tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912730.post8017857146700085296..comments2024-01-06T00:28:45.062+08:00Comments on Bibliobibuli: Totalitarian Reads Part 2bibliobibulihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16456636355933524132noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912730.post-73642415185932965602009-04-03T17:32:00.000+08:002009-04-03T17:32:00.000+08:00"Conversely, lots of democracies lean very heavily..."Conversely, lots of democracies lean very heavily towards the socalist/communist side..." Ah, yes. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea comes to mind.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912730.post-47527030685881161122009-03-31T19:06:00.000+08:002009-03-31T19:06:00.000+08:00It's simply incorrect to say that there's never be...It's simply incorrect to say that there's never been a democratic state that *leans towards* the communist side of things! There's never been a democractic state that practices either *pure* communism OR *pure* capitalism. Sweden and Norway lean very heavily towards socialism, although both maintain some aspects of the free market. And even in as capitalist country as the US, everything most people think of as "progress" -- the minimum wage, social security, the abolition of slave labour, etc. -- in fact involves constraints on the free market. Socialism is not an on/off switch, and neither is capitalism -- it's important to recognise that what you think of as capitalist democracy in fact incorporates heavy doses of socialism across the spectrum (from the US to Scandinavia to India).<BR/><BR/>-- PreetaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912730.post-56274163231566853682009-03-31T06:18:00.000+08:002009-03-31T06:18:00.000+08:00Truthfully, there has never been and never will be...Truthfully, there has never been and never will be a democratic state that leans towards the communist side of things. Democracy and communism are simply incompatible. Communism relies upon a fixed and limited basket of goods organised and controlled by a central government. All labour and production must be forcibly geared in that direction. Even in the most socialist of countries (the Scandinavian region comes to mind), free market capitalism is alive and well. Citizens are free to sell and buy a seemingly infinite basket of goods and labour without excessive intervention from the government. The point is, socialism augments democracy, while communism subverts it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912730.post-26531466727255628842009-03-31T06:07:00.000+08:002009-03-31T06:07:00.000+08:00Communism is an extreme form of socialism, just as...Communism is an extreme form of socialism, just as fascism is an extreme form of capitalism. Communism, by its very nature, not only demands, but requires totalitarianism. Ultimately, economics has everything to do with whether you get a democracy or a totalitarian state. For example, if you have a country that is obsessed with producing and operating a single variety of car, then you will have no choice to forcibly and violently organise your labour and production to meet that requirement. On an academic level, I don't believe socialism and communism should not be equated to one another. One exists to serve the common worker, while the other exists to serve the state.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912730.post-77558933408787815212009-03-30T19:12:00.000+08:002009-03-30T19:12:00.000+08:00Anonymous -- you're describing totalitarianism, no...Anonymous -- you're describing totalitarianism, not communism. There have been capitalist totalitarian regimes (think Pinochet), just as there've been communist ones like the USSR. Conversely, lots of democracies lean very heavily towards the socalist/communist side, as do numerous religious orders: Benedictine monks, Carmelite nuns, etc. etc. Economics has little to do with the choice between totalitarianism and democracy.<BR/><BR/>-- PreetaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912730.post-10957232985379141882009-03-30T05:29:00.000+08:002009-03-30T05:29:00.000+08:00Well, a system like communism can only work when t...Well, a system like communism can only work when the people who enforce the law are fanatical in their self-righteous beliefs. "Better to let 10 innocent men suffer than one spy escape." That credo justifies the imprisonment, torture and murder of anyone at any time. Yes, this man was willing to destroy homosexuals, because he believed homosexuals offered nothing for the future of the Soviet Union. However, children were another matter altogether. Children were the future of the USSR, and yet, the state apparatus was unable or unwilling to protect them. That shattered his belief in the system and prompted him to help.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912730.post-3356562621124152062009-03-29T21:02:00.000+08:002009-03-29T21:02:00.000+08:00Must add this to my reading list. Given current wo...Must add this to my reading list. Given current workload, this is just the kind of book I need.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04283371140346602856noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912730.post-22369576320164543972009-03-29T20:17:00.000+08:002009-03-29T20:17:00.000+08:00By helping out, their safety was threatened by the...By helping out, their safety was threatened by the MGB which he had feared all along. Hmmm... makes me wonder.Yvonne Foonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12908132837504150283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912730.post-8105786048660012872009-03-29T11:39:00.000+08:002009-03-29T11:39:00.000+08:00It wasn't a sudden change, really. He only helped ...It wasn't a sudden change, really. He only helped out of selfish reasons -- he feared for the safety of his own children.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912730.post-20252764684504003642009-03-29T08:02:00.000+08:002009-03-29T08:02:00.000+08:00John sent me the book last year. Child 44 was the ...John sent me the book last year. Child 44 was the best action thriller I've ever read. Although at some points I felt a little numbed. The only thing I didn't understand was how Leo's superior (I forgot his name)The one who decided to help Leo figure out the mysterious dead children, and help me figure out who the killer was. I found his sudden change of behavior hard to believe. This guy was at first trying to protect his position and job, unwillingly to question anything.He would even accuse all the homosexuals just to get that case off his back. will a person like him turn over and become righteous overnight? hard to believe.Yvonne Foonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12908132837504150283noreply@blogger.com