jwb

Do you believe that Mao intentionally manufactured a famine?

I just got spam sent to my work email from address JesusLibRaverDad@[omitted].com

I've never wanted to follow a link more tbh

@OH

I believe that he was inspired to do the great leap forward by Stalin's 5 year plan. And I believe that the 5 year plan intentionally allowed people to starve. It became apparent early on that the collectivization was a failure and that productivity of agriculture decreased, for a variety of reasons. When that became clear, Stalin continued to export food stocks instead of feeding the agrarian peasants who grew the food, thus causing the massive scale of of the famine. That's basically intentional mass murder via famine. Another collectivization effort happened in the USSR in the 1940s on a smaller scale, and once again it caused a (smaller scale) famine.

So yes, I believe that in part Mao had to have known that this sort of rapid industrialization would cost quite a few lives. I think it's possible he didn't realize it would grow to the exact scale it did in China's case, since some of that was due to really stupid and counter productive efforts to increase crop yields which ended up backfiring. But the lesson and example of the 5 year plan was more than enough warning of the hazards of such a policy that in general I don't allow him the excuse of ignorance.

It's also worth mentioning the reasons for the necessity of rapid industrialization were just as much based on internal politics and ideology as they were on military concerns. The blueprint for a workers utopia via Marx assumes that industrialization has already occurred under the stage of capitalism. And at least in the USSR there was a good deal of Bolshevik contempt for the agrarian peasant class as backwards, reactionary, religious and just not conducive to the party's vision of a revolutionary and class conscious proletariat. Probably not a coincidence then that they were the main ones to starve.

His devotion to the Soviet Union's idiocy aside, Mao was exceedingly anti-intellectual and pissed on the expertise of anyone who knew anything about engineering or science or agriculture despite a desire to supposedly cultivate technical expertise and knowledge in the general population.

Thanks. That’s a really well-written thoughtful answer. I should ask you direct questions more often.

I would say I didn't expect you to respond that way then I realized that the usual argument is calling you a crazy old nut or something along those lines.

Well yeah cause it's fun.

Nah, I don't like nut shaming especially when his nuts offer a lot of good moments.

Edit: Actually, that's a lie. I love nut shaming. I just like his nuts.

It's tricky business weeding out the bourgeoisie.

It's not a matter of bravery, just clarity. I wouldn't bother asking if you approved if I hadn't gotten the impression that you did. I would say making that distinction is useful since there were and are people who still defend Stalinism and Maoism, and when you never say anything bad about them while selectively praising them it's not a crazy leap to think that might also be your position.

Hell yeah it’s good for you!!!

Congruntulations

Hey, congratulations! Is it Houston girl?

You gonna mack on his biotch

Only if you pay my flight to Texas
:love: I'm happy for you dude

Have you ever considered that you either...

A) Are just an assh*le

or

B) Are attracted to assh*les

?

Yeah I'm getting déja vu vibes. That sucks though :(

Dude you just started dating and she already stormed out of your car. Be real.

Love the passion, elph

You’re in Houston?

I thought you were in Austin

Are they her keys at least?

And how long does a relationship have to be over for before I can't declare this to be

https://media.giphy.com/media/l0MYwY...MLMA/giphy.gif

How the f*ck do you get so mad at somebody you haven't gotten much of chance to even know yet? I bet Elph said something f*cked up.

Hahahahahahahaha wtf

You know if I weren't committed to destroying you our shared pettiness would be a match made in heaven.

elph ****ed her so good she’s done lost her mind

You two are truly so romantic, but you're not entirely wrong

Elph, for ****s sake be careful and don't get yourself into another toxic relationship

In every relationship I had it took us months until we had a first, minor fight. At first it's all hormones and butterflies and rainbows.
This is some next level drama **** here.

And the best part is that no matter what we say he'll continue to be entertaining.

What did you do elph?

So thankful that I've had zero desire for any sort of romantic relationship for 2+ years now.

Ouch. Sorry, elph.

I been with my lady for nearly two years and we've had three nights where we didn't see eye to eye and we talked about it as soon as we realized it and ironed out the issue. F*cking Elph has a girl jump out his car on day f*cking one. Incredible.

Elph IS the toxin.

elph is she Latina?

They fire like that

Jelly much?

He definitely would have mentioned if she wasn't white.

My last two girlfriends were from South America and I never had any BS drama from either one of them during our years together.

I lived that life for eight years dude. Sex wasn't even good. I'll pass.

That’s racist.

I briefly dated a woman actually from Spain and she flipped like that very early on but she was a wild and knew what to do with my chorizo.

The concept of a penis just became even less attractive to me. That's quite the achievement.

Smh you wish

I mean I'm wearing a BLM shirt so clearly even God is shipping us.