Your Opinion on "Socialist States"

[Raviolius1]

First of all, a "Socialist State" is a terrible oxymoron. Just thought I'd get that out of the way before I asked the question.

My question is, Revleft, what are your opinion on these so-called "Socialist States" that a ruled by so-called "Communist Parties", which are today the PRC, Cuba, Laos, and Vietnam? Do you think that they are staying true to the ideals of their revolutionary founders? Do you support their governments? Do you want your own country to be like them?
Does it bother you that these nations use the words "Socialism" and "Communism"?

Also, could you give your opinion on North Korea, and any former nations that carried this contradictory label.

(I'm not sure if this belongs in this forum, or if this question has been presented billions of times or not. I'm super new, and was just looking to get a good conversation going.)

(EDIT- I made the question more specific, in fact asking several questions)

[Flying Purple People Eater]

Cuba was doing well, but is (inevitably) capitulating to global capitalism. China, Laos and Vietnam are just about as socialist as Paul Ryan's Randian fantasies, and the DPRK!? Pretty cool, if you like socialist monarchies, pseudo-fascistic militant culture, isolation, complete restriction of conscious criticism and wearing a suit to coincide with the 'socialist lifestyle'.

'Bomb the southerners! WOO! Let's show them U.S. backed imperialists what a couple of rightist shits under red flags can do!"

I absolutely despise Anti-Imperialists sometimes..

[Prinskaj]

My question is, Revleft, what are your opinion on these so-called "Socialist States" that a ruled by so-called "Communist Parties", which are today the PRC, Cuba, Laos, and Vietnam?
In what regard? My opinion in what sense? It's better that you ask more precisely. As in, "Do you think that (Insert country here) is socialist or has socialist elements?". Because for all intends and purposes your question could be interpreted as whether we enjoy Vietnamese food or not. Which i do.

[Raviolius1]

Thanks for the feedback, I'll edit it. I'm still pretty new, so I appreciate the feedback.

[Rugged Collectivist]

Most of them seem like shitty places to live. I was talking to a Chinese guy yesterday on omegle. My sister wanted to add him on skype but he said the request was blocked by "some organization". He also can't use facebook or youtube and he seemed reluctant to talk to us about certain problems with the Chinese government. I think he was afraid of getting in trouble.

Cuba and Venezuela seem like okay places (if you consider the latter socialist). North Korea is terrifying and I don't know much about Vietnam or Laos.

[Let's Get Free]

First of all, a "Socialist State" is a terrible oxymoron. Just thought I'd get that out of the way before I asked the question.
I agree


My question is, Revleft, what are your opinion on these so-called "Socialist States" that a ruled by so-called "Communist Parties", which are today the PRC, Cuba, Laos, and Vietnam? Do you think that they are staying true to the ideals of their revolutionary founders? Do you support their governments? Do you want your own country to be like them?
Does it bother you that these nations use the words "Socialism" and "Communism"?
Well, China, Laos, and Vietnam are capitalist nations under the head of a ruling "communist party", and Cuba is, while admirably still "running", been flirting a little with capitalism.



Also, could you give your opinion on North Korea, and any former nations that carried this contradictory label.
It's a disgusting, absolute monarchist, viciously anti working class regime.

[l'Enfermé]

A "socialist state" is not necessarily an oxymoron. The "socialist" part, might, for example, be a reference to it's class nature.

[Prinskaj]

Do you think that they are staying true to the ideals of their revolutionary founders? This differs much from country to country, since that many times thought history revolutions have been anything but progressive and have had little concern about the liberation of the proletariat, and much more a focus on nationalist elements, this would be the case of many of the Indochina-region.

Do you support their governments? Do you want your own country to be like them? I support no government that is not controlled by the working class, nor such any communist.

Does it bother you that these nations use the words "Socialism" and "Communism"? When it comes to terminology, then I am pretty conservative. I don't like people using words to describe things that contradict or does not comply with the original intend, some dynamism is great, but not flipped words on their head. So no, I hate when people describe any country as communist (Because communism cannot exist in one country, nobody believes this), but the discussion about whether socialism and communism is interchangeable has been furiously debated on this forum, so I do not find it necessary to argue this point.

Also, could you give your opinion on North Korea, and any former nations that carried this contradictory label. North Korea is Best Korea! Naaah, it's a military junta controlling the population, thought a mix of force and a cult of personality, which at times can seem really absurd.

[DasFapital]

Out of the five I believe Cuba is the only one that can still be considered socialist. North Korea is some bizarre deformed version of Stalinism calling itself Juche while Laos, Vietnam and the PRC are on the fast track to restoring capitalism.

[Raviolius1]

I really hate it when I buy shoes made in Vietnam, only to later have to explain to someone that Vietnam is not Communist.
I also think Cuba is the greatest of these nations, but unfortunately, they've been on the wrong path lately. I wouldn't count them out yet.
I'm also rooting for Venezuela, and I hope they continue to do what they've been doing.

[Fruit of Ulysses]

Venezuela, Bolivia, and Cuba are all legitimate socialist nations. In Libya, the Jamahiriya continues even though its been driven underground, but thats not Marxist. I would consider myself a critical supporter of China against imperialism and counter-revolution. The Chinese Communist Party is not a monolithic, ideologically homogenous entity. Even though its corrupt overall and Mao's legacy has been betrayed, here are organizations within it whose leadership are progressive and cadres scattered throughout the nation who on local levels have implemented policies that hearken back to the Mao era. Laos is fucking lost, they have skools named after justin beiber (swear its true, look it up!) and alot of ppl dnt know about the corrupted modern Pathet Lao's genocidal campaign against the Hmong people. But the Pathet Lao used to be a revolutionary organization.

[Regicollis]

While there might be some good intentions behind some "socialist" states and in some cases some good outcomes (like health care in Cuba) I don't feel that they are suitable as models for future socialist developments.

In all the "socialist" states the old bourgeoisie has been replaced with a new one composed of party members. Just like any other bourgeoisie they get rich exploiting the working class of these countries. It is every bit as disgusting as the private capitalist bourgeoisie we are stuck with in most of the world. The so-called "socialist" states are also all marred by a powerful bureaucracy and oppressive secret police rule that punishes all forms of dissent.

As for North Korea it is a batshit crazy divine kingship. The only thing "socialist" about North Korea is the red flags.