I've been speaking with other more informed communists and they've told me that none actually exist. Is this true?

China, Laos, and Vietnam: now notoriously capitalists. Workers work 12+ hours with no protection in horrible factory conditions. Suicide rates are so high that suicide nets are installed. The air is so polluted millions die from lung cancer, especially factory workers w/out basic masks. Corporations dominate

North Korea: Undemocratically ruled by the Kim dynasty. Jong un indulges lavishly at the expense of his citizens, ordering millions in fine wine and trips from Denis Rodman. They might be the most socialist though, as Juche seems to otherwise be democratic.

Cuba: Sanctions have taken a massive toll, but even taking that into account the country still has its own problems. They have massive food shortages and inventory probs and aren't self sufficient after 60+ years. Why couldn't they've use machinery imported from the Soviet Union to develop their agriculture and fishery? The Soviets supported them heavily. They seem to be incredibly mismanaged or corrupt

  • Maoo [none/use name]
    ·
    1 year ago

    In other words, you would have a problem with the country telling its people to worship a strong man, but you wouldn't have a problem with a strong man in general being put at the head of a state?

    "Strong man" is another thought-terminating cliche used to denigrate designated enemy countries, or at least ones at which Western chauvinism is to be directed. Do you believe in Iraqi WMDs and justifying the US war of aggression there? Because you sound like the people who said "they hate us for our freedom", and so on. The point I keep making is that a more critical and informed approach must be taken in order to understand these topics.

    I reject the premise of your question.

    Do you believe the working class, in general, requires paternalism in order to correctly flourish?

    I don't know what those things mean without a concrete grounding in real situations, like an example country. I've said this before, actually, and you didn't respond to it.

    I think such questions serve to obfuscate rather than clarify precisely because they rely on abstractions into which hegemonic biases can be inserted.

    Do you believe vocal criticism of a country's leader should be allowed or not?

    Sure why not. Do you have any real questions about things?

    • anarchost@lemm.ee
      ·
      1 year ago

      That's great. Because you dodged the first two questions and only answered the third, can you tell me how the CCP, the North Korean dictatorship, and any other nominally socialist country that you want to include handles vocal criticism?

      • Maoo [none/use name]
        ·
        1 year ago

        That's great. Because you dodged the first two questions

        I haven't dodged any questions, lol. I'm being very direct with you. You may want to take a moment to ask whether you are projecting, as your pattern in this conversation has been to ignore basically everything I say and literally every question I've asked and to instead try to belabor the point you really want to make, thigh you're too afraid to state it directly. It's very clear that you want to stay in your comfort zone, which is apparently silly tropes about North Korea, and no realities or other humans you're talking to are gonna get in the way of that!

        You might as well just talk to yourself, since it's only your voice you want to hear.

        can you tell me how the CCP, the North Korean dictatorship, and any other nominally socialist country that you want to include handles vocal criticism?

        Nope you have shown yourself to be here in bad faith and I'm not going to explain such a large topic to you until you figure out how to be honest with me (and probably yourself). Or maybe you can pay me to tutor you - combative, ignorant students cost extra btw.

        Before you reach for your crutch of a "dodge", remind yourself that at no point have I offered to do the thing you seem to feel entitled to, which is for me to answer all of your questions while you ignore everything I tell you. I'm not your parent or your teacher, I'm not obligated to share knowledge that you refuse to digest.

        PS I've said basically nothing about the CPC. I would recommend that you figure out how to communicate around one topic before expanding them. You already can't keep track of what I've said about North Korea or>!!< democracy.

        • anarchost@lemm.ee
          ·
          1 year ago

          Stop being disingenuous. "I am personally offended and I refuse to answer your question" is a dodge, not a response.

          You just said you were okay with vocal criticism of the government, so how about it? To what degree should people be allowed to vocally criticize their government?

          • Maoo [none/use name]
            ·
            1 year ago

            lol, you think I'm offended? I'm really just bored. I've been giving you chance after chance to engage just in case, but it eventually gets tedious - and indicates that good faith is not something you respond to. You seem to engage much more directly with people in this thread that you think you have bothered. Ask yourself if that's a healthy thing to do.

            It's funny that you haven't learned that I don't actually care about your attempts at goading, either. Refer to my previous response to your question.

            • anarchost@lemm.ee
              ·
              1 year ago

              And I've given you a chance for you to explain how you are okay with criticism of the government, but when it comes to North Korea and the CCP you have suddenly gotten quiet.

              Do you want to walk back your statement, and say that you are against criticism of the government? That is probably more in line with your actual beliefs.