The NYT Presents A Rather Good And Accurate History of Communism

The NYT’s “Red Century”.

And it’s actually good, and by that I mean that it’s not obsequiously flattering to the CPUSA, Comintern, or even the NYT’s itself.

Obviously this one slipped through the cracks.

Sid Falco

I thought the one at the bottom was Justin at first
Osumashi Kinyobe

Perhaps the New York Times is desperate to stop being a leftist mouthpiece to drum up some business.
Norman_In_New_York

Communism was in fact tried – in Israel. (See kibbutz.) David Ben-Gurion and his comrades set up their collectives on a voluntary basis without any coercion during the British mandate, relying on idealism to attract and hold members. For a long time, they succeeded in creating the desired utopia, both before and after independence, and the romance of the kibbutz enthralled Western leftists repelled by Stalin’s excesses. (See Bernie Sanders.) It wasn’t until the 1980s that this utopia hit the wall of its limitations. Since Israel is a highly civilized country, the transition to a market economy hardly caused a ripple in its internal tranquility. Kibbutzim still exist, but now they are more like joint-stock companies than any Bolshevik ideal.
- Drunk_by_Noon
  
  Thanks!
  I always wondered how Israel managed to walk away from collectivism after the idea no longer made sense economically.
  They just rationally stopped doing it.
  A certain eloquence in that level of moral clarity.
  - WalterBannon
    
    Collectivism denies the fundamental nature of humans, and that is that the survival instinct will always drive self interest and that sharing only extends beyond the immediate familial and to the tribal circle of close friends, and even then it is subject to resource limitations and possessive urges. Empathy for others and charitable urges are only normal when they are affordable and not impinging on your own needs and desires.
    
    In other words, my stuff is my stuff, get your own stuff you lazy bastard.
    
    Just ask a dog about it when its feeding. No one likes their bone taken away from them.
    - Alain
      
      Exactly, and collectivism is what Trudeau Sr. imposed on Canada. It has only become more intrenched from there.
  - dance…dancetotheradio
    
    Didn’t Bernie get kicked out for being lazy?
    - Slickfoot
      
      Yup, he just wanted to sit around and talk about the wonders of Marxism.
- ricardojaime
  
  The key is the word “voluntary”. The Marxist/Leninist version isn’t voluntary (e.g. “dictatorship of the proletariat” — Marx). Likewise it isn’t malleable — doesn’t change with the times to adapt economically. I think it was Lenin who said, “the revolution must be made permanent”. Communism is dictatorial and permanent. Voluntary collectivism is something else.
The Butterfly

Next time we’ll do socialism right you bastards!
- Slickfoot
  
  #NEXTIME
WalterBannon

Hey Wynne, watcha doing?

Kathleen Wynne: communism

OHIP death panels: come here you expensive senior citizens, its time for your palliative care, we have arranged for some assisted suicide for you, or if you prefer we can just deny you the treatment that you need.
Millie_Woods

No Castro? I guess that pill is too bitter to swallow.