Communism - why does America hate it?

[T-Dawg]

I notice that many right-wing nutjobs claim to be Christian and hate communism, but I can't make any sense of it, because the Bible obviously supports communism in Acts 4:32-36 and attacks modern capitalistic principles such as borrowing and lending in Proverbs, in addition to Jesus's parables and comments on the rich and actve opposition towards marketing in the temple (Matthew 19:16-23, Luke 12:13-21, Mark 11:15-17).

So how can the far-right or even the center-right claim to be Christian?

Furthermore, does any American actually have any reasons to not be communist that aren't related to the soviet union (the soviets were NOT communist under Stalin, they were a totaltarian dictatorship)?


History has shown that there are only three types of governments that all societies eventually go to. There is fascism, communism, and oligarchy - corporate privatization of the government, state-control of the corporations, or rule by a minority. A profit-driven state, a worker-contolled state, or a power-hoarding state. The majority go to oligarchy, and many modern states go to fascism; very few choose communism. The thing about communism is that it requires effort. Nature generally moves us in the direction of oligarchy and fascism. Unless the people are active and informed (they rarely if ever are), a small group will take over the government by means of propaganda or force, or the corporations will slowly erode it. When the people are informed, they usually react with rage against the oligarchic government and fascist corporations and establish a communist government, which is then taken over by an autocrat (dictator or monarch) such as Stalin, and then the autocracy (dictatorship or monarchy) slowly transmits it's power to a small group of aristocrats/nobles (or a particular political group), forming an oligarchy. Then the cycle may start over again, after a long enough period of oligarchy.
Currently, the government is moving towards fascism (and a little towards oligarchy), with the corporations directly affecting our legislation through their lobbyists. What I'm not getting is why people think this is somehow better than communism (or oligarchy, for that matter). Can anyone explain? =/

 

[Zephyr]

Some people are stupid. They will learn.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Currently, the government is moving towards fascism (and a little towards oligarchy), with the corporations directly affecting our legislation through their lobbyists. What I'm not getting is why people think this is somehow better than communism (or oligarchy, for that matter). Can anyone explain? =/

Why is it worse?

 

[sandandfoam]

I don't think America hates Communism. Pete Seeger and Joe Hill are American left wing icons who jump immediately to my mind.

 

[Wandered Off]

IMO the US is culturally more inclined toward individualism than collectivism.

 

[tumbleweed41]

McCarthyism

 

[T-Dawg]

Why is it worse?

Somehow workers running the industries sounds better than a privatized, for-profit government or a small elite dictating everything.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Somehow workers running the industries sounds better than a privatized, for-profit government or a small elite dictating everything.

You must not have a lot of experience with the workers.

 

[Valjean]

I don't think America hates Communism. Pete Seeger and Joe Hill are American left wing icons who jump immediately to my mind.

Seeger was persecuted and blacklisted. Hill was railroaded and executed.

Americans have been subject to several waves of anti-Communist propaganda plus a good deal of negative propaganda against a couple of repressive, totalitarian regimes calling themselves Communist. The prejudice is deep-seated.

Today, most anti-Communist Americans are unable to explain Communism or exactly why they oppose it. Nor are they able to differentiate Socialism from Communism. Nor do they have any knowledge or understanding of any current Socialist or Communist societies.

I'm afraid American politics has become largely emotion-driven, in the absence of any intellectual grasp of the issues and mainstream media's devolution into entertinment and sound-bite journalism.

 

[Yes Man]

You must not have a lot of experience with the workers.

How's that?

 

[shortfade2]

Thats because Communism has never worked....anywhere.
Why would you WANT somebody ruling over you, telling you everything that you should do? The government owns your house, and your car. With technology that America has, they could shut down your car. They can essentially do whatever they want. Try Communism with Americas congress, etc. So you say that you dont like the patriot act? Multiply that by a billion

 

[T-Dawg]

Thats because Communism has never worked....anywhere.

It worked in the early Christian churches, and the last time I saw a North Korean, he was quite happy with his government.

Why would you WANT somebody ruling over you, telling you everything that you should do?

That's not communism. It's called totaltarianism, which is what America's heading towards now. Granted, most of the "communist" states have been totaltarian, but communism and totaltarianism do not go hand in hand (in fact, in a true communist system, there's no "state" at all. But human greed makes that nigh-impossible to achieve across a large area).

The government owns your house, and your car. With technology that America has, they could shut down your car.

They already do. Last I checked, the IRS could seize anyone's property without any notice for an indefinite period of time.

Try Communism with Americas congress, etc. So you say that you dont like the patriot act? Multiply that by a billion

Which is why we need to completely uproot the political structure we have now. Get rid of the corporations and replace all of our congressmen and senators with competent, honest people, and we might be able to trust the government more. Besides, government is not inherently evil, unless it's the American government .

 

[idea]

I notice that many right-wing nutjobs claim to be Christian and hate communism, but I can't make any sense of it, because the Bible obviously supports communism in Acts 4:32-36 and attacks modern capitalistic principles such as borrowing and lending in Proverbs, in addition to Jesus's parables and comments on the rich and actve opposition towards marketing in the temple (Matthew 19:16-23, Luke 12:13-21, Mark 11:15-17).

So how can the far-right or even the center-right claim to be Christian?

Simple, the Bible advocates freedom - giving/being selfless of your own free will.

It is not charity if you are forced to do it.

 

[Zephyr]

Thats because Communism has never worked....anywhere.
Why would you WANT somebody ruling over you, telling you everything that you should do? The government owns your house, and your car. With technology that America has, they could shut down your car. They can essentially do whatever they want. Try Communism with Americas congress, etc. So you say that you dont like the patriot act? Multiply that by a billion

Looks like somebody doesn't understand communism

Though you almost make a slight point I guess. Orthodox Marxism is a bit authoritarian for me (though still far more libertarian than Capitalism could ever hope to be). Then again, how is it any worse than now? We are already slaves to the rich and powerful.

 

[Bismillah]

Somehow workers running the industries sounds better than a privatized, for-profit government or a small elite dictating everything.

Privatized industries work quite well in an ideal situation. The mutual competition and greed fuels further development which helps the economy which then repeats.

 

[T-Dawg]

Privatized industries work quite well in an ideal situation.

If the world was an ideal situation, communism would be a snap to set up and maintain .

The mutual competition and greed fuels further development which helps the economy which then repeats.

It also fuels what we have now - huge corporations dominating the industry, swallowing up every other business they can, and controlling the legislature for their own profit at the public's expense.

There's something I never understood... why are the corporations working against the benefit of their own customers?? If everyone's paying all their money for healthcare and dying off, where will they get their income in the future? Higher healthcare prices mean fewer commodities are bought, which means stores will go out of business, and when stores go out of business, Wal-Mart will either raise it's prices (due to lower competition) or it will lower them to the ground so people can afford the stuff (which will eventually lead to mass deflation as the dollar becomes worth more and more as goods get cheaper and cheaper to keep down with public ability, and it would mean that wal-mart makes less money and goes out of business eventually... then where will the CEOs buy food? No one else would sell to them XD).

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Then again, how is it any worse than now? We are already slaves to the rich and powerful.

Hmm, I'm neither rich, nor powerful - nor, am I a slave to anyone. Living in this country has given me the freedom and opportunity to start at the extreme end of poverty, and, through a little work and my natural abilities, end up making a very decent salary and build a very satisfying life.

 

[Dunemeister]

It worked in the early Christian churches

Debatable, both that the early Christians were communist (they were communitarian, but that's not the same thing) and that their system (whatever it was) worked. What does it mean that it "worked"? Worked for whom? To what end?

and the last time I saw a North Korean, he was quite happy with his government.

There are re-education camps (aka gulags) for those who aren't.

 

[rojse]

Seeger was persecuted and blacklisted. Hill was railroaded and executed.

Americans have been subject to several waves of anti-Communist propaganda plus a good deal of negative propaganda against a couple of repressive, totalitarian regimes calling themselves Communist. The prejudice is deep-seated.

Today, most anti-Communist Americans are unable to explain Communism or exactly why they oppose it. Nor are they able to differentiate Socialism from Communism. Nor do they have any knowledge or understanding of any current Socialist or Communist societies.

I'm afraid American politics has become largely emotion-driven, in the absence of any intellectual grasp of the issues and mainstream media's devolution into entertinment and sound-bite journalism.

Well, why bother to appeal to voters intellectually when you can incite them into a frothing mob instead? It's a lot easier, is worth more votes, and you actually have more scope in which to act, be that good or bad.

 

[rojse]

Then again, how is it any worse than now? We are already slaves to the rich and powerful.

We could be slaves to poor people like ourselves, instead.