My friend who's a dyed-in-the-wool capitalist is now suddenly a Marxist.

For the past three years, we've been friends. He was an adamant capitalist who consistently mocked the notion of communism when the subject was brought up. His perspective shifted, however, after a recent renovation project at a house he owned. There, he had his first encounter with a true Marxist.<br><br>This individual, he claimed, was the archetypal Marxist: pale and wiry, with sharp features and the gaze of a zealot. He engaged my friend in lengthy discussions about the social contract, the failures of capitalism, and the revolutionary potential of the proletariat. My friend next thing i knew he was obsessed with Marx and all things communist.<br><br>I asked him if had read Marx, and he said that he'd watched "Marx for Beginners" on YouTube and "Communism 101" on Netflix. I asked him what he thought about the documentaries. He said he'd always been interested in history, but never thought much of communism. The documentaries gave him a deeper understanding of the theory behind it.<br><br>I then asked him what he thought of the application of communism in history. He said that he'd always been skeptical of the idea, but after seeing the documentaries, he felt like he had a better grasp of it. He thought that the theory was good, but the application had been poor. He said that a lot of the communist regimes throughout history had been authoritarian and violent.<br><br>I then asked him if he thought that modern communist countries like China, Cuba, North Korea, Venezuela, etc. are authoritarian and violent. He said he didn't think China was really a communist country. He said that China was capitalist. I asked him why and he said that the government owned all the means of production. I was confused as to how this was capitalistic. He didn't really answer my question he just said that China was really bad for the environment and exploited the workers.<br><br>At this point in the conversation, he said that we should grab a bite to eat. He insisted that we go to a Pret a Manger or a Starbucks. I was confused as to why he would advocate to go to a couple of the most capitalistic and corporate businesses. He said he liked the food and didn't see the point of supporting small businesses. I asked him what he would think if all the small businesses disappeared and all that was left was big corporate businesses. He didn't really have an answer to that. <br><br>I then asked him if he thought it would be wrong to have a system like that. He said it was a bit of a double standard, but that didn't stop him from going. I asked him what he thought about the workers who worked in the Starbucks and Prets. He said he felt bad for them but that it was a necessary evil.<br><br>I have no idea what goes on in the head of my friend.