[quote=“TainanCowboy”]I think Comrade Wu is a parody par excellence!
Much better than that 'Borat" guy.[/quote]
Good point!
HG
[quote=“games”]
Well, given all these great and fantastic things of communism is there any particular reason why you won’t immigrate and settle down in North Korea? Given that it’s the communist paradise left around these day what keeps you away from there?[/quote]
North Korea had been capitalist(eg. class system) for a very long time… such disguisting how those cockroach capitalists run the country.
Old Glory is shit.
BURN BABY BURN!
Delete one ‘o’ of the last word and it will still make sense.
Your list sums up nicely how communism shares so much with any other run of the mill religion - “have faith in what we say, it may all sound like made up fairy tales, but we assure you, it is just The Truth ™” - that its ‘atheist’ and ‘scientific’ claims are merely that: claims.
To me communism is about as convincing as bible fiction, the koran or scientology. Well, maybe a bit less even given what one all has to put blind faith into to believe in communism.
I think one of the best depiction of communism has been done unintentionally in the movie “Star Treck: First Contact”. My brother recommended that one to me and it features the Enterprise travelling back in time to Earth to prevent The Evil Borg to mess with Earth’s history.
Civilization has broken down on Earth at that time. At one point one human from that time is beamed aboard the Enterprise. When she marvels at the ship and asks “Gosh! What did this cost?” she gets told that in the future, money has been abandoned. That everyone only lives to enhance oneself intelectually and that the Federation just strives to further the common good of all its members.
The woman then asked back: “Are you communists?”
Sums up communism properly for me: As utopian as Star Trek - just half as realistic.
Pseudo-religious mumbo-jumbo in the new trappings of pseudo-science. Mere faith & fiction nevertheless.
I think communists deny G-d also.
So does Islam, Christianity, Scientology etc. etc… Because they all fight over the same turf: faith.
Just another sign how very faith-based communism is in spite of all its claims of “being secular & scientific”.
- Christianity: “You shall have no other Gods.”
- Islam: “There is only one God and his name is Allah.”
- Communism: “God is dead. Religions are the opiates of the masses.”
One’s own mumbo-jumbo is of course excused as “The Plain Truth™” in all three examples. See the pattern?
Btw … when it comes to blind faith, just found this old gem again:
Classic - spoken like a true comrade. :bravo:
I think I understand communism. What I don’t understand are communists. How obviously intelligent people who claim to be passionate about human rights can behave as if they’ve been lobotomized with a penknife is beyond me.
They emit nothing but the notorious rants, evasions and non-sequiturs of communists throughout the ages and have absolutely nothing positive to show for all the opportunities they’ve had, including this opportunity to disabuse us of our stereotypes about who they are and what they really stand for.
Is it possible you mistake education or intelligence for character, maturity or rationality? These are five very different qualities and they do not always add up in a single person. Go to any university, chit chat a bit with people and you will see vanity, attention-whoring, delusion, grandstanding or identity issues like everywhere else. Or maybe even more so.
Anyhow, did really no one hear of Fred anymore? I asked this in another thread already, but no answer. All I read is he is “suspended” (whatever that may mean, what’s the difference to “banned”). Comrade Stalin or Tigerman seem to just post less on IP but otherwise their accounts seem to be all fine. What’s the special deal with FS?
Is it possible you mistake education or intelligence for character, maturity or rationality? These are five very different qualities and they do not always add up in a single person. Go to any university, chit chat a bit with people and you will see vanity, attention-whoring, delusion, grandstanding or identity issues like everywhere else. Or maybe even more so.
Anyhow, did really no one hear of Fred anymore? I asked this in another thread already, but no answer. All I read is he is “suspended” (whatever that may mean, what’s the difference to “banned”). Comrade Stalin or Tigerman seem to just post less on IP but otherwise their accounts seem to be all fine. What’s the special deal with FS?[/quote]
I think the point I was trying to make may have been lost in transliteration, games, but I agree that universities are prime breeding grounds for fledgling commissars, budding capitalist hegemonists and other manner of human misfit.
As for Fred, he’s been banished to the Restaurants and Food Carts section for some, no doubt, heinous crime against the public order so he’s not far if you need his counsel. I agree that his cohorts here in the IP forum have seemed unusually dispirited and leaderless of late and we can only hope for them that his banishment is short-lived.
I am back, bigger, better and badder than ever. Oh, Games, the er above quote was said with great sarcasm. Sorry you did not get that. But no doubt you are glad to see me back here right? haha
King Wu. Are you really Comrade Stalin as a parody? The sort of “thinking” communist with heartfelt fervent passion for the Cause? haha More please!
Love Fred
[quote=“spook”]I agree that his cohorts here in the IP forum have seemed unusually dispirited and leaderless of late and we can only hope for them that his banishment is short-lived.[/quote]Don’t be so hard on yourself there spook. You’ve had a great list since Fred has been absent.
I’ve actually spent the past week here in Manila with a bunch of hammer and sickle waving red-to-the-core-capital C Commies. Really nice kids and totally committed. The kids I’ve met live in squatter villages organizing people who are about to lose their homes in the latest idiotic government plan to “modernize” the country or on the rubbish tips outside the city where people literally live off the garbage (third world garbage at that). These kids are members of a revolutionary youth party under the CPP and they “do their tours” in the countryside every so often. Most of them live off one meal a day. I argue with them all of the time about Mao, Kim Jong Il and even “president Tom” (Iranian president), but they always just scoff and tell me I’m being brainwashed by black propaganda. Lord knows what would happen if these people ever got control, but after witnessing the absolutely horrid conditions here, there is no question in my mind that there needs to be a revolution of some sort.
Wow! a whole week.
Hmmmm…
kids? who should be leading economic and political policy because they have a great and indepth understanding of how to lead a nation?
Oh Christ. Back to the “but they meant well” line of defense usually used for Jimmy Carter’s failed policies?
Umm, fighting injustice is fine. Doing so under the communist banner is a bit ironic isn’t it?
Oh, why can’t they just do road trips if they want to have “adventure” and sleep around while doing drugs and drinking?
I’ll bet… haha
Well, at least you have the sense to argue against their “theories.”
Actually, I think there is a pretty good track record of what happens to nations and their “peoples” when communists take over. I think we all know what happens.
I hardly think communism is the answer. Good governance might be. Fighting corruption another. Liberalizing the economy might be a further step but as they say, people get the kind of government that they deserve. How many Filipinos are actually willing to work for a better system and how many take advantage of illegalities and loopholes at the drop of the hat if it benefits them for a brief moment? There is a reason why the Philippines has gotten poorer despite being one of the richest nations in Asia at independence in 1946. There is a reason why it is being left behind and its citizens are forced to work as construction workers and maids all over the world. What do you think those reasons might be? AND as bad as the Philippines is, I believe that it is still richer and more developed than Cuba so think about that. A revolution? haha Committed to the cause? or spoiled brats with too much time on their hands? I suspect that many of these committed communists actually do not really need to work for a living and they have a narcissistic need to be involved in “transforming history.” Spare me. Can’t they just swill Champagne and go shopping like all the other rich Filipinos? What is there a shortage of high-end luxury outlets in Manila? a dearth of discos?
[quote=“king wu”]The one person they will never tell you to talk to, however, is a communist. Why? Because a communist might go “off script” and tell you something they don’t want you to hear. [/quote] Yeah, all those people who risked their lives getting out from behind the Iron Curtain were singing its praises.
[quote=“fred smith”]Umm, fighting injustice is fine. Doing so under the communist banner is a bit ironic isn’t it? [/quote] And doing so under the communist boot is a sure way to shorten one’s life.
Wow! a whole week.
Hmmmm…
kids? who should be leading economic and political policy because they have a great and indepth understanding of how to lead a nation?
Oh Christ. Back to the “but they meant well” line of defense usually used for Jimmy Carter’s failed policies?
Umm, fighting injustice is fine. Doing so under the communist banner is a bit ironic isn’t it?
Oh, why can’t they just do road trips if they want to have “adventure” and sleep around while doing drugs and drinking?
I’ll bet… haha
Well, at least you have the sense to argue against their “theories.”
Actually, I think there is a pretty good track record of what happens to nations and their “peoples” when communists take over. I think we all know what happens.
I hardly think communism is the answer. Good governance might be. Fighting corruption another. Liberalizing the economy might be a further step but as they say, people get the kind of government that they deserve. How many Filipinos are actually willing to work for a better system and how many take advantage of illegalities and loopholes at the drop of the hat if it benefits them for a brief moment? There is a reason why the Philippines has gotten poorer despite being one of the richest nations in Asia at independence in 1946. There is a reason why it is being left behind and its citizens are forced to work as construction workers and maids all over the world. What do you think those reasons might be? AND as bad as the Philippines is, I believe that it is still richer and more developed than Cuba so think about that. A revolution? haha Committed to the cause? or spoiled brats with too much time on their hands? I suspect that many of these committed communists actually do not really need to work for a living and they have a narcissistic need to be involved in “transforming history.” Spare me. Can’t they just swill Champagne and go shopping like all the other rich Filipinos? What is there a shortage of high-end luxury outlets in Manila? a dearth of discos?[/quote]
EDIT
“Fred Smith is a very wise, cultured and enlightened man.”
Oh dear, Andy, no need for all of that. Look we understand your situation is rather racey right now, but please don’t lose your perspective.
HG
[quote=“Huang Guang Chen”]Oh dear, Andy, no need for all of that. Look we understand your situation is rather racey right now, but please don’t lose your perspective.
HG[/quote]
Yeah, you’re right. Sorry, got a little hot headed for the moment. Anyway, the point I was trying to make earlier is that there are some places in the world that are so screwed up that I sincerely believe they need a revolution and I don’t believe in any of that Communism doctrine - it’s about as realistic as say “neo-conservatism.” My definition of revolution is a drastic change because it sure ain’t getting any better here. For Fred to imply that every family could get their own log plume in their back yard if they pulled a little boot strappin is just ridiculous. And to Fred: I apologize for that last comment (before the Illuminati deleted it). The revolution could possibly never come in our lifetimes anyway, so take comfort in that.
Well, the usual story, isn’t it? Communism as an opportunistic movement which only thirves under conditions even worse than what communism itself has to offer.
My, my. Whom does that description fit to the last dot? Never knew you carried so much self-reflection besides ‘great sarcasm’ Fred. 
“Narcisstic need to transform history” … is that a direct quote from your c.v.?
:bravo:
Andy, understand the frustration. Faced with the dire situation in much of the Philippines it is tempting to want to see that country’s compradour class lined up and shot. Unfortunately, or fortunately, that really won’t help anybody. While it is true the army has been knocking off activists for years, it is also true that the left has been carrying out its own murderous campaign. And as always, caught in the middle are the schmucks.
It reminds me of the great conversation Fowler and the “quiet American” have in that guard tower in the book The quiet American. In summary it’s all about how poor people caught in a brutal conflict care little for isms, but would much prefer that their next day is much like the day before.
However, there is a somewhat brighter side to the Philippines just now. The economy is improving and many of the country’s poor are gaining via the remittance from overseas workers. It accounts for something like 10% of GDP. Not a great source of optimism, but not all bleak either.
Poor old Fred, certainly among the most eloquent posters on here and yet so often misunderstood.
HG
haha. Got me on that one Games. Well, then mea culpa but I plead extenuating circumstances… I mean where the US has been involved, I think that we have a pretty good track record. And for all the wailing and gnashing of teeth regarding Iraq, remember that Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, SE Asia, et al were not viewed as prime candidates for economic and political stability or liberalization back merely 25 years ago. It was only in 1980 that the necessary levels of income and such along with political maturity made the transition to democracy and more pluralistic systems possible in many of these nations. Then, during the 1980s and 1990s, it was Latin America’s turn, then Eastern Europe as well. Reading back it is often quite amusing to see how dismissive many were of the possibilities for such change because then the problem was that said groups were too Catholic, too Buddhist, too Confucian or even too Hindu.
So while your very amusing zinger is right on (and in all fairness I know EXACTLY what you mean), who is on the “right side of history?” Those who want to reheat communism with its incredibly failed track record or those of us who believe that no people, no culture, no civilization should or need be left out of the move toward open economies with rule of law and democratic, pluralistic political systems?