Karl Marx, who WAS a Russian
Umm . . . Emily? . . . He was PRussian.
Oh. Nevermind.
Posted on 04/25/2007 12:43:39 PM PDT by pabianice
In response to Mr. Cadorette in the "No More Marxists" section of the Winter 2007 publication, I cannot help but to disagree. The first thing that Mr. Cadorette has to understand is the his personal definition of Marxism is very far from the actual meaning. First of all, Marxism is NOT the same as the Socialism exhibited by the USSR. The economic system attempted by the Soviets after the Bolchevik Revolution of 1914 was not so much Marxism (although it was Karl Marx, who WAS a Russian who is the father of Marxism) as it was Socialism. Furthermore, what the Soviets paraded around as socialism, was really just a form of frustrated capitalism, or in other words, a state capitalism. Joseph Stalin and his actions against his people in the USSR were a result of Stalin's own thirst for power and control, not the "leftist" school of thought called Marxism, or the much more accurate title of State Capitalism for that matter.
"The only places Marxism is relevant is in the rarefied air of academia and the dictatorships where human rights don't matter." Mr. Cadorette, this statement is as ignorant as your analogies. Marxism is a form of Socialism, which stresses that the work performed by people is to be equally compensated back to the worker. For instance, a worker produces 10 dollars worth of a particular commodity; that same worker receives 10 dollars for his work. This is to say that Marxism preaches the equality between all members of a society (which cannot be said for capitalism). How many people in our own capitalist society just sit around in a boardroom making millions of dollars, while workers are continually getting laid off in efforts to cut costs, and subsequently, increase profits. This system is unfair to the worker.
Furthermore, your remark of Marxism and dictatorships is an oxymoron. The very first idea that Marxism teaches is that there is only one class of person in a Marxist society, the worker. It is the worker who produces the commodity, it is the worker who determines how much to produce, it is the worker who dictates what its value is. There is no dictator or prime minister in a Marxist society. At worst (as in Stalin's state capitalism), it is a worker vanguard who takes the place of the dictator or prime minister. This means one of two things: either your definition of Marxism is wrong or that whatever dictatorship your referring to was wrongly labeled Marxism.. both choices seem very plausible.
Furthermore, exposure to different ideas and beliefs is certainly what makes college fun and interesting, but more importantly, different ideas and beliefs are what broadens our knowledge, and makes college what it is. Your assumption that Marxism is harmful is harmful in and of itself. I feel the only reason you feel Marxism is harmful is because you know only as much as the mass media is willing to tell you.
Again, I want to stress that Marxism is not a murderer, it is not the failed ideology of some Soviet madman. It is not a dictatorship with no regard to human rights, it is NOT like hiring a gardener to work at a parking garage. Marxism is an alternative perspective when trying to understand how modern societies work. Not to mention, your darling Capitalism has even adopted certain Socialist systems to make up for it's own shortcomings. Therefore, I think it is more important than ever before that more schools and more people study and understand the different schools of thought, whether it be the age old debate between capitalism and socialism, or the debate between evolution and creationism.
I applaud the UMass Amherst economics department for supporting the expansion of knowledge rather than trying to eliminate it. College is about being open- minded and experiencing things you've never experienced before. It's about learning new ideas that you would have never known about otherwise, as well as meeting people from around the world who may and will change your outlook on life and the world in general. Richard Lee ’07 Easton, MA
I’d wager that Dick Lee, ‘07, couldn’t find his ass with both hands.
Just more “the soviets just didn’t do it right” blather.
Why would his secret police have gone through the trouble of killing all those Menshevik Socialists if the Bolsheviks were Socialist?
Karl Marx, who WAS a Russian
Umm . . . Emily? . . . He was PRussian.
Oh. Nevermind.
What a hoot!
[And he thinks Karl Marx was a Russian!]
I’d also be willing to bet Mr Marxist has never lived among Marxists.
The Soviets were capitalists!! LOL! That’s ok, Dickie, we all know UM-Amherst is in a mind of its own.
Bingo
Marx WAS German, not Russian, and Marxism WAS installed in Russia after the Revolution...but was quickly modified because Marxism turned out to be idiodic. The lesson to be learned is that Marxism will ALWAYS become Stalinism, just by human nature alone.
I don’t know which is worse...his knowledge of history or his grammar.
Ping for later.
ROFLMAO!! There are so many howlers in that rant...... where to begin. This clown is so completely ignorant of history, economics, philosophy, human nature..... most laughably, he knows nothing of actual Marxist texts and movements, just a few worthless catch-phrases. Pitiful.
Karl Marx, who WAS a Russian
I would expect a Marxist to at least get the facts of his own ideology straight. LOL.
jack Bauer would just whack him!
“The only places Marxism is relevant is in the rarefied air of academia and the dictatorships where human rights don’t matter.” Mr. Cadorette, this statement is as ignorant as your analogies
Huh. Guess I must be as ignorant as “Mr. Cadorette” because I agree with his quote above completely.
College senior who can’t spell “Bolshevik”, even though he is one. Great publicity for the school. I’ll bet this guy has been in college for at least 8 years.
Richard Lee ‘07: please go back to school. Karl Marx was a German. If you can’t get that fact right, everything you say is suspect.
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