- 27 Sep 2019 20:21
#15037079
IMO communism is worse than socialism, and socialism is even worse than capitalism, but I agree it is somewhat misleading.
I don't think it is so absurd. I did a calculation that showed capitalism killed far more people than socialism and communism, but only because far more people have lived under capitalism, and for far longer. No socialist society has lasted for more than about 75 years. Socialism kills people at an average rate of about 0.2% of the population per year, mostly in immense debacles like the Great Leap Forward and the collectivization of agriculture in the USSR. Capitalism only kills them at about 0.05% per year, 1/4 of the rate of socialism, but does it very consistently year after year. Capitalism's murder rate has also been falling as capitalist societies have become wealthier and more democratic. For example, in pre-democratic India, capitalism killed about 0.1% of the population per year, mostly in large famines, but that rate is now steadier and much lower.
Presvias wrote:I'm not a communist, but yours is a misleading claim isn't it?
IMO communism is worse than socialism, and socialism is even worse than capitalism, but I agree it is somewhat misleading.
And if you are going to do that, why not add up the casualties inflicted by the entire Axis powers and subsequent hanger-on fascist govt?
That's closer to being accurate.. but still a wholly pointless discussion.
If you want to be a real arsehole, you could say capitalism has killed more people than all of those other ideologies (communism, fascism) combined. I'd never bother of course, because the whole idea is fully absurd.
I don't think it is so absurd. I did a calculation that showed capitalism killed far more people than socialism and communism, but only because far more people have lived under capitalism, and for far longer. No socialist society has lasted for more than about 75 years. Socialism kills people at an average rate of about 0.2% of the population per year, mostly in immense debacles like the Great Leap Forward and the collectivization of agriculture in the USSR. Capitalism only kills them at about 0.05% per year, 1/4 of the rate of socialism, but does it very consistently year after year. Capitalism's murder rate has also been falling as capitalist societies have become wealthier and more democratic. For example, in pre-democratic India, capitalism killed about 0.1% of the population per year, mostly in large famines, but that rate is now steadier and much lower.