It's frustrating to deal with communists.

[Dinner]

On another board I was recently debating the socialist/communist regime of President Nyerere of Tanzania who ruled as dictator of that country from 1961-1985. At independence Tanzania was actually a relatively well off African nation with a per capita income of $950 per year but by the time Nyerere was forced out per capita income was just $400 per year not even adjusting for inflation.

I acknowledge that Nyerere did some good things like providing basic education for peasants and invading and over throwing Idi Amin in Uganda but he also royally screwed up on other things. His nationalization of all property of whites and Asians lead most whites and Asians to leave the country which caused a big brain drain. Later on he nationalized all the mines, factories, and farms in the country so that he could persue "African Socialism"and forced 80% of the population on to collective farms. Those collective farms were an economic disaster and agricultural output crashed leaving most of the population dependent on food aid. Without the big white & Asian owned plantations exports crashed and the country couldn't pay for imports so he raised tariffs through the roof to try to encourage domestic manufacturing. Of course this didn't work as the state was broke and the business class had been wiped out in the nationalizations.

Why is it so hard for so many leftists to admit that the guy royally screwed up his country?

[Riesstiu IV]

I've got a solution with you: don't deal with them. It's not like they're a viable political movement anymore.

[David Floyd]

He didn't screw up. He made sure everyone was equal. Much fairer to the poorest, when, by possible bringing them up just a hair in terms of relative wealth, you bring everyone else crashing down to their level.

And if, somehow, you don't manage to raise their prosperity at all, then at least everyone is still equal. Fair is fair, you see.

[Dinner]

You're right. I guess I just hate being told I'm a biased capitalist or that I don't know what I'm talking about by people who get even basic economic and history lessons screwed up.

[Dinner]

Originally posted by David Floyd
He didn't screw up. He made sure everyone was equal. Much fairer to the poorest, when, by possible bringing them up just a hair in terms of relative wealth, you bring everyone else crashing down to their level.

And if, somehow, you don't manage to raise their prosperity at all, then at least everyone is still equal. Fair is fair, you see.

I could sort of see that logic if it wasn't for the fact that national GDP nose dived for decades on end. Then comes the annoying "He was really a socialist not a communist" and "communism has never really been tried" arguments.

[Riesstiu IV]

You're average forum communist is only useful for one thing: reminding everyone with half a brain that there are a lot of stupid people with dangerous ideas and an almost pathological desire to impose their will on that of others. Anyone who can defend people like Hugo Chavez or Nyerere are sociopaths and only post on forums because they are mocked in real life for their idiotic views.

On top of that, most communists are basement dwelling, unemployed, unlikable assfaced oversensitive neckbeards. Fact is these idiots won't get a socialist utopia no matter how hard they try because smart people know better.

[Zevico]

Man, I've always wanted to be a neckbeard. Neckbeards are my thing I swear. I just can't grow a beard that long. So maybe I'm like a communist in training or something? Does getting a fake beard count?

[Lancer]

Commies are ok. If there were no commie chicks I'd have not gotten any for about a decade.I live in Oregon. Any time they spouted some commie trendy theory I'd just say, "wow, cool" and look impressed. I did forget to mention my efforts at containing communism in Germany, or the barbed wire, minefields and concrete gun towers that were needed to keep people from fleeing the commie paradise in their millions. Or the people gunned down trying to escape. No point in ruining the fun with reality. Anyway they just bought that stuff because ther parents didn't like it. Commie chicks

[Agathon]

Have you ever considered that he was corrupt or hopeless or both? Just because someone claims they are a communist or socialist doesn't automatically make them a great leader.

African socialists like this obviously didn't read Marx, since they would have understood that a communist society, if it develops at all, develops from advanced capitalist society and not from some third world backwater.

I guess I'm a Marxist, but I don't propose anything more radical than what goes on in Sweden or Norway for the time being.

[Heraclitus]

On the Bright side Sweden and Norway seem ok for now.

[BeBMan]

But it's not communism there. Not if you go by Marx or Lenin or any other basic communist theory guys. They even have the evil empire of IKEA.

[Dinner]

But the Ikea Imperialists at least have nice meatballs with lindonberry jam.

[Patroklos]

I am just currious how many eggs the commies intend to break before they figure out they have no ****ing clue how to make an omlette.

[LordShiva]

WTF was teh other board?

[Victor Galis]

I'm on strike due to commies. (Well, at least I call them commies.)