4 ms·

A common saying is, "Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it." The key idea in the second paragraph is that serious events might look silly or comi

A common saying is, "Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it." The key idea in the second paragraph is that serious events might look silly or comical at first, but should not be ignored. Read about the Beer Hall Putsch, about how it was characterized by contemporaries, about it's efficacy, and it's not totally unreasonable to say, "Is this a modern version of that event?"

sol_invictus 6y ago
Correct. Now if we could only treat modern communists with the same zeal. A friendly reminder: communism has killed, by some accounts, at least 65 million people during the last century. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_killings_under_communist_regimes https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_killings_under_communist_...
- Pfhreak 6y ago
  Are you lumping socialists in with communists? Leftists? And which communists are you concerned about (e.g. council communism? Autocratic communists? Stalinists? Maoists?) Wheeling out 'communism' without qualifying who your bogeyman is based in a very, very shallow understanding of history. > communism has killed, by some accounts, at least 65 million people during the last century. Ok, but so has capitalism? Millions killed by lack of health care, capitalism fueled famines, wars over resources, pursuit of profit over quality, etc. It also ignores the massive genocides historically in capitalism. Again, you are evaluating some very surface traits and not really looking at holistic systems. Your argument is a vague sound bite, but isn't really an attempt to meaningfully engage with the topic.
  - sol_invictus 6y ago
    As the right flirts with nazism, the left flirts with communism. I dont think its particularly surprising and doesnt require deeper meta-analysis as youre trying to propose.
    - Pfhreak 6y ago
      I'm a socialist, but I'm not a communist. I especially oppose planned economies and the idea of an autocratic workers party. Am I 'flirting with communism' because I believe in universal health care, free education, public housing, public transportation, a strong social safety net, and a strong democratic process?

sol_invictus 6y ago

Correct. Now if we could only treat modern communists with the same zeal. A friendly reminder: communism has killed, by some accounts, at least 65 million people during the last century. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_killings_under_communist_regimes https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_killings_under_communist_...

Pfhreak 6y ago
Are you lumping socialists in with communists? Leftists? And which communists are you concerned about (e.g. council communism? Autocratic communists? Stalinists? Maoists?) Wheeling out 'communism' without qualifying who your bogeyman is based in a very, very shallow understanding of history. > communism has killed, by some accounts, at least 65 million people during the last century. Ok, but so has capitalism? Millions killed by lack of health care, capitalism fueled famines, wars over resources, pursuit of profit over quality, etc. It also ignores the massive genocides historically in capitalism. Again, you are evaluating some very surface traits and not really looking at holistic systems. Your argument is a vague sound bite, but isn't really an attempt to meaningfully engage with the topic.
- sol_invictus 6y ago
  As the right flirts with nazism, the left flirts with communism. I dont think its particularly surprising and doesnt require deeper meta-analysis as youre trying to propose.
  - Pfhreak 6y ago
    I'm a socialist, but I'm not a communist. I especially oppose planned economies and the idea of an autocratic workers party. Am I 'flirting with communism' because I believe in universal health care, free education, public housing, public transportation, a strong social safety net, and a strong democratic process?