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> If you're going to blame the Khmer rouge on communism, then you also need to factor in the conflict in the middle East, American Indian genocide, slavery and

> If you're going to blame the Khmer rouge on communism, then you also need to factor in the conflict in the middle East, American Indian genocide, slavery and more and attribute that to capitalist philosophy. No, actually, I don't "need" to do that. Communists have murdered more people than any other single group in the history of the world. Sorry, but they have. The Middle East has been a bloodbath since the dawn of recorded history, and likely before. "American Indian genocide" had nothing to do with capitalism per se, nor does slavery have any connection whatsoever with a free market. It is, in fact, quite antithetical to it.

evanlivingston 9y ago
sure, you don't need to do that, but it's disingenuous if you don't and reveals a biased interpretation of history. Communist _regimes_ have killed a a lot of people. I'm not sure why the American Indiana genocide is in quotes. As if there weren't policies at the federal and state level that promoted the theft of land from the original inhabitants and the ensuing displacement and murder of them? You're corroborating my point that those violent acts weren't expressly mandated by the underlying political philosophy but were instead carried out via the state powers who latched onto those philosophies in order to gain populist support for the policies that would ensure their power.
- Turing_Machine 9y ago
  "Communist _regimes_ have killed a a lot of people." And Nazi _regimes_ have killed a lot of people. So you're saying that Nazis are okay, then? "I'm not sure why the American Indiana genocide is in quotes." Because most of the Indians were killed by diseases, not by deliberate genocide. Most of them died without ever seeing a white person (e.g., the former inhabitants of some of the Missisippian culture cities). There were certainly genocidal incidents, some of which were horrifying, but that's not what caused the large-scale depopulation. In any case, that had little or nothing to do with "capitalism". The colonization of the Americas (and, indeed, much of the world) was primarily driven by mercantilism, not capitalism. I'm trying really hard not to sound condescending here, but do you even know what "capitalism" means? It doesn't just mean "not communism". Besides, my argument had to do with current threats, not things that happened hundred of years ago. That Nazis (the real ones) no longer pose a threat while Communists do was the whole point. Can you name a Nazi regime that is constantly threatening to launch ICBMs at the United States, as North Korea does on a seemingly daily basis?
throwaway1613 9y ago
Communists have murdered more people than any other single group in the history of the world. Sorry, but they have. Citation needed
- RcouF1uZ4gsC 9y ago
  https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_killings_under_Communist_regimes https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_killings_under_Communis...

evanlivingston 9y ago

sure, you don't need to do that, but it's disingenuous if you don't and reveals a biased interpretation of history. Communist _regimes_ have killed a a lot of people. I'm not sure why the American Indiana genocide is in quotes. As if there weren't policies at the federal and state level that promoted the theft of land from the original inhabitants and the ensuing displacement and murder of them? You're corroborating my point that those violent acts weren't expressly mandated by the underlying political philosophy but were instead carried out via the state powers who latched onto those philosophies in order to gain populist support for the policies that would ensure their power.

Turing_Machine 9y ago
"Communist _regimes_ have killed a a lot of people." And Nazi _regimes_ have killed a lot of people. So you're saying that Nazis are okay, then? "I'm not sure why the American Indiana genocide is in quotes." Because most of the Indians were killed by diseases, not by deliberate genocide. Most of them died without ever seeing a white person (e.g., the former inhabitants of some of the Missisippian culture cities). There were certainly genocidal incidents, some of which were horrifying, but that's not what caused the large-scale depopulation. In any case, that had little or nothing to do with "capitalism". The colonization of the Americas (and, indeed, much of the world) was primarily driven by mercantilism, not capitalism. I'm trying really hard not to sound condescending here, but do you even know what "capitalism" means? It doesn't just mean "not communism". Besides, my argument had to do with current threats, not things that happened hundred of years ago. That Nazis (the real ones) no longer pose a threat while Communists do was the whole point. Can you name a Nazi regime that is constantly threatening to launch ICBMs at the United States, as North Korea does on a seemingly daily basis?

throwaway1613 9y ago

Communists have murdered more people than any other single group in the history of the world. Sorry, but they have. Citation needed

RcouF1uZ4gsC 9y ago
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_killings_under_Communist_regimes https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_killings_under_Communis...