Socialism

[stephen55]

In one day this thread is up to page eight (oops...nine). I haven't been around here all that long so somebody help me out. Is this some kind of a record?

My post on page one was done in jest but it seems to have more than a grain of truth, if only for Americans. I don't know of another country that is so polarized between two competing agendas. What's strange (and somewhat funny) is that from the outside looking in, I see most Americans as having far more similarities than differences. But oh my God, the fuss you make about those differences.

Do you ever stop to wonder how the rest of the world thinks about Americans who accuse Barak Obama of being a socialist? They think they're being village idiots. They think the average American wouldn't recognize a real socialist if one jumped up and bit him/her on the ass. And why is that? It's because there are no real socialists in the American political scene. Feel free to howl out your indignation but if a bunch of real socialist politicians showed up in your country, they'd be lonely.

Ps; Ami, before you yet again call me a socialist and a collectivist, I still have my membership card for Canada's Reform party. In it's early days I worked to get two of their candidates elected. One of them was Preston Manning. The other is Stephen Harper. I was somewhat miffed when the Reform Party and the old Progressive Conservative party merged to become todays Conservative Party. It moved their agenda a little bit to the left towards center.

 

[IrezumiKiss]

"Socialist" is the new Muslim is the new Nazi is the new Black.

It made me laugh...it's a mashup of Sarah Palin and Justin Bieber, of all things.

You're two steps late to the game, brah. I had posted a large size of the Sarah Bieber mashup in the Isolated Blurt Thread earlier this month, along with this one of Our Fearless Leader:

http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lhh233vqgN1qesyboo1_500.jpg

http://forum.literotica.com/showpost.php?p=37240506&postcount=176885

 

[Peregrinator]

Perg, I just finished a book called The Rise and Fall of Communism by Archie Brown. This guy made an interesting argument in saying anarchists and communists had the same goal, but disagreed on getting there.

I ran across some of that in my googling. I found it rather amusing at first, then interesting. It's related to what Ish was apparently trying to say last night, that socialists and communists have the same goal. If everyone's right, then anarchists are communists...and since we all know that libertarians are just anarchists who like cops...

In one day this thread is up to page eight (oops...nine). I haven't been around here all that long so somebody help me out. Is this some kind of a record?

My post on page one was done in jest but it seems to have more than a grain of truth, if only for Americans. I don't know of another country that is so polarized between two competing agendas. What's strange (and somewhat funny) is that from the outside looking in, I see most Americans as having far more similarities than differences. But oh my God, the fuss you make about those differences.

Do you ever stop to wonder how the rest of the world thinks about Americans who accuse Barak Obama of being a socialist? They think they're being village idiots. They think the average American wouldn't recognize a real socialist if one jumped up and bit him/her on the ass. And why is that? It's because there are no real socialists in the American political scene. Feel free to howl out your indignation but if a bunch of real socialist politicians showed up in your country, they'd be lonely.

Ps; Ami, before you yet again call me a socialist and a collectivist, I still have my membership card for Canada's Reform party. In it's early days I worked to get two of their candidates elected. One of them was Preston Manning. The other is Stephen Harper. I was somewhat miffed when the Reform Party and the old Progressive Conservative party merged to become todays Conservative Party. It moved their agenda a little bit to the left towards center.

I doubt it's even close to a record. I can remember drama threads that seemed like they went twenty pages in a minute.

I agree with your observations re: Americans and socialism. It is pretty funny.

 

[Peregrinator]

"Socialist" is the new Muslim is the new Nazi is the new Black.



You're two steps late to the game, brah. I had posted a large size of the Sarah Bieber mashup in the Isolated Blurt Thread earlier this month, along with this one of Our Fearless Leader:

http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lhh233vqgN1qesyboo1_500.jpg

http://forum.literotica.com/showpost.php?p=37240506&postcount=176885

That could very well be where I swiped it from, Zoom. I remember seeing the tatted Obie-Bam, but not Pal-I'm-a-Belieber.

 

[Sean Renaud]

This better, Sean?

It doesn't fill me with the immediate need to club baby seals, so yeah. much better.

 

[richard_daily]

Well, thanks. I'm not especially worried about being called one; I was more curious as to how calling me that could possibly square with what I actually believe and advocate. I came to the conclusion that the word had lost all meaning aside from "left of wingnut" as you point out.

It was funny when I asked my dad about this. He HATES Obama...and when I said, "How does anyone justify calling him a socialist?" all my dad could come up with is "they're either exaggerating or they're fringe lunatics." This from a guy who can't stand Democrats, thinks Ike was the best president ever, big fan of Reagan...etc.

I have no problem with people criticizing obama. I have plenty of issues with him... But just flat out making things up to try to gain sympathy is a horrible argumentative tactic, and it just makes those people look like lying douchebags...

 

[Peregrinator]

It doesn't fill me with the immediate need to club baby seals, so yeah. much better.

Good god, I hope not. That's me.

I have no problem with people criticizing obama. I have plenty of issues with him... But just flat out making things up to try to gain sympathy is a horrible argumentative tactic, and it just makes those people look like lying douchebags...

I agree. That was a big part of why I started the thread. I'm no Obama fan either, didn't vote for him, probably never will. But calling him a socialist, especially if you believe that socialism and communism are the same thing, is just absurd.

 

[richard_daily]

Good god, I hope not. That's me.


I agree. That was a big part of why I started the thread. I'm no Obama fan either, didn't vote for him, probably never will. But calling him a socialist, especially if you believe that socialism and communism are the same thing, is just absurd.

If you believe that socialism and communism are the same thing, you're either an idiot or a squawking parrot. Either way, you're not very bright.

 

[KingOrfeo]

Well, thanks. I'm not especially worried about being called one; I was more curious as to how calling me that could possibly square with what I actually believe and advocate. I came to the conclusion that the word had lost all meaning aside from "left of wingnut" as you point out.

It was funny when I asked my dad about this. He HATES Obama...and when I said, "How does anyone justify calling him a socialist?" all my dad could come up with is "they're either exaggerating or they're fringe lunatics." This from a guy who can't stand Democrats, thinks Ike was the best president ever, big fan of Reagan...etc.

That division on the Right is not new. From the end of the FDR Admin, the GOP was divided between a moderate wing (Eisenhower's) that accepted that New Deal as a fait accompli and an extreme wing that wanted to roll everything back to 1932. The latter included the John Birch Society, to whom, and I am not making this up, Eisenhower was a Communist.

You can read all about it in Before the Storm: Barry Goldwater and the Unmaking of the American Consensus, by Rick Perlstein.

 

[Peregrinator]

If you believe that socialism and communism are the same thing, you're either an idiot or a squawking parrot. Either way, you're not very bright.

Well, Ish certainly failed completely to make the case last night.

 

[Wok]

Well, Ish certainly failed completely to make the case last night.

Yeah, for the communist, the idea was to rid themselves of the state to the dictatorship of the proletariat. Remember when I asked why communist countries used currency when the idea was not to use any. Well, the simple answer was, the society did not quite make it there yet. A saw a documentary about East Germany where a young student asked a teacher about the same thing, and she replied, "by the year 2000". I should find that video. It is pretty good.

 

[Wok]

Video: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5302179309927381360#

I should download this before it is deleted by Google.

 

[Peregrinator]

Yeah, for the communist, the idea was to rid themselves of the state to the dictatorship of the proletariat. Remember when I asked why communist countries used currency when the idea was not to use any. Well, the simple answer was, the society did not quite make it there yet. A saw a documentary about East Germany where a young student asked a teacher about the same thing, and she replied, "by the year 2000". I should find that video. It is pretty good.

I suspect that Ish's answer to you would be that their methods are the same, therefore they are the same. Because, you know, ridding a country of the state is only a commie ideal.

Hah! The year 2000, huh? I wish there was some sort of central database of every harebrained prediction that was made by people about that year.

 

[Sean Renaud]

Good god, I hope not. That's me.


I agree. That was a big part of why I started the thread. I'm no Obama fan either, didn't vote for him, probably never will. But calling him a socialist, especially if you believe that socialism and communism are the same thing, is just absurd.

Well you're still sufficently creepy. Do you talk in Christian Bale's Batman voice when you wear that hood? If not you should.

And you voted for McCain. . .ok I can accept that.

 

[unregistered]

 

[Peregrinator]

Video: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5302179309927381360#

I should download this before it is deleted by Google.

Is this the same thing?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVFMBptO9lw

Yours looks great.

 

[Peregrinator]

Well you're still sufficently creepy. Do you talk in Christian Bale's Batman voice when you wear that hood? If not you should.

And you voted for McCain. . .ok I can accept that.

Hah! I suppose I could hiss and shriek the way he did in Charlie's Angels.

I voted Libertarian in the national and mixed in everything else.

 

[Luk]

Ahahahaha, what a bunch of fucking sob sisters, sitting around straightening out each others petticoats after being bum rushed and chased down the hall by the big boys last night.

The funny thing about this post is that vette actually believes that's what happened.

 

[Wok]

Is this the same thing?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVFMBptO9lw

Yours looks great.

Yeah, looks like it. I have a huge collection of these kinds of videos. Not just regarding communism, but from wildlife to conspiracy theory. My gripe is the scarcity of conservative-leaning perspectives.

 

[Peregrinator]

Ahahahaha, what a bunch of fucking sob sisters, sitting around straightening out each others petticoats after being bum rushed and chased down the hall by the big boys last night.

Interesting analysis, Vette. I notice you never bothered to answer the question yourself, just played cheerleader for others. Why is that?

 

[Peregrinator]

Yeah, looks like it. I have a huge collection of these kinds of videos. Not just regarding communism, but from wildlife to conspiracy theory. My gripe is the scarcity of conservative-leaning perspectives.

I like to watch them...but I don't save 'em. I just watch on youtube, confident that it will still be there after I'm dead and gone.

Kinda like fake boobs that way.

 

[Sean Renaud]

I voted Libertarian in the national and mixed in everything else.

Oh. . . you didn't vote. Isn't that cute.

 

[unregistered]

 

[Sean]

I suspect that Ish's answer to you would be that their methods are the same, therefore they are the same. Because, you know, ridding a country of the state is only a commie ideal.

Hah! The year 2000, huh? I wish there was some sort of central database of every harebrained prediction that was made by people about that year.

I made more money in 1999 in six weeks than I have in any year since writing Y2K patches for legacy COBOL systems. When's the next millenium?

 

[Peregrinator]

Oh. . . you didn't vote. Isn't that cute.

I found that my choices were: 1) The Washington insider and the lightweight; 2) the lightweight and the Washington insider; or 3) Obama was going to sweep Oregon anyway, so vote whatever you think is the closest match to your real positions. I also had the vain hope that a lot of other people would do that and the two royalty parties would notice.