So, over the past year I have learnt so much about the amazing achievements these men (and the party they were the leaders of) did that I was never taught. I’ve ‘semi-intentionally’ deprogrammed myself of so much anti-communism bullshit while having to live with that most still in the West, based upon misinformation, view them as ‘evil, 100 quintillion deaths, dictator, psychopath where muh freedoms’.
The reason I am focusing on Stalin and Mao in particular in this post is, to be very open, due to a truth-seeking hyperfixation that I must satisfy so I can move on to the next topic of intense, dopamine chasing, obsession. Yeah I love being me. Anyway, propaganda, mythologising, exaggerating and misattributed blame brushed aside, what is left?
I am quite knowledgeable of, thanks to some high quality M-L documentaries, educational videos and podcast episodes, the more obvious wrongdoings such as the Great Leap Forward killing of pests worsening the famine, purges of comrades who were legitimately innocent, re-criminalising homosexuality, support of Khmer Rouge and ethnic deportations to name a few.
I wouldn’t mind hearing more obscure examples, or a deeper analysis of the mistakes and unjustifiable actions I am already aware of. And as much as a few good book recommendations probably would give me the answers I crave, I am lowkey illiterate with long-form reading thanks to my ADHD (still waiting on meds after being diagnosed 8 months ago).
No, you aren’t, because that’s not what I was doing. That was the point of my reply: you are the only one bringing up morality. I did no such thing. I didn’t say any of my objections were based in morality; that was an assumption you made.
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None of that is inherently moralizing language.
A justification is a rationalization; a reasoning for doing something.
“Bad” can be a description of quality. A bad policy can be an ineffectual or counter-productive one, not simply one which is morally wrong.
An excuse is just a flimsy justification for something that failed. No moral quantifying is necessary when using this word.
“Know better”, like bad, does not automatically infer morality.
To repeat myself: I did not make any moral assessments. You assumed I did and are doubling down because you don’t seem to understand how these words are used.
Is English your first language?
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