[ingliz]

What the hell would you call North Korea?

I would call it Juche.

Things are not always as they appear at first glance. Despite its use of Marxist language, the fundamental tenets of Juche – That man is the master of all things and decides everything. And that an ideological consciousness determines human behavior in historical development – contradict Karl Marx’s proposition of economic determinism. Marx believed that individual figures had no control over the general trend of predetermined human development.

Juche is more Japanese fascism than it is Marxism–Leninism.

[Patrickov]

@Godstud @Unthinking Majority @pugsville

Unfortunately my words are taken out of context by all three of you.

Of course I don't think good healthcare and education are tied to communist dictatorship.

However, if any regime use healthcare and education as a bargaining chip so that they could continue their dictatorship, then I will seriously consider going to somewhere with more freedom and integrity, even if the said country might be inferior in terms of healthcare and education.

This is actually the logic behind many people going on exile in the United States rather than somewhere better.

On a side note, education under a communist dictatorship has the only purpose to create mindless brainwashed zombies. Just see how "little pink" can some Chinese be: some of them are better educated than all of us, but that doesn't mean they are necessarily better people. More often than not they are bankrupt in terms of reasonable thinking.

[Unthinking Majority]

Cuba has universal healthcare and education so therefore communism is good is probably the dumbest take in economic history.

You can socialize healthcare and education, or at least make it far more equitable, without destroying your economy by turning it communist. This has been proven by many European countries.

Castro did some good things for his people, and also was a cruel corrupt narcissistic control-freak bastard that stole money from his people so he could be rich and have his own private island. That's not what a communist does, that's what a selfish corrupt piece of crap hypocrite does. Overall, he's probably what his people needed at the time, because the best thing he ever did was to stick up for his country and tell American imperialism to suck it. But you don't need a communist to do that, you just need a strong leader who isn't a complete moron, which he wasn't.

So overall, I don't dislike Castro, but I don't like him, a mix of both. A strong government with robust institutions that looks after its people, that's what any developing country needs. Castro did that for the most part, imperfectly, so I give him a silver star. As far as 3rd world dictators goes I guess he's the best of the bunch. Castro outfoxed JFK, that's how overrated JFK was.

Also Bernie praising something Castro did doesn't make him a communist, it means he likes a government that helps give its people education and equitable healthcare that isn't bought-and-paid-for bullshit.

[Political Interest]

You can socialize healthcare and education, or at least make it far more equitable, without destroying your economy by turning it communist. This has been proven by many European countries.

I've never understood why some people want communism. You can have as much socialism as you need and want without having to go in for complete state management and abolition of private property. In my opinon Scandinavia is not socialist enough, but I'd not want North Korea or Cuban style economic policies.

[Unthinking Majority]

I've never understood why some people want communism. You can have as much socialism as you need and want without having to go in for complete state management and abolition of private property. In my opinon Scandinavia is not socialist enough, but I'd not want North Korea or Cuban style economic policies.

I agree. I don't see any reason not to have a mixed economy. That way you can set the mix at whatever works best for your country and adjust and remain flexible. Why does it have to be one or the other? Capitalism and socialism both do certain things well and certain things not well.

[late]

I've never understood why some people want communism. You can have as much socialism as you need and want without having to go in for complete state management and abolition of private property. In my opinion Scandinavia is not socialist enough, but I'd not want North Korea or Cuban style economic policies.

Certain types of far Right wingnuts deliberately conflate the old meaning of socialism with the new meaning.

The old meaning is basically the same as what we call communism now (it's not communism, but that's a discussion for another day). The state owns all the property. The new meaning of socialism is just strong social programs, like you see in much of Europe.

Right wingnuts don't like social programs, or democracy, so they have been calling liberal governments socialist (meaning communist) or even going straight to an accusation of communist. And they've been doing it since the 1950s. And they've known it was a lie the whole damn time.

[quetzalcoatl]

LOL you don't know beans.

You're no beans. I know beans and you're no beans.