Is communism as bad as people say

tbf, advocates of communism are forever saying that this country or that one wasn't real communism.

And I'd agree to a certain extent, but if real communism is something that has never existed, or maybe even, can never exist beyond theory, that's a fundamental weakness right there.

And the reasons why it has never extended beyond theory need to be explored. Maybe it's wrong for a heart surgeon to feel that the years of training and importance of their job entitles them to greater earning power than say a street sweeper, but they feel that way nonetheless.

I've yet to meet anyone from Eastern Europe who thinks Communism was anything but a disaster for them. That alone should tell you everything you know about communism and hardline socialism. Several have told me they think Irish people are absolutely insane to be seriously contemplating putting a coalition of the likes of Sinn Fein and PBP, Rise etc into power.

One lad I worked with told me he'll leave Ireland of that ever happens because he explained the thing about socialism/communism is it is like a religion. They firmly believe they have the answer to all lifes problems and know what is best for the people even when the people disagree. So once they get into power it is almost impossible to get them out because they don't believe that the people know what is best.

So Marxism/Communism while claiming to represent the people actually has at its core a very dim view of the intellectual ability of the people. Add to that an inherent paranoia also at the heart of the philosophy that all powerful evil capitalists are out to oppress and brainwash the people and cannot be trusted. That means socialism looks for traitors and enemies of the people everywhere. They use that as the excuse when democracy throws up a result at the next election that should vote them out of power. The core principles of the socialism/communism faith say that can only happen when capitalist agents have fooled the people into voting against what is best for the people. So to protect the childlike people the only answer is to remove democracy and to institute a police state to root out the enemies of the people who turned them against the true socialist faith.

So to answer your question. Communism is not as bad as many Irish people say. It is far far worse. If you ever want proof listen to what most east Europeans who grew up under communism/socialism say.

Communism, in the theoretical sense, sounds fine for the most part. Which is why it appealed to a large amount of people, especially the underprivileged and the "underclasses", in the early part of the 20th Century. It's no wonder that in the 20's and 30's, there were vast swathes of people around the world that believed it to be the way forward and embraced it wholeheartedly. On the back of the previous century and the events of the first 20 odd years of the 20th Century, a "fairer" system than anything that had come before sounded fantastic to the average person in the street.

It's also no wonder that the powerful and wealthy with Europe and elsewhere feared it so much as they had the most to lose.

However, it's not necessarily the theory that's the problem. It's who it's been practised by throughout history that's led to Communism being such a dirty word among some. Any political theory can be seized upon by nefarious entities and used to garner support and it's true that the likes of Joseph Stalin and Pol Pot used Communism (or at least their version of it) as a means to gain and retain power, which is all that they were truly interested in in the first place. And I think that it's fair to say that had, say Russia, not fallen under a Stalinst rule that it would have been a vastly different country during the 20th Century. Stalin being Stalin, of course, tended to eliminate any opposition or even perceived opposition and was pursuant to a dictatorship, using Communism as a means to appeal to the masses.

In any case, I think most people would rather marry a mix of Socialism (as opposed to Communism) with some regulated Capitalism as a preferred method of governance/economy. It's clear that unfettered Capitalism is generally a bad thing for the majority and more and more people are coming to that realisation every day. People who are ok with Capitalism, so long as they're alright Jack, when suddenly find themselves priced out of a market, start to reassess their belief in it and then develop an interest in other ways.

But I would reckon that most people would be broadly in favour of a national health service and also in favour of some sort of state welfare for citizens. I would say the most people would rather that essential services remain out of the hands of privatisation as much as possible. However, I also think that most people would like the ability to run a private business without too much state interference as well.

The issue is is that far too many people have had their ideas shaped by cheap American politics. Politics for 5 year olds that deals in binary terms. A reductionist and simplistic approach that terminates any kind of nuance or understanding and one that has a penchant for imparting information through the use of buzzwords and simple phrases. It's a Cold War 1950's "Communism" with "Reds under the bed" and "Yellow Peril" that a lot of people think of when they hear the word. Or even when they hear the word socialism.

In the end though, I don't believe that Communism, if practised to the fullest extent, could truly work, as one of the tenets of it is the abolishment of all private property, which is something that differentiates it to Socialism, that would naturally have a much broader appeal. Even to many, many, on the left of politics, the word "Communism" has them bristling with unease as they would see it as really a step too far.

I will make a simple point.

When the Berlin wall came down in 1989, which way or direction did the people flow?

Was there a rush to move into east Germany?

No, there was not.

Net outbound migration = 1.74 million people, 10% of population

There you go, the people voted, they reject communism.

Too simplistic.

I knew a number of East Germans who, while the were happy that came down and their country was unified, lamented the fact that everything that they once had cheap or for free was now prohibitively expensive, such as a university education. It's not so full on as you'd like to portray. In fact, in 2009 Der Spiegel found that a large amount of East Germans said that life under Communism was "better".

https://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/homesick-for-a-dictatorship-majority-of-eastern-germans-feel-life-better-under-communism-a-634122.html

However, when discussing eastern European Communism it's important to remember that none of those countries chose Communism in the first place. It was Stalinism imposed upon them after the war. The "Communism" as practised in the likes of Poland, Lithuania or East Germany for example wasn't a home grown thing. It was the result of being over run by a dictatorship who's seat of power was in Moscow.

What you've just described is Democratic Socialism, or Social Democracy and it's hard to imagine too many people being completely against such a thing, although you will obviously find a few. But then, I've talked to people who believe that a national health service is one of the "worst" things they ever heard of.

As for the HSE, remember that this monster was Mary Harney's baby. Hardly the product of any kind of socialism.

The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.

That is exactly why things like communism are fascinating for some people in the west. Mainly those who did not live a minute of their life in such system.

In fact it may be appealing to majority of the people, who would argue with notion of cheap or free housing, healthcare, education, plentiful jobs...

It also apply for the other side of the argument, majority of people on the socialist side of the fence were drawn to the west and spoils and opportunities it offered.

I would argue that it is actually hard to make a mixed model to work simply because we are unable to balance opposite extremes to function together without them trying to sway things in their favor first chance they get.

It is absolutely dishonest to claim that true communism or socialism can work and previous attempts didn't work and should be dismissed because it was not "true communism". What we had in the likes of USSR and whole eastern bloc plus some allied african regimes was absolute push to try to implement communism no matter the cost. And it failed every time precisely because this is a theory which can never function and will never work. Is our system ideal? Not even close but still better than communist alternative.

The most simple explanation is that everybody is different and what may constitute as desired or enough for one may be undesired and not enough or even oppressive to another person.

I know socialism. I grew up in pathetic attempt of equality and workers rights. It was maintained by terror, oppression and fear. And even these tragic attempts were doomed to fail simply because even in the socialist or communist system there is an elite or top 1% they just tend to hide a little more but they will be there since it is in human nature - that wanting to have more more (be it wealth, education, experience...). That is the real push forward.

Any fool who thinks they know how to make it work can go ahead and move to any of the few remaining socialist paradise country and help them to implement the "true communism" (whatever that means).