Prager U - Why Isn't Communism as Hated as Nazism?

[TGHusker]

I figured the topic would generate some conversation. I've never heard Prager on the radio - nor do I plan to - I just find his videos a good focal point to begin a conversation - many different topics - if there was similar videos from the other political spectrum, I would love to see those for conversational starters.

 

Regarding the topic, I think part of the reason Nazism curls the blood more in the USA is due to the scope of WW2. That war affected our parents and grandparents and indirectly the generation that followed. While the loss of American soldier lives in Vietnam and Korea are horrific (not to mention the lost of all lives regardless of country), the loss of American lives in WW2 had an immediate impact on America - altered large cross segments of the population. A much higher % of Americans were sent off to war than in Korea or Vietnam. The war also altered the lives of civilians in a much greater way - Rosie the Riveter replaced Jack in the factory, shortages of everything was experienced by many and most citizens felt directly threatened by the Axis power & its potential surround the USA with enemies on all sides. Korea and Vietnam were conflicts over there. Yes against the threat of communism but they were stepping stone conflicts. Vietnam War, will creating strife and political chaos in the USA, was not a direct threat to the common American who carried on their lives. Unless you were a soldier or had a friend or family member go over to Vietnam (I had an uncle injured - lost an eye as an infantry man, and other uncle - B-52 electronics eng - had to bail out into the Pacific near Guam but survived - old B-52 malfunction) your life wasn't drastically altered. No scrap drives, rubber drives, lights off at night as in WW 2. For several decades, until Ronald Reagan, we had the MAD policy - basically it forced a 'get along or else' between US and Soviets and the skirmishes were proxy wars here and then. Outside of the Cuban Missile Crisis, the average citizen did not feel immediately threatened. Yes, there was always the uneasy feeling of nuclear war in the back of our minds (maybe how the younger generation feels about terrorist threats now - could it happen here or when I travel to Europe) but there were few times when we felt directly threatened. WW2 was otherwise.

As Prager notes in the video - both philosophies are evil, however, I believe one has gotten deeper into the American physic both through the real life experience and via all of the movies in the 50s and 60s. I think Prager overlooks this part of it. I think he plays a bit too heavy on the left here in America as feeling a 'kinship' (my word) to communism. However, he fails to note that even left leaning journalists & professors in left leaning media and education are still Americans. This is a part of the divide that too often is reinforced by identity politics which happens on both ends of the spectrum.

[Fru]

 

 

 

 

The answer to the query posed is fairly simple really. For a couple decades or more, the public education system and much of mass media has deliberately misinformed and covered up much of the horror upon humanity that communism and socialism wrought upon literally billions of people throughout history and continues to this day. As much of the left in this country wants to promote much of the underlying tenets of the socialism/communism generally. It would be hard to 'sell' your agenda to an informed citizenry if they were aware of the very ills and malignancy that results from those very policies.

 

Socialism, by its very nature, acts upon the spirit of the individuals to dampen the enthusiasm and depress the work ethic and the individual's self worth and of course it is anathema to religion generally and particularly the fundamental values of Christianity in particular. In essence, communism is coerced socialism and fascism is like the half brother to communism and to the average citizen (the proletariat - the non ruling class). Both socialism/communism and fascism are polar extremes at opposite ends of the political sphere of social and political structures for governance while democracy and representative republic forms would lie on the equator.

 

Hitler was the supreme leader of Germany's "National Socialist Party" and was about as evil as any human being has ever been but he certainly was not alone. Stalin killed many MILLIONS (probably more than Hitler) and of course Mao, Khan, numerous monarchs and wruthless dictators throughout human history have done similar in their times. Mankind's inhumanity to mankind has no limits frankly. North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela, North Vietnam, Laos, and the list could go on and on - all have butchered, starved, gassed, slaughtered, banished into oblivion, so many millions one can't count them all. There are brutal murderous thugs killing by the hundreds of thousand around the world today although it is rarely reported on by the media that has tunnel vision, choosing to focus on that Dr. Evil, V. Putin of Russia. He's certainly no good but his reign of terror pales in comparison to the attrocities and crimes against humanity in Iran, Syria, Somalia, Nigeria, Haiti (Pappa Doc was pure evil as well but most haven't heard of him and he is a modern day Prince Vlad the Impaler type). The Romans were brutal. The Greeks, Egyptian Pharoahs, etc etc etc. Most of the slaves which were brought to America 350 years ago were 'sold' by fellow black Africans who themselves carried out their own genocides. So much of this history is either forgotten or ignored by the educational system today. Again, in my opinion, such ignorance is purposeful and dangerous as history repeats itself when the people know not what follows when people are denied their individual human rights.

I disagree.

I surmise you often disagree for the sake of debate.

While 84's point that the US educational system often overlooks Stalinism and his mass killings simplifying it instead to "Communism is bad, and America one"; his ravings are often incoherent, uninformed, and reek of new age neo conservative propoganda.

In the p&r forum. I've actually been enjoying his football posts lately XD

 

 

Any updates on Tanner Lee's bionic legs?

[Landlord]

Nazism directly represents and correlates to evil and genocide. Communism represents an economic and sociological philosophy that has been used in perverted ways by bad people before. They're not all that similar.

[zoogs]

It's interesting that he asks this, given that the US has engaged in a decades-long prop campaign of its own against communism. Communism has a pretty bad rap here, to put it lightly. We're a country that uses the term and anything close to it as an insult, and ideas that aren't diametrically opposed to it are much likelier to be politically unviable.

 

Why doesn't anything compare to how we view Nazism? ... should be obvious, shouldn't it?

[TGHusker]

Nazism directly represents and correlates to evil and genocide. Communism represents an economic and sociological philosophy that has been used in perverted ways by bad people before. They're not all that similar.

good point

[Making Chimichangas]

So some people actually think Jesus' disciples were worse than Hitler?

 

Worse yet, some people think jesus was a real person and actually existed. #Stupid

[funhusker]

 

So some people actually think Jesus' disciples were worse than Hitler?

 

Worse yet, some people think jesus was a real person and actually existed. #Stupid

 

But Jesus' disciples were real and actually existed (even if you think Jesus didn't) #stupid I understand the lack of evidence to prove Jesus was a real person, but Peter, James, and others were real people. Someone started the Church....

 

Seriously, you need to slow down on the "attack mode".

[Landlord]

People thinking there was a historical Jesus from Nazareth is definitely worse. Bad, bad stuff there.