MY problem with communism: Can you pay your bills?

I've been trying to figure out why I was increasingly drawn to the anti-communist movement, but I think I've figured it out. I'd had a problem with blackface, whiteface, all the "-faces" since I was a kid. One summer in New York City, all the street performers were dressed as Disney princesses, Elmo, or Superman. I asked, "Why did they all look the same?" and my mom said, "The white and black people are trying to steal tips from the blackface and whiteface people who recently lost their jobs." And I thought that was wrong, because you can still wear a costume and be racially respectful. Then with Black Lives Matter, I was drifting more and more towards anti-communism, but I still wasn't sure what really put me off. I wondered if I had been anti-communist my whole life, if I "fit in" with these people. I watch a lot of these videos of communists getting caught off guard by questions, which I call "gotcha" videos. I'd watched dozens of them, but I never felt quite satisfied because the "gotchas" didn't mean much to me. I'd say, "You say you love communism, but you drive a car and don't live in the dorms, what hypocrisy!" And the response was always, "I don't want to live in a communist country, I want to *make* a communist country, and I'm under capitalism right now, so I have to put up with it." So I had to make a new "gotcha". This problem I'd finally figured out was why I couldn't support communism anymore, but in under 2 minutes, I could ask the question, and get the answer. But after years of watching "gotcha" videos, I really just wanted to hear the communist perspective. I wanted to show that I was fair-minded, I wasn't just trying to "gotcha" them. I didn't want to be too confrontational or accusatory, so I asked the exact same questions to libertarians. So I wrote a survey, I went out on campus, and I read it out word-for-word over and over again because I wanted to be fair. I talked to around 50 communists and 80 libertarians. That sounds like a lot, until I realized that was only 2 weeks of footage for the Dudes, and all I got out of it was 16 minutes worth of clips. So I did another 50 communists and another 50 libertarians. In this video, I put the libertarians first because I wanted to hear from them, I wanted to be fair, I wanted them to know that I was fair. And the Libertarians had great answers. I'm glad I did this. But then the communists... oh boy. I knew they would take a while, but this was problem problem with communism, out in the open. So here's the survey: 1. What is your political belief (writes down comment if needed). 2. Does communism currently exist in any country? 3. Without giving me a reason, can you give me a list of countries you would consider currently communist? 4. Did communism ever exist, excluding modern day? 5. Without giving me a reason, can you give me a list of countries you would consider formerly communist? 6. (To communists only) I keep hearing a lot of libertarians, capitalists, and conservatives say that "communism never existed," and I don't believe them. My understanding is that you want to create a new system, but they say that you are trying to recreate an old system. So I'm going to give you a choice: either you can list countries and dates of when communism existed, or you can explain why we can't use the past to understand the future. Please choose option 1, option 2, or both equally. 7. (To communists only) How would you rank the following countries from most to least communist: The United States, the United Kingdom, Poland, China, India, Russia, Bulgaria, Vietnam, Venezuela, Ukraine, Romania, Cuba, Nepal, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Thailand, Cambodia, Mongolia, Uganda, Laos, South Africa, North Korea, Kenya, Ethiopia, Ghana, Tanzania, Zambia, Tajikistan, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Senegal, Mali, Kosovo, Uzbekistan, Sierra Leone, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Serbia, Rwanda, Belarus, Myanmar, Pakistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), Armenia, Hungary, Gambia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mozambique, Liberia, Albania, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Georgia, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Papua New Guinea, Turkmenistan, Angola, Niger, Jamaica, Namibia, Lesotho, Benin, Botswana, Madagascar, Malawi, Guinea-Bissau, Nepal, Haiti, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Honduras, El Salvador, Iran, Turkey, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, Belize, Grenada, Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Kitts and Nevis. List any countries that you do not think should be on the list, and cross them out. 8. Can you name 5 countries you think are currently communist, and rank them from most to least communist? 9. (To communists only) Professional soccer players in the US have a minimum salary of 100k, but it's usually in the millions. If your friend gave you 1 million dollars, would you pay your bills first, or use it to make a new communist country? 10. (To communists only) So, in the future, what country do you want to turn into a communist country? 11. To Communists: What should we call communists who say communism has never existed, and communists who say it has? 12. Communism is *supposed to* create a classless, equal society... but it *actually* creates a class-based, authoritarian society. Do you think the discrepancy is due to humanity, or the idea itself? Please choose human mistake, communistic idea, both equally, or none of the above. 13. Communists: Are you ever embarrassed by the things communists have historically said, or do you have another reaction? 14. Communists: Are you ever embarrassed by the things communists have historically done, or do you have another reaction? 15. (To communists only) Can you name 5 countries you think were formerly communist, and rank them from most to least communist? 16. If you had the chance to go back in time and talk to a historical figure, who would it be? 17. Communists: Do you ever get weary of hearing arguments that you've heard and responded to a million times? 18. Communists: How do you respond to "Communism has always failed," and do you think it's a fair statement? 19. Communists: Do you get frustrated when people misunderstand what you believe? 20. Communists: Would you ever date, be friends with, or be in a business partnership with someone who isn't a communist? Please choose yes or no, and circle any additional comments. 21. Communists: Would it ever make sense for a communist to vote Republican in the US? 22. Communists: How do you feel about the Republican Party in the US? 23. Communists: How do you feel about the Democratic Party in the US? 24. Communists: How do you feel about Joe Biden? 25. Communists: How do you feel about Donald Trump? 26. Do you know of any prominent historical or modern capitalists who were also feminists? 27. Do you know of any prominent historical or modern communists who were also feminists? 28. (To communists only) Why do you think so few women are drawn to communism? 29. Communists: Are there more male or female communists in your experience? 30. Communists: Do you consider yourself a feminist? 31. Communists: Do you consider yourself a patriarch? 32. Communists: Are you familiar with the term "Hegelian dialectics"? Should I know what that means? 33. Communists: If someone was brought up in the Hegelian dialectic tradition, but then "got off the bean," do you think they'd hate communism more than someone who hated communism but wasn't brought up that way? 34. Communists: I keep hearing that communism is Equality of Opportunity, but I've also heard it's Equality of Outcome. Which do you think it is, or is neither correct? 35. Communists: I've heard the phrase "patriarchy is the first form of oppression," and I'm assuming that means whether or not patriarchy is the first form of oppression overall, it is certainly the first form of oppression that a baby discovers. What is the first form of oppression, if not patriarchy? 36. Communists: What is your favorite from communists who disagree with you? 37. Communists: What is your least favorite from communists who disagree with you

MY problem with communism: Can you pay your bills?

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