EKIP– Expert Club for Economics and Politics A Different Opinion
Today we honor the victims of totalitarianism, especially two of its most horrific manifestations – Nazism and Communism, which led to the deaths of millions and the destruction of human well-being for decades. On this occasion, we have published some statistics from “The Black Book of Communism”, a volume by Harvard University Press that collects estimates of the victims of 20th century communist regimes in different parts of the world.
Surprisingly or not, this post was followed by comments about how to view the pre-1944 numbers – in terms of how many people were killed by regimes that preceded the communist regimes. It was also followed by sharing statistics about the genocide of Native Americans by European settlers. Even information about how “green” activists who lobbied to ban the chemical DDT caused the deaths of 20 million children.
Coincidentally or not, this reminded me of the expression “whataboutism” – it can be translated as “whatever you say, however” and was coined by journalists at the British magazine The Economist to describe the behavior of Soviet propaganda when attention is focused on one of the many failures of the USSR. In the case of Chernobyl, the ball returns with the accident at Three Mile Island and the like. The term can also be replaced with the popular expression in our country “and why do you beat the niggers” – it is no coincidence that domestic propaganda videos for the USA include detailed coverage of the atrocities committed by the Ku Klux Klan until the end of the 80s.
And although socialism is indeed still one of the most dangerous ideologies in the world, understood by millions as a "bright ideal" (including in our country) and this requires paying more attention to it than to National Socialism or colonial rule, which are almost universally understood as something inhuman and evil. Paying attention to other forms of atrocities, other than the Reds, is also important.
It matters because, regardless of the full name of the totalitarian “ism,” it has the same foundation—the belief that for some reason (race, religion, class, the health of Mother Earth) we have the right to control the lives of other people. We have the right to use the giant machine of coercion we call the state to impose our version of the truth on other human beings. That for the sake of royal blood or a walk to the polls of 300,000 people, millions can be left without the ability to decide for themselves, oppressed by political power and its apparatus of force.
And if we return to the title, we must remember that socialism is not the first and last manifestation of totalitarianism, and it is not important to remove it to be replaced by its brother in a different color, but to make room for the personal freedom of each person.
That personal freedom - where is it?
Let me think:
We have the freedom to work for pennies in our country.
We have the freedom to work in other EU countries what the locals don't want to do, but with lower pay than they do for the same job.
We have the right to vote in elections for individuals we would never elect, but the parties only offer us such people.
We have the right to education, but one that most of us at school age do not understand and do not accept.
We have freedom of movement in the EU - potential, but not real for the majority of us with an income of around 300 E per person.
We can also not work - no one obliges us or gives us work, as was the case under totalitarianism.
And also: we can get drunk on cheap brandy.
We can then say whatever we want in the pub and on the street - freedom of speech! No one will stop us.
How many freedoms we have!