(05-14-2020, 07:34 PM)Last42min Wrote:

(05-14-2020, 05:59 PM)TJBender Wrote: Ok, let me rephrase for those who need it spelled out explicitly:

If your socialist government is in place only because a military machine is required to keep it there by way of intimidating citizens into never engaging in any legitimate activity that threatens to remove it (like voting or speaking openly against it), then your government is no longer socialist. In a socialist government, there is still choice, and the military exists primarily for dealing with foreign threats. In a communist government (leaning on my own education here, haven't watched Last42min's video yet), the key function of the military is to serve as a tool of intimidation used to ensure that the ruling party never leaves power.

Just so you know, I understood what you were trying to say. My point was addressed at the theory of communism, not necessarily the perspective you were coming from, which is outside looking in. Truth be told, I think socialism could work if you were able to solve certain aspects of human behavior first, such as corruption, greed, and sloth. These topics aren't addressed, because we have no solution for them. Capitalism can correct for some of these behaviors, but not in it's current form where big corporations have merged with the power of the government. In this regard, I am sympathetic to the progressive cause.