EVERYONE lies, distorts, exaggerates, especially AUTHORITARIAN LEADERS. (Who’s going to stop them? At least in democracy you can vote them out). If you think the USSR and its leaders didn’t do that you live in a fantasy world.

And I will put my trust in where experts can speak freely, while recognising their bias. Not a country that silences every dissent because it’s going to disrupt security.

The secret speech was an indictment by the very same leaders of USSR of the terror and paranoia Stalin created in Soviet Russia. They understood the ramifications of it and hated what he had done to the nation.

Oh and the facts about the purges and gulags were corroborated by historians who got access to the Soviet archives in the 90s. So unless the soviets were secretly forging millions of documents to further their enemies’ agenda, the call is coming from inside the house.

No dude, Stalin was a facist at heart and only used communism to further his agenda. He killed anyone who he felt threatened his power and with paranoia. Idk where you get the idea that he was trying to reign in the purges. He wasn’t. Doctor’s Plot, the red purge, holodomor, his hatred of Jews, there’s way too much. Everyone was happy to see him gone, at least secretly (refer to the secret speech). He had terrorised all of USSR.

While the politburo did sign off on the purges (never said they weren’t complicit) it was NOT a democratic process. You need representation of voters there.

Stalin’s purges must have been an educational tool as well then.

People have a fond outlook of what the USSR was like. They neglect to see that they were an authoritarian society with a single party in charge which was willing to do anything to remain in power.

Gulags were horrible places on all accounts.

That wasn’t real communism. Just an ideal hijacked by meglomaniacs.

Yeah that’s true, but we have to hold these people accountable without resorting to fascism and violence somehow.

Something to get the blood pumping. I am waiting for when the niche communities come alive.

Dunno what to say man. Take it up with reddit I guess.

It was repeated offense. I had got warnings before for insulating people’s limited brain power before.

Platform. I appealed but they weren’t having it. Reddit doesn’t like people causing others of being nazi and colonial fucks.

In one comment I called spez a nazi fuck. He removed that too.

Dude was talking about how the Brits were actually really good for their colonies (how they brought culture and infrastructure there) and how the bengal famine was actually because of the locals themselves.

London was apparently a benevolent european power.

But yeah, he’s gotta point. Why don’t central banks loose money like this? Is it because their cash isn’t in a Blockchain?

Got banned for telling a colonial apologist and nazi to fuck off.

See that’s the intersting bit. They still let you browse even if you are banned. They won’t let an ad watching product go to waste.

Dude, you are completely ignoring my comment. Lol.

Dunno, but US isn’t the only country.

Switzerland definitely continues to be a haven’t forgotten most illearned wealth from all over the world.

Some systems don’t have hard requirements, but instead have selective systems that result in those higher qualified getting further along.

Xi Jinping has a PhD in Marxism, and a degree in chemical engineering, for example. He had to work his way upward, because the system of governance in China begins from local council elections, who then send elected delegates to higher councils, and these councils elect delegates for higher councils than this. Systems that begin at the local level and fully integrate the selection process tend to place higher value on competency.

You don’t actually say why him having a Phd and a degree in chemical engineering helps his chances of being selected for higher position. It is only implied that he started at the local level and hence was elected to higher office.

I am not saying it doesn’t, I’d like to know if that is the case.

Systems that begin at the local level and fully integrate the selection process tend to place higher value on competency.

And you follow it up with this. Which I don’t think is true. At least depending on your definition of “competency”.

Someone on lemmy said that media should be the 4th pillar of democracy. I agree. It should be enshrined in the constitution and be funded and run as an institution that’s independent of the government.

Basically the government should fund it, but shouldn’t be allowed to control it at all.

Systems that begin at the local level and fully integrate the selection process tend to place higher value on competency.

Just because the system begins at a local level does not mean that it selects for someone with higher competency.

At least if your definition of competency is a skilled leader that wants to do what’s right for the country.

Xi is competent through a certain lens, but even maduro was competent through a certain lens.

Which competency are we talking about? One that allows you to climb the party ladder or one that allows you to be a better leader for the nation. The two aren’t mutually inclusive, and require different qualities and skills.

It wasn’t a false hope. Things genuinely got better for a lot of people all over the world.

Baffling is the new normal. I didn’t believe that the world would spiral into a cyberpunk dystopia.

Life used to be so optimistic. I know there were issues in the aughties and nineties, but God damn, we were so hopeful of the future.

This is the founder of andruil. He has suggested roofying women with oxytocin to make them better wives. He is exactly the kind of person to believe that having war dogs is “cool” and “awesome!”.