Quote :

"The Americans also fought along side of the Mujahideen against Russia in Afghanistan. Just because America will ally with a group when their objectives align, does not justify their cause. That's one of the biggest lessons America has yet to learn. We are too short-sighted."

The difference here is that america didn't side with him, they respected him and send diplomats. Another difference here is that this wasn't a "enemy of my enemy" situation. Mao was a good leader at that time. He supported freedom of expression and free speech, he just went kind of crazy around the time he broke off relations with the soviets.

Quote :

"Why is it that you think China should be united?"

Otherwise it's feudalist strife. We've seen it many times.

Quote :

"The people from one province to the next speak different languages and are mutually unintelligble."

They have a lot of similarities as well, do you want me to list them?

Quote :

"However, most people that died under Mao was not because he wanted them to die."

But it's still his fault that a terrible famine struck his land? Do you blame India for the Tsunami?

He did handle it poorly, but that makes him incompetant, not a monster.

Quote :

"Pres. Bush did some terrible things, but he is no Hitler... Does that mean we all should like him?"

I don't like Mao, but I will defend him if someone calls him an evil-hearted monster, he's not.

11/13/2005 11:23:19 PM

Quote :

"They have a lot of similarities as well, do you want me to list them?"

More differences than similarities. Even the Chinese government agrees with me on that. They call them the 56 nationalities. But there is even more than that.

Quote :

"Otherwise it's feudalist strife. We've seen it many times."

Um, are you sure you meant to say feudalism? How was China feudalistic? Explain....

Quote :

"But it's still his fault that a terrible famine struck his land?"

YES it was his fault.
I thought that was widely known and accepted, in and out of China. If not for his stupid ass great leap the famine would have been far less severe. You must carry around his little red book.

Quote :

"but I will defend him if someone calls him an evil-hearted monster,"

I didn't say he was evil-hearted, you put those words in my mouth. But yes he was a monster. I know he was doing what he thought was right, the problem is that he was so fucking wrong. Just because he had good intentions in his heart, doesn't justify his actions.

[Edited on November 14, 2005 at 12:34 AM. Reason : .]

11/14/2005 12:33:49 AM

the Great Leap was staged at the worst time possible.

He was a terrible planner, but a great exector of those plans.

11/14/2005 1:09:42 AM

11/14/2005 8:10:57 PM

Mao was one of those unforunate few who, being good at leading a revolution but poor at leading a country, ended up still being alive to lead the country after the revolution.

He was incompetent at what he ended up doing for most of his career, which is unfortunate, but I don't harbor any particular dislike for the man. Of course, I would attribute a lot of his incompetence to that which is inherent in Communism in general, but that notwithstanding he still wasn't a "monster." Stalin, however, certainly was.

11/14/2005 8:16:09 PM

i would attribute it to his personal greed and shortsightedness, not the ideology he used to hold down people.

11/14/2005 8:21:54 PM

11/20/2005 1:26:55 AM

thats it, we have to bring this back if you Libertarian idealogues are gonnna pull this

i fully expect protostar to come into this joke thread and write like, a page on why he hates communists

1/30/2006 12:47:48 AM

Why should I? You already know why I detest communism/socialism. I would just be wasting keystrokes.

1/30/2006 12:53:26 AM

Though it's been said a million times before, Communism is the perfect government for the humanity it believes to exist.

That is, if people really were capable of overcoming self-interest and the other behaviors biologically inherent in all life, their shit would be ideal.

And as I've said a couple of times before, I'm about three heartbeats away from communism myself. The only thing that really prevents me from going over is that I hold freedom/liberty/etc. to have some inherent value, while communism doesn't.

If Kris were still around, he might take the opportunity to start with his "Socialism is an economic system, not a political one" bullshit, as though the two were somehow separable.

That said, there are certain socialist institutions and ideas that I think are underrated merely by virtue of being socialist, and that's foolishness.

1/30/2006 3:02:01 AM

^ Really? Such as?

You left it completely open and I'm dying of curiosity!

1/30/2006 9:24:48 AM

Does anyone know where I can order communist flags from online?

Oh.. and Viva the Revolution bitches.

1/30/2006 3:41:53 PM

Well, LoneSnark, while I don't support the idea per se, I've yet to hear a really good argument against socializing health care. Generally its opponents just claim that all the countries that use it have a long list of problems, but none of those problems seem to include, oh, I don't know, having the worst medical statistics in the developed world while still paying vastly more for health care per person.

1/30/2006 3:50:29 PM

^ eh?

[Edited on January 30, 2006 at 4:02 PM. Reason : .,.]

1/30/2006 4:01:29 PM

i think hes trying to say its ideology, not fuctionality, that routinely strikes down such reforms.

1/30/2006 4:32:29 PM

^ Of course. If not for group-think and tradition, governments would be switching places all the time with potentially disasterous results for the population at large.

1/30/2006 4:43:17 PM

I donot support socialized healthcare because noone should be made to pay for someone elses's living expenses. It would mean more taxes which would mean more money to the federal government, which would inevitably lead to more waste. Healthcare is not a right. I look at it the same way as any other service; if you cannot afford it, you don't get it. Simple stuff people.

1/30/2006 5:04:51 PM

you really get a kick out of this whole argument.

i think it would be hilarious if you lost your job one day and had to go on unemployment.

1/30/2006 6:04:59 PM

^ Hmm, why? He'll do what the rest of us do when we get fired for cause or quit: stop eating out for a month or so and get a new job.

If there is a recession on, go work at Wal-Mart until you get a new job.

1/31/2006 12:52:37 AM

well that really ruined the humor in it all

1/31/2006 12:53:56 AM

OMG, THE RED ARMY!

2/26/2006 9:04:15 PM

Quote :

"^ Hmm, why? He'll do what the rest of us do when we get fired for cause or quit: stop eating out for a month or so and get a new job. If there is a recession on, go work at Wal-Mart until you get a new job."

Wait. This is supposed to be sarcastic, right?

2/26/2006 9:31:48 PM