Comments by "Kameraden" (@Alte.Kameraden) on "It Was Hard To Be A Good Socialist In The USSR! How To Steal An Apartment #ussr" video.

My biggest Criticism of Socialism is, that the level of cooperation required between individuals for it to work is difficult to ensure, if not impossible. It would require individuals to place the community above themselves, their family and their friends. Humans are just not programmed to do that as our personal and social connections to other individuals proceeds that of the majority within the greater community whom we've never met and in most respects might as well be fictional characters on a stage vs the people who are directly in our lives. Which is why all Socialist regimes become Totalitarian States, as Authority is needed to force conformity to the Socialist system, as it doesn't require a majority for a revolution to crush a regime. A farmer will choose to ensure he has grain for his family/friends before even caring about someone half way across the country in a city they've never been to. There is a reason Lenin sent armed thugs to steal grain. Basically, a lot of Socialist don't like Authority, want Stateless Societies. They fail to realize without that Authority their idealistic system just isn't possible. It is "VERY" hard to be a good socialist.
16
@rjames3981 Counts whether they can tell the difference between Socialism and Marxism. Problem I've had with a lot of historians for example, like Richard Evans or Ishay Landa is their very concept of Socialism is literally Marxism. Marxism is a version of socialism built around the Working Class, a very Classist centric version of Socialism. So when they see say Prussian Socialism and claim it isn't Socialism because it's doesn't elevate the working class like Landa points out, they're making that claim entirely from a Marxonian perspective, whether they realize it or not. As even Social Democracy branched off the Marxist movement in the 19th Century, so many of it's core beliefs are still Marxist, but.... Marxism, isn't Socialism, Marxism is a version of Socialism but it's not the definition of Socialism. There is a reason when you look up the definition it will say Common Ownership, that Common can literally mean almost anything said specific group of Socialist want it to mean, which can include Workers. It's why the definition is idiotically vague. So say you're a Feminist, and you want women to control the means of production, you're still a socialist. Curious what they would be called honestly Fem-Socialism? Say you're a Nazi and you want the "Race" to control the means of Production, you're still a socialist. They didn't mind if a private owner still owned/operated the business as long as they did what the State told them, and that they were "German." Say you're a Social Democrat and you want the State to Control the means of Production (Being a democratic state the people should be fairly represented as they believe.). Well that is also Socialism. Marxism itself is literally Worker's Control the means of Production. Socialism exist within a HUGE plethora of different iterations, ideas and concepts of what a Socialist society can be. It's actually why it's quite honest to say "Socialist don't know what socialism is." Because Socialist have yet to really figure out what it is... they're still experimenting. Spengler the father of Prussian Socialism believed Society could organize itself along Nationality, ie putting the good of the nation and it's people above your own self interest, making capitalism obsolete. So all business operated with the goal of prosperity of the community, not themselves. Making a revolution unnecessary. You can call Spengler's idea Proto Fascism but. Fascism was also born from Socialism, being most Italian Fascist were originally Syndicalist or Anarchist, in fact James Gregor refers to Fascism as National Syndicalism which is an accurate description of it. PS Spengler is supposedly the roots of National Socialism in Germany, yet Spengler himself became an out spoken anti Nazi in the mid 1930s. His final book before he died was even banned by the party because he called them Bolsheviks in disguise, basically, despite what some historians have said, the National Socialist broke most of their promises to big business, not the working man, they even nationalized property by outlawing private property by law, something most socialist pretend they never did, there are reasons Spengler went from being a Pro NS to an Anti NS is ONE YEAR.
3
@gagamba9198 So in short, it only works when you're part of a Cult?
2
@waltonsmith7210 Bakunin (edit I typed Bukarin as in Bukharin damn their similar names, changed it to Bakunin) a Libertarian Socialist before the term was common place referred to Marxism as a "Cult of the State." When you dig into Marxism, despite promises by say Engels that the State would fade away, the entire ideology is literally Totalitarianism. Marxism and Totalitarianisms are almost inseparable. Dates back to the Communist Manifesto as well. I will list the ten pillars with some commentary below. 1. Abolition of private property in land and application of all rents of land to public purpose. (All land is the State.) 2. A heavy progressive or graduated income tax. (To ensure no one makes too much money, shocking that the original goals of Marxism didn't even abolish money.) 3. Abolition of all rights of inheritance. (If you die, everything you own goes to the state.) 4. Confiscation of the property of all emigrants and rebels. (If you try to leave the country, the state will confiscate everything you own. If you resist the state, the state will confiscate everything you own, all praise glory to the state which has now enslaved us. You're not even allowed to leave with the clothing on your back.) 5. Centralization of credit in the hands of the state, by means of a national bank with state capital and an exclusive monopoly. (Yummy, State Centralized Banking, which has since become a reality, tragically for most of the world, and I thought Communist were against the idea of money? No, just against the idea of profits. Unless it's the state, the state gets to profit all it wants.) 6. Centralization of the means of communication and transportation in the hands of the state. (You can only go where we want you to and all forms of media and communications are in control of the state.) 7. Extension of factories and instruments of production owned by the state; the bringing into cultivation of waste lands, and the improvement of the soil generally in accordance with a common plan. (State monopoly on construction and economic planning.) 8. Equal obligation of all to work. Establishment of Industrial armies, especially for agriculture. (You have no choice but to work, you will be forced to join Labor Unions "Labor Armies" and do as the State decrees, sounds like slavery? Regardless.... I bet those kids who think they're communist who say they shouldn't have to work need to read this.) 9. Combination of agriculture with manufacturing industries; gradual abolition of the distinction between town and country by a more equable distribution of the population over the country. (State planned communities, with proper agriculture/industrial distribution. ie keep the farms and factories near each other.) 10. Free education for all children in government schools. Abolition of children's factory labor in its present form. Combination of education with industrial production, etc. etc (Contradiction, Contradiction, Contradiction. ie Advocates Abolishing Child Labor then Advocates State Guided Child Labor along side their education, so they work and learn at the same time.)
1