[USB5]

How else would the ruling class rule? This is how capitalism works.

[_yb2s]

Wouldn't it be more appropriate to say this is how authoritarianism works?

[thomasahle]

I believe USB5 is saying, given a ruling class that wants to rule, and a capitalist system, how would that ruling class rule? Cooperate control of the media seems like a good approach.

[b59831]

Can you a communist example where someone like Snowden was treated better?

[lukifer]

In a commune, there isn't a state which can secretly surveil in the first place, making the issue a moot point.

[jdbernard]

How does that square against every real-world example of communist government?

[kentrado]

He just explained to you that there's no state in a comune. Therefore there can't be no such thing as a communist government. A communist country has no government.

You probably mean Marxist-Leninist "Communist" states. Those are centralised capitalist states, China, NK, etc. There a lot of explanations regarding why Marxist-Leninism only leads to a more centralised form of capitalism.

[jdbernard]

There is no real-world example of a communist country under that definition. It is purely hypothetical and never been successfully applied. We can speculate about literally anything. What's realistic?

[kentrado]

>There is no real-world example of a communist country under that definition. It is purely hypothetical and never been successfully applied.

Communism is understood to be an ideal state (in the platonic sense of the word), it isn't meant to be achieved, more of a thought experiment or something to strive for.

>We can speculate about literally anything. What's realistic?

Socialism. Socialism is different from Communism, it isn't an utopia or an ideal.

Where do you aim to take this conversation?

[bllguo]

i find these arguments quite amusing considering the lengths capitalists have gone to in sabotaging every attempt at socialism

[tonyg]

False dichotomy

[justinluther]

Yes, but you could slightly amend their statement to say "Can you name a non-capitalist government..." to remove the false dichotomy and preserve the original point of the question, right?

[worik]

> Can you a communist example where someone like Snowden was treated better

That Isa false dichotomy

Being opposed to capitalism does not make one a communist.

There are more than two things

[makosdv]

I would say cronyism rather than capitalism, but I agree about the "ruling class" sentiment.