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Hi there BF. I might make a YT series on this at some point.
In the past few years, I have seen a lot of improper word use that approaches something like a mix of ignorance and populism. A lot of words like "Fascism" "Communism" "Fascist" "Communist" "Left/Right Wing" etc. have been used incorrectly for so often that they are beginning to become nearly meaningless words that have different definitions to different audiences.
In this post I am going to attempt to "clear up" the confusion around the word "Communism", which, more so during the cold war but still used today, has become somewhat of a pejorative buzzword to many people. To others it is a word used to signify their adherence to a particular groups ideology/beliefs.
DISCLAIMER: In order to properly describe what communism is, I will have to use language that is also ambiguous, I will try to avoid doing this as much as possible.
DISCLAIMER 2: I am attempting to be as unbiased as possible in this, let me know down below if any bias shows. I don't favor/like Communism in any way shape or form, nor do I dislike it.
Communism
Communism is a socioeconomic structure in which the ownership of land, labor, and capital, as well as the means of distribution and exchange are commonly owned, and in which goods and services are allocated to people solely based on their needs.
While there are different branches of Communism, they generally tend to have the same set of requirements, listed below:
- The abolition of private property (not of private property, which are privately owned but movable goods).
- the abolition of currency.
- The abolition of a class system, more specifically of an economic hierarchy.
- the abolition of private property, as theorized by Engels, would by proxy lead to the absence of competition in society.
Common misconceptions about Communism:
1: The USSR/China/Cuba was/is a Communist nation.
- While these nations did implement socialist/communist policies (Collectivization of resources, Government-provided healthcare, etc.), they did not exhibit the factors required for a nation to be considered Communist, the most important ones being listed above.
2: You will have property taken from you in a Communist society.
- This supposition is partially true, but people often conflate personal and private property. Private property refers to privately owned factors of production, while personal property refers to privately owned goods, as well as intellectual properties.
3: Communism killed X amount of people.
- Regarding people that say that "Communism" in Y country killed X amount of people during the 20th century, this is only partially true. In such situations, "Communism" was a part of a larger problem, oftentimes Authoritarianism/Totalitarianism went hand-in-hand with "Communism", along with other factors, such as wars/conflicts, climate, etc. The causes of deaths in these nations (usually The USSR and China are used as examples) are multifaceted and cannot be solely attributed to 1 or 2 economic/social structures/pressures.
In the past few years, I have seen a lot of improper word use that approaches something like a mix of ignorance and populism. A lot of words like "Fascism" "Communism" "Fascist" "Communist" "Left/Right Wing" etc. have been used incorrectly for so often that they are beginning to become nearly meaningless words that have different definitions to different audiences.
In this post I am going to attempt to "clear up" the confusion around the word "Communism", which, more so during the cold war but still used today, has become somewhat of a pejorative buzzword to many people. To others it is a word used to signify their adherence to a particular groups ideology/beliefs.
DISCLAIMER: In order to properly describe what communism is, I will have to use language that is also ambiguous, I will try to avoid doing this as much as possible.
DISCLAIMER 2: I am attempting to be as unbiased as possible in this, let me know down below if any bias shows. I don't favor/like Communism in any way shape or form, nor do I dislike it.
Communism
Communism is a socioeconomic structure in which the ownership of land, labor, and capital, as well as the means of distribution and exchange are commonly owned, and in which goods and services are allocated to people solely based on their needs.
While there are different branches of Communism, they generally tend to have the same set of requirements, listed below:
- The abolition of private property (not of private property, which are privately owned but movable goods).
- the abolition of currency.
- The abolition of a class system, more specifically of an economic hierarchy.
- the abolition of private property, as theorized by Engels, would by proxy lead to the absence of competition in society.
Common misconceptions about Communism:
1: The USSR/China/Cuba was/is a Communist nation.
- While these nations did implement socialist/communist policies (Collectivization of resources, Government-provided healthcare, etc.), they did not exhibit the factors required for a nation to be considered Communist, the most important ones being listed above.
2: You will have property taken from you in a Communist society.
- This supposition is partially true, but people often conflate personal and private property. Private property refers to privately owned factors of production, while personal property refers to privately owned goods, as well as intellectual properties.
3: Communism killed X amount of people.
- Regarding people that say that "Communism" in Y country killed X amount of people during the 20th century, this is only partially true. In such situations, "Communism" was a part of a larger problem, oftentimes Authoritarianism/Totalitarianism went hand-in-hand with "Communism", along with other factors, such as wars/conflicts, climate, etc. The causes of deaths in these nations (usually The USSR and China are used as examples) are multifaceted and cannot be solely attributed to 1 or 2 economic/social structures/pressures.
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