Real Hippie Asshole
Putin is a nationalist, not a communist. Instead of posting the same basic article twice, perhaps you should read them past the headlines?Originally Posted by allegro
Primarily due to corruption? Uh...yeah... I guess if you're talking about corrupt capitalist nations undermining their existence from day one.
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Bite me
Putin is an autocrat who is shifting to a dictatorship. He's doesn't even argue against being called an autocrat.
If you study Marxism in depth, particularly academically, you are presented with a lot of data pointing to human nature and corruption being the enemy of socialism and communism. Marxism is a great idea, on paper. I love it, sounds great. Particularly in Russia after the monarchy ruled from the mid-9th century through 1917 and robbed the working class blind. But corruption and greed and the desire for power is human nature among men that poisons the well of pure socialism and communism.
Here is Putin lying through is teeth; the true "historical Russia" was centuries of Tsars that stole from the working class, keeping them in poverty, which led to the Russian revolution of 1917. This was followed by abject poverty where the people of the CCCP suffered, which Putin is denying with his "oh, but we had it so good, before" comment. No rich Russian has money IN Russia; the Panama Papers is just a PIECE of how wealthy Putin is, and he's not that far from the Romanovs. Meanwhile, the ordinary Russian citizen is broke or unemployed. Russia is basically a giant gas station. Russia's GDP is only 1.483 trillion USD (2020), and consists pretty much solely in the export of oil and gas. It's GDP isn't diversified at all. And the wealthy people don't care, because all their investments are offshore.President Vladimir Putin has lamented the collapse of the Soviet Union three decades ago as the demise of what he called "historical Russia" and said the economic crisis that followed was so bad he was forced to moonlight as a taxi driver.
For those of us who were alive back then during the USSR, and KNOW people who lived in communist Russia, Poland, etc., we know Putin is full of shit. Waiting in bread lines for hours, waiting for years to get a telephone, never mind a washing machine; those are not the "good times" that Putin describes. But, because Putin was at the top of the heap, and KBG, he had it much differently than the lower and working class. So, of course his story is different.
This isn't to say that this means "socialism" = bad. That's not necessarily true. Again, on paper, it's a great idea. Plenty of what Marx said makes total sense, and capitalism really does suck in many forms, particularly kleptocracies and cronyism. I've read Anna Karenina THREE TIMES. I absolutely support the proletariat. But Russia has always been a shithole of corruption and abuse of the poor and working class.
Last edited by allegro; 01-26-2022 at 07:51 PM.
Real Hippie Asshole
That doesn't negate him being a nationalist.
I have and do, thanks. Thankfully, not academically. Amazing how liberals and conservatives use the same fallacious "human nature" deflection, as if material conditions and culture aren't the biggest driving factors of human behavior. One has to ignore the entire human history of cooperation and collaboration to begin to entertain such drivel. Are enlightened academics like yourself immune to human nature, and therefore are the exception and explanation as to why a select few should have power over the masses? What is your definition of "works" when it comes to capitalism? Poverty and a dying planet that won't be able to sustain human life if the current system keeps going?If you study Marxism in depth, particularly academically, you are presented with a lot of data pointing to human nature and corruption being the enemy of socialism and communism. Marxism is a great idea, on paper. I love it, sounds great. Particularly in Russia after the monarchy ruled from the mid-9th century through 1917 and robbed the working class blind. But corruption and greed and the desire for power is human nature among men that poisons the well of pure socialism and communism.
Nothing like ageism and anecdotes to make a case. Oh the horror, they couldn't get telephones and washing machines immediately?! I'm convinced. I won't even bother linking to videos of elderly Russians talking about how they regret the end of communism, nor the multiple polls that have been taken showing a majority of former Soviet Union citizens feel the same. Nevermind the millions of people that were pulled out of poverty and given an education and shelter and food, it clearly was a complete failure because of the lack of gadgets available.For those of us who were alive back then during the USSR, and KNOW people who lived in communist Russia, Poland, etc., we know Putin is full of shit. Waiting in bread lines for hours, waiting for years to get a telephone, or even a washing machine, etc., those are not the "good times" that Putin describes. But, because Putin was at the top of the heap, and KBG, he had it much differently than the lower and working class. So, of course his story is different.
Bite me
Oh, so personally? You live in Russia? In Maoist China during the Great Leap? Where people starved to death?
I already said I’m not against Marxism. I’m dubious of pretty much ANY government or structure. Whether it be under capitalism or Marxism. Because people suck. I’m not an academic. I’m a misanthrope. It’s interesting that a guy using technology to post this is saying it’s no big deal to have to wait two years for a telephone in what was the modern age. Like, in the 80s. I don’t know any “elderly” Russians or Poles. I lived around a whole bunch of Poles and Russians and Ukrainians in Detroit, and now here in Chicago who lived in the USSR and hated it. They either escaped to the U.S. or moved here after the fall due to poverty. The U.S.S.R dissolved in 1991.
Yes, the economy post-U.S.S.R. has sucked. Because of a whole bunch of reasons, and corruption is one big reason. But that same corruption was there even before the fall of the Soviet Union. And if you were in Poland or Ukraine and forced to speak Russian and lost your own country to another country, you’re not going to be first in line waiting for that to happen again.
All the rest of your post is just full of fucking long-winded bullshit. I mention I studied Marxism academically (meaning extensively in college), you immediately assume I’m an “academic.” In reality, I’m at home caring for my elderly Mom who has dementia, I’m a full-time caregiver.
Go fuck yourself, fake hippy asshole.
Attachment 649
Now I’m putting you on ignore again.
Last edited by allegro; 01-27-2022 at 01:39 AM.
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It's awfully early to assume that had anything to do with the collapse. That issue was dealt with relatively quickly after the request was created. There's also a fair amount of purposeful disinfo being circulated amongst PGH twitter blaming reallocation of funds to "green / woke" purposes like bike lanes (of all things) with this image and issue being the crux of it. This one got a lot of traction:
Basically all of it is false.
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