Fellow Commies

[Amby 490]

Oye, peejay...I thought you were on here long enough to have been in on the running joke. The real joke is the absurdity in how people make associations and misuse labels like 'commie liberal.' So if there's anyone you should be asking as to whether they understand the weight of such a label, you should ask those who throw it out there as being synonomous with liberalism or liberal ideology. I've been called a 'commie' enough times to claim it as my own now...and by making light of it, the joke is really on those who even use that term in their political vocabulary.

Funny you say that because I find people with left wing views tend to stereotype more than anyone else. These guys just so happen to be the same people who say they "think outside the box" and are "open to new ideas". When in reality we all know this is bull #######.

How many times have we seen someone with left wing views attack a conservative rather than actually discuss the issue. Keith Olbermann, for example, is an aficionado at this. Half his show is spent ridiculing others.

Who???

Keith Olberman has a show on MSNBC called Countdown

[Peikko 1,575]

So you meant this sarcastically also?

One of my Steven like uncles, to this day, swears by socialism and communism. Ironically he lived all of his life in a democratic country and has never been to a communist country.

• Steven like = not Steven but with like-minded views
• swears by socialism and communism = is a socialist communist (aka former soviet Union). Once again uncle and not Steven
• etc

Unless you guys want to debate socialism and communism.

Not particularly. You appear to think it's quite ok to use liberal, socialist and communist interchangably. If that's the case, your grasp on these ideological concepts is quite poor.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

So you meant this sarcastically also?

One of my Steven like uncles, to this day, swears by socialism and communism. Ironically he lived all of his life in a democratic country and has never been to a communist country.

• Steven like = not Steven but with like-minded views
• swears by socialism and communism = is a socialist communist (aka former soviet Union). Once again uncle and not Steven
• etc

Unless you guys want to debate socialism and communism.

You're priceless - if you're going to make defamatory statements at least stick by them (or apologise) If Steven has nothing to do with your uncle why compare them...

I'd rather not debate socialism and communism with someone who uses the labels interchangeably (along with Liberal). It would be a pointless exercise... Better to discuss the topic with someone who does actually know what they're talking about

[Heracles 417]

Not particularly. You appear to think it's quite ok to use liberal, socialist and communist interchangably. If that's the case, your grasp on these ideological concepts is quite poor.

Well not really. Socialism and communism can be coupled together. The Soviet Union was a Socialist Republic.

The term liberal was thrown in because a lot of American liberals, connotative definition of liberal, have quite strong Marxist views.

[Heracles 417]

You're priceless - if you're going to make defamatory statements at least stick by them (or apologise) If Steven has nothing to do with your uncle why compare them...

I'd rather not debate socialism and communism with someone who uses the labels interchangeably (along with Liberal). It would be a pointless exercise... Better to discuss the topic with someone who does actually know what they're talking about

One would assume that based on the first few posts of this thread, it was a joke and not a serious discussion on communism.

Hence the use of the words Steven like.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Not particularly. You appear to think it's quite ok to use liberal, socialist and communist interchangably. If that's the case, your grasp on these ideological concepts is quite poor.

Well not really. Socialism and communism can be coupled together. The Soviet Union was a Socialist Republic.

I wonder how many times you've bought something that turned out to be quite different than what the packaging and the label lead to you believe...

[HAL 9000 96]

Then there must be a huge population of people that have reading comprehension problems or even shorter attention spans. For their benefit, you may want to consider putting bolded disclaimers to highten the sarcastic effect. As has been recommended to you in the past for better clarification.

But usually... when an individual feels like the whole world is crazy its usually the other way around.

The OT section of VJ barely represents a fraction of VJ, let alone America or the world. So lets hold off on the world statements.

Obviously we have played this game before; with the posters some have now called the old VJ members. That is, you guys tell me what I meant. I guess whenever I do not make a detailed post, you guys feel you have the right to fill in the gaps yourself.

Yes, that is right- and I am not in the business of trying to categorize VJ numerically among OT or international representations- other than the VJ community being comprised of US and international members- but don't let reality get in the way of your point I suppose.

As for having gaps filled, it perhaps helps to make the necessary disclaimers, if you so feel singled out by the big bad members of the VJ elite. It is only a friendly suggestion to help your posts come across as you wish them to be intended and not as how others will falsely interpret them.

[Heracles 417]

I wonder how many times you've bought something that turned out to be quite different than what the packaging and the label lead to you believe...

I wonder how many times the same handful of posters have jumped on their own tangents and made something out of nothing to trigger a response from their like-minded buddies.

I also wonder how many times I have read one of these same posters, almost in a next in turn fashion, attacked a newer member who has conflicting views to their own.

[HAL 9000 96]

So you meant this sarcastically also?

One of my Steven like uncles, to this day, swears by socialism and communism. Ironically he lived all of his life in a democratic country and has never been to a communist country.

• Steven like = not Steven but with like-minded views
• swears by socialism and communism = is a socialist communist (aka former soviet Union). Once again uncle and not Steven
• etc

Unless you guys want to debate socialism and communism.

You're priceless - if you're going to make defamatory statements at least stick by them (or apologise) If Steven has nothing to do with your uncle why compare them...

I'd rather not debate socialism and communism with someone who uses the labels interchangeably (along with Liberal). It would be a pointless exercise... Better to discuss the topic with someone who does actually know what they're talking about

Steven like (grammatically accurate would be Steven-like) implies a simile. A simile is another way of making a parallel comparison. Hence, you call someone "like" and you are basically calling them that thing.

Now I feel like a freakin' teacher again. VJ sheesh.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

You're priceless - if you're going to make defamatory statements at least stick by them (or apologise) If Steven has nothing to do with your uncle why compare them...

I'd rather not debate socialism and communism with someone who uses the labels interchangeably (along with Liberal). It would be a pointless exercise... Better to discuss the topic with someone who does actually know what they're talking about

One would assume that based on the first few posts of this thread, it was a joke and not a serious discussion on communism.

Hence the use of the words Steven like.

One might reach a different conclusion from reading the post you quoted and your response to it.

Not so much a joke as a below the belt, opportunistic dig.

[HAL 9000 96]

Not particularly. You appear to think it's quite ok to use liberal, socialist and communist interchangably. If that's the case, your grasp on these ideological concepts is quite poor.

Well not really. Socialism and communism can be coupled together. The Soviet Union was a Socialist Republic.

The term liberal was thrown in because a lot of American liberals, connotative definition of liberal, have quite strong Marxist views.

The need for some actual proof and of course, clear definition of what Marxist views consist of, are in need here.

[Heracles 417]

Yes, that is right- and I am not in the business of trying to categorize VJ numerically among OT or international representations- other than the VJ community being comprised of US and international members- but don't let reality get in the way of your point I suppose.

As for having gaps filled, it perhaps helps to make the necessary disclaimers, if you so feel singled out by the big bad members of the VJ elite. It is only a friendly suggestion to help your posts come across as you wish them to be intended and not as how others will falsely interpret them.

I would have thought a disclaimer is a given being an immigration forum and all.

PS The OT section of VJ represents a small percentage of immigrants. On top of that, it represents a certain demographic of immigrants who are migrating to the US. Point being, that certain ethnicities are more likely to migrate to the US than other nations. Therefore we cannot state it represents the general international community.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

I wonder how many times you've bought something that turned out to be quite different than what the packaging and the label lead to you believe...

I wonder how many times the same handful of posters have jumped on their own tangents and made something out of nothing to trigger a response from their like-minded buddies.

I also wonder how many times I have read one of these same posters, almost in a next in turn fashion, attacked a newer member who has conflicting views to their own.

Nice turn of phrase - but what I wrote had nothing to do with me or you, and everything to do your association of communism and socialism on the basis of part of the USSR acronym.

[Heracles 417]

One might reach a different conclusion from reading the post you quoted and your response to it.

Not so much a joke as a below the belt, opportunistic dig.

Lets post the entire post first, as context is key.

I still find it fascinating people making jokes about something they were never a part of, and dont really know about.

It is always the case though.

One of my Steven like uncles, to this day, swears by socialism and communism. Ironically he lived all of his life in a democratic country and has never been to a communist country.

The post was responding to the quoted comment. As in, my uncle who tends to have a similar stance on various issues with Steven (which is what Ilya R's post was responding to) swears by communism. My uncle believes in socialism and communism. The post never implied that Steven believed in that.

Edited August 13, 2008 by Aficionado

[HAL 9000 96]

Yes, that is right- and I am not in the business of trying to categorize VJ numerically among OT or international representations- other than the VJ community being comprised of US and international members- but don't let reality get in the way of your point I suppose.

As for having gaps filled, it perhaps helps to make the necessary disclaimers, if you so feel singled out by the big bad members of the VJ elite. It is only a friendly suggestion to help your posts come across as you wish them to be intended and not as how others will falsely interpret them.

I would have thought a disclaimer is a given being an immigration forum and all.

PS The OT section of VJ represents a small percentage of immigrants. On top of that, it represents a certain demographic of immigrants who are migrating to the US. Point being, that certain ethnicities are more likely to migrate to the US than other nations. Therefore we cannot state it represents the general international community.

I am not stating it does. All I am saying it that is has membership from diverse backgrounds- domestic and international.