Wow that is news to me.. should I tell my wife or keep it in the closet?? I think the avatars have got you confused, maybe I need to put the VW bus back up.
At the heart of it, I don't think communist theory is about equality. I think it is chiefly about workers controlling the means of production, as begun by Proudhon's theories, worker's collectives, mutual credit and the like, in the nascent Paris collectives of the 1840's. The problem is, although workers began to make inroads into production-ownership, as is so often the case, those who would guide the movement would eventually themselves replace the very class they sought to usurp. Today, there have been attempts within the construct of capitalism, in employee ownership of company stock and some, limited, decision making in overall strategy. I think, at the heart of it, it is a noble goal - the end of alienation: a life lived where the man or woman who puts the same rivet in the same fender for 30 years, for some collective of owners other than him or herself, dies with no more ownership of their labor than the day they began. But I don't know that it will ever be borne out in this world. Sometimes, I wistfully dream of a pre-industrial world, where, as Henry V mused, one toils "all day long under the eye of Phoebus, but all night long sleeps...in Elysium." Except that I write this now in an assembly of silicon, electricity, and a college education afforded me by the very modernity I despise.
I think right now the communism in europe is dead. You should be talking about the communism in asia. China, North Korea and Vietnam. Vietnam is a socialist economic republic with one economist at the head of the gov. In china you have no economist, in north korea i really dont think so. Whats so good about communism is that life is very simple, your life is not full of stress, you have a job, you have a family which is the most important thing of all. Communist count on their offsprings to help them later on in the future when they'll be old and they can't work anymore. Bad thing about communism, im sorry i cant talk about it everybody is watching me here
Communists tend to be people that are lowly educated, and have no future whatsoever. Sure, then it's very nice to have the same standard, but why would I even want to educate myself (or go to university and learn a trade after)? Communism failed miserably. Just look at the guys at the top of the pyramid, they sure as well were into capitalism (buying big houses, luxury goods etc.)
I don't like that. Capitalism and communism is the same for me, humans exploitation by humans. But dont mistake yourself, i find Europe sad, more sad than a communist country. In a communist country you have a job for everybody. With a communist government life is not hard and you dont have much responsabilities. Kids have a better life in a communist country also. They laugh, i see them everyday, they are genuine happiness! What i hate about communism is that you can't get out of your country just like that. And if you get out of your country and never come back for a while, after it's hard to come back. Communist gov doesnt gamble on people. To conclude there is no good and bad government. All of them are the same, the only thing that is different is how we think about it. Thats all! Once you are tolerant with other people there is no problems! But god knows how hard it is to make people understand about it....
Animal Farm, actually communism is a lot more of an exploitation since you have absolutely no rights to do anything to keep your government from doing as they please.
Animal farm is by George Orwell, he was a Marxist and fought in Spain civil war. His book was about what was happening in Russia under Stalin. The Soviet government was based on Leninism (Vladamir Lenin, the leader of Bolsheviks in Russia) that draw conclusion that socialism( communism) was possible in one country which was in contradiction to Marx that thought Communism was only possible in world Level and as natural result of economic development. Many communist were killed in Russia because they disagreed with Lenin. In conclusion I repeat crazy_rob: He'd rather talk out of his ass and then get that same ass handed to him.
When you glorify Karl Marxx, remember in what time he has written his manifesto. It was the time of exploitation and poverty of the working class in Europe. These days his theories would probably look a lot different. I've studied some of it in high school, I don't see any reason to look further into his writings.
Actually I thought Karl Marx created something called Scientific Socialism, which is a far cry from true communism. More specifically Marx and Friedrich Engels. Anyway, that was what I learned when I studied it.
What is true communism? Marx idea was based on his research in economy (Capital) that because of inherent problems in Capitalism, one day it will be replaced by more efficient form of economy which is the ownership of production tools by the workers, the same as capitalism replaced previous inefficient economical systems such as slavery. he never discussed what political form it will have and the closest he came to recommendation of political form was based on the historical observation of Paris collectives in 1840's and a government form that was based on direct representation of people in the government, but in his letters he said that he does not know the form of future government and it is up to workers (people) to decide when it is time. I have no problem with discussing pro-con of communism ideology but I think such discussion should be based on facts and not on some fictional stories or what happened in this country or that country.
I'm sure that the citizens of China just love their government. Why don't you buy a one way ticket over there and check it out for yourself