- Status
catholic03
Well-known member
Good article.
I Google Translated the website of the Archdiocese of Beijing, which must submit to Chinese communist regulations. There were many articles on the website praising Xi J(name removed by moderator)ing and communism saying that they were compatible with Catholicism.
Very worrying how the government in China is ramping up regulations and persecution.
Very sad that so many people think that communism is good.
I Google Translated the website of the Archdiocese of Beijing, which must submit to Chinese communist regulations. There were many articles on the website praising Xi J(name removed by moderator)ing and communism saying that they were compatible with Catholicism.
Very worrying how the government in China is ramping up regulations and persecution.
Very sad that so many people think that communism is good.
R
RepetantCatholic
Guest
I don’t think Journalism or media is doing a good job of actually reporting what is going on with most of the country. That is why a rise in far-right extremism and far-left socialism come as a shock to most people who live in parts of the country where there majority of the community is moderate.
So, again, I won’t vote for Bernie Sanders if he is nominated to run against Trump but I also won’t vote for Trump either. I’ve long since favored a more reasonable course of regionalism and state’s rights and vote instead for state and local elections.
I think the rise of both extremes can best be understood to a shifting changing economy which favors particular skill sets for success over others, some of which not all can possess like Computer Science or Engineering.
Again, I’m not shocked by it like the writer of the op-ed. It just seems the media hasn’t reported the problems with education funding and for the educated the resulting underemployment. So, I guess for a lot of young people a European Style Socialism seems favorable. I’m not so certain about Communism and how the youth feel about it.
So, again, I won’t vote for Bernie Sanders if he is nominated to run against Trump but I also won’t vote for Trump either. I’ve long since favored a more reasonable course of regionalism and state’s rights and vote instead for state and local elections.
I think the rise of both extremes can best be understood to a shifting changing economy which favors particular skill sets for success over others, some of which not all can possess like Computer Science or Engineering.
Again, I’m not shocked by it like the writer of the op-ed. It just seems the media hasn’t reported the problems with education funding and for the educated the resulting underemployment. So, I guess for a lot of young people a European Style Socialism seems favorable. I’m not so certain about Communism and how the youth feel about it.
po18guy
Well-known member
We have an entire generation that has little concept of the USSR, for example. They were not born when Tiananmen Square occurred. They have not read the Gulag Archipelago. They have not researched the 20 million or so killed behind the iron curtain. There is little thought given to the killing fields in Cambodia. Priests and Bishops imprisoned and tortured in Viet Nam and China are Catholic, for the most part, and do not engender much sympathy - nor is there much of any news about them.
Many have been sold on the idea that government has its own money, so it needs to be spread around. The rich should be brought down so that those who have not, i.e. do nothing, may also have. Class envy has been fostered.
Who does this educating? Very often it is union teachers. Look at the beliefs and goals of the teachers’ unions (and other unions). How to accomplish those goals except to enkindle them in little heads full of mush?
It is not this simple, being a very complicated process and issue. Still, my post will draw anger and hatred but, so be it.
EDIT: Just after posting this, Dr. David Anders fortuitously mentioned on his EWTN radio show that the “iGeneration” was born at about this same time. Social media, major news and email providers (Yahoo et al), IP providers, OS companies etc. are dominated by progressives. And, activists always drive the agenda - the rest of us are content with our lives, being at peace
Therefore, the young and restless - if not angry and subversive - run the show. Malleable minds cannot help but absorb this.
Many have been sold on the idea that government has its own money, so it needs to be spread around. The rich should be brought down so that those who have not, i.e. do nothing, may also have. Class envy has been fostered.
Who does this educating? Very often it is union teachers. Look at the beliefs and goals of the teachers’ unions (and other unions). How to accomplish those goals except to enkindle them in little heads full of mush?
It is not this simple, being a very complicated process and issue. Still, my post will draw anger and hatred but, so be it.
EDIT: Just after posting this, Dr. David Anders fortuitously mentioned on his EWTN radio show that the “iGeneration” was born at about this same time. Social media, major news and email providers (Yahoo et al), IP providers, OS companies etc. are dominated by progressives. And, activists always drive the agenda - the rest of us are content with our lives, being at peace
Therefore, the young and restless - if not angry and subversive - run the show. Malleable minds cannot help but absorb this.
Last edited:
P
PetraG
Guest
Collective ownership of goods looks a lot better when you have a line job at a coffee shop with which you are trying to make payments both on the rent for a cramped urban domicile and on the student loans you racked up at college, especially if it was at prestigious (and expensive) “dream school” that you worked very hard to get into.
In other words, if you’re living the life of a line cook in Soviet-era Russia, well, misery loves company.
It is kind of like the question of what makes someone vulnerable to any other kind of political radicalization. Having no prospect for an occupation that will securely provide for a family is a big part of it. Either you don’t think you’ll ever make enough to get by or you don’t think you can ever do enough to satisfy your parents. Take your pick, but in the end it’s about looking at the chess board and feeling the impulse to scatter the pieces all over the room.
In other words, if you’re living the life of a line cook in Soviet-era Russia, well, misery loves company.
It is kind of like the question of what makes someone vulnerable to any other kind of political radicalization. Having no prospect for an occupation that will securely provide for a family is a big part of it. Either you don’t think you’ll ever make enough to get by or you don’t think you can ever do enough to satisfy your parents. Take your pick, but in the end it’s about looking at the chess board and feeling the impulse to scatter the pieces all over the room.
Last edited:
T
TK421
Guest
Corrupt ideologies have been cyclical since forever. We don’t inherit memories from the previous generations, so people become attached to the same errors as their grandparents and great great grandparents. It has a different paint job for the culture and time period but the interior is pretty much the same.
In private revelation, Jesus told Sister Mary of St Peter that the communist revolutionaries in France had committed the sin of Judas; they claim to care about the poor, but they don’t really care about the poor. The government owns the means of production in communism so there are zero checks & balances and accountability in place for the government to try to create a worker utopia. It just ends up creating all of the inequality that exists in capitalism except to an even wider degree.
In private revelation, Jesus told Sister Mary of St Peter that the communist revolutionaries in France had committed the sin of Judas; they claim to care about the poor, but they don’t really care about the poor. The government owns the means of production in communism so there are zero checks & balances and accountability in place for the government to try to create a worker utopia. It just ends up creating all of the inequality that exists in capitalism except to an even wider degree.
Last edited:
F
FrancisFan43
Guest
Communists always rely on the “useful idiots” to get them into power. Once they actually obtain power the “useful idiots” are disposed of in a bloody fashion.
The problem is that that are too many useful idiots in this world
The problem is that that are too many useful idiots in this world
P
PetraG
Guest
A lot of people who want power for selfish reasons look for “useful idiots.” Someone who only realizes too late that they are being used is the only kind of useful person that a self-serving manipulator could ever convince to help them.
Manipulators are pretty fond of those of us who are quick to forgive and to return offenders to positions of trust, too. They don’t worry too much about ideology. They just want to get themselves ahead.
Last edited:
H
HerCrazierHalf
Guest
The reason these other systems are gaining traction is because the current system fails too many people. The typing point varies, but when the lower end of the populace grows large enough they destroy the current system.
Also, it does no good to look at this as a push towards the extreme ends of socialism. “Pure” socialism is a disaster just as “pure” capitalism is a disaster too. Surly there is a space between the authoritarian strawman of socialism and the cruel conditions of “pure” completely free market capitalism.
Also, it does no good to look at this as a push towards the extreme ends of socialism. “Pure” socialism is a disaster just as “pure” capitalism is a disaster too. Surly there is a space between the authoritarian strawman of socialism and the cruel conditions of “pure” completely free market capitalism.
D
Dan123
Guest
Remember for a lot of young people capitalism hasn’t worked for them their entire lives. Entering the workforce during a recession, with stagnant wages that haven’t kept up with cost of living. Retirement plans are all but gone, the ones that remain are a fraction of what they used to be. Health insurance is insanely expensive even with the company paying part of it, the company is paying less of a % in many cases than they used to, and the plan comes with high deductibles. College that could be paid for by working a summer job now takes 20+ years to pay off. Rent food and other necessities keep going up, house prices remain high as people expect their McMansions to double in value every few years.
For people who have been on the Earth a bit longer I’m sure you remember better times when a full time job at anything above fast-food wages could buy a house and raise a kid or two, maybe even a vacation now and then. A lot of those dreams are in a much different context now.
Think about what nationalized programs are becoming popular. It’s not ‘free avocado toast’ or ‘subsidized starbucks’ or ‘a pair of hipster jeans in every closet’. It’s healthcare. It’s parental leave. It’s a decent wage that someone can live on when they work full time. You may not agree that the government is the way to ensure people have access to those things, but you should be offering a better alternative, not just dismissing their needs.
For people who have been on the Earth a bit longer I’m sure you remember better times when a full time job at anything above fast-food wages could buy a house and raise a kid or two, maybe even a vacation now and then. A lot of those dreams are in a much different context now.
Think about what nationalized programs are becoming popular. It’s not ‘free avocado toast’ or ‘subsidized starbucks’ or ‘a pair of hipster jeans in every closet’. It’s healthcare. It’s parental leave. It’s a decent wage that someone can live on when they work full time. You may not agree that the government is the way to ensure people have access to those things, but you should be offering a better alternative, not just dismissing their needs.
Last edited:
J
JanR
Guest
When accurate history isn’t taught in the schools, and when we choose to ignore or forget history throughout the ages, we’re doomed to repeat it again, and again. As the old folk song ruefully asks, “When will we ever learn?” I fear, NEVER!
Emeraldlady
New member
I don’t accept this is a thing just by the weight of evidence. I have been more surprised by the non wealthy who seem to revere the pursuit of extreme wealth and those who are successful at it. There are too many people overtaken by the ideology of prosperity gospel.
On the other hand many who are comfortable or wealthy are repulsed by the state of corporate greed and endemic corruption that can’t seem to be stopped even by the law. People raised on true gospel values don’t regard the poor as if it’s their own fault or that they are less deserving than the rich.
T
ThomasMT
Guest
Because times of peace and prosperity bring times of ignorance and detachment from historical reality.
C
ConcernedConvert
Guest
Equally sad to see the Vatican working with and bending to the will of the communist government of China.
H
HerCrazierHalf
Guest
I think there’s a disconnect. Yes, some are advocating for “socialism”. But most are simply looking for better social safety nets similar to some of the European countries.
As i said going towards the authoritarian ends of socialism is bad just as going towards the extreme free market ends of capitalism use bad. Heck, “pure” democracy is such a bad thing that we have a democratic republic with a constitution outlining what shouldn’t be done.
As i said going towards the authoritarian ends of socialism is bad just as going towards the extreme free market ends of capitalism use bad. Heck, “pure” democracy is such a bad thing that we have a democratic republic with a constitution outlining what shouldn’t be done.
C
Convert3
Guest
I’m 63 and sure don’t remember those times. People have always struggled and there likely will always be those who struggle. I worked my way through school with three jobs while taking a full load of courses and no parental support after my freshman year. I also used student loans which I’ve since paid off. Realizing I wasn’t going to make much money as a teacher, I pursued other options. I served in the military and got a master’s degree. Afterwards I worked other jobs until I settled with one that I stayed with until I retired. At 37 I was deeply in debt from a divorce, but managed to pay it off. I began to save and invest every penny I could. I learned about investing and living below my means, until finally my investments that I sacrificed for started paying off.
Bottom line, it’s never been easy for a generation. We must take responsibility for ourselves and our actions. I’ve taught my son this and he’s grown into a responsible young man with his own family and making his own way, but it isn’t easy for him either.
A
AlNg
Guest
In the communist countries I have been to, there always was plenty of bread available, and it was of good quality.
Why were they beaten? I saw people walking around safely with no fear of being attacked.
I heard sermons in Catholic Churches opposing the government.
Students who graduated from college were generally given a job possibility with better students given more than one choice. And you could look for a job on your own.
There were private farmer’s markets and if you had a bit of land, you could grow your own vegetables. I saw honey, carrots, cheese, apples, melons, tomatoes and potatoes in the area set aside for the farmer’s market.
Why are students going for socialism in the USA? Perhaps it is because many students, having graduated from college, are finding it difficult to obtain decent employment. I recently talked to a young woman who had a B.S. math degree, and she was working at the In and Out hamburgher place. Another young woman I met was working at Jersey Mike’s subway sandwich restaurant. Another young man with a math degree (B.S.) was a cashier at a local market.
How will they be able to afford a decent house on their own, or medical expenses as they arise. i recently visited a doctor and he did very little except to take my blood pressure and order some blood tests and the bill was over $600 for a 15 minute visit. Whereas under communism, your medical care is free.
Last edited:
P
Peeps
Guest
I’m going to stick my womanly foot into it and say, “Inadequate parenting resulting in young adults unprepared for real life.”
I work in a hospital lab. The younger women who work with me get up at 4 a.m. to get themselves and their babies and toddlers ready for “school”. (They never call it “daycare” anymore.)
They drop their babies/toddlers off at “school” by 6:30 a.m., and report to work by 7:00 a.m. Since we are short staffed, they often do not leave work until 4:00 p.m.
Their babies/toddlers have spent 9.5 hours out of 24 in an institutional setting along with dozens of other babies and toddlers before they are finally picked up by their mother, who hands them a computerized game or tablet for the ride home, and allows them to keep playing that game while she prepares a dinner (usually something that she knows the children will eat, like pizza or chicken nuggets or peanut butter sandwiches.
The children often keep their games during their “dinner” so that mom and dad can eat in peace. Then mom and sometime dad clean up, and the babies/toddlers FINALLY get to play without a computer. But by now, it’s nearly 6:30 or 7:00 p.m. and they need to start winding down so that they will be asleep by 8:00 p.m. And mom’s exhausted and falls asleep in front of her phone or the television by 9:00, knowing that at least once during the night, one of her little ones will cry and need mom’s comforting arms and possibly mom and dad’s bed.
I don’t see how any child grows up under these conditions. I am so privileged that my husband was on board with me staying home with our daughters, spending hours each day reading to them, teaching them to read, playing with them, singing to and with them, taking them on field trips, eating with them, letting them help me prepare their meals and clean up afterwards, teaching them about God and praying with them, and just lying in the sunshine with them being together. Both of my daughters were working at paying jobs by the time they were 14, and both of them have good jobs today and totally reject the idea of socialism.
I think a lot more parents could do this if they thought hard about it and made some tough decisions (e.g., NOT following Dave Ramsey’s unrealistic “no debt” plans while they have young children!).
I work in a hospital lab. The younger women who work with me get up at 4 a.m. to get themselves and their babies and toddlers ready for “school”. (They never call it “daycare” anymore.)
They drop their babies/toddlers off at “school” by 6:30 a.m., and report to work by 7:00 a.m. Since we are short staffed, they often do not leave work until 4:00 p.m.
Their babies/toddlers have spent 9.5 hours out of 24 in an institutional setting along with dozens of other babies and toddlers before they are finally picked up by their mother, who hands them a computerized game or tablet for the ride home, and allows them to keep playing that game while she prepares a dinner (usually something that she knows the children will eat, like pizza or chicken nuggets or peanut butter sandwiches.
The children often keep their games during their “dinner” so that mom and dad can eat in peace. Then mom and sometime dad clean up, and the babies/toddlers FINALLY get to play without a computer. But by now, it’s nearly 6:30 or 7:00 p.m. and they need to start winding down so that they will be asleep by 8:00 p.m. And mom’s exhausted and falls asleep in front of her phone or the television by 9:00, knowing that at least once during the night, one of her little ones will cry and need mom’s comforting arms and possibly mom and dad’s bed.
I don’t see how any child grows up under these conditions. I am so privileged that my husband was on board with me staying home with our daughters, spending hours each day reading to them, teaching them to read, playing with them, singing to and with them, taking them on field trips, eating with them, letting them help me prepare their meals and clean up afterwards, teaching them about God and praying with them, and just lying in the sunshine with them being together. Both of my daughters were working at paying jobs by the time they were 14, and both of them have good jobs today and totally reject the idea of socialism.
I think a lot more parents could do this if they thought hard about it and made some tough decisions (e.g., NOT following Dave Ramsey’s unrealistic “no debt” plans while they have young children!).
P
PetraG
Guest
And it is doing it with a student loan that you weren’t counselled to keep within a certain fraction of your annual income immediately after graduation. There are SO many ill-advised student loan packages out there loading down students who weren’t given good financial advice when they chose colleges.
Besides, a little travel in Canada or Europe shows that you don’t have to adandon capitalism to get universal health care.
Last edited:
- Status