Leaning Lexicons: Dictionaries call Castro a "leader" and Stalin a "statesman"

opinionjournal.com ^ | 7/5/02 | Sidney Goldberg

[GeneD]

It seems like only yesterday that Fidel Castro was denouncing the running dogs of capitalism. In fact, it was only yesterday. This time, though, the object of his scorn was . . . Russia!

In a speech published last week in the Cuban (communist) newspaper, Castro declared that Russia had "betrayed Cuba" by ending its trade agreements a few years ago--those cushy deals that helped keep the island afloat. Russia's betrayal, moreover, "was the fruit of its errors and the painful way in which it lost the ideological battle against the western capitalist and imperialist bourgeoisie, under the standard of the United States."

[RANGERAIRBORNE]

It's not just "a brief line in a dictionary"- I heard CNN this morning refer to Castro as "the Cuban leader"- not the words I would have used, but apparently very PC these days.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

A. Hitler, German politician who pioneered novel and controversial anthropological theories.

[Tourist Guy]

My son did a short research paper on Joseph Stalin (his last name was not Stalin his comrades called him that -- stalin (pronounced sta-leen) is Russian for "steel").
I have WWII history book set of 3 printed in the fall of 1945. Called Stalin one of history's most renowned leaders for moving Russia into the industrial age (history has taught us better about "Uncle Joe.")
Some of the on-line homework sights glazed over the fact he was responsible for 30 million deaths (give or take several million)...

I made sure he dug a little deeper and got the true prospective on that monster. I even learned something new about him, that he was in College to be a minister and was given the boot for promoting the work of Marx. He escaped from Siberian work camps seven times....

[headsonpikes]

I like the 'Stalin as Statesman' theme.

It brings back memories of the Soviet-printed 'Collected Works' found in Left book-stores in the '60s.

Don't forget, 'Being Left means never having to say you're sorry.'

[john in missouri]

...the painful way in which it lost the ideological battle against the western capitalist and imperialist bourgeoisie, under the standard of the United States."

This is by far the most important line in this article.

We will not win the current battle against Islamism until we win it ideologically. It can't be stated too often or too strongly that anyone who deliberately murders innocent men, women and children is an utter abomination to Allah, who is merciful and compassionate, and such a person will burn in the fires of hell forever.

[Nick Danger]

It is an interesting exercise to look up the following two people in Microsoft's Encarta:

• Andrea Dworkin
• Abraham Lincoln

If you were a kid who didn't know any better, which would you think was the more significant historical figure?