[Stratos]

Originally posted by LennonCook: quote: Originally posted by Stratos: quote: Originally posted by LennonCook: quote: Originally posted by Stratos: Communist states have always been very keen on presenting themselves as better people than those who live in capitalist states,[...] I guess the NK government don't think that long hair gives the "proper" look for a "superior" communist North Korean.

Originally posted by Sir Degrader: Damn commies, taking away the right to long hair. Where's MacArthur when you need him?

To be further left than you appreciate is not necesarily to be communist. North Korea is Socialist last I checked, and that is a big difference. [/QUOTE]Was this an answer to my post or Sir Degrader's? [img]graemlins/1ponder.gif[/img] [/QUOTE]Both. You both called NK 'communist', which they are not.

I would regard North Korea as Communist as far as the name goes. How well they follow, say, Marx' teachings in another question altogether. Not too much, I'd guess.

But you forget that while many socialist teachings exist, others can emerge and still be considered socialist (or communist, if they go that far). There isn't a limited number of doctrines, just as Bush's capitalism is slightly different from John Howard's capitalism, which is different again from Pauline Hanson's policies.

And finally, last time I checked, Communism was a form of Socialism.

Only insomuch as facism is a byproduct of capitalism. Communism is a fair bit further to the left. [/QUOTE]Communism and Socialism
Much confusion surrounds the words "communism" and "socialism", particularly in the United States. In terms of ideology and politics, communism is a sub-category of socialism. Communist ideology is a specific branch of socialist ideology and the communist movement is a specific branch of the larger socialist movement. A person who calls himself or herself a "communist" is a certain kind of socialist; in other words, all communists are socialists but not all socialists are communists. In terms of socio-economic systems, communism and socialism are two different things. For example, socialism involves the existence of a state, while communism does not. Socialism involves public ownership of the means of production and private ownership of everything else, while communism abolishes private ownership altogether. Source: Wikipedia

Communism, at least in terms of ideology and politics, is a part of the greater family of Socialism. How far left it goes compared to other forms of Socialism is irrelevant.

On a side note here, judging from the article at Wikipedia, my usage of the term "Communist States" is not entirely a correct one.