NationStates Jolt Archive

A Tale of Communism
By
Alexander Thompson



"Once, there was a man named Sunji. Sunji was a poor man. He lived in a housing project.

Everyday, Sunji would go to work at the factory. The man who owned the factory did not live in the housing project. He lived outside it, in a big house, with lots of servants and many beautiful things. His factory made him lots of money, and all the people in the housing project had to do what he said. This made Sunji very bitter. He disliked this arrangement very much, and rightly so.

Why should so many work to make one man rich?

And so one day, Sunji took his saber, and he went to the house of the factory owner.

"I work harder then you!" he cried" And yet you are richer then I'll ever be! I deserve this house much more than you!" and with that, Sunji cut of the head of the factory owner, and sat down at his desk.

"Now I own the house!" said Sunji to the servants "And I own the factory! No one shall ever have to work hard again!"

"Go tell the others! Tell my friends in the housing project they are free!" and the servants, who were no longer servants, into the housing project with the wonderful news.

There was much rejoicing in the streets! People celebrated with displays of great joy! Never again would they have to work for the factory owner!

And so the people stayed home and did not work. They went out in the streets and played cricket and basketball. Sunji was happy. His people were free. And now that no one had to work, people were happy. But soon, the people found that they had no money to pay the breadmaker, as they were no longer paid by the factory owner, and he did not give them bread.

"I will lose money!" he said. And so Sunji gave the people all of the money of the factory owner.

But soon, again, a problem arouse.

"Why should I take this money" asked the breadmaker "If there is nothing to buy! The factory is closed, and there is no factory owner to pay for things which I would want!"

And so Sunji went with his great saber and cut off his head, the people took all of the bread, and there was much rejoicing.

But soon, the people found that the bread ran out, as they had killed the breadmaker.

"I decree that all will be able to use the breadmaker's house and oven, and all shall work together to make bread for themselves!" he declared.

And the people were happy. This seemed fair. But the people found that they could not make bread, all they knew was how to run the factory, and often the bread was burnt or undercooked, inedible, and there was again not enough.


Sunji knew not what to do. The people were starving.

And so one day, a man came along, a man from far away, he wore and odd hat and a backwards bow-tie, and said” What foolish folk! What poor folk! I must help them."

"I will sell bread in exchange for goods from the factory!" said the man.

And so Sunji rallied the people to go and work at the factory, so that they might buy bread, and there was soon enough food for all.

By this time, Sunji had begun to like living in the big house. He very much enjoyed it, and all the elegant things it contained. And by this time, he decided, that seeing as he'd set all his people free, and there was so much to go around, that he could start eating more bread, and he grew quite fat.

Now, Sunji began to like bread so much that he decided he wanted more, and as owner of the factory, Sunji ordered that they work longer and make more goods, seeing as it was his factory that fed them.

And Sunji was quite content with his bread and his factory.


But one day, the people gathered at his gate.

"We have worked through the night" they said" and built our own factory. We will use the goods we make to buy ourselves bread. We no longer work for you. You shall have to work at your own factory to get bread. We hope you understand."

Sunji was terribly angry. Without all those people working for him, he could not have extra bread! Without them working for him, he could not tell them what to do, which he did so enjoy.

"This must not happen!" Sunji thought. "I hate working! I like to stay at my home and wander among my elegant things!" and so he set fire to the new factory, and declared

"You must all work at my factory to get me bread, and if you do not I shall cut of your heads with my great saber! This is perfectly fair, fellow project dwellers. After all, I did set you free!"



(If you do not read EVERY post in this thread, so as to make certain I have not already dealt with your argument. I appreciate the feedback, but you have to stop saying the same thing over and over. Thanks!)

"A rather depressing yarn about the corruption of political ideologies."

- Nsendalen Review

That story=true.

That doesn't sound like communism. I mean, the fellow still owned the factory, so there WAS private property. But getting past that.. yeah.. so the story is a poor copy of Animal Farm. Bravo.

My story:

There once was a man who didn't quite grasp communism, so he wrote a simplistic story that was more or less a clumsy rip off of Animal Farm.

My story:

There once was a man who didn't quite grasp communism, so he wrote a simplistic story that was more or less a clumsy rip off of Animal Farm.
and in doing so, somehow managed to render a much less realistic tale, despite the fact that his/her characters were all humans rather than farm yard animals.....that surely takes some doing... :rolleyes:

so the story is a poor copy of Animal Farm. Bravo.

Good call on that one.

Good call on that one.
Absolutely. I mean, it even lacks anything resembling the depth of Animal Farm. No Old Major, no Snowball, no Boxer... NO BOXER! What the hell is wrong with you leaving out Boxer?

Absolutely. I mean, it even lacks anything resembling the depth of Animal Farm. No Old Major, no Snowball, no Boxer... NO BOXER! What the hell is wrong with you leaving out Boxer?

This story has a man with a sword who cuts off heads with impunity, so who needs any of those characters?

Boxer had to be axed from this story because he was far to realistic as a character....

This story has a man with a sword who cuts off heads with impunity, so who needs any of those characters?
I do... I miss Boxer. Poor Boxer, disrespected by those that ignore him even after he was carted off to be made into glue. :(

Well you know guys...You can do one of two things here. Keep being a bunch of assholes or write a better story. As far as it goes, it was a well written story and I think you people are just being dicks.

It's not supposed to be animal farm. Nothing like that.

And that's just it.

It's SUPPOSED to be simple, extremly simple. Like, a children's guide to communism.



But now that you mention it, it does not neccesarily have to be about communism.

Applies to pretty much anything.

Thanks for the feedback, guys, but you really don't have to be so vulgar and rude.

It's really very impolite. If your going to be like that, please, do not post here.

Don't get me wrong, critisieze away, but don't be mean about it.

Well you know guys...You can do one of two things here. Keep being a bunch of assholes or write a better story. As far as it goes, it was a well written story and I think you people are just being dicks.

Awfully kind of you to say, but you don't need to swear at them.

That will only make you look bad, and no one wants that.

Well you know guys...You can do one of two things here. Keep being a bunch of assholes or write a better story. As far as it goes, it was a well written story and I think you people are just being dicks.

I am not going to try justifying or degrading communism in a half page story. The story I have already written will just have to do.

But cheers to the original posters ambition, I just get tired of hearing the same tired, half thought out arguments.

This story has a man with a sword who cuts off heads with impunity, so who needs any of those characters?


exactly. I would have thought that would be enough for you people!

That story=true.

Thank you, how very kind of you too say.

I can only wonder what you expect when you make up unrealistic, simplistic fantastic tales, that appear designed to denigrate someone else's political views. The story has no merit as a piece of writing and is not much more use as propaganda. I find it difficult to believe that the purpose of posting it here, was not a cheap attempt to have a dig at political views you dont happen to share...I can only again reiterate my wonder at what you were expecting... :confused:

I am not going to try justifying or degrading communism in a half page story. The story I have already written will just have to do.

But cheers to the original posters ambition, I just get tired of hearing the same tired, half thought out arguments.


You misunderstand.

I am not saying communism is bad.

Not at all.

It was a noble idea, I was once a communist myself, when I was very young.

I am just making a story corruption, really.

I can only wonder what you expect when you make up unrealistic, simplistic fantastic tales, that appear designed to denigrate someone else's political views. The story has no merit as a piece of writing and is not much more use as propaganda. I find it difficult to believe that the purpose of posting it here, was not a cheap attempt to have a dig at political views you dont happen to share...I can only again reiterate my wonder at what you were expecting... :confused:

reiterate all you like.

You misunderstand.

I am not saying communism is bad.

Not at all.

It was a noble idea, I was once a communist myself, when I was very young.

I am just making a story corruption, really.

Advice: a series of decapitations isn't a very good metaphor for corruption.

You misunderstand.

I am not saying communism is bad.

Not at all.

It was a noble idea, I was once a communist myself, when I was very young.

I am just making a story corruption, really.
Story about corruption, like about the USSR. Just like Animal Farm. I understand if you don't like the comparison, but come on... it's pretty much exactly the same story, in a similar style, minus the depth Orwell put in, so can you honestly expect people won't make the comparison?

The decapitations were the Russian Revolution, the purging of the capitalists and counter revolutionaries, and finally, the goverment oppresion of the workers.

I supposed you missed it, but then again, I guess it was not to obvious.

The decapitations were the Russian Revolution, the purging of the capitalists and counter revolutionaries, and finally, the goverment oppresion of the workers.

I supposed you missed it, but then again, I guess it was not to obvious.

So it was about the downfalls of communism. I caught the meaning of the decapitations initially, but then you said that the story was about corruption, and sense the decapitations are the central points of the plot, I could only figure that they represented corruption.

The decapitations were the Russian Revolution, the purging of the capitalists and counter revolutionaries, and finally, the goverment oppresion of the workers.

I supposed you missed it, but then again, I guess it was not to obvious.
It was obvious. Quite obvious.

Story about corruption, like about the USSR. Just like Animal Farm. I understand if you don't like the comparison, but come on... it's pretty much exactly the same story, in a similar style, minus the depth Orwell put in, so can you honestly expect people won't make the comparison?


I wasn't thinking of Animal Farm at the time, and so, I suppose I didn't consider the fact that it is in some ways similar.

But I did not try to imitate him.

I guess I should be flattered that my work can be compared to him at all, if only by guys on there computer.

I was thinking of a friend of mine at the time, actually.

Anyhow, sorry if you don't like it.

I did try.

It was obvious. Quite obvious.


Good. I suppose I am not a half bad writter then.

Anyhow, sorry if you don't like it.

I did try.

Well that's more than I can say. ;)

And about Animal Farm, well, I wasn't exactly trying to write a novel at the time.

Again, sorry if you don't like it. I tried my best.

Perhaps you could tell me how to improve it?

What did I do wrong?

I am always ready to get better.

I wasn't thinking of Animal Farm at the time, and so, I suppose I didn't consider the fact that it is in some ways similar.

But I did not try to imitate him.

I guess I should be flattered that my work can be compared to him at all, if only by guys on there computer.

I was thinking of a friend of mine at the time, actually.

Anyhow, sorry if you don't like it.

I did try.
If you say you didn't have it in mind, I believe you. The plot is very similar, though (minus the fact that there are animals in Orwell's story).

Well that's more than I can say. ;)



Never to late, my man. Believe you me.

If you say you didn't have it in mind, I believe you. The plot is very similar, though (minus the fact that there are animals in Orwell's story).

Now that I think about it, you are right.

Damn. I shall have to improve.

It's not that bad though, is it? I mean, for something that was intentionally as simple as possible.

I was going to make it more complex, but I think that would have ruined it.

I was also trying to get a bit of a nonsensical atmosphere.

I mean, there are no farms for grain so that the baker can make bread, it never says what the factory makes or where this mansion came from, or why and how this housing project exists in the middle of nowhere, for example.

I guess it did not work.

On finishing my reading of the initial post, my first thought was, "so when does the bit about communism come in? Second post?" but never mind.

What -beyond that- puzzles me a bit, if we assume that communism came into effect at some point after the killing started, is that reactions thus far read it as a story on the collapse of communism... As it started out a capitalist scene, and as we're apparently pretending that communism was involved at some point, we have to assume that it also records the fall of capitalism. True, it hints at the restoration, too, but only to a state as existed to fuel its own destruction in the first place. Presumably we can take it that the story continues to repeat ad nauseam...

Awfully kind of you to say, but you don't need to swear at them.

That will only make you look bad, and no one wants that.

I'll call them what I want...Ive been here longer.

In my opinion, the primary confliction with this story and the motive behind it is that in a real communism, the factory wouldn't have shut down. It would have been run collectively, with a directly democratic style of decisions to run the factory on. In a communist state, your expected to work, and if you don't, sucks for you, because you're not getting anymore food. Not saying that this would definitely work, just that that was not put into the story. I don't think this story correctly represents any kind of tried government, because in just about every single political ideal to date you're expected to work. But this is definitely not a tale of communism.

Well aside from characterisation, plot, subplot, and what not. my primary advice is to not confuse your readers into thinking that your story about corruption is supposed to be about communism, for instance by not calling it 'A tale of communism'. Odd as it may seem, when you call a story 'A tale of communism' people tend to think that the main theme is communism rather than say something else... ;)

On finishing my reading of the initial post, my first thought was, "so when does the bit about communism come in? Second post?" but never mind.

What -beyond that- puzzles me a bit, if we assume that communism came into effect at some point after the killing started, is that reactions thus far read it as a story on the collapse of communism... As it started out a capitalist scene, and as we're apparently pretending that communism was involved at some point, we have to assume that it also records the fall of capitalism. True, it hints at the restoration, too, but only to a state as existed to fuel its own destruction in the first place. Presumably we can take it that the story continues to repeat ad nauseam...



I was thinking about having his head cut off again by one of the workers, to show what you said, but I decided I preffered to end with his statement.

In my opinion, the primary confliction with this story and the motive behind it is that in a real communism, the factory wouldn't have shut down. It would have been run collectively, with a directly democratic style of decisions to run the factory on. In a communist state, your expected to work, and if you don't, sucks for you, because you're not getting anymore food. Not saying that this would definitely work, just that that was not put into the story. I don't think this story correctly represents any kind of tried government, because in just about every single political ideal to date you're expected to work. But this is definitely not a tale of communism.


The point at which the factory is shut down, it is the time of freedom and prosperity for the communist nation, the point at which the revolutionary zeal is at a point in which everything goes smoothly,the point at which life actually gets better for a time. Also, to show the capacity for lazyness in communism, and to show how the capacity for lazyness in a communist state.

Do you see what I'm getting at? There's alot of abstraction in the story.

Also, the bread importer COULD is representitive of the United States grain sellers, but maybe not. Perhaps just there for the sake of the story.

You are right though, in hindsight, I should not have called it that, and will rename it later, but I was thinking of a communism and friend of mine at the time.

Well, I'm going out now. Thanks for your feedback, hope it wasn't to bad.

Goodnight!

The point at which the factory is shut down, it is the time of freedom and prosperity for the communist nation, the point at which the revolutionary zeal is at a point in which everything goes smoothly,the point at which life actually gets better for a time. Also, to show the capacity for lazyness in communism, and to show how the capacity for lazyness in a communist state.

Do you see what I'm getting at? There's alot of abstraction in the story.

Also, the bread importer COULD is representitive of the United States grain sellers, but maybe not. Perhaps just there for the sake of the story.

You are right though, in hindsight, I should not have called it that, and will rename it later, but I was thinking of a communism and friend of mine at the time.

Well, I'm going out now. Thanks for your feedback, hope it wasn't to bad.

Goodnight!
Ok, it was really metaphoric. So, your point is that bad things can cause a collapse in a communistic government? Just as a future interest, it would be a good idea to try and explain the reasoning behind this. I'm not saying that there is or isn't one, just that the story is too easily misinterpreted when people are searching it for a deeper meaning and your using it as a rather vague metaphor. It was well written as a story though, keep it up.

Edit: Oh right, and of course there is laziness in a communist state. It's supposed to be that if you're lazy, your pretty much screwed because the government and economy is controlled by workers, and they won't want to give people what they need if they're not contributing anything to society in return. This means no food if you don't work (presuming you can, that is).

On finishing my reading of the initial post, my first thought was, "so when does the bit about communism come in? Second post?" but never mind.

me too. i'm thinking the closest fit is when the workers create their own factory so they won't have to work for sunji, the state-capitalist bastard, any more. but that isn't necessarily communism per se. though it is quite definitely socialism of some sort.

But you see, Dewat, what eventually happens, you see, is that people are put into jobs that they are not qualified for, but they are kept there, and do there job badly.

And, you see, well, for example.

In the Soviet Union, things started to go wrong.

People became apathetic of the goverment, and they lacked there old revolutionary zeal, and were no longer devoted to communism, but rather to themselves.

For example, the farmer would farm just enough to get payed, and then leave the rest in the field to rot.


But thank you for the kind words.

me too. i'm thinking the closest fit is when the workers create their own factory so they won't have to work for sunji, the state-capitalist bastard, any more. but that isn't necessarily communism per se. though it is quite definitely socialism of some sort.


Your not using your imagination. The theme is deeply set in metaphors. It's all metaphors.

Your not using your imagination. The theme is deeply set in metaphors. It's all metaphors.

Seriously, they aren't tough metaphors to grasp. In fact they are pretty direct.

Your not using your imagination. The theme is deeply set in metaphors. It's all metaphors.

yes, except that the the workers making their own factory so they can provide for themselves and not have to support a parasitic class is the communism in the story. if you meant something else to be the metaphor for communism, you shouldn't include an actual call for it as well.

Them building themselves a factory was the disinfranchisement of the people towards the communist state, and the desire to keep what they earned, rather than just be children of the state.

The reversion back to capitalism.

Seriously, they aren't tough metaphors to grasp. In fact they are pretty direct.

I would have thought so too.

But I guess not.

But you see, Dewat, what eventually happens, you see, is that people are put into jobs that they are not qualified for, but they are kept there, and do there job badly.

And, you see, well, for example.

In the Soviet Union, things started to go wrong.

People became apathetic of the goverment, and they lacked there old revolutionary zeal, and were no longer devoted to communism, but rather to themselves.

For example, the farmer would farm just enough to get payed, and then leave the rest in the field to rot.


But thank you for the kind words.
The USSR is a terrible example. It was led by authoritarian leaders which opressed the people rather then creating a collectivism in which there wasn't a leader. And I'm not saying that communism works, just that your working on biased opinions based only on what you've seen before, criticizing communism albeit it's good intentions.

I'd like to hear more people criticizing Ghandi. He was a communist.

Them building themselves a factory was the disinfranchisement of the people towards the communist state, and the desire to keep what they earned, rather than just be children of the state.

The reversion back to capitalism.

if keeping what you create rather than working for some guy who claims to own the means of production so he can live like a king is 'capitalism', then all socialists are 'capitalists'. and all capitalists are 'communists'.

in the beginning of the story, there is some guy who owns the factory. his claim of ownership allows him to live in a big mansion based off of the work of others while those others barely scrape by. that guy is the capitalist, yeah? then one of the workers kills him and moves into his house and claims control over the factory. and he winds up demanding a certain percentage of the wealth created by those working in the factory go to him, since it is his factory. and this is different from what the capitalist did how exactly?

the best you can say is that its different because he represents the state, rather than a private individual. but that doesn't give you communism, that gives you a state being run for the benefit of its ruling class at the expense of the people. a state which is organized along roughly capitalist lines, with the ruling class being identical to the factory owner. aka, state capitalism.

and then you have people who work together to build their own factory so they won't have to support some parasitic owning class. that is socialism - there is no other word for it. they didn't build the new factory and give it to somebody who will then privately own it so they can then agree to work as wage laborers for this new owner. in fact, that is the very system they just rejected. the state capitalist doesn't like this idea, because it threatens his privilege. so he attacks the revolutionary new socialist factory and threatens the would-be socialists to get back in line like good little wage-slaves or face severe punishment.


i suspect you are just moderately confused on the meaning of a few of the terms. for example, you probably think that the soviet union claimed to be communist and are going based on that idea.

"And so the people stayed home and did not work. They went out in the streets and played cricket and basketball. Sunji was happy. His people were free. And now that no one had to work, people were happy. But soon, the people found that they had no money to pay the breadmaker, as they were no longer paid by the factory owner, and he did not give them bread."'

That part pretty much defeats the purpose of your entire story. The point of communism isn't not working - it's harnessing the productive forces to provide for human need and distributing its fruits in a consistent manner that's free of exploitation.

Take that out, people just not working for some reason, and the rest of your dumb fairy tale falls apart. Clearly Sunji isn't well read on his Marx, or his Lenin for that matter.

Clearly Sunji isn't well read on his Marx, or his Lenin for that matter.

he doesn't even make a good stalinist. just sort of incompetent.

"And so the people stayed home and did not work. They went out in the streets and played cricket and basketball. Sunji was happy. His people were free. And now that no one had to work, people were happy. But soon, the people found that they had no money to pay the breadmaker, as they were no longer paid by the factory owner, and he did not give them bread."'

That part pretty much defeats the purpose of your entire story. The point of communism isn't not working - it's harnessing the productive forces to provide for human need and distributing its fruits in a consistent manner that's free of exploitation.

Take that out, people just not working for some reason, and the rest of your dumb fairy tale falls apart. Clearly Sunji isn't well read on his Marx, or his Lenin for that matter.



Good god, I already answered that!

Again, it represents the capacity for lazyness in the communist state!

I already talked about that!

Your not looking at it deeply enough!

Or maybe I'm just crazy...

But, if you look at this story in the literal sense, the very existence of this society is totally rediculous.

The story does not make sense if you look at it in an entirely literal sense.

Well, tell me this then: have you ever heard of a Communist society, i.e. the early Soviet Union, China, the liberated areas of Nepal, etc... where this was a problem? Where people were lazy, incompetant, and simply outright refused to work?

Meh, I prefer my own Mr. Weasel anti-capitalist stories to this one...but then I would.

if keeping what you create rather than working for some guy who claims to own the means of production so he can live like a king is 'capitalism', then all socialists are 'capitalists'. and all capitalists are 'communists'.

in the beginning of the story, there is some guy who owns the factory. his claim of ownership allows him to live in a big mansion based off of the work of others while those others barely scrape by. that guy is the capitalist, yeah? then one of the workers kills him and moves into his house and claims control over the factory. and he winds up demanding a certain percentage of the wealth created by those working in the factory go to him, since it is his factory. and this is different from what the capitalist did how exactly?

the best you can say is that its different because he represents the state, rather than a private individual. but that doesn't give you communism, that gives you a state being run for the benefit of its ruling class at the expense of the people. a state which is organized along roughly capitalist lines, with the ruling class being identical to the factory owner. aka, state capitalism.

and then you have people who work together to build their own factory so they won't have to support some parasitic owning class. that is socialism - there is no other word for it. they didn't build the new factory and give it to somebody who will then privately own it so they can then agree to work as wage laborers for this new owner. in fact, that is the very system they just rejected. the state capitalist doesn't like this idea, because it threatens his privilege. so he attacks the revolutionary new socialist factory and threatens the would-be socialists to get back in line like good little wage-slaves or face severe punishment.


i suspect you are just moderately confused on the meaning of a few of the terms. for example, you probably think that the soviet union claimed to be communist and are going based on that idea.


You forgot to take into account that the breadmaker was dead, and the people found that collectivly running the bakery was not working.

That is why they went back to the factory.

And yes, you could argue that all existing Marxis, socialist and communist leaders and regimes eventually have become state capitalists.

It's really not that hard to figure out.

And no, it was not Marxism, it was the reversion back to capitalism. It would have been Marxism if they all co operated, but what they were to do was to sell what they made to get bread, without the middleman, so really they all became competing factory owners in a sense, or would have had Sunji not crushed this effort.


Now that I think about it, I should have called this story "Sunji's Tale" or something to that effect.



Perhaps the U.S.S.R was a bad example of what Marx wanted, but I have heard of but one good example in my entire lifetime, in the entire world(which does not involve children building a snowfort).

Yes, the USSR was not what Marx wanted, but it is what happened.

Well, tell me this then: have you ever heard of a Communist society, i.e. the early Soviet Union, China, the liberated areas of Nepal, etc... where this was a problem? Where people were lazy, incompetant, and simply outright refused to work?


Keyword, EARLY.

But, I've already covered that.

For god sake, read!

Once the revolutionary zeal is evaporated, and problems start coming up, yes, people start to become lazy, and they start wanting to be able to keep what they earn.

Again, I point to my example of the Soviet Farmers.

Meh, I prefer my own Mr. Weasel anti-capitalist stories to this one...but then I would.


Sounds interesting. Could you perhaps send me one over the e-mail device...thing?

They sound quite interesting, I would like to read them, if I could.


By the way, has anyone ever read "Who stole my cheese?" ? A very good book about coarperate corruption, I must say.

Good god, I already answered that!

Again, it represents the capacity for lazyness in the communist state!

I already talked about that!

Your not looking at it deeply enough!

Or maybe I'm just crazy...

But, if you look at this story in the literal sense, the very existence of this society is totally rediculous.

The story does not make sense if you look at it in an entirely literal sense.

Well you story show the potential of laziness and dangers of the capitalist system, because if you have brutale capatist society there people only work because they are forced to it by survival. And at the same time is no internal movement amongst the work for solidarity and organistion of the workers, and instead accept the capatilist plea to fight and care just about yourself, it will increase the change they will try to use the new situation to there own advantage like taking the factory owners money for themself so they don't need to work or trying to be corrupt leaders of the new society. Because egoism and greed is dangeurs seeds of capitalism that can be carry on to the new system. Therefore I think socialdemocratic like my country Sweden there you use slow reforms and peacful democracy works better, even if you may know argue that they have been corupted by the capitalist system, even if it is people inside the socialdemocratic party that still works or atleast keap the dreams of the socialist society alive.

But that's just it.

The metaphors do not refer to Sweden.

And there was no solidarity movement in Russia.

It could refer to anything or anywhere, but I was thinking of Russia.

Thanks for the feedback though.

Alexias, I think your major problem was referring to that story as a "Tale of Communism." Most of the flak you have gotten for has come from vehement socialists, and they are right that the story you have written does not represent Communism very well. Whereas Animal Farm displayed an organic transition through governments that was nuanced and was indirect in referencing communism, your story was very direct and seemed more of a direct attack on communism.

It is a decent metaphor for the USSR, however, and I think you could appreciate these lyrics. They are a metaphor for the fall of communism and the subsequent failure of capitalism in the USSR and Russia.

"So Says I" by The Shins

An address to the golden door
I was strumming on a stone again
Pulling teeth from the pimps of gore when hatched
A tragic opera in my mind...
And it told of a new design
In which every soul is duty bound
To uphold all the statues of boredom therein lies
The fatal flaw of the red age

Because it was nothing like we'd ever dreamt
Our lust for life had gone away with the rent we hated
And because it made no money nobody saved no one's life.

So we burned all our uniforms
And let nature take its course again
And the big ones just eat all the little ones
That sent us back to the drawing board.

In our darkest hours
We have all asked for some
Angel to come
Sprinkle his dust all around
But all our crying voices they can't turn it around
And you've had some crazy conversations of your own.

We've got rules and maps and guns in our backs
But we still can't just behave ourselves
Even if to save our own lives so, says I, WE ARE A BRUTAL KIND.

Cuz this is nothing like we'd ever dreamt
Tell Sir Thomas More we've got another failed attempt
Cuz if it makes them money they might just give you life this time.

Nice song.

I like it. Can't say I've ever heard of the band though.

Sounds good.

I did not mean to attack communism, as I said before.

I understand now that my choice of title was not very well done. I think I shall rename the story "Sunji's Tale".

All I really wanted to show was corruption, in truth.

I was also thinking of changing the last part, so as to have Sunji's head cut off by a disgruntled worker, and so have it continue in an endless cycle.

The other guy saw that far ahead, and I ment to show that would happen, but I did not write it in as I thought it was apparent.


Anyway, thanks for all your feedback, guys.

And no, it was not Marxism, it was the reversion back to capitalism. It would have been Marxism if they all co operated, but what they were to do was to sell what they made to get bread, without the middleman, so really they all became competing factory owners in a sense, or would have had Sunji not crushed this effort.

markets do not capitalism make. that's just trade. without seperate capitalists and wage laborers (an owning class and a working class), you don't have capitalism. you have some form of market socialism. in this case, perhaps something similar to the american individualists' take on proudhon's mutualism.

unless all those workers that built the new factory were not going to run it collectively, but were just going to 'privatize' it by giving it away to an elite few of them. but that would make them as stupid as sunji.

Stupid?

He did mean well, it just went horribly wrong.

But you see,(I had not thought of it at the time) but by building the factory, they were trying to go back to olden times, where they could spend there money how they liked(I guess on bread and factory goods, or something) and where they didn't have to worry about anything.

And so, it is likely that the factory would be controled by one group or person, as the reversion could not be done without this.

Or perhaps, as you said, whatsamit individualism, or socialism, which is not communism, and in any case did not make Sunji happy.

But he did mean well at first.

Just like most Communist goverments.

markets do not capitalism make. that's just trade. without seperate capitalists and wage laborers (an owning class and a working class), you don't have capitalism. you have some form of market socialism. in this case, perhaps something similar to the american individualists' take on proudhon's mutualism.

In modern capitalism, employer and employee are mutual partners in trade. If an employer's terms are unacceptable, and employee can work for somebody else. Likewise, if an employee's labour or services are unacceptable, an employer can employ somebody else.

A society which actually treats certain classes of people with different laws is not a capitalist one. Capitalism treats all people equally as far as law is concerned. It shouldn't give favours to anybody.

That tale of Communism reminds me of Animal Farm

Ah sorry I have not been around lately. I was swamped at work,and my internet went down.

I remember I had a wonderfull argument I was going to make, but I seem to have forgoten it. I will post it once I remember it.

Anyways......

That tale of Communism reminds me of Animal Farm


I'm very flattered to hear that.