Like actual communism ever existed. What we got were authoritarian dictators that basically ran a kleptocracy and slapped a “communist” or “socialist” label on it. Facets that looked like the labels were lip service or token at best.
This was another very difficult question I had to ask my interview subjects, especially the leftists from Southeast Asia and Latin America. When we would get to discussing the old debates between peaceful and armed revolution; between hardline Marxism and democratic socialism, I would ask: “Who was right?”
In Guatemala, was it Árbenz or Che who had the right approach? Or in Indonesia, when Mao warned Aidit that the PKI should arm themselves, and they did not? In Chile, was it the young revolutionaries in the MIR who were right in those college debates, or the more disciplined, moderate Chilean Communist Party?
Most of the people I spoke with who were politically involved back then believed fervently in a nonviolent approach, in gradual, peaceful, democratic change. They often had no love for the systems set up by people like Mao. But they knew that their side had lost the debate, because so many of their friends were dead. They often admitted, without hesitation or pleasure, that the hardliners had been right. Aidit’s unarmed party didn’t survive. Allende’s democratic socialism was not allowed, regardless of the détente between the Soviets and Washington.
Looking at it this way, the major losers of the twentieth century were those who believed too sincerely in the existence of a liberal international order, those who trusted too much in democracy, or too much in what the United States said it supported, rather than what it really supported – what the rich countries said, rather than what they did.
“Dr. King’s policy was that nonviolence would achieve the gains for black people in the United States. His major assumption was that if you are nonviolent, if you suffer, your opponent will see your suffering and will be moved to change his heart. That’s very good. He only made one fallacious assumption: In order for nonviolence to work, your opponent must have a conscience. The United States has none.”
The US supported its economic interests first, its ideals a distant second. If you couldn’t support the former you wouldn’t have a hope, and you didn’t understand the US.
Yeah, the crimes of the U.S. are always spoken of as history, despite no one ever being held accountable and the existence of a clear throughline from the people and institutions of decades ago to those of today (shit, sometimes it’s the exact same people!).
you’re NEVER going to get “actual communism” because it’s an impossible utopian ideology. here’s my ideology: everyone becomes a millionaire and drives lambos and fucks 10/10s every day, no poor people, no orphans, no more suffering
communism comes from a lack of knowledge of basic economic principles that are always valid no matter the ideology
Human history is littered with self interested strongmen who are willing to sacrifice those who disagree with them in their climb to power. More so, there are those who aid and abet them - and we get to experience that in the US now - with reasons varying from prejudice to tribalism to misplaced revenge.
Like actual communism ever existed. What we got were authoritarian dictators that basically ran a kleptocracy and slapped a “communist” or “socialist” label on it. Facets that looked like the labels were lip service or token at best.
— Vincent Bevins, The Jakarta Method
— Kwame Ture
The US supported its economic interests first, its ideals a distant second. If you couldn’t support the former you wouldn’t have a hope, and you didn’t understand the US.
proceeds to check news to see if the U.S. has just been dissolved
Yeah, the crimes of the U.S. are always spoken of as history, despite no one ever being held accountable and the existence of a clear throughline from the people and institutions of decades ago to those of today (shit, sometimes it’s the exact same people!).
Damn.
No, we had exceptional communism implementation.
you’re NEVER going to get “actual communism” because it’s an impossible utopian ideology. here’s my ideology: everyone becomes a millionaire and drives lambos and fucks 10/10s every day, no poor people, no orphans, no more suffering
communism comes from a lack of knowledge of basic economic principles that are always valid no matter the ideology
It’s a great idea in theory, the problem is for every karl marx you’ve got 20 stalin wannabes and 200 gavrillo princeps
Human history is littered with self interested strongmen who are willing to sacrifice those who disagree with them in their climb to power. More so, there are those who aid and abet them - and we get to experience that in the US now - with reasons varying from prejudice to tribalism to misplaced revenge.