you know it hasn't.  I don't give a damn what party the bureacrats there identify with. 

quote:

She also clearly said that France had surrendered, meaning she was likely talking about the latter half of 1940 when the Germans, at the insistence of Hitler himself, turned their war machine on the Soviets, with occupied Poland in-between 


Well that's not what I read in her comment.  Why are you answering for her anyway? 

quote:

She provided plenty of factual information about disparate events.  You despise communism, but you have at best a grade-school understanding of it.  Nobody claimed you should have to live in a place in order to know you don't want to, but you might consider shutting up and listening to someone who has lived there if you want an accurate impression of it.  And finally, I consider your last post a flame because, unlike your previous posts which, despite being formulated more around your attested bias than any detailed treatment of the facts, were direct responses to matters you two were already combative over, that one was just petty and unnecessary.  You directly quoted her request not to be flamed and then essentially told her she was contributing nothing to the dialogue.   


A grade school understanding of it?  I had to study it in college a great deal.  Marxist vewpoints were included in almost every social science course I ever took.  My bias towards communism comes from a complete, educated understanding of it.  I have listened to other people that have lived through it.  My Spanish professor in college was a Cuban refugee.  He rode on a make shift boat to get here.  I used to work with a man that was a Russian immigrant.  He defected here in the early 1980's.  I assure you that both had no love for communist regimes.  My father served three tours of duty in Vietnam and saw what the wonderful communists did to civilians.  So maybe you should seek out other opinions before attacking mine.  Your Leftist bias is quite obvious, and your belief that communism strikes a balance shows your ignorance of Marxist theory.  Marxism isn't a philosophy that allows for compromise. 

< Message edited by slaveboyforyou -- 6/30/2008 6:10:38 PM >

(in reply to Caius)
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RE: Communism - 6/30/2008 5:33:13 PM   
candystripper


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quote:

CEO's don't tend to inherit that status from their family.  A CEO is a job that has consequences...

slaveboyforyou


Let's not hijack the thread...let's see you post an Op and back up this preposterous 'factoid".  I'll be happy to debate it with you.
 
Meanwhile I'm enjoying Canis and stella's posts; I am enjoyed the discussion, though the Op was aimed at the American Communist Movement..but it turned into something more interesting. 
 
As for the depravity of certain artists; gee slaveboyforyou, do you not enjoy the paintings of Picasso or Monet because they were wife-beaters who fathered many children they refused to support?  Do you not enjoy the works of Lewis Carroll because he was a known pedophile?  I could go on, but you get my point; ad hominum attacks on the author do not advance a discussion of his ideas.
 
candystripper

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RE: Communism - 6/30/2008 5:42:08 PM   
candystripper


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quote:

ORIGINAL: Alumbrado

As already posted, communism isn't the mainstay of philosophy 101 courses that the OP presumes, but it is well represented in criminology, social economy, and politcal science courses.
Read Chiricos on the various systems that followed tribalism and feudalism in the West.  Mercantilism had its brief day, and capitalism grew with the inflation of the ranks of the middle class in the more prosperous countries, communism elsewhere.
All were merely frameworks on which to hang the eternal dynamic of super- and sub-ordinates in human relations.


Communism is a philosophy. I can't imagine why a philosophy would be taught in a criminology class.  The history of attempts to implement Communism seem proper subjects for a political science class, but as Canis and stella have pointed out, there is a vast difference between the philosophy and efforts to date to implement it.
 
Please don't put words in my mouth.
 
In the Op I asked if Communism was still taught in Philo 101 classes.
 
I 'presumed' nothing.  I never advocated for using Communism as a 'mainstay' of a survey, intro course.
 
BTW, I don't think 'experience in communal living' helps inform an opinion on Communism as a philosophy.
 
candystripper

P.S.  Anyone want to discuss the American Communist Movement?
 
P.P.S. Canis -- what is a 'triskeldilion'?

< Message edited by candystripper -- 6/30/2008 5:46:11 PM >

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RE: Communism - 6/30/2008 5:50:35 PM   
Alumbrado


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quote:

Communism is a philosophy. I can't imagine why a philosophy would be taught in a criminology class. 



ROTFL


< Message edited by Alumbrado -- 6/30/2008 6:14:15 PM >

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RE: Communism - 6/30/2008 6:03:05 PM   
Caius


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First, I'll give you Cyprus isn't much of anything in particular and that the grade-school comment was perhaps going a step too far.

However, the opinions of only ex-patriots is a bad place to start for a balanced view of the situation and regardless more insights aren't going to hurt.  As for what communists did to Vietnamese the populace during the Vietnam War...I don't even know where to start with that. Communists didn't drop a 500 pound bomb for over every single man, woman, and child int he country, largely indiscriminately.  They also didn't allow rape and murder as widespread interrogation techniques,  put half the villages int he country to the torch for suspicion of collaboration with the enemy, dump poison into the air in violation of international law, drive the whole country into a famine...I could go on.  Americans did these things.  If you want to hear from other vets who apparently saw something different from your father (or something your father never wished you to have to hear about), I suggest you look into something like the original Winter Soldier hearings.  Or any number of congressional testimony on the matter.  The communist regime was beloved by the vast majority of the people, especially comparable to American rule and its puppet government of the south.  This is amply attested by the complete effectiveness of the Tet Offensive, shocking to America but not to the Vietnamese who allowed the entirety of the North Vietnamese army to creep up on their opponents doorstep without anyone giving them away.

As for my bias, I actually don't find communism that effectual, but I don't find blanket indictments against it particularly comeplleing and I really think you need to check some of your facts.

Edited to add one last point before exiting the scuffle: And marxist and communist are not synonyms, BTW.  Communist nations are as capable as any at adjusting for the times and making compromise.

< Message edited by Caius -- 6/30/2008 6:23:52 PM >

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RE: Communism - 6/30/2008 6:04:01 PM   
slaveboyforyou


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quote:

Let's not hijack the thread...let's see you post an Op and back up this preposterous 'factoid".  I'll be happy to debate it with you. 
 


I didn't hijack the thread.  I aswered a question that Stella made in response to my post.  Your thread was "Communism."  I gave my opinion which included my opinion of Marx, the father of communism.  My "factoid" is hardly preposterous.  The overwhelming majority of CEO's worked their way into that position.  It wasn't given to them by their families. 

quote:

Meanwhile I'm enjoying Canis and stella's posts; I am enjoyed the discussion, though the Op was aimed at the American Communist Movement..but it turned into something more interesting. 
 
As for the depravity of certain artists; gee slaveboyforyou, do you not enjoy the paintings of Picasso or Monet because they were wife-beaters who fathered many children they refused to support?  Do you not enjoy the works of Lewis Carroll because he was a known pedophile?  I could go on, but you get my point; ad hominum attacks on the author do not advance a discussion of his ideas. 


If you wanted to discuss the American Communist Party, than you should have said so in your OP. 

As I said before, I hold a bias against Marx and his ideas.  I feel perfectly justified in attacking Karl Marx the man, because his ideas are directly rooted in the kind of man he was.  Monet, Picasso, and Lewis did not try to implement a world wide social change.  The art of Monet and Picasso and the literature of Lewis are not comparable to the works of Karl Marx. 

quote:

Communism is a philosophy. I can't imagine why a philosophy would be taught in a criminology class.  The history of attempts to implement Communism seem proper subjects for a political science class, but as Canis and stella have pointed out, there is a vast difference between the philosophy and efforts to date to implement it. 


Candy, did you even go to college?  I took criminology.  Criminal justice was my minor.  Believe me, Marxist theory in relation to criminal justice, criminology, and penology are heavily discussed.  As I said before, I don't remember one social science course that I took that didn't involve the study of Marxist theory in relation to the subject being taught.  Hell, Marxism was even discussed in a Gender Studies course that I took. 

(in reply to candystripper)
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RE: Communism - 6/30/2008 6:10:48 PM   
candystripper


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quote:

I didn't hijack the thread.  I aswered a question that Stella made in response to my post.  Your thread was "Communism."  I gave my opinion which included my opinion of Marx, the father of communism.  My "factoid" is hardly preposterous.  The overwhelming majority of CEO's worked their way into that position.  It wasn't given to them by their families. 

slaveboyforyou


Where's your Op?
 
I asked if you'd care to debate this preposterious proposition, and rather than hijack this Op to do it, I requested that you post an Op of your own.  I'd love to see you back up this claim with fact -- or try to.

quote:

As I said before, I hold a bias against Marx and his ideas.  I feel perfectly justified in attacking Karl Marx the man, because his ideas are directly rooted in the kind of man he was.  Monet, Picasso, and Lewis did not try to implement a world wide social change.  The art of Monet and Picasso and the literature of Lewis are not comparable to the works of Karl Marx. 

slaveboyforyou


Communism as a philosophy is as much the 'brainchild' of Fredrich Engels as it is Karl Marx.  Not only is Engels the author of The Principles of Communism, he is the co-author of The Communist ManifestoThe Communist Manifesto was the product of a desire of the Communist League for propoganda --  it is not the original source work for Communism as a philosophy.

As for the revolutionary value of ideas, apparently you care nothing for art or literature.  One could easily argue Picasso and Monet changed the world as much as Galileo.

candystripper

< Message edited by candystripper -- 6/30/2008 6:25:26 PM >

(in reply to slaveboyforyou)
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RE: Communism - 6/30/2008 6:16:52 PM   
MasterKalif


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I think people forget that Karl Marx did not just write his "Communist Manifesto" but also wrote about many topics in regards to history as it is viewed in terms of class warfare rather than taking into account other views. The only place where I would support such an aberration would have been in Afghanistan, the communists there should have defeated the mujahedeen in my personal opinion. Between the two evils, the local communists were slightly better. The better option would have been to keep his Majesty Zahir Shah in power.

(in reply to slaveboyforyou)
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RE: Communism - 6/30/2008 6:17:51 PM   
slaveboyforyou


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quote:

Where's your Op?
 
BTW, it's apparent from your posts you didn't take a class in Logic during college.  Bias is not fact.
 
candystripper


Actually, I took deductive logic.  Human beings always come to arguments with bias.  Bias based on an educated opinion is not illogical. 

As for where my OP is?  I didn't offer to start one.  If you start a thread here, you can't pick and choose who responds to it.  Unlike you, I don't feel the need to start half a dozen threads everyday. 

< Message edited by slaveboyforyou -- 6/30/2008 6:20:15 PM >

(in reply to candystripper)
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RE: Communism - 6/30/2008 6:21:21 PM   
Alumbrado


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quote:

BTW, it's apparent from your posts you didn't take a class in Logic during college.  Bias is not fact.



Neither is denial.

Marxism/communism/socialism, whatever term you wish, is not being censored from philosophy classes, it is being given its very minor due as always, and relegated to other disciplines...as already shown, the social sciences are well known for their focus on Marxist thought.

Hell, when Reagan shut down the California University sociology programs in 1970, forcing many Ph.D candidates to switch to criminology etc. what do you think he was trying to stifle?  Berets?

< Message edited by Alumbrado -- 6/30/2008 6:36:01 PM >

(in reply to candystripper)
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RE: Communism - 6/30/2008 6:31:31 PM   
candystripper


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quote:

ORIGINAL: slaveboyforyou

quote:

Where's your Op?
 
BTW, it's apparent from your posts you didn't take a class in Logic during college.  Bias is not fact.
 
candystripper


Actually, I took deductive logic.  Human beings always come to arguments with bias.  Bias based on an educated opinion is not illogical. 

As for where my OP is?  I didn't offer to start one.  If you start a thread here, you can't pick and choose who responds to it.  Unlike you, I don't feel the need to start half a dozen threads everyday. 


Ah, the hyper-response.
 
I edited my post to remove the comment about your education, slaveboyforyou.  It was not appropriate and I'm sorry you saw it.
 
Seems to me, when called upon to defend your position, you depart from the rules of Logic and rely on bias, but that's JMO.
 
Once again, it seems to me that if you are up to debating and defending your position regarding CEO's, you'd be willing to 'put your money where your mouth is', but if you're too shy to post an Op, it's okay.
 
candystripper
 

(in reply to slaveboyforyou)
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RE: Communism - 6/30/2008 6:39:46 PM   
candystripper


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Joined: 11/1/2005
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quote:

ORIGINAL: Alumbrado

Neither is denial.

Marxism/communism/socialism, whatever term you wish, is not being censored from philosophy classes, it is being given its very minor due as always, and relegated to other disciplines...as already shown, the social sciences are well known for their focus on Marxist thought.

Hell, when Reagan shut down the California University sociology programs in 1970, forcing many Ph.D candidates to switch to criminology etc. what do think he was trying to stifle?  Berets?



Let's asume Regan did shut down a whole department at a state university.  Since you didn't provide any link to a newspaper article about this event, I can only assume.
 
Maybe Regan just wanted to prevent more unemployable graduates from emerging from the university with huge student loan debt burdens.
 
As a sociology major I assure you we never studied philosophy of any kind; to do that we stepped outside our major and took Philo classes.
 
Why do you believe Communism is entilted to 'minor due' in a Philo 101 class?  What would you rather have students concentrate on?  Existentialism?
 
candystripper
 
P.S.  Can we end the ad hominum attack style posts and leave room for Caius and stella as wel as others to continue posting their valuable POVs?

(in reply to Alumbrado)
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