• theparadox@lemmy.world
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    il y a 4 jours

    Stalin was a totalitarian dictator that happened to lead a country experimenting with socialism/communism.

    Does Trump’s treatment of certain groups represent the totality of what is possible under capitalism?

    To be clear, I’m not a fan of Stalin or Trump. It just seems weird to hate a political theory/ideology because a power-hungry asshole said it was his ideology.

    • DarkwingDuck@sh.itjust.works
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      il y a 4 jours

      A power hungry asshole was in charge under this “system”. It will happen again. This is what always happens. Those systems do not work.

        • DarkwingDuck@sh.itjust.works
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          il y a 4 jours

          Democracy, capitalism, communism.

          It doesn’t matter how you change the rules of the game, the psychopathic mass murderers always adjust and find the way to the top.

          • theparadox@lemmy.world
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            il y a 3 jours

            Oh, but it does.

            If the population is kept uneducated, poor, and fearful they don’t have the energy, understanding, or organization to keep the assholes in check. It’s way easier turn a country to dictatorship and/or fascism when everyone is stressed and struggling.

            There is no perfect system, but they are systems that can build a population that is at least asshole resistant.

          • AlteredEgo@lemmy.ml
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            il y a 3 jours

            Ideology and education does help though. We need a system with antibodies against self serving sociopaths rising to power.

        • Valmond@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          il y a 3 jours

          That’s the sweet thing with democracy, you kick them out without needing a bloody revolution.

          • DarkwingDuck@sh.itjust.works
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            il y a 3 jours

            It doesn’t seem to be working in the USA now, is it? They find a way to brainwash the masses into voting for them.

            • theparadox@lemmy.world
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              il y a 3 jours

              Brainwashing starts with deprivation. Those with wealth in the US have been manipulating the system into serving the wealthy at the expense of the rest of the country. It isn’t an inevitability, it’s a flawed underlying system and a capitalist class willing to take advantage of every opportunity to cement their own power.

    • Cowbee [he/they]@lemmy.ml
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      il y a 4 jours

      Stalin was the most popular person in the USSR for his entire time in the CPSU, and could have been ousted at any time had this changed. It would have been antidemocratic to depose him.

      • Windex007@lemmy.world
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        il y a 4 jours
        1. Does popularity imply ethics? Morality? Soundness of policy?

        2. What exactly does “antidemocratic” imply? Are antidemocratic activities intrinsically wrong?

        My grandmother in law was dragged before the KGB to answer why her 4 year old had coloured the colours of thier territories flag (before annexation into the USSR).

        I think it’s pretty naive to reject that people could genuinely have grievances against a government or government policy. Slavery was popular. Gang rape is very democratic.

        Although thier issues were with a government and not the concept of “communism”, I think the onus is on you to charitabley acknowledge that distinction. Being the grown up comes with infinitely more responsibility than privilege… and people who don’t understand that aren’t actually the grown ups.

        • Cowbee [he/they]@lemmy.ml
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          il y a 7 heures

          The idea that Stalin was simultaneously a totalitarian dictator while also being tremendously popular among the people presents a false reality. Either Stalin was a genuinely unpopular ruler with total control, or he was a popularly supported and therefore legitimized leader of a socialist country. Regarding the questioning of your grandmother, I think what’s at most to blame is the reactionary nationalist elements that the soviets were forced to take seriously, as they did indeed become vectors for terrorism within the Soviet Union.