Comments by "Owain Shebbeare" (@shebbs1) on "George Orwell: The Uncompromising Visionary" video.

@vanhovemare I think you need to forget the notion that any of these communist groupe were "anti-authoritarian", they were mostly piss-ant competing groups that were anti-any- authority-but-their-own. This notion of Leftist anti-authoritarianism has been played on by protest groups and Lefty groups since the 60's at least, but is anything but true. They really do believe in authourity, just so long as they define it. The Political Correctness movement, or ideology, is a way of making the brutality of Far-Left ideologies more palatable. Often described as "tyranny with manners", it is more accurately described as the iron fist in a velvet glove, all peace, tolerance and inclusivity, but only if you toe the line.
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@vanhovemare I just have massive issues with today's Leftist movements, given as they are to censorship, violence and narrow mindedness, while preaching tolerance and inclusivity. Giving these people what they want will leave us in the same position as every state that has undergone a Leftist-led revolution. Governments are about making the most of a bad lot, but in Western nations those governments with socialist leanings are to be treated with extreme caution. They lead to debt, increasing governmental control, social engineering and I submit Canada and France as examples, and Scandinavian nations too. As for Australia, where I we narrowly avoided a socialist government this year. I am deeply concerned about any extremes, but Leftism has been ascendant in my lifetime, and has the social power. As for what I want personally, it is for government to stay out of my life as much as possible, I trust very few, but today's protest movements, Antifa being just one, are examples of extreme ideology, with escalation being their way over time. This is what my political studies have taught me. To most conservative people like me, tired of being labelled as "far-right" when we dare even question creeping Leftism, be it our institutions, speech codes, or so-called social justice, the best we can hope for is benign incompetence from progressively Leftist governments. Democracy has never been absolute, which is why we have elected representatives, but modern Leftism does not offer a credible alternative. The crimes of communist states are now excused as "not real Communism", and leading to dismisal of our concerns, not debate.
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People forget that there were many competing Communist ideologies, not just the Stalinism that ruled in the 1930's. Trotskyites, Leninists, non-aligned communists, fascists and more all fought over the same ideological territory, with minor ideological differences and demographic factors being the main cause of rivalry. Another way of looking at is: it was more like the Reformation/30 Year War period with Christian sects against each other, than the Crusades, fighting an enemy with a completely differsnt world view.
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@vanhovemare Their motives become irrelevant in light of their actions. As for me assuming the right to define their motives, well we were not there, but I have the benefit of having studied the hypocrisy of pretty much every social/political movement from that period. What they said they were Vs what they really were. Same applies today: most supposed anti-fascists behave like fascists.
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Probably depends a lot on which side of the Atlantic you are on. I would suggest that Orwell is better known internationally than Hemingway. Hemingway is well known, but Orwell is more referenced.
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@MaxArturo Rationalism and pragmatism don't really excite, and Left wing ideology revolves around excitement, reactionary activity and, despite claims otherwise, loss of self-control, rationality and gentler traits. The old "Protestant work ethic" is rabidly fought against by Lefties, as are traditional British values. Idealism is rarely tempered with common sense or a need to build societal structures. Those structures can turn into creaking bureaucratic edifices, but the odd thing is that bureaucratic Civil Service jobs tend to attract Lefties.
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Jody Owen Thanks for your very detailed answer. These were deeply interesting, yet sadly flawed people. They were all great observers of the world. I actually find Hemingway a brilliant writer myself. Merry Christmas!
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The most successful piece of propaganda that the Stalinist International Socialism ever performed: to divorce Fascism and more "traditional" Leftist movements and place Fascism at the hard right of the political spectrum (that traditionally Leftist academics created).
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@samjames6890 No, the Left love to re-write history to suit your agenda. It is in the name: National Socialist German Worker's Party, and it was just one of a bunch of socialist groups fighting it out in the 1920's and 30's in Germany, though the International Socialism of Lenin and Stalin eventually won out, and wrote the histories, especially in the 1960's and over the past 20 years, once Keft-wing depression over the fall of the USSR faded. Hitler himself said the Nazi's were Socialists, just nit quite your sort, not that it jade any difference to people invaded by Nazis or by your Stalinist lot: all were Lefty thugs. Remember , Hitler and Stalin were allied for far longer than Stalin was, nominally, one of the Allied nations. It was only due to that senile Democrat twat, FDR that Stalin, and your lot, got the chance to score a win for your branch of Socialism.
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@samjames6890 You really think Lenin, Stalin, Mao, the Kims, Ceausescu,, Pol Pot, Chavez and Castro were emancipators? Oh right, Lrfty rdvisionism states that "it wasn't REAL Socialism/Communism", and modern Lefties lap it up, because it polishes the turd that is Marxism. As for details in ideology, they did exist between all Lefty groups, but Hitler's lot were united with Stalin for far longer, and in Germany Communists and Nazis fought over the samr ideological ground. Remember, Marxists locked up Nazis too, a way of defeating the competition. Then again you are a sad commie, education pointing out facts means nothing to Lefties: you can justify anything in your own minds, but doesn't make it right.
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@greenbrickbox3392 Ho Chii Minh was anything but that! No Communist leader has emancipated anyone, just enslaved them.
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@greenbrickbox3392 Hitler himself defined Nazis as rival Marxists, born of the same (diseased) ideology. They were collectivists and, despite a veneer of allowing property and business ownership, everything was controlled rigidly by the State. If Communists were such emacipators, then why the failed economics, oppression, death and "re-education" camps, closed borders and and lack of media and speech freedoms? Fascism is just another collective ideology (hence the root word from which fascism was derived) that requires extreme violence to impose, not emancipate people. Sankara? A vicious thug who brought the Upper Volta nothing but pain and misery which continues today.
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@greenbrickbox3392 You really believe all the Stalinist peopaganda that tried to divorce Nazism from the othe mad eavings of Marx and the abominations of Lenin and Stalin, talk about brainwashed. Name one, just one Communist state with anything remotely approaching Western freedoms and has bedn an economic success using Marx's mad economic notions? Sure, Corporal Hitler spoke out against certain iterations of Marxism, but there are many quotes, actually by him, not Communists verballing him, where he stated ckearly that Nazis were socialists, in name, and in fact, just not the sort you lot want to own up to. Yes, Viet Nam stopped the Khmer Rouge, but they were communists fighting other communists. Viet Nam has a terrible human rights record of its own accord, one nominally humanitarian war diosn't change that. Worked in Viet Nam for years, it isn't good in terms of human rights, even the deeply corrupt UN admits that. Time to burn the Chė t-shirt, and your Little Red Book, I reckon. Unless you are living in one of these supposed Marxist utopias you are just supporting a system you haven't got the courage to adopt yourself. Very undergraduate. Lenin cojned a phrase for people like you: Useful Idiots.
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@greenbrickbox3392 Funny, all you have said is the Left-wing view: your lot won the Lefty conflicts, and wrote the histories, making Marxism sainted, and everyone else is thus to be purged. The Nazis, I repeat, derived from the diseased ideology of Marx, and were just one of many competing far-Left ideologies. You, as all communists do, forget that Stalin and Hitler were allied for far longer than your murderous Thug, Stalin, was sucking up to the Allies, begging not to be left out. It was only thanks to fellow Lefty, the senile FDR that was allowed to change sides as opposed to facing Hitler alone. Defending the Vietminh is natural for a communist, but you really need to stop painting them as saints. They were , and are strict oppressors, ethnic cleansers (sound familiar, it should as Stalin and Hitler did the same thing) and needed the usual amount of force to make everyone conform. Still does. Going up against Pol Pot doesn't redeem them. Books? Read all the time. I make the same suggestion to you, and stay away from the deluded Marxist tomes, chock full of BS.
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@greenbrickbox3392 I can say the same about you, you repeat the same excuses for Communist governments and abominable Marxisy philosophy. As you have no actual life experience you really have no relevance. I don't need to provide new content, and you have only dragged out more and more communist propaganda. You see communism as liberating, yet don't live under such a system: I have, so my life experience beats your turgid regurgitation of tired, failed communist tripe found at the local communist bookshop. Talk radio? I assume you mean American rubbish. Not American, talk radio sucks, and in my country it is Lefty anyway. Remember Gramsci who exponded on the notion of a long march through institutions. Well your lot have done that in the West, you should be happy. I do suggest that you try living in a communist nation, instead of looking, cow- eyed, at supposed communist utopias while living in the comfort of a Western nation.
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@greenbrickbox3392 They really aren't, I don't need to attack you personally, they are just reflections of your flawed idealism. If you are so enamoured with communist lufe, why do you live in the West? Why do you so exalt a system you have no experience with? Hiw come you don't reflect, even marginally, on the force required to implement and maintain a communist society? You don't mention the fact that, with very few exceptions, they are montrously corrupt, and the leaders live like kings while the rest are oppressed. Not a word from you about the social implications of forced equality. No mention of the ruthless purges of intellectuals and people of faith or ethnic minorities common to communist governments. Really mate, I justpointed out some of the few facts common to diseased Marxist, Leninist, Trotskyist, Frankfurt School, Gramsci and Maoist philosophy. If you believe those, as dearly as you seem to, without daring to live in a communist society yourself, then all you have is words and pseudo-intellectual pomposity. I have not even scratched the surface of the issues with communism, don't really need to given your depth of understanding of it doesn't go much beyond "we really hated nazis", " communism is emancipatory", and some muddled ideas about Viet Nam. Oh, and you dropped a few ad hominems yourself. Seriously mate, have the courage of your supposed convuctions and live in a communist hellhole for at least 2 years (I lived in Burma for 4 years and Viet Nam for almost 7), then come here and preach about it. Until then you really have no grasp of what you are BSing about.
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@greenbrickbox3392 Again I ask, why are you living in a Western country? You choose not to see all the benefits of capitalism. Sure it isn't perfect by any means, but you exalt Communism to the extent that you see no faults, and want a glorious " worker's paradise" to take over. Such a takeover would require force, and would result in an unsustainable economy. The USSR failed because the Marxist drivel it was based on is inherently flawed. Do you seriously believe a communist military would have been better than a capitalist one? Do you really want to be dominated utterly by the State, with not even the freedom to post on blogs or sites like this, even if you had access to international internet? Are you truly happy for your neighbour to hold views contrary to those of the State without feeling the need to have them forcibly re-educated. I see problems with every system, but you see none, or excuse all the problems with Communism. The system I live under in Australia is far better than the " soft socialism" we nearly ended up with at our last election. Soft socialism hardens, becomes more invasive and restrictive. You might want Communism, but remember that for every true believer in the fairytale glorious revolution like you, there are thousands that you will have to oppress to impose your ideals, and don't keep kidding yourself that you would be serving some greater good. As I said before, Lenin's " Useful idiot" description comes to mind. To the leaders of Communist societies you will just be a number, as assuming you don't get purged as useful idiots often are.
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@greenbrickbox3392 Nope, just got bored. Nazism derived from Socialism. Deal with it. Oh, and Communism is every bit as bad as Nazism, given they derive from the same source, use the same methods, and exalt the State over personal freedoms.
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Well true, Leftists do like their comforts...paid for via our taxes, with a tremendous sense of entitlement.
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@vanhovemare Fair enough. 😁
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@MaxArturo Agree with you there. I tend to think thay most revolurions are started by "the people", or some subset of the population, but are co-opted by far-Left groups, in most cases. I am in favour of the institution of the British Monarchy, even if some members are not exactly my cup of tea. The EU, to me at least, represents the worst of Lefty globalism, as does the UN.
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