Originally posted by Boroda
Ideology isn't flawed.
It was the implementation that failed.
Hey Boroda.
As you know, I've been in Russia twice. Also went to Bulgaria, which was an Easter Bloc country.
And, people, there are quite an amount of individuals there who think it was better during communism. A good deal of them are right as things are right now. Both Russia and Bulgaria have Wild West Capitalism, rampant and in-daylight corruption and a large group of people who have absolutely nothing.
It's my belief that once their capitalism matures, this will be fixed. Right now though you have your have-everything and you have you have-very-little people.
Having said that, I believe you are utterly and totally wrong about the ideology not being flawed. It is, on an ethical and moral scale, a total disaster for any man or woman who want to extend themselves, to realize their potential, to take risks and gain rewards. To do good for the sake of doing good, rather than to avoid punishment.
Communism, at best, takes material care of the masses by directing the masses. The populace is seen as an entity at itself, which must be given specific orders as to what to do. The focus is not on the individual but on the entity which is the population.
That is, until you reach the higher echelons, where individuality is very evident. This individuality then directs the masses as if every individual within is merely a neuron running through a nerve. Flex that arm, entity!
I refuse to be reduced in my humanity to such a degree. Should I have to give up security to gain freedom, I will do so, gladly.
No one shall direct the path I walk, no matter how well- or ill intentioned they are. That, my friend, is the bottomless flaw of communism of a philosophical scale.
Humans are not mere vessels through which other more privileged individuals carry through their will. We are, each end everyone of us, both potential nuclear bombs and cures to cancer.
We are not muscles. If we are a part of something greater, it is a side effect. Humans should never be considered as one entity to be used as seen fit by a dominant few.
It is my view (and yours may differ Boroda) that communism does not allow for full individuality. That is the ideological flaw. The actual attempts at implementations we've seen so far in history has been littered with abuse, but that's not the point of my argument.
The US skydive team at one time donated rigs to their Soviet counterparts (the Russians were all military, because civilians weren't allowed to skydive in general). It took a while but now, after the fall of communism, the Russians are beating the Americans at a game the Americans invented.
I like Russia, I like the Russian people, grim and grumpy as they may be. They're pragmatic, very pragmatic, very resilient and in many ways less phony than the people here. But communism, both as an ideal and as implemented, is not a good idea
