this post was submitted on 26 Aug 2022
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idk but in Poland the 99% had a terrible experience with socialism, and I think that's the case for nearly everyone who had to go through it, except the parasite class (communist party elites) who own everything... ultimately the theory is wrong because it never turned out how they said it would
Actually, if you look at the surveys about socialism in Eastern Europe, Poland included, and break them down by age range, a pattern shows up where the older generation that actually lived in the USSR for a good portion of their lives have consistently more favourable views of it than younger adults who were born shortly before or after the USSR's collapse.
Sources and more info: https://dessalines.github.io/essays/socialism_faq.html#did-the-citizens-of-the-soviet-union-dislike-their-government
Sometimes people like things that aren't good for them, like if you've ever known someone who is stuck in a bad relationship they ignore the shockingly horrible things and just focus on some happy memory or something they are desperately holding onto. I agree Soviet nostalgia is cool but if it was really that great it wouldn't have collapsed, you know
It's extremely presumptuous to just assume that the people who lived through BOTH socialism and capitalism are mistaken or have Stockholm syndrome or whatever for liking socialism. Like, did YOU live through both and have that unique point of comparison between them? Instead of dismissing their opinions and refusing to even consider that they might have a point, maybe look to them for first hand insight into how socialism compared to capitalism?
Not everybody has the same opinion, even people like me who experienced both. I'm not dismissing theirs, but you are definitely dismissing ours
Are you sure it's "Poland included"? I've glanced through those links (many of which were random blogs with no sources) and they either didn't say anything about Poland or didn't say that older generation held more favorable views of USSR times. When it comes to elections majority of older generation vote for ~~ultra-nationalist~~ fascist party whose only ideology is being anti-communist and screeching that left-wing is bad. Majority of the rest of votes from people aged 50+ go to liberals. From my personal experience talking with people from that demographic I have yet to find someone who misses USSR times.
The soviet union wasn't the shit show western nations paint it as. That's not to say that it didn't have a ton of flaws including authoritarianism. But when it came to things like the space race they kicked the ass of every country till the US eventually landed on the moon. First satellite in orbit first person in space/orbit etc etc etc. Science and technology. Science and technology weren't neglected either.
The biggest problem with the soviet union and other bolshevik style authoritarian communist countries. Is that they're the only bit of socialism western nations indoctrinate their drones with. To frighten them and keep them from ever thinking about it. I'm a socialist and anti bolshevik etc etc etc. But to most westerners that's just a head scratcher. Socialist but not bolshevik?! How can be!?
@Eldritch @HiddenLayer5 agreed about the u.s.s.r. point, despite the lack of consumer goods, having a life long right to a house and a job are very appealing to me living in the American capitalist hellscape at the moment
not so sure how i feel about the anti Bolshevik part. tho im not fond of calling things authoritarian or not. i am anti autocratic tho
It's about calling things what they are. Doesn't matter if were fond of it or not. The problem with soviet/north Korean/Chinese large C Communism is their placing absolute authority in a single entity. The state the party etc. Especially when that entity is ultimately the "military". Or derived from it. As the euphemism goes. When you're a hammer everything looks like a nail. Addendum and when things don't work like nails you just keep hitting them harder out of frustration.
Mao Zedong's famine comes to mind. Lets assume that many of us here are fairly techy and nerdy. Being on a federated opensource platform as early adopters. Risky bet I know. Now would you think it's a good idea to put someone, say a baker. Who has no experience with tech whatsoever as the supreme authority in running something like this? Let alone multiple non related essential things? You're just asking for trouble. Maybe they will listen to advisers and take the advice to heart. Maybe they will do the normal human thing and over estimate their abilities and ignore them. There shouldn't be a single ultimate authority that people fear to cross. True small c communism could work. But that would rely on the workers, not the state being the authority. And cooperating with other workers to fill the needs of each. The state can be an effective arbitrator for those groups. And I'm not so far down the libertarian/anarchist rabbit hole to believe we can get away with zero state authority. But the power needs to be balanced between the workers and the state.