Introduction and question

[barbaro]

Hi guys, I am a new member. Just signed up. I am not a leftist, but I am Cuban. One of those who left. Now, I really have nothing against leftist idealogy, I just don't subscribe to it. I also don't subscribe to rightist in any way.

But I have some questions, and I am posting them here because I seriously don't want to come across as being from the left, so I figured this was the place to start.

Have any of you or your members ever lived in a communist state? I mean actually live in it, not have read about living in it. And I certainly don't mean having lived among the people with a foreign passport in your pocket for two weeks. I mean actually spent years as a real honest to goodness citizen of a communist country.

I notice that the board has some serious contradictions. Freedom is touted as long as freedom doesn't interfere with the general board defined idealogy. Is this the true leftist mentality?

Barbaro

[Rollo]

Originally posted by [email protected] 01, 2007 04:41 am
Hi guys, I am a new member. Just signed up. I am not a leftist, but I am Cuban. One of those who left. Now, I really have nothing against leftist idealogy, I just don't subscribe to it. I also don't subscribe to rightist in any way.

But I have some questions, and I am posting them here because I seriously don't want to come across as being from the left, so I figured this was the place to start.

Have any of you or your members ever lived in a communist state? I mean actually live in it, not have read about living in it. And I certainly don't mean having lived among the people with a foreign passport in your pocket for two weeks. I mean actually spent years as a real honest to goodness citizen of a communist country.

I notice that the board has some serious contradictions. Freedom is touted as long as freedom doesn't interfere with the general board defined idealogy. Is this the true leftist mentality?

Barbaro
I'll live in a true communist "state" when one exists. I am thus yet to be convinced any of the current or past revolutionary government systems have actually lived up to this.

[Raúl Duke]

communist state

This is an oxymoron; there's never been any communist society anywhere and there is no state in communism.

What you call communist states are what we call either socialists states or state monopoly capitalist states (where the state is the major owner); although there are some who use the terms "deformed workers state."

[barbaro]

Hear hear Rollo! Great answer!

I have heard it said that it will take many, many years before a truly communist state will be possible judging by the past and present human behavioral patterns and how we are yet too undeveloped to denounce individuality and honestly live for the good of all.

I tend to agree that the human being is yet unable to do so. Although I take my views a little further and deduce that humans will never be able to live up to it as long as we have the instinct of self preservation.

I know Carl Marx had some thoughts about this, can't remember them all clearly though. I believe it was that it would take a long time of sacrificial living in order to finally shape the human psyche enough where the true communism would be feasible.

I can honestly tell you that none of the true communist beliefs have ever applied to Cuba or its government. Repression, oppression, and hatred are the order of the day. I believe the hatred comes from the realization that we humans are thus far incapable of giving our honest all to the ideals of true communism.

Seriously, it would be refreshing, after an idea suppressing life in Cuba, to be finally able to respectfully debate these ideas.

Barbaro

[Janus]

Now, I really have nothing against leftist idealogy, I just don't subscribe to it. I also don't subscribe to rightist in any way.
So what do you consider yourself to be?


Have any of you or your members ever lived in a communist state?
Ignoring the inherent contradiction with the term "communist state", yes we do have members here who have lived in the former USSR, PRC, Vietnam, and some of the other nations that were self-professed socialist states.


I notice that the board has some serious contradictions. Freedom is touted as long as freedom doesn't interfere with the general board defined idealogy. Is this the true leftist mentality?
It has nothing to do with "leftist mentality" and everything to do with board maintenance and focusing the discussion.

[Jimmy]

hello barbaro!

what was the reason you left Cuba? Do you have the feeling that you or generally the people there are being 'brainwashed'?

I don't know much about Cuba, so it would be nice to hear from someone who has lived there how it's like.