this post was submitted on 20 Aug 2023
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That’s somewhat either/or thinking when the emergent ideal is capitalism held in check by sane and compassionate social policies. You could call some of the latter socialistic if you want. But where in the world is Communism providing anyone a relevant alternative to the “decay” of capitalism? Capitalism is in its energetic teenage years still, in Asia, if you’ve noticed.
China has only moved away from a state-run economy in the last 50 years, resulting in its current, larger and much more dynamic economy. It’s probably the world’s best current example of a country abandoning communism for capitalism, and reaping the benefits. There is wealth inequality, but fewer people are starving. All they’re keeping from their former regime is centralized single party political control.
Under economic Communism they proved over and over that a central government can’t command a entire set of industries and markets better than they can run themselves. People starved in the tens of millions finding this out. An uptick in suicide rates is nothing by comparison.
No, what they proved is it's hard as fuck to go from zero industry to the most industry when most of the world's wealthy want you to fail. Famine was and is a real societal threat and we forget that it happened regularly not that long ago.
There’s no way I’m going to let you characterize the Great Leap Forward as “famine happens.” That is absolutely criminal apologism.