I think my country was better in communism...

[Vyxn]

A government that is pretty much controlled by such corporations isn't a government... It's a corporate dictatorship.
But by all means; believe that democracy really works as intended, why don't you?

Sounds like communism to me one big corporation ( government ) that owns everything and forces you to buy only what they produce

[Jackmoves]

Well to each and their own, I've never liked communism, but I will give it to the socialists(they were not communists, different things etc), they have done a lot of great things for my country at least.

A lot of the basic rights we today take for granted was first thought off and brought forward by socialists and the working class movement and at the same time they met harsh resistance from the Conservatives and right.

They were pioneers of women's right(including the legalization of things like condoms), the right to march and assembly, workers rights, student loans(poor people could forget about higher studies back in the day, limiting social mobility greatly), rules against child labour, the right for ALL children to education, retirement for the elderly, healthcare for all etc etc... the list is very very long.

I'm a liberal myself but people like August Palm should be hailed by everyone in Sweden as a national hero. So yeah, the socialists(and liberals to some extent, they only joined in once the hardest work was done though) are the ones that brought us most of the good things we today take for granted.

Only the ignorant would say socialism has been a negative thing for this country. Without them the poor would still be little more then slaves.

The socialists and the workers took the fight "and won their freedom".

[starlord]

Sounds like communism to me one big corporation ( government ) that owns everything and forces you to buy only what they produce

not really since the goal isnt to make a profit, just manage the distribution and production more effeciently. corporations used to actually do that to their workers before it was against the law though.

[Stir]

Sounds like communism to me one big corporation ( government ) that owns everything and forces you to buy only what they produce

That is a good and valid point that you make.
It's true. (Well; kind of. Your corp will also want to trade with other countries/corps, allowing you to gain other goods)

There's just one large difference: Communism has to abide by the rules.
True enough, they didn't do so in the past... And that's where it went wrong. But, equally true, our 'free countries' aren't doing that either... And that's where it's going wrong. Although this has to be said: In a completely free-market capitalist society... There are no rules. And that is the difference between capitalism and communism. The first strives towards slavery by anarchy, and the latter strives towards slavery by mandate. In the latter, the slave's got rights. In the prior... You don't.

[Wikiy]

The socialists and the workers took the fight "and won their freedom".

Dirty commie!


j/k for all those that don't understand sarcasm

[Jackmoves]

Dirty commie!


j/k for all those that don't understand sarcasm

hehe, just giving cred where cred is due ;P

[Beavis]

missing communism is like missing the flu because it got you off work/school

Is it weird that I actually feel that way sometimes?

[Deleted]

A year ago a social democratic left-wing party was elected and even though we're still going through recessions, reforms are happening and corruption is being rooted out. A scary thing, though, is that there is essentially no political opposition to that left-wing party. The right wing one has lost all credibility not only because of that failure of a prime minister but also because of a few political abuses of power that its current leader was found out to have committed while his party was in power and while he was the minister of internal affairs.

Yeah that tends to be a problem with young democracies. You guys need to make sure there is an opposition, and that the trials are fair, because that's definitely a way that dictators have used to eliminate their opponents (Ukraine comes to mind). I don't know, if you're right wing, step into the arena. Democracies work better when more people are involved in the politcal process.
On the other hand though, look at Japan, who allowed war criminals back into politics after the war. They still haven't fully accepted the horrors of their imperialistic period and it's biting them in the rear right now. So maybe it is the way to do it.

---------- Post added 2013-01-02 at 03:46 AM ----------

Is it weird that I actually feel that way sometimes?

No, it's called selective memory. You remember the good stuff and the bad stuff separately.

[Screwtape]

Really? And what principles are those? Because last I checked the US incorporates a number of socialist policies in order to remain stable.

It's all the same philosophically. It is the conception of man solely as a worker. The rest is just branding. Hugo Chavez and David Cameron are both leaders of democracies.

Policies are not "socialistic" in themselves. Think of it more of an attitude than a policy. I assure you there were social welfare policies before Marx.

[Vyxn]

Communism goes against basic human nature which is greed, envy, and laziness. communist doctrine label these as bad human traits and they needed to be eradicated from the human mind set for communism to work

But these are actually human virtues they are survival instincts

greed had humans pick more berries then what he actually needed that saved him from going hungry the next day that he couldn't pick berries

Envy made humans build a bigger stronger shelter then his neighbor that saved his from blowing over when i big storm came

Laziness made humans work less to produce the same amount of food so he didn't have to consume as much food

those same virtues is what makes capitalism superior to communism

greed forces a worker to produce more so to get paid more

envy gives a worker a reason to produce more to beable to afford more then what his neighbor has

laziness gives the worker the reason to produce more with less effort

Greed, envy, and laziness are the engines that drive innovation, ingenuity, and advancement

[Deleted]

I'd like to remind you that North korea, cuba and other former dictatorships were not Communists.

The question is: What is communism in every single detail? how does a nation make decisions without a leader? mass votes on everything? i don't know, i wish marx just lived a few years more.

(inb4 dumb biased answers)

[Knight Gil]

Death squads, mass corruption, extreme censorship, governmental control of everything you do, and totalitarian dictatorships.

Yeah, the OP really shouldn't have missed that one in his thread.

I find it sad that communism always found a way to screw things up. Theoretically, I find it a far superior and much more just ideology than any other. When put into practice though, turns have always turned out sad.

I can never agree with the concept of capitalism, though. There are too many flaws with it to be a honest, well-thought out, workable system.

So, hurray for socialism, I guess

Communism goes against basic human nature which is greed, envy, and laziness. communist doctrine label these as bad human traits and they needed to be eradicated from the human mind set for communism to work

But these are actually human virtues they are survival instincts

This is just pure bullshit, though. Not only there isn't such thing as human nature, as the concept of "human nature" is an oxymoron, but if there was, I don't believe "greed, envy and laziness" is part of it, but more like a stupid argument to excuse that kind of behavior. That's utterly ridiculous.

[seta-san]

I'd like to remind you that North korea, cuba and other former dictatorships were not Communists.

The question is: What is communism in every single detail? how does a nation make decisions without a leader? mass votes on everything? i don't know, i wish marx just lived a few years more.

(inb4 dumb biased answers)

I wish he were aborted.

[Deleted]

I wish he were aborted.

I predicted such answers.

[Deleted]

The question is: What is communism in every single detail? how does a nation make decisions without a leader? mass votes on everything? i don't know, i wish marx just lived a few years more.

Bah, who cares about Marx ? He died, the ideology lives on. Make of it what you will. Personally I'm just wondering how communism fits with the middle class.

[seta-san]

can anyone name one thing that communism has ever produced that was ever worth a damn?

[Deleted]

can anyone name one thing that communism has ever produced that was ever worth a damn?

First man in space ?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuri_Gagarin
Also the iconic AK-47. And nukes. Lots of them.

[Vyxn]

.

A lot of the basic rights we today take for granted was first thought off and brought forward by socialists and the working class movement and at the same time they met harsh resistance from the Conservatives and right.

Basic human rights are nit exclusive to socialist ideology Conservatism attest here in America are better champions for basic human rights then the left is
It is the left who wants to tell you what you can and can not eat or drink It is the left who tells you you have to join a union if you want to work It is the left who wants to force you to buy health insurance it is the left who wants to force you not to own a fire arm it is the left who want to tell you what you can drive i can keep going if you want

[starlord]

Communism goes against basic human nature which is greed, envy, and laziness. communist doctrine label these as bad human traits and they needed to be eradicated from the human mind set for communism to work

But these are actually human virtues they are survival instincts

all science points to the opposite, actually. the reason humans have had such success is because we are social animals who experience altruism. valuing your species over yourself is a pretty good strategy.

[Deleted]

Basic human rights are nit exclusive to socialist ideology Conservatism attest here in America are better champions for basic human rights then the left is
It is the left who wants to tell you what you can and can not eat or drink It is the left who tells you you have to join a union if you want to work It is the left who wants to force you to buy health insurance it is the left who wants to force you not to own a fire arm it is the left who want to tell you what you can drive i can keep going if you want

Who's telling you who you can and cannot marry with ?
Who's telling you what you can and cannot smoke ?
Party lines are an illusion.