oktalist said:
Most scholars estimate that the USSR was responsible for about 20 million deaths throughout its existence, with most of those occurring during the Stalin era (1922-53). So if we are so critical of the Soviets for this, should we not be equally if not more critical of ourselves for that same number of people who die every five years due to poverty...
You need to elaborate on these figures. Which countries are these? Which countries have the most poverty related deaths?
oktalist said:
...which is a necessary component of the system of global capitalism that we have imposed?
That's a terribly backwards way of describing 'the lower class'. Here in America, I can find a part-time job, work for a day, and now have enough money to feed myself for as much as four days.
If I work consistently, I can afford shelter, running water, whatever food I want to eat, a car, a cell-phone, a refrigerator, a TV with cable and a laptop, with a
low paying job. Used to be, you had to sweat your ass off twelve hours a day just to barely have a decent meal. I don't know how comfy it is in
your country, but however good it is, it's all capitalism's fault.
You look at the homeless people in America (or your own country, whatever) and think 'you know what we need to do? We should make
everybody as dirt poor as that.'
"In communism, there are no "people in charge"."
Really? Explain.
oktalist said:
It would be my honour to be allowed to hold a mirror up to you right now.
It's spelled 'honor' dude. I'll accept your country's habit of putting 'u's in words all the time when you accept your country's decline caused by socialism and its failed healthcare system.
Person B taking something from person C, D, E, F, G and H against their wills, that's what socialism and communism is. Person B is the government.
"That's capitalism. Person B is the capitalist class."
The 'capitalist class'? For someone who keeps going 'You don't know what socialism IS; and you never read a word of Marx.' you sure do have a lot of incorrect ideas about how capitalism works. But of course, that's a given, because anybody who thinks as lowly of it as you has to not actually understand it.
oktalist said:
I abhor the ritual worship of "growth" as an end in itself, rather than as a means to an end. As if growth is a panacea for all our problems. Growth just means that things get bigger. It doesn't imply that any kind of progress or improvement is being made. It just means that things carry on as they always have done.
Okay, I have to give you that point. I admit, while capitalism does 'spread the wealth' better than any other means; while it does make the rich richer and the
poor richer at the same time, it doesn't really make the world a better place. With only a few rare exceptions, like...
Telephones
Television
Cars
Planes
Computers
The internet
Light bulbs
Fucking electricity
Yeah so I have to hand it to you that capitalism has only completely changed the world for the better about
eight times in the last hundred-and-twenty years or so. I'm sure this imaginary dream country with 'perfect communism' you have in your head would do much better!