The reason I don’t call myself a communist is because I feel it has taken on a different meaning than the one Marx and Engels originally assigned to it. The Soviet Union, The People’s Republic of China, Kampuchia, Cuba, and formerly North Korea have all used the name to describe their governments despite not meeting the criteria by Marx, and they had committed unspeakable evils in its name. I feel utilizing the names, symbols, and legacy of communism without taking the historical weight of them into consideration does a great disservice to the goals of communism. It’s why I even refuse to associate with the hammer and sickle, because to many people, that symbol carries as much weight as a swastika or the rising sun.
It’s actually pretty late for me, but I do want to continue talking later. I’ll even give the reading material a look. I just wanted to air out my grievances with the communist label, and put some context to why I abhor tankies as much as I do fascists.
You could say the same thing about the terms democracy and republic, which a lot of those regimes you listed also claim they are. There was a time in the early 1800s of Europe where republic and democracy meant the reign of terror in the French revolution, an association strongly encouraged by the ruling monarchs of the time. They didn’t give up on the term though and they reasserted it’s original meaning of government by the people. You can’t let those in power dictate the words you organize around, because they will just define all of them as bad.
But France wasn’t the only example of a republic at that time, and what even inspired the French revolution was the United States establishing itself after breaking away from England. The monarchies and empires of Europe feared republics because by definition, it means a country ruled without a monarch, and there were two successful examples popping up one after another, and inspiring republicans and other revolutionaries all around the world.
The term had negative connotations between monarchs, nobles, and conservatives because to them it meant losing the power they had spent centuries convincing people was their right by God. But to serfs, peasants, workers, and liberals, it was an aspirational term. The politics of the 19th century were defined by European monarchs trying to justify their rule, consolidate as much power as possible, and perpetuate their regimes as long as they possibly could, because many of them could see the writing on the wall.
The issue with the term Communism in the 21st century is it was mostly the poor and the marginalized that suffered under the Soviet Warsaw block, and Asian regimes. They see the symbols of communism and think not of liberation, equality, and unity, but of their former oppressors. There are probably plenty of former officers of officials that are Nostalgic for their Soviet past, one of them is waging a war against Ukraine right now. But to the people who the term is supposed to inspire, it brings pain to many of them.
I understand the appeals of the communist label as a westerner, because ever since the beginnings of the 20th century it has been demonized, almost to the point of seeming cool. Not to mention a lot of the same things the US has criticized the USSR of doing, it was guilty of itself. There will probably be a day when the US fades away as an empire, and all that will remain are its history, its symbols and its legacy. and I hope people are just as critical to those who ignore their history, bask in their symbols and glorify their legacy.
But France wasn’t the only example of a republic at that time, and what even inspired the French revolution was the United States establishing itself after breaking away from England
That is very wrong and not historical correct. However you don’t talk to historians, but think for yourself without evidence or archives so you will never accept that.
Are you also against socialism because Hitler called himself a socialist?
Countries like those you named never had actual communism, just like Hitler wasn’t a real socialist. What he and the others did - authoritarianism and dictatorship, are contradictory on the most basic levels to communism and socialism (both are about equity and equality, something that cannot exist if there is a ruling class. Leftist economics cannot exist with anything but leftist values, anything else is inherently incompatible).
Do yourself a favour and unlearn some of the anti-communist propaganda you’ve been socialised with.
There is good reason we call tankies tankies and not communists.
Edit to add: The right has always and continues to co-opt leftist ideas to get in to power, because leftist ideas are actually the popular ones, the problem is when one person or a small group have power, many start off doing it deliberately to get in to power and then abuse it, while others have good intentions but are corrupted by the power they end up with, but either way, once power is centralised in such a way, it is a lot harder to get rid of (it also allows those in power to dictate via the media and the “justice” system who the “in” and “out” groups are to give the people someone to blame that isn’t them).
That’s where anarchism comes in with its ideas of horizontal organisation (I’ll admit I’ve only skimmed this, so I don’t guarantee it’s the best source, but that library is a good place to look these things up anyway) which doesn’t really give any one individual enough power for them to be able to fuck others over with it.
Anyway, I’ve mostly taken the time because I’ve seen you around (not in a creepy way, some avatars just become recognisable after a while) and you seem like you generally “get it” so I’m hoping you’re near enough the edge that I can give you the push you need to join us on the dark side 🏴(black is the anarchism flag) (this isn’t meant to be as sinister, or condescending? sounding as it came out lol sorry!)
The difference between Hitler and the countries I mentioned is that Hitler already has a word associated with his regime: Nazi. When you here it in public, that is the connection you make. Unfortunately that is the same connection people make with communism and people like Stalin or Mao. Regardless of whether the Soviet Union was truly communist or not, it is the country most people associate with the term. Hell, even many leftists make that association, which is why the Soviet flag, communist leaders, and propaganda prints are featured heavily in many communist memes. I agree that the word communism shouldn’t be tied to these regimes forever, but its hard to make a case for reclaiming it when many communist continue to push the association themselves.
Like I said, I mostly agree with the ideal expressed by Engels and Marx, but because of it’s association most people make between communism and the the regimes mentioned above, I think we are doing ourselves a disservice by continuing to gather around symbols and iconography many people in Eastern Europe and Asians associate with imperialism, genocide, and tyranny.
I agree with your second point, which is why I do call myself an anarchist. I believe power is an irresistibly corrupting force, and it doesn’t matter what the intentions are of the people who seize it, if there is too much of it concentrated in the hands of one person, organization, class, or country, it is going to corrupt them. That is why my ideal world would be one with no states, no large governments, no class divisions. where communities can more or less govern themselves according to their needs, and through cooperation and mutual aid, these communities can keep each other afloat, and stand together in times of need. Overly simplified, Let’s say I listen to John Lennon’s Imagine, and wish that could be us.
Yeah, and I’ve seen you around too, and you seem pretty cool, which I why I wanted to carry on this discussion. Forgive me that this thread kinda turned into a communist dunk as that actually wasn’t my intention. I was more to show the types of people I usually see arguing in the threads. And no need for the push, I think anarchists are awesome, and its kinda the journey I took from being a conservative to a leftist. There is still a lot I’m learning and trying to unlearn from my past though.
First of all I’m glad you don’t think I’m a creep lol but also that you’re happy to hear where I’m coming from, I think we’d probably agree on most things…
ow for the messy part lol
The difference between Hitler and the countries I mentioned is that Hitler already has a word associated with his regime: Nazi
Nazi literally stands for “national socialist”, which is why I asked in the first place. There are plenty of people today who still argue that hitler was a leftist because of this connection, and think socialism = genocide. That doesn’t make socialism actually = genocide though, not because there wasn’t genocide, but because there wasn’t socialism. It’s shifting the focus to the wrong part of the problem.
So while I can understand where your view comes from (that bad people ruined a good name so we shouldn’t use the good name anymore) it doesn’t actually stand up in the real world - there will always be people with bad intentions who ruin good things (or simply anything they see as a threat to their power) to attempt to make them “unusable” to those with good intentions, playing in to that only benefits them, not you.
Hell, even “democracy” as we accept it today has nothing to do with actual democracy, but instead it exists to maintain the status quo (by providing the illusion of choice between only 2 parties, both of which work for and uphold capitalism)
That is why my ideal world would be one with no states, no large governments, no class divisions. where communities can more or less govern themselves according to their needs, and through cooperation and mutual aid
literally the definition of communism!
the journey I took from being a conservative to a leftist.
this explains a lot, especially the willingness to still hear out capitalists. I come from a liberal home and upbringing, so while I raised to question the status quo (to an extent anyway) I had (and still do) a lot to unlearn, it’s not quite as much as someone from a conservative background does, but the fact that you’ve come this far is pretty fucking impressive and says a lot about you!
I think you would really benefit from reading more in to how capitalist superpowers, mainly the US but not only, have not only propagandised you (everyone) in to a complete misunderstanding of what communism and socialism (and anarchism) are, but have actively interfered in pretty much all attempts at socialism and communism guaranteeing they fail (which is also why so many communist experiments end up so heavily militarised - to defend against encroaching capitalists. If capitalism was abolished communism wouldn’t need to constantly be on the defence, leaving less room for dictators to grab power via military means). Here are some starting points:
And just a side note - I’d currently consider myself more of an anarchist than a communist too, mostly because I believe communism will never work if it’s being grown from the ashes of (or still actively opposed by) the oppressive and exploitative systems we all know as the default (or have been made to believe it is, anyway). We need to break down the entire way we educate and socialise as a (currently extremely hierarchal) society before we can get to the full blown fully automated luxury gay communism. But I do believe we can get there, and that it is the best way for society to manage itself.
![The Whole Fediverse is Wholesome [fixed]](https://media.kbin.social/media/75/34/7534fdd6766a8bc7f83436386577e62a42333384f5e0e25621c1ee00ac70f675.jpg){kind=link}
The reason I don’t call myself a communist is because I feel it has taken on a different meaning than the one Marx and Engels originally assigned to it. The Soviet Union, The People’s Republic of China, Kampuchia, Cuba, and formerly North Korea have all used the name to describe their governments despite not meeting the criteria by Marx, and they had committed unspeakable evils in its name. I feel utilizing the names, symbols, and legacy of communism without taking the historical weight of them into consideration does a great disservice to the goals of communism. It’s why I even refuse to associate with the hammer and sickle, because to many people, that symbol carries as much weight as a swastika or the rising sun.
It’s actually pretty late for me, but I do want to continue talking later. I’ll even give the reading material a look. I just wanted to air out my grievances with the communist label, and put some context to why I abhor tankies as much as I do fascists.
You could say the same thing about the terms democracy and republic, which a lot of those regimes you listed also claim they are. There was a time in the early 1800s of Europe where republic and democracy meant the reign of terror in the French revolution, an association strongly encouraged by the ruling monarchs of the time. They didn’t give up on the term though and they reasserted it’s original meaning of government by the people. You can’t let those in power dictate the words you organize around, because they will just define all of them as bad.
But France wasn’t the only example of a republic at that time, and what even inspired the French revolution was the United States establishing itself after breaking away from England. The monarchies and empires of Europe feared republics because by definition, it means a country ruled without a monarch, and there were two successful examples popping up one after another, and inspiring republicans and other revolutionaries all around the world.
The term had negative connotations between monarchs, nobles, and conservatives because to them it meant losing the power they had spent centuries convincing people was their right by God. But to serfs, peasants, workers, and liberals, it was an aspirational term. The politics of the 19th century were defined by European monarchs trying to justify their rule, consolidate as much power as possible, and perpetuate their regimes as long as they possibly could, because many of them could see the writing on the wall.
The issue with the term Communism in the 21st century is it was mostly the poor and the marginalized that suffered under the Soviet Warsaw block, and Asian regimes. They see the symbols of communism and think not of liberation, equality, and unity, but of their former oppressors. There are probably plenty of former officers of officials that are Nostalgic for their Soviet past, one of them is waging a war against Ukraine right now. But to the people who the term is supposed to inspire, it brings pain to many of them.
I understand the appeals of the communist label as a westerner, because ever since the beginnings of the 20th century it has been demonized, almost to the point of seeming cool. Not to mention a lot of the same things the US has criticized the USSR of doing, it was guilty of itself. There will probably be a day when the US fades away as an empire, and all that will remain are its history, its symbols and its legacy. and I hope people are just as critical to those who ignore their history, bask in their symbols and glorify their legacy.
That is very wrong and not historical correct. However you don’t talk to historians, but think for yourself without evidence or archives so you will never accept that.
Are you also against socialism because Hitler called himself a socialist?
Countries like those you named never had actual communism, just like Hitler wasn’t a real socialist. What he and the others did - authoritarianism and dictatorship, are contradictory on the most basic levels to communism and socialism (both are about equity and equality, something that cannot exist if there is a ruling class. Leftist economics cannot exist with anything but leftist values, anything else is inherently incompatible).
Do yourself a favour and unlearn some of the anti-communist propaganda you’ve been socialised with.
There is good reason we call tankies tankies and not communists.
Edit to add: The right has always and continues to co-opt leftist ideas to get in to power, because leftist ideas are actually the popular ones, the problem is when one person or a small group have power, many start off doing it deliberately to get in to power and then abuse it, while others have good intentions but are corrupted by the power they end up with, but either way, once power is centralised in such a way, it is a lot harder to get rid of (it also allows those in power to dictate via the media and the “justice” system who the “in” and “out” groups are to give the people someone to blame that isn’t them).
That’s where anarchism comes in with its ideas of horizontal organisation (I’ll admit I’ve only skimmed this, so I don’t guarantee it’s the best source, but that library is a good place to look these things up anyway) which doesn’t really give any one individual enough power for them to be able to fuck others over with it.
Anyway, I’ve mostly taken the time because I’ve seen you around (not in a creepy way, some avatars just become recognisable after a while) and you seem like you generally “get it” so I’m hoping you’re near enough the edge that I can give you the push you need to join us on the dark side 🏴(black is the anarchism flag) (this isn’t meant to be as sinister, or condescending? sounding as it came out lol sorry!)
The difference between Hitler and the countries I mentioned is that Hitler already has a word associated with his regime: Nazi. When you here it in public, that is the connection you make. Unfortunately that is the same connection people make with communism and people like Stalin or Mao. Regardless of whether the Soviet Union was truly communist or not, it is the country most people associate with the term. Hell, even many leftists make that association, which is why the Soviet flag, communist leaders, and propaganda prints are featured heavily in many communist memes. I agree that the word communism shouldn’t be tied to these regimes forever, but its hard to make a case for reclaiming it when many communist continue to push the association themselves.
Like I said, I mostly agree with the ideal expressed by Engels and Marx, but because of it’s association most people make between communism and the the regimes mentioned above, I think we are doing ourselves a disservice by continuing to gather around symbols and iconography many people in Eastern Europe and Asians associate with imperialism, genocide, and tyranny.
I agree with your second point, which is why I do call myself an anarchist. I believe power is an irresistibly corrupting force, and it doesn’t matter what the intentions are of the people who seize it, if there is too much of it concentrated in the hands of one person, organization, class, or country, it is going to corrupt them. That is why my ideal world would be one with no states, no large governments, no class divisions. where communities can more or less govern themselves according to their needs, and through cooperation and mutual aid, these communities can keep each other afloat, and stand together in times of need. Overly simplified, Let’s say I listen to John Lennon’s Imagine, and wish that could be us.
Yeah, and I’ve seen you around too, and you seem pretty cool, which I why I wanted to carry on this discussion. Forgive me that this thread kinda turned into a communist dunk as that actually wasn’t my intention. I was more to show the types of people I usually see arguing in the threads. And no need for the push, I think anarchists are awesome, and its kinda the journey I took from being a conservative to a leftist. There is still a lot I’m learning and trying to unlearn from my past though.
Thanks for the reading material too.
First of all I’m glad you don’t think I’m a creep lol but also that you’re happy to hear where I’m coming from, I think we’d probably agree on most things…
ow for the messy part lol
Nazi literally stands for “national socialist”, which is why I asked in the first place. There are plenty of people today who still argue that hitler was a leftist because of this connection, and think socialism = genocide. That doesn’t make socialism actually = genocide though, not because there wasn’t genocide, but because there wasn’t socialism. It’s shifting the focus to the wrong part of the problem.
So while I can understand where your view comes from (that bad people ruined a good name so we shouldn’t use the good name anymore) it doesn’t actually stand up in the real world - there will always be people with bad intentions who ruin good things (or simply anything they see as a threat to their power) to attempt to make them “unusable” to those with good intentions, playing in to that only benefits them, not you.
Hell, even “democracy” as we accept it today has nothing to do with actual democracy, but instead it exists to maintain the status quo (by providing the illusion of choice between only 2 parties, both of which work for and uphold capitalism)
literally the definition of communism!
this explains a lot, especially the willingness to still hear out capitalists. I come from a liberal home and upbringing, so while I raised to question the status quo (to an extent anyway) I had (and still do) a lot to unlearn, it’s not quite as much as someone from a conservative background does, but the fact that you’ve come this far is pretty fucking impressive and says a lot about you!
I think you would really benefit from reading more in to how capitalist superpowers, mainly the US but not only, have not only propagandised you (everyone) in to a complete misunderstanding of what communism and socialism (and anarchism) are, but have actively interfered in pretty much all attempts at socialism and communism guaranteeing they fail (which is also why so many communist experiments end up so heavily militarised - to defend against encroaching capitalists. If capitalism was abolished communism wouldn’t need to constantly be on the defence, leaving less room for dictators to grab power via military means). Here are some starting points:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McCarthyism
https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/truman-doctrine
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_involvement_in_regime_change
https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2017/10/the-indonesia-documents-and-the-us-agenda/543534/
https://blog.uvm.edu/sosten-centralamerica/2019/04/16/u-s-intervention-in-central-america-1970-present/
And just a side note - I’d currently consider myself more of an anarchist than a communist too, mostly because I believe communism will never work if it’s being grown from the ashes of (or still actively opposed by) the oppressive and exploitative systems we all know as the default (or have been made to believe it is, anyway). We need to break down the entire way we educate and socialise as a (currently extremely hierarchal) society before we can get to the full blown fully automated luxury gay communism. But I do believe we can get there, and that it is the best way for society to manage itself.