Conservatives, Can You Define Communism?

[Geoist]

It's almost every day I hear it from people on the right. "The US is becoming a communist state!" "Biden is a commie!" etc, etc. I'd like to know if conservatives are intentionally being hyperbolic or if they really believe this crap. If you do believe it then please provide your definition of communism and evidence of the US being a communist state or Democratic politicians like Biden enacting communist policies.

Personally, I think it's all just virtue signal garbage. Red meat (no pun intended) for their base.

 

[EdwinWillers]

bait thread

 

[Felis Leo]

It's almost every day I hear it from people on the right. "The US is becoming a communist state!" "Biden is a commie!" etc, etc. I'd like to know if conservatives are intentionally being hyperbolic or if they really believe this crap. If you do believe it then please provide your definition of communism and evidence of the US being a communist state or Democratic politicians like Biden enacting communist policies.

Personally, I think it's all just virtue signal garbage. Red meat (no pun intended) for their base.

"Communism" or a "Communist state" is a theoretical pure socialist society in which all land and productive property (farmland, fisheries, factories, etc.) is communally owned and worked, and everyone's material needs are provided for without having to rely on private markets.

"Communism" also refers to a movement led by Communist party seeking to take control of a state, and then instituting and building socialism to pave the way for the eventual advent of the communist state.

 

[Lisa]

"Communism" or a "Communist state" is a theoretical pure socialist society in which all land and productive property (farmland, fisheries, factories, etc.) is communally owned and worked, and everyone's material needs are provided for without having to rely on private markets.

Give that man a gold star for the day. He gets it right. I expected it would require 2-3 pages for the right answer to emerge.

 

[Geoist]

bait thread

How so? I'm giving conservatives the opportunity to explain their rhetoric.

 

[Lisa]

How so? I'm giving conservatives the opportunity to explain their rhetoric.

This is not a difficult question. It's a high school civics level basic concept.

I expect most conservatives will claim that communism means some sort of authoritarian government, which is absolutely wrong. Communism is a purely economic idea of shared ownership, benefit, and control. Communism can be authoritarian or it can be civil libertarian with no coercive government.

 

[EdwinWillers]

How so? I'm giving conservatives the opportunity to explain their rhetoric.

Uh huh. Bait thread.

I've been on various forums since 2007 and have yet to see one communist or socialist or marxist or leftist or liberal or progressive or any combination thereof agree with ANY definition provided by anyone remotely right of them. To an individual, they offer nothing but weaseling sneers, snarks and snide remarks about how "stupid" anyone is to think THAT is what any of those terms mean.

Bait thread, nothing more. And frankly, you just proved it by referring in advance to any explanations persons might offer as "rhetoric." Or earlier in your op as "hyperbole" and "virtue signal garbage" and "crap."
I have zero trust in you sincerely wanting to hear anyone's definitions - given you've already signaled just the opposite.
Bait thread.

 

[Nomad4Ever]

I've been on various forums since 2007 and have yet to see one communist or socialist or marxist or leftist or liberal or progressive or any combination thereof agree with ANY definition provided by anyone remotely right of them. To an individual, they offer nothing but weaseling sneers, snarks and snide remarks about how "stupid" anyone is to think THAT is what any of those terms mean.

Try me. I like to consider myself fairly reasonable. Treat me in good faith and I'll return the favor. I'm here because I like talking about this stuff. If you want, I can start with my definition? It's not an easy thing to define. Even communists socialists can't agree. So it won't be surprising if we disagree, but at least let me explain why I have the positions I do.

 

[Nomad4Ever]

"Communism" or a "Communist state" is a theoretical pure socialist society in which all land and productive property (farmland, fisheries, factories, etc.) is communally owned and worked, and everyone's material needs are provided for without having to rely on private markets.

"Communism" also refers to a movement led by Communist party seeking to take control of a state, and then instituting and building socialism to pave the way for the eventual advent of the communist state.

That is actually a better definition that some socialists/communists have given me when I'm arguing with them. Like I said in my other post, even socialist/communists can't agree on a definition. However, I would be shocked if the vast majority of them didn't accept this one.

I really respect that you always take the time to understand the other side, even the extreme fringes of the other side apparently.

 

[AConcernedCitizen]

Uh huh. Bait thread.

I've been on various forums since 2007 and have yet to see one communist or socialist or marxist or leftist or liberal or progressive or any combination thereof agree with ANY definition provided by anyone remotely right of them. To an individual, they offer nothing but weaseling sneers, snarks and snide remarks about how "stupid" anyone is to think THAT is what any of those terms mean.

Bait thread, nothing more. And frankly, you just proved it by referring in advance to any explanations persons might offer as "rhetoric." Or earlier in your op as "hyperbole" and "virtue signal garbage" and "crap."
I have zero trust in you sincerely wanting to hear anyone's definitions - given you've already signaled just the opposite.
Bait thread.

All you had to do was scroll up three posts above yours to see a progressive agree with a definition provided by a conservative.

 

[reflechissez]

Uh huh. Bait thread.

I've been on various forums since 2007 and have yet to see one communist or socialist or marxist or leftist or liberal or progressive or any combination thereof agree with ANY definition provided by anyone remotely right of them. To an individual, they offer nothing but weaseling sneers, snarks and snide remarks about how "stupid" anyone is to think THAT is what any of those terms mean.

Bait thread, nothing more. And frankly, you just proved it by referring in advance to any explanations persons might offer as "rhetoric." Or earlier in your op as "hyperbole" and "virtue signal garbage" and "crap."
I have zero trust in you sincerely wanting to hear anyone's definitions - given you've already signaled just the opposite.
Bait thread.

That's one way to avoid addressing the OP.

 

[Juks]

All you had to do was scroll up three posts above yours to see a progressive agree with a definition provided by a conservative.

Yes, one of the few conservatives that hasn't (ever) called Biden a communist or called any policies currently in the running for communistic.....

 

[Mycroft]

It's almost every day I hear it from people on the right. "The US is becoming a communist state!" "Biden is a commie!" etc, etc. I'd like to know if conservatives are intentionally being hyperbolic or if they really believe this crap. If you do believe it then please provide your definition of communism and evidence of the US being a communist state or Democratic politicians like Biden enacting communist policies.

Personally, I think it's all just virtue signal garbage. Red meat (no pun intended) for their base.

Here is your definition: https://www.wordnik.com/words/communism

I don't think the US is becoming a communist state.

 

[Nomad4Ever]

Here is your definition: https://www.wordnik.com/words/communism

I like the first definition well enough.

A theoretical economic system characterized by the collective ownership of property and by the organization of labor for the common advantage of all members.

Very broad, but in this case that's a good thing. I don't like the other definitions. Personally I don't believe command economy communism is really communism either, as I view a core tenent of communism as giving worker's control of their workplace. USSR worker's didn't really have much say in how their workplace was run or how they worked. Naturally, Marxist-Leninists would disagree with me, and I argue with them a lot on other sites.

I don't think the US is becoming a communist state.

Yeah, neither do I.

 

[Noodlegawd]

It's almost every day I hear it from people on the right. "The US is becoming a communist state!" "Biden is a commie!" etc, etc. I'd like to know if conservatives are intentionally being hyperbolic or if they really believe this crap. If you do believe it then please provide your definition of communism and evidence of the US being a communist state or Democratic politicians like Biden enacting communist policies.

Personally, I think it's all just virtue signal garbage. Red meat (no pun intended) for their base.

Conservatives calling Democrats "communists" is just their version of Liberals calling everyone they don't like "white supremacists."

 

[aociswundumho]

I expect most conservatives will claim that communism means some sort of authoritarian government, which is absolutely wrong. Communism is a purely economic idea of shared ownership, benefit, and control. Communism can be authoritarian or it can be civil libertarian with no coercive government.

The latter would be a voluntary arrangement. A good example would be something like a family farm. Everyone works, everyone contributes to the farm the best they can, i.e. according to their abilities. When it comes time to eat, the father will consume much more food than the children, but that's ok. If a family member gets sick or injured, the other family members will gladly sacrifice for them.

The problem is, this model doesn't scale. What works well with family and close friends, will not work with a bunch of strangers. Probably the most successful example are the kibbutzim, but people got sick of communal living, and they got sick of working harder than somebody else who received the same compensation. The kibbutzim today is nothing like it used to be.

In a modern economy, a massive amount of production has to take place, and so far the only way to get it done voluntarily is with the price system, strong property rights, and the profit motive. Take those away and you're left with a situation where somebody has to plan the economy, and we all know how that turns out.

 

[GummyVitamins]

How so? I'm giving conservatives the opportunity to explain their rhetoric.

Communism is impossible to define in practice because "real communism has never been tried."

 

[bluesmoke]

Communism is impossible to define in practice because "real communism has never been tried."

Real communism has been attempted but has never become fully and effectively functional as designed.

 

[bluesmoke]

Though not a conservative, as best I can tell from conservative posters' comments, democracy is at least socialism, en route to communism . At least democracy practiced by Democrats.

 

[Torus34]

It's almost every day I hear it from people on the right. "The US is becoming a communist state!" "Biden is a commie!" etc, etc. I'd like to know if conservatives are intentionally being hyperbolic or if they really believe this crap. If you do believe it then please provide your definition of communism and evidence of the US being a communist state or Democratic politicians like Biden enacting communist policies.

Personally, I think it's all just virtue signal garbage. Red meat (no pun intended) for their base.

Hi, Geoist!

Along with 'communist', we also hear 'socialist' used pejoratively by some. I've come to think of them as 'conservatives'. Their resemblance to conservatives is at times tenuous. Their comments are apparently often little more than intentional baiting of others. The resemblance to little boys farting in church also bears consideration.

Regards, stay safe 'n well 'n remember the Big 5.

 

[AConcernedCitizen]

Though not a conservative, as best I can tell from conservative posters' comments, democracy is at least socialism, en route to communism . At least democracy practiced by Democrats.

I don't know where you got that from. The only conservatives to answer were @Felis Leo and @Mycroft. Both gave a reasonable answer that bona fide socialist @Nomad4Ever agreed with. Neither gave any indication that they thought democracy is socialism, en route to communism. In fact, @Mycroft specifically acknowledged that he doesn't think the US is becoming a Communist state.

There's actually a remarkable amount of sanity going on in this thread. It's kinda boring, to be honest.

Maybe @KobbeKid will come along and give us a more entertaining definition so that we don't all just sit around agreeing with @Felis Leo.

 

[switt]

It's almost every day I hear it from people on the right. "The US is becoming a communist state!" "Biden is a commie!" etc, etc. I'd like to know if conservatives are intentionally being hyperbolic or if they really believe this crap. If you do believe it then please provide your definition of communism and evidence of the US being a communist state or Democratic politicians like Biden enacting communist policies.

Personally, I think it's all just virtue signal garbage. Red meat (no pun intended) for their base.

Chill, take deep breath, and turn off FOX. Now, communist means that what is yours is mine and what is theirs is mine.

 

[BirdinHand]

This is not a difficult question. It's a high school civics level basic concept.

I expect most conservatives will claim that communism means some sort of authoritarian government, which is absolutely wrong. Communism is a purely economic idea of shared ownership, benefit, and control. Communism can be authoritarian or it can be civil libertarian with no coercive government.

Communism has never existed. It is a theory. Would you like to discuss a specific theory of communism? Did they cover that in your “high school civics” class?

LOL

 

[Peter]

bait thread

In what way?
If conservatives are determined to keep shouting about communism in the US the least they can do is explain what they think communism is.

It's a pretty obvious question.

 

[joluoto]

"Anyone who doesn't think like I do is a dirty Commie."