A beacon of hope resides in a small village in Armenia.

[The Vegan Marxist]

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[Comrade Chris]

Beautiful :) I wonder if a dream place like that would accept outsiders.

[Ismail]

In southern Albania from 1991-1997 there were plenty of pro-communist towns that later rose up in rebellion (which required Italian troops to come in to suppress) in '97.

http://redrebelde.blogspot.com/2009/10/albania-1997-on-brink-of-revolution.html

[NecroCommie]

It's still a western propaganda clip. It displays the village as some curious anomaly, whereas the third world is practically filled with pro-communist communities far larger than that one.

[Sugar Hill Kevis]

Beautiful :) I wonder if a dream place like that would accept outsiders.

It's not exactly a dream place; emphasis on the 'no opportunities' part.

[jingle_bombs]

I'm still surprised that was shown on the bbc at all, frankly. And I'm doubly surprised they let that communist party guy go off on one about how socialism was better.

[NecroCommie]

It is supposed to give the idea of an "objective" report, whatever that is. The point was not to bash communism as a policy so they could let the old man away with it. The propaganda here was to point at these modern communists and laugh: "Look, they still have a village somewhere, kind of cute." :rolleyes:

[jingle_bombs]

I think you're right. The report even came with complementary poorly dressed pioneers stood in front of a bust of lenin ffs. Still, in the eye of the simple minded viewer, it might have the chance of raising questions about what it is these people actually believe in.

[Thirsty Crow]

@TVM: You're clutching at straws, really. So, a beacon of hope is a small village in Armenia in which the majority are pro-communist and they have a huge statue of Lenin's bust?
I mean, come on, not that I disrespect those people or their commitment, but phenomena such as these, taken out of their context, cannot represent a beacon of hope for any revolutionary.
On the other hand, if we were to talk about the revolutionary struggle in general, in that region (someone mentioned other localities such as this one...)...now that is a beacon of hope, most definitively.

[Rusty Shackleford]

@TVM: You're clutching at straws, really. So, a beacon of hope is a small village in Armenia in which the majority are pro-communist and they have a huge statue of Lenin's bust?
I mean, come on, not that I disrespect those people or their commitment, but phenomena such as these, taken out of their context, cannot represent a beacon of hope for any revolutionary.
On the other hand, if we were to talk about the revolutionary struggle in general, in that region (someone mentioned other localities such as this one...)...now that is a beacon of hope, most definitively.
Then turn your attention to Nepal, the Naxalites, the Philippines, Colombia, Venezuela, Greece, France, Spain, Cuba, Romania, or even Ecuador.

Now, personally i think that village is doing a good thing. Carrying out Marxist-Leninist ideology in practice in the modern world. If its happening all over the 3rd world, then even better!

[Thirsty Crow]

Then turn your attention to Nepal, the Naxalites, the Philippines, Colombia, Venezuela, Greece, France, Spain, Cuba, Romania, or even Ecuador.

Now, personally i think that village is doing a good thing. Carrying out Marxist-Leninist ideology in practice in the modern world. If its happening all over the 3rd world, then even better!

Wow, thanks for translating the last sentence from my post, I really had no idea whatsoever what I was talking about.
:rolleyes:

[Thirsty Crow]

T
Now, personally i think that village is doing a good thing. Carrying out Marxist-Leninist ideology in practice in the modern world. If its happening all over the 3rd world, then even better!
Now, would you agree that practices such as cult of personality are in fact an important aspect of "carrying out Marxist-Leninist ideology in practice in the modern world"?
If yes...then we're in for a hell of a trouble.

[Nolan]

Very interesting. What's interesting is that these villages aren't corrupt shells propped up by the state like the famous ones in China, but are purely community efforts. In this one they've even preserved the Soviet Pioneers. Thanks for sharing.

[Nolan]

It's not exactly a dream place; emphasis on the 'no opportunities' part.

But I think the video was also implying that these people are doing this because the new system has completely abandoned them.

[The Vegan Marxist]

^Exactly. They're struggling, but they're also collectively helping out each other, helping out the community. The video shows this. Hell, I'm not even looking for a "dream place", I'm looking for some place where people of the community actually take care of each other, despite the hardships that they're to face.

[Volcanicity]

^you'll find community spirit and people helping each other out in a lot of villages around the world.Are these the giddy heights we should be aiming for now Communism in one village?

[Crux]

Ah, the joys of exotist romantications.

[The Vegan Marxist]

^you'll find community spirit and people helping each other out in a lot of villages around the world.Are these the giddy heights we should be aiming for now Communism in one village?

No one here is stating that whatsoever. And yes, that kind of community spirit lives up in many other areas, but under what ideology, IMO, is what matters. These people still hold Communism up as their everlasting dream in life. And so, while under a Capitalist system, they make the best of what they've got there.

[Ismail]

Now, would you agree that practices such as cult of personality are in fact an important aspect of "carrying out Marxist-Leninist ideology in practice in the modern world"?A Lenin bust is some grievous step into a cult of personality? Is the Lincoln Memorial (which is significantly larger and more revered) akin to a ritual sacrifice circle?

[Thirsty Crow]

A Lenin bust is some grievous step into a cult of personality? Is the Lincoln Memorial (which is significantly more "cultish") akin to a ritual sacrifice circle?

As far as the art of sculpture is concerned, there are ways in which one could produce a "proletarian/communist" monument. There are plenty of motifs, and one of them is the classic solution of producing a "great man's" bust. If you ask me, the decision to put a monument of this kind may as well signify that the practice of the cult of personality may be at work. I wouldn't categorically claim that, but I'm suspicious.

[Ismail]

I don't see the big deal about remembering Lenin and using him as a symbol. I mean the Armenian Government claims that Lenin was "un-Armenian" and is utilizing "national" symbols in his place, so using Lenin, the founder of a Union of a plethora of nationalities, is a nice antidote. Not to mention he is one of the greatest Marxists ever. He's been dead for 86 years, so it isn't like there could be an ulterior motive.

Maybe if they like, bowed down to the bust to get "inspiration" to defeat international capitalism or something you'd have a point. The only excessive example of the personality cult post mortem was the Lenin Mausoleum.

[Volcanicity]

No one here is stating that whatsoever. And yes, that kind of community spirit lives up in many other areas, but under what ideology, IMO, is what matters. These people still hold Communism up as their everlasting dream in life. And so, while under a Capitalist system, they make the best of what they've got there.
Yes but that's the point, they are living under a Capitalist system,so whatever ideology they decide to live by the system is still Capitalist which renders it a futile exercise.

[Rusty Shackleford]

all societies have revered symbols and leaders. its not absolutely necessary for leninists to have busts and statues everywhere. actually, its hardly politically relevant. its a cultural thing. the us has rushmore, the SU had statues.


they are actually practicing collective life.

they have a council of their own

i have to say thats a pretty good thing.

[Lolshevik]

I like Lenin statues. I have a poster of him in my room. You can draw inspiration and strength from a symbol without it being weird.

Are these folk affiliated with the Armenian CP? I couldn't find much about it online.

[The Vegan Marxist]

I like Lenin statues. I have a poster of him in my room. You can draw inspiration and strength from a symbol without it being weird.

Are these folk affiliated with the Armenian CP? I couldn't find much about it online.

It would seem that the video suggests that the small village started a Communist Party of their own, & each resident of the 100-home village are members of said Party.

[Sugar Hill Kevis]

But I think the video was also implying that these people are doing this because the new system has completely abandoned them.

Aye, I'm not sure where in the dozen words of my post I said that capitalism had made things better... The jist of my post was that even if there's a couple of scouts wearing red hats and a larger than normal percentage of the population in the CP, it doesn't make this village a utopia... I was picking the OP up on the semantics of somewhere people a 'dream place'... it's hardly paradise there. The people there have just found a way of ostracising themselves from the political system, not overturning it.

Yes, it's encouraging that there are still societies with a deep culture of collectivism, but there are many other examples, some that don't involve worshipping an archaic statue of Lenin as if he was the sun god.

[Nolan]

Aye, I'm not sure where in the dozen words of my post I said that capitalism had made things better... The jist of my post was that even if there's a couple of scouts wearing red hats and a larger than normal percentage of the population in the CP, it doesn't make this village a utopia... I was picking the OP up on the semantics of somewhere people a 'dream place'... it's hardly paradise there. The people there have just found a way of ostracising themselves from the political system, not overturning it.

Ok.


Yes, it's encouraging that there are still societies with a deep culture of collectivism, but there are many other examples, some that don't involve worshipping an archaic statue of Lenin as if he was the sun god.

A bust of Lenin is a symbol of an idea. To this village, it symbolizes their attempt to put a human face on their living conditions.

Communities like this are scattered all around the former USSR and other countries. Your posts come off as dismissive of their efforts to make their lives a little bit nicer and bring back a little bit of what they had before. I'm certain that if this video was about the Zapatistas you wouldn't have this tone.

But hey, I guess if they flew a black flag it wouldn't be "worship."

[EvilRedGuy]

I actually read this as "A bacon of hope resides in a small village in Armenia" :rolleyes: