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The narrative must be maintained, comrade!

NotableAlamode 9y ago
To paraphrase Brecht: Who fights for XYZ must be able to fight and not to fight, to say the truth and not to say the truth, to render and to deny service, to keep a promise and to break a promise, to go into danger and to avoid danger, to be known and to be unknown. Who fights for XYZ has of all the virtues only one: that he fights for XYZ.
CapacitorSet 9y ago
A private university, especially privileging students from finance backgrounds, is about as far from communism as it gets.
- TheOtherHobbes 9y ago
  Actually, no. This reveals the extent to which the US financial industry operates with similar quasi-aristocratic political dynamics - especially covert privilege based on perceived conformity and career potential - as the old Soviet Communist Party.
  - CapacitorSet 9y ago
    Aristocracy and privilege are about as far from communism as it gets.
    - jack9 9y ago
      > Aristocracy and privilege are about as far from communism as it gets. In theory. In practice (history is full of it), the castes develop overnight. A group of individuals has to make decisions and manage the oversight and record keeping, etc. This leads to corruption and a de-facto aristocracy.
      - CapacitorSet 9y ago
        Castes are about as far from communism as it gets.
        richardknop 9y ago
        You keep repeating this but as somebody from former Warsaw Pact country let me tell you there was a real caste system during communism. Party members were basically royalty. And the ruling caste (top, most loyal apparatchiks) were just like Louis XIV, having completely unlimited powers over other people.
        CapacitorSet 9y ago
        The existence of castes - social classes - is in direct contrast with the definition of communism, which seeks a classless society.
        richardknop 9y ago
        Yes but it is not in contrast with every implementation of communism in human history.
    - briandear 9y ago
      Then why were there special stores for Soviet leadership where they could buy products the rest of the population couldn’t? Is that not privilege? Why could a government official get a car while a normal person would have to wait years? Children of government officials got preference at the best universities and jobs. Is that not aristocracy? Communism is all about privilege — everyone is equal but some people are more equal than others.

To paraphrase Brecht: Who fights for XYZ must be able to fight and not to fight, to say the truth and not to say the truth, to render and to deny service, to keep a promise and to break a promise, to go into danger and to avoid danger, to be known and to be unknown. Who fights for XYZ has of all the virtues only one: that he fights for XYZ.

CapacitorSet 9y ago

A private university, especially privileging students from finance backgrounds, is about as far from communism as it gets.

TheOtherHobbes 9y ago
Actually, no. This reveals the extent to which the US financial industry operates with similar quasi-aristocratic political dynamics - especially covert privilege based on perceived conformity and career potential - as the old Soviet Communist Party.
- CapacitorSet 9y ago
  Aristocracy and privilege are about as far from communism as it gets.
  - jack9 9y ago
    > Aristocracy and privilege are about as far from communism as it gets. In theory. In practice (history is full of it), the castes develop overnight. A group of individuals has to make decisions and manage the oversight and record keeping, etc. This leads to corruption and a de-facto aristocracy.
    - CapacitorSet 9y ago
      Castes are about as far from communism as it gets.
      - richardknop 9y ago
        You keep repeating this but as somebody from former Warsaw Pact country let me tell you there was a real caste system during communism. Party members were basically royalty. And the ruling caste (top, most loyal apparatchiks) were just like Louis XIV, having completely unlimited powers over other people.
        CapacitorSet 9y ago
        The existence of castes - social classes - is in direct contrast with the definition of communism, which seeks a classless society.
        richardknop 9y ago
        Yes but it is not in contrast with every implementation of communism in human history.
  - briandear 9y ago
    Then why were there special stores for Soviet leadership where they could buy products the rest of the population couldn’t? Is that not privilege? Why could a government official get a car while a normal person would have to wait years? Children of government officials got preference at the best universities and jobs. Is that not aristocracy? Communism is all about privilege — everyone is equal but some people are more equal than others.