The Most Significant Problem

[sparks]

It's more of a really basic (or "general") question that's so broad no one even wants to get into it.

Communism in its Soviet incarnation became a veil for pure authoritarianism. It was the quasi-religious opiate of the Soviet people, but it wasn't an ideal respected by the administration, so it became no more than a facade: the death penalty was re-instated (and effectively used even when proscribed), the peasants were abused to no end, and the workers were appreciated for their products and little else. Meanwhile scientists, philosophers, poets, homosexuals, and (at times) Jews were sent to the Gulag and likely death.

Communism was supposed to be the dictatorship of the proletariat: when the people were "ready" for true communism they would rule themselves wisely and efficiently. The people were not ready, and they believed this without question, which introduced the necessary element of (again) quasi-religious guilt that is so essential in tying a people to its faith. The "readiness" of the people was determined by the Premier, who in the worst and most memorable years of the Soviet Republic was Josef Stalin, a man with few classical scruples and a capacity for immense cruelty. The people would soon be ready for true communism, he would say, but for now they need a guiding hand! And there you have the dictator, the cult of personality, and the directed education, fawning masses, et cetera.

Were you really asking a question, or just trying to redirect the topic?

[j$]

DNFTT

[sparks]

What was that, some kind of acronymical sneeze?

[j$]

DNFTT

j$

[sparks]

So you felt too stupid actually saying it, so...

Really, though, what's the harm? We don't have anything better to do than babble. And for all I know it was an honest question.

[bz£]

I would like to change my vote because I now believe that the most significant problem is when people make fun of opera. Thank you to Mister D.T. for bringing this situation to my attention.

[j$]

And for all I know it was an honest question.

Isn't it a basic idea in communism to eliminate poverty by flattening pay and social structure? Why doesn't that work? (This question is trolling)

(My italics to highlight relevant part)

How about reading posts before commenting on them as if you have? Sheesh. You're not doing yourself any favours.

[sparks]

When someone actually -asks- a question, and then says "And yes, this question is trolling" that is usually interpreted as a facetious comment. In this case, it might've been meant as an example of what trolling is (though really more of your everyday "stupid question" than a bona-fide troll), but that wasn't how I took it. We were just discussing the basis of poverty, after all.


Seriously, what's so fucking awful about taking up a pointless discussion? Would we rather sit here bitching back and forth about what is and isn't "trolling", and how terrible it probably is? Well, yeah, apparently.

And am I the only one who's sick of the word all together? Just like I'm sick of reading posts that end with "FLAME AWAY LOL!". Man, I just can't get enough of those troll jokes! Don't feed them, lolol!

Flame away!! lol