| Re: stop!
Apr 1 2005 on content Champions |
I'm forced to wonder why the Soviet-related imagery isn't met with this sort of reaction.
..then again, perhaps I'm the only Linux user that doesn't consider Communism to be a bad idea.
...just sayin' |
|  | | Re: elvis?
Feb 5 2004 on content Light My Fire |
Not Elvis, 'twas the Doors. :)
To the artist: very nice work, very minimalist with a mod flair. |
| | | My, my, my...
Jan 22 2004 on content Stalin Kommunist |
This has (and will continue to be, I'm sure) a most entertaining read.
Steels, you have my respect for not being afraid to throw a proverbial Monkey Wrench into the machine. People need a good shock every now and then. Uncomfortable and extreme images are good for us, people need to be reminded of what a diverse (and oftentimes terrifying) experience reality is.
Now, on to the second reason for my post. I've noticed a lot of people are commenting on Communism, citing the sad fate of several Communist countries, and I must say I'm surprised that no one has pointed this out yet... I didn't think it was a secret. Ah well, here goes. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but none of those nations were Communist. old, China, USSR, Cuba, Vietnam (post-war), etc, are often mistaken for Communist nations, but they're not. They're Socialist. Stalin was a Socialist as well. It's what the S in USSR stands for. In fact, there has never been a truly Communist nation. Ever.
Socialism, you see, is the "transition" to full-blown Communism... hence the presence of a totalitarian monarchy. The monarch is intended to 'supervise' and 'remove' all unhealthy, greedy Capitalist sentiments from the people. Greed will cause a Communistic society to collapse, and it's also the reason that no one's ever made it past Socialism.
A notable few of these monarchs have been a bit over-zealous in their "Re-Education" process.
That said, Stalin (among others) did many, many terrible things. I don't condone his actions, and neither should any intelligent person.
As to whether Linux is Communistic or not... it's true, several distributions are sold for a hefty profit. Most of those distributions contain commercial, closed-source software (NVidia drivers and such)... it's hard to judge Linux in and of itself. Open Source software in general, on the other hand, does follow a lot of the same ideas as are presented in the Communist Manifesto. Let's not forget that "Communism" derives from "Community," or, more specifically "Commune."
The prefix 'com' transletes from Latin as 'together.'
'Mune,' the suffix, comes directly from the Latin 'munus,' which is literally a gift of obligation given by a citizen. A tribute.
So commune means "Giving Together" ... sounds like Open-Source to me.
Of course, all this is just semantics. We could argue about software politics all day. I'm not a Communist, but I know what one is, Stalin was not one, and Open Source software may very well be. What's wrong with that? That concludes this lecture.
As for the religious clash... this is abhorrent to my sensibilities. Faith is one of the most important things we as humans possess... what one chooses to place said faith in is a completely personal decision and one only that individual can make. I don't hate religion, religion is necessary for many, many people, myself included. Organized religion has its place as well, though it doesn't really appeal to me. I can't criticize anyone for having faith.
I don't think I was subjected to the "flood" of Christian iconography that was mentioned earlier in this thread... "Let's annoy them until they convert. That's a reliable method, and not dishonest at all!" As tolerant as I am, I've never understood the need to sell salvation to the masses like so many bars of soap. I do much better seeking salvation myself.
Wow. Sorry for the long post. We've touched on some of my favourite subjects here. :)
Someone mention Quantum Mechanics, Relativity, or any of the potential Unified Field Theories and I'll happily post another novel. :) |
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