Yeah, Bluesmike. My main argument with Communism (in its theory, that is...) is this: the theory seems to assume that man DOES live by bread alone. ABSOLUTELY NOT TRUE. This was due, I assume, to Marx's observation of the grip that primitive Christianity had on poor people in the late 1800's, but it was a misguided conclusion on his part that did no favours to modern socialism whatsoever!

The "opiate of the masses" today is not traditional religions (in the developed West) but commercial media and advertising...particularly TV. That is the opiate that has people stunned into a controlled stupor in this society. The churches have been dying ever since the end of the First World War, and are a mere shadow of the power they once were.

In any case, any social theory that completely denies the spiritual, nonmaterial side of human existence is one that leads to disaster, as far as I'm concerned.

Then I have an argument with the actual application of Communism in practice...which is...they betrayed the very principles of equality they espoused, in that they established a privileged class of Party bureaucrats, military brass, and secret police who lorded it over everybody else.

This was hypocritical and utterly contradictory to the original theory of Communism and socialism.

What I admire about socialism is this: the attempt to secure a basic measure of equality for all people. That is a noble ideal. I saw the results of a pretty honest attempt to do that within the borders of Cuba...and those results were, on the whole, far better than what preceded Castro, and far better for the general public than what may be found in much of the rest of Latin America...

but not perfect, by any means.

No one has yet instituted a socialist system which fully realizes the ideals of socialism.

Mind you, you could say that about some other idealistic systems as well, couldn't you?

And if the world was perfect...well, what would we have to debate about, dream about, and aspire toward? Revolutionary thinkers would be deprived of anything to think about. That could be quite discouraging... :-)

- LH