Communism

Nebiki

Nebiki

The Wonderer
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A popular topic of study, outside of Japan for me lately has been the world's governments.
After reading about Communism I found I had a lot of unanswered questions about the political idea as a whole and anyone I consulted on the matter had many constrasting views. In other words nobody I asked seemed to be able to agree. In fact, I found that lot of people had different opinions on the government system and whether it was "effective".
For anyone who doesn't know what Communism is then here's a small definition:
Communism is an economic and political system based on the principle "From each according to their ability, to each according to their need." It stresses that the control of the means of producing economic goods in a society should reside in the hands of those who invest their labor for production. In its ideal form, social classes cease to exist, there is no coercive governmental structures, and everyone lives in abundance without supervision from a ruling class. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels popularized this theory in their 1848 Communist Manifesto.
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My question is what do people think of Communism?
Is it effective? Is it the ideal government policy? Has any country successfully managed to establish the utopia described by Marx and Engels?
Is it a suitable alternative to Democracy?
 
Nebiki said:
My question is what do people think of Communism?
Is it effective? Is it the ideal government policy? Has any country successfully managed to establish the utopia described by Marx and Engels?
Is it a suitable alternative to Democracy?
Click to expand...
Parts of it may look nice in theory, but it's almost impossible to work in practice.

Effective? No.
Ideal? Doesn't exist, anyway.
Success anywhere? No.
Suitable alternative? No.
 
"My question is what do people think of Communism?"
Its alright, some may think otherwise.

"Is it effective?"
It has the potential, but human Egoism gets in the way, control that and it could work out.

"Is it the ideal government policy?"
Yes, in my opinion.

PS if you think about it most people in america are christian and jesus technically taught communism(bread and fish anyone?), but still think that it is bad. But thats why I dont trust in a religion based on a nude girl and a snake, and more incest than a trailer park*

"Has any country successfully managed to establish the utopia described by Marx and Engels? "
Pre-Stalin Russia, just before he took control, right after the revolution.

"Is it a suitable alternative to Democracy?"
Thats the tricky one, in some ways yes, in others no.

*not all trailer park(ers) are redneck hillbillies.
 
There is no way for it to work if it is not a worlwide system
Success anywhere? no but the blocus communist nation had to face didn't help
Suitable alternative? could be if it is not forced onto the citizen
 
Ghost said:
It has the potential, but human Egoism gets in the way, control that and it could work out.
Click to expand...
Control? How?

"Has any country successfully managed to establish the utopia described by Marx and Engels? "
Pre-Stalin Russia, just before he took control, right after the revolution.
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You mean, after the communists ousted the social democrat government?
The defeat of the Bolsheviks in elections & the following forceful suppression of opposition?
The time of civil war? A mere 3m killed during that period.
Imperialist warfare against Poland, Finland & Latvia?
Starving population?

What a utopia!
 
Communism certainly sounds good on paper- it seems logical- even scientific. I have no firsthand experience with governments that called themselves communist, but in practice seemed to be brutally repressive. I know there are a lot of flaws and consequences that capitalism either creates or does not address, but I am not certain that Communism has any of the answers either.

Question- is Communism incompatible with Democracy?
 
Question from me - Why is it that if you look closely at Japanese election campaign posters with ugly female candidates you will invariably find that they belong to the Communist Party?
 
Maoism used to have steady followers among certain feminist groups. Women in the PRC enjoy astounding equality which might appear quite unexpected from an outsider's point of view perhaps due to the policy of abolishing the sexist legacies of Old China. There was a study on Chilean Feminism that Maoism contributed positively to promoting equality of the sexes. Acc. to a recent report, Japanese women enjoy the longest life expectancy worldwide although I wonder what that has anything to do. Perhaps explaining why communist membership is ever dwindling ?

Another factor could be the alliance between anti-imperialist, anti-colonialist, and equal-rights movements with communism. Although in reality communism has served as a facade for another type of colonialist machine, at least they have the rhetoric that portrays it as something against colonialism. In Japan these minority groups have often been persecuted by the same IJ government as equally anti-social elements; with a common foe, common interrogation/torture, and incarceration in identical cells would have easily created an atmosphere of comaraderie.

The three greatest enemy groups of the Empirial state used to be labeled Christians, Communists, and ideologues; the last of which would customarily include anarchists, separatists, and feminists. It could be said the legacy remains in modern Japan, condoned/reinforced by Supreme Command during the cold war era, leading to the bond between feminists and communists that you observed.
 
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Communism IMO is no better that Fascism. Both are extremes on the politcal spectrum and therefore evil IMHO. Same with Anarchy and Radical Capitalism. Extremes on the politcal spectrum are not good. IMO governments should strive for the middle of the road.
 
As with any political system, the reason it doesn't work is because not everybody under it wants it to work. Discord and dissension to some extent are essential parts of a society striving to avoid complete homogeneousity (wd?). I think communism would be a great system to live under, provided each person in that society believes in it and is happy with the results. The reason governments who implemented it seemed oppressive is because they HAD to be. No person with any sort of capitalistic tendencies would allow themself to live in a society where the amount of work and talent one has does not affect their financial and social stature. I believe that to be the ultimate failing of communism...it goes against the human nature to be selfish.
 
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