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by ivojp 2003 days ago
This is pretty narrow thinking; it assumes communism was some failed 1950's Soviet experiment and has no modern implementation.

I doubt China limits it's surveillance to wiretaps and human agents.

1 comments

Whether or not you believe communism has a "modern implementation", China certainly isn't it.
I hope this isn't the beginnings of a "true communism" type of argument. If it is, let's save some time and acknowledge the same can be said for "true capitalism" where the latter lacks the body count of the former.

And whether or not you think China is not an implementation of communism, both their government and its subjects would largely disagree.

Just curious, what do you think the body count of the later is?
Well, counting up all the times in human history that governments had to violently force their subjects to accept private property rights or their ability to alienate their labor...

let's see 0 + 0...carry the 1....um I've arrived at 0.

I see. So, all the wars of imperialism of the last 300 years didn't happen? Thousands of people don't die in the US alone every year because they can't afford medical care? You're either being deliberately disingenuous, or channelling your 14 year old nephew who's an "ancap" because it's edgy, even though he doesn't own any actual capital, if you think the body count of capitalism is really 0.
Is imperialism unique to capitalism? What about capitalism necessitates imperialism? Was Soviet Russia not imperialist when it conquered much of eastern Europe? Is China's expansion and One-China policy not imperialist?

Is quality healthcare tied to the economic engine of its country? How is universal health care in North Korea? Pretty good?

You're conflating separate issues and presenting them as indictments of capitalism. That is either deliberately disingenuous or horribly ignorant. Either way, I suggest you pick up a book other than A People's History of the United States.

UPDATE: Small addendum since you are confused as to what capitalism is. Your 14 year old nephew does own capital: their labor. Their ability, depending on labor laws in their state, allow them to offer that labor in whichever market or not. An option that would be deprived of them in a system that follows the prescriptions of "from each according to their ability, to each according to their needs."

I don't quite understand how you get that number. Do you care to explain a bit more?
The Great Irish famine was a product of market capitalism[1] and private property[2], killing over 1 million people.

The Bengal Famine killed over 10 million people[3].

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Famine_(Ireland)#Food_ex...

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Famine_(Ireland)#Causes_...

[3] https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2014/7/17/1314447/-Capitali...