#231 The spinosaur has apparently been tossed as a possible character for a long time -- you can play as the spino in the PS game "Warpath: Jurassic Park" (From: 'Mad Hatter') Prev - Next
CHINAFAIL
Msg #2: On 10/11/2011 at 11:21:27 AM, Ostromite replied, saying: I watched a documentary about North Korea that reminds me of this, but I can't remember the name now. Replies: 3, 4
Msg #3: On 10/11/2011 at 4:44:14 PM, Trainwreck replied to Msg #2, saying: Was I that National Geographic documentary? Regardless, I recall hearing about the North Koreans building a city near the border in attempt to show the South Koreans and the world how awesome they are.
Communism FTL. :-(
Msg #4: On 10/11/2011 at 10:19:57 PM, QuickComment replied to Msg #2, saying: Was it "Inside North Korea"?
Msg #5: On 10/11/2011 at 10:59:08 PM, Ostromite replied, saying: I'm hesitant to call North Korea a communist government. Their class structure is even more highly polarized and rigid than before the supposedly socialist revolution, and they literally worship their leader as a sun god. Communism has a lot of problems in practice, but North Korea's biggest problems are the result of two insane, monstrous despots.
I get the distinct feeling from North Korea that it's exactly what would happen to any autocracy if the crown was passed down to a maladjusted, sexless geek with Asperger's Syndrome and power issues. I genuinely get creeped out when I read about the battleships with no fuel floating in the China Sea and the empty cities made of concrete facades with no interiors. It's nightmarish in the most surreal sense of the word. Replies: 6
Msg #6: On 10/12/2011 at 11:12:51 PM, QuickComment replied to Msg #5, saying: That's the problem with entertaining Communism. Every regime that is guided by the philosophy is dismissed as being a flawed interpretation when it fails, leaving the Socialist Workers Paradise as a shillable dream. Ironically (or not) given the thread subject, I had a Modern East Asian history teacher who used to be a diplomatic officer for the USSR who used to preach that sort of stuff. Replies: 8
Msg #7: On 10/13/2011 at 12:02:11 AM, Ostromite replied, saying: I don't know how much of that was directed at my comments specifically, but if they were, you're way off base. I know people try to rationalize the legitimacy of communism as a political structure by doing precisely what you said, but my point is that the Kim regime isn't even communist in the first place. Aside from vague political associations with China and the USSR and some propaganda imagery, the Kim regime is, by any real measure, just a medieval monarchy, branded as "communism" for political marketing purposes only.
Msg #8: On 10/13/2011 at 12:11:25 AM, Trainwreck replied to Msg #6, saying: I think you're kind of splitting hairs. Extreme dictatorial control, if not always outright autocracy, is required in any communist regime if it is to be anywhere near a state of functionality. Marx himself knew this and wrote about it.
QC, it's honestly surprising to me that your teacher would still advocate communism, given his background. I understand he was a diplomatic officer, but nearly every immigrant or refugee from a communist nation I've ever met is a staunch advocate of democracy, free markets, and holds a searing hatred for anything resembling socialism.
Hell, I even have a Russian-American on my crew who, despite being a real smart and all-around good guy, places a frightening level of trust in the American government. What an amazing time in which we live...giving top secret clearances to Russian immigrants.
Msg #9: On 10/13/2011 at 12:40:46 AM, Ostromite replied, saying: Hey now, there's a big difference between communism and socialism. If communist refugees hated anything resembling socialism, I doubt they'd be flocking to Canada, Europe, and the U.S., where socialist programs abound. Replies: 10
Msg #10: On 10/13/2011 at 1:04:49 PM, Trainwreck replied to Msg #9, saying: Eh, I'm just using my own anecdotal evidence here, so it shouldn't be taken too seriously. And they're not so much against things like free healhcare as they are anything that they perceive to be moving them closer to those who've oppressed or failed them (which can include free healthcare or not, depending on the person).
Really though, I've met in the last couple years a lot of Vietnamese refugees along with Bulgarian and Russian immigrants. I can't talk to them enough...their experiences fascinate me to no end.
