• Fakename_Bill [he/him]
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    4 years ago

    Hot take alert: let's not glorify killing kids. Yes, it had to happen. Yes, it would have been easier to restore the monarchy if they had lived. No, we don't have to take pride in it.

    • CEGBDFA [any]
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      4 years ago

      deleted by creator

    • YoungMarxBans [he/him]
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      4 years ago

      Honestly, not sure it even had to happen.

      Even in the gaol he hoarded his cigarettes and would never give any away, even though he was not a heavy smoker. When I saw him in Beijing after his release he was a changed man. In his family he started to care for people for the first time in his life. — Jui Lon

      During this period, Puyi was known for his kindness, and once after he accidentally knocked down an elderly lady with his bicycle, he visited her every day in the hospital to bring her flowers to make amends until she was released.

      From the Wikipedia article about the reformation of The Last Emperor. I think reformation is possible.

      • Fakename_Bill [he/him]
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        4 years ago

        On the old sub, I got downvoted to shit for even suggesting that they could have been spared

        • YoungMarxBans [he/him]
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          4 years ago

          Hot take: people edging themselves over revolutionary violence is my least favorite Chapo aesthetic.

          I understand that revolution is messy, and that revolutionary violence often doesn't have the benefit of the drapery of both legitimacy and time to always make strategic selections - so it shouldn't be held to the same standards as imperial violence. And there's a huge difference between violence in service of a cause/revolution, and retributory violence.

          We shouldn't strive for a revolution which we end by executing old men in front of firing squads (looking at the top comment on the recent post about Bernie Sanders). Jeff Bezos shouldn't be guillotined, he should be forced to participate in the restructuring and nationalization of Amazon, and then should be a worker, same as everyone else.

          • Fakename_Bill [he/him]
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            4 years ago

            This. "A revolution is not a dinner party" is not a justification.

    • cummunist [he/him,they/them]
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      4 years ago

      True. While we remember that their execution was necessary, given the nature of their royal characters, let's absolutely not make it a thing to glorify shooting royal kids in a very fucked up way.

    • Gang_gang [none/use name]
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      4 years ago

      There has to be a way to do things that doesn’t require murdering toddlers. I would never be that sure I was right. I mean couldn’t they just smuggle the child out and change their name or something?

      Moral judgements are useless and subjective. But I would personally never do it, it would ruin my life. And I don’t think anyone who could do it is someone I’d like leading a nation.

      Nicholas and his wife are fair game though

      • AnarchoLeninist [he/him]
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        4 years ago

        Here's the thing: no they couldn't have. They would have been found by the enemy eventually, or just have gotten imposters to try and put on the throne. You have to make the world think that you killed all of them. And the easiest way to do that, is actually kill all of them

        • Gang_gang [none/use name]
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          4 years ago

          I don’t know for certain what was possible (nor does anyone). It is true it was more convenient to just kill them, from the perspective of the red army’s strategy. That’s why they did it.

          But my point still stands that I don’t want to live under a revolutionary army capable of killing innocent toddlers. Even if it was what “had to be done”, I wouldn’t trust anyone that is physically able to pull that trigger

            • Gang_gang [none/use name]
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              4 years ago

              I don’t want to live under anyone. those that “win” control over a population usually do have to use those kind of measures.

              I mean by your logic why not live under the capitalists boot. They’re winning so far, by using even more vicious tactics.