john gray websiteWhile we don't get enormous amounts of email one or two questions come up again and again - to save you the bother of asking them again here is our mail faq. Q. My teacher has asked us to write an essay on communism and I need to know what was so good about Soviet Russia/China/Cuba. A. Not much good asking us. We think the so-called communist countries were/are just as horrible as all the other unpleasant regimes that exist in every country on earth. The Russian bolsheviks originally called themselves social-democrats and when they started calling themselves communists it was only because they wanted to distinguish themselves from other kinds of social-democrats. After they were successful in obtaining power in Russia parties seeking political and economic power in other countries copied the name and some of the ideas. The result is that the word communism is identified with the activities of these regimes. Most of the people and groups whose writings appear on this site wanted something different and understood communism to mean something very different. Q. I see the word libertarian connected with the words socialism and communism. Libertarianism has nothing to do with either of them. I would like to debate this with you. A. Free market libertarianism is one of the most stupid and boring ideologies of the last thirty years. Go away. Q. I feel an irresistable urge to send you an email telling you that communism has never worked / could never work / is evil / wants to enslave the world / is unchristian / [add your own short alternative sermon here]. A. My goodness we didn't realise ! Our whole lives have been a terrible mistake and everything we have believed is completely wrong ! How could we have been so foolish ! Thank you - oh thank you ! You wish.
|