Re: Communists WERE 'the good guys' (and women)...
Stephen R Denney (sdenney@uclink.berkeley.edu)
Thu, 18 Apr 1996 10:45:37 -0400
I think one of the great contradictions of the sixties was the
idealization of hard core Marxist-Leninist regimes coexisting with the
counter-culture ideal which pushed freedom in our society far beyond
previous limits. Or maybe it wasn't such a contradiction...
In any case, the primary reason why I don't like Communism (or the
Marxist-Leninist notion of communism) is the notion that a dictatorship
must be established in order to create a more egalitarian society, that
people's voices must be suppressed when they do not coincide with the
rulers' views, that popular political participation must be channeled in
only one direction, in support of the ruling regime, even in some
societies that people must be willing to abandon their religion and
betray members of their family or neighbors. At the roots, I believe this
ideology is based on a fundamental distrust of people. In the name of the
people's will it allows meglomaniac despots to enrich themselves and
destroy the lives of millions of people.
Democratic socialism, on the other hand, would seem a far more
preferable alternative. It is a way toward a more egalitarian society
based on democratic participation.
- Steve Denney
sdenney@uclink.berkeley.edu