The U.S. hides it by portraying any mildly redistributive policy as three beers from Literally Hitler (remember, Stalin = Hitler). Therefore, whatever terrible stuff we're forced to do may be regrettable, but it's ultimately heading off something much worse.
That's where the power in the "communism killed 100 million people" lie comes from. Because if by it's nature, communism kills a lot, then we're justified in killing a couple million in Vietnam because Uncle Ho would have killed ten times that.
The 100 million number was absolutely a CIA op, and a very effective one at that.
Yup, that's exactly the point. Make communism synonymous with the worst thing that can happen to a country, lube up that slippery slope to the point where "maybe we should have child labor laws" = communism, and pretty soon you're destroying a village in order to save it (from communism).
The U.S. hides it by portraying any mildly redistributive policy as three beers from Literally Hitler (remember, Stalin = Hitler). Therefore, whatever terrible stuff we're forced to do may be regrettable, but it's ultimately heading off something much worse.
That's where the power in the "communism killed 100 million people" lie comes from. Because if by it's nature, communism kills a lot, then we're justified in killing a couple million in Vietnam because Uncle Ho would have killed ten times that.
The 100 million number was absolutely a CIA op, and a very effective one at that.
Yup, that's exactly the point. Make communism synonymous with the worst thing that can happen to a country, lube up that slippery slope to the point where "maybe we should have child labor laws" = communism, and pretty soon you're destroying a village in order to save it (from communism).