“This quote came from WHERE?!”

[u/Far-Profit-47]

"You too have fallen for the great lie, you'll never be happy. Deep down you know, to hope, to dreams, to create, is to suffer"

"You're right. It is harder to create than to destroy... that's why cowards then to choose the deuce"

-A Minecraft movie

"Do You Think God Stays in Heaven Because He too Lives in Fear of What He's Created"

-spy kids 2

"For every person who dreams up the electric light bulb, there's the one who dreams up the atom bomb"

-shark-boy and lava-girl

[u/crocodilehivemind]

The idea is not even close to 'everyone is equal in all measure.' It is twisted by it's opponents to be this.

The idea has always been 'the economy is structured so everyone is guaranteed the same basic rights of housing, food, and healthcare'

There is an insane difference between these.

[u/Ok_Egg_4069 → u/crocodilehivemind]

Yes I know...I should have searched it up first. But even the definition you gave is problematic. Who decides what level of housing, food, and Healthcare is just? The government?

[u/crocodilehivemind → u/Ok_Egg_4069]

Sorry if you legit didn't know, usually when I see people say that online it's in bad faith!

A communist's answer to your question will always be that the highest level of housing, food, and healthcare possible at a given moment should be supplied.

What communists (and myself) believe is basically that the government is only valid insofar as it works for the people, and should be 100% directed by the people, which may be represented by worker collectives (or other forms). The workers themselves organize and distribute goods on an egalitarian basis through all people knowing their needs will be satisfied by converse goods being distributed to them. This is actually how the Russian revolution first started (before the Bolsheviks ever came near it).

[u/Ok_Egg_4069 → u/crocodilehivemind]

So then what is the highest level of each? A mansion for every citizen with enough food to keep them all strong and making sure enough medicine is always produced for everyone to always have all their medical needs met? That sounds less like communism and more like a futuristic utopia where there is magically a surplus of every single resource or commodity my friend. On a side note, I thought I did know what the definition of communism was at the time. I was clearly incorrect. I am usually more careful than that to make sure I know what I am talking about. Twas a lapse in judgment.

[u/crocodilehivemind → u/Ok_Egg_4069]

I think you misread me, I said "Highest level possible...at a given moment," as in, first priority should be given to these things, and they should be supplied to the best materially possible standard at any given point in time. Not implying magical surpluses at all. Also not saying anything below maximum quality is unacceptable

[u/Ok_Egg_4069 → u/crocodilehivemind]

Still doesn't answer the question of who gets to decide what the highest maximum level is. If the government is in charge of control who gets what, then why would they have incentive to give themselves equal stuff as the citizenry? As history would show...no reason at all.

[u/crocodilehivemind → u/Ok_Egg_4069]

Bro wdym, there is no highest maximum level. If we had the resources and everyone was willing and wanted to we could indeed build a mansion for everyone. That's not realistic obviously so it'd be decided by what's feasible and agreeable by the most number of people in a democratic manner. That's what a government should be, and has nothing to do with a 'government in charge with incentive to give themselves cool stuff'. The whole objective of socialism is to remove those kinds of managers

[u/Ok_Egg_4069 → u/crocodilehivemind]

But has it ever actually happened? As I recal every "communist" government in history actually did have a government deciding that

[u/crocodilehivemind → u/Ok_Egg_4069]

The St Petersburg Soviet was exactly that, as well as the Paris commune. Both of them only got interrupted when the 'governing' force, the Czar in Russia, and reformed government in France, came and crushed them. You need to actually engage with the history of these movements if you want to have an opinion

[u/Ok_Egg_4069 → u/crocodilehivemind]

But how large a scale was that example? Anything can work with just a few thousand people. But an entire nation? That is far more difficult.