"Communism for Kids":Published by MIT Press

By Bini Adamczak
Translated by Jacob Blumenfeld and Sophie Lewis
Overview

Once upon a time, people yearned to be free of the misery of capitalism. How could their dreams come true? This little book proposes a different kind of communism, one that is true to its ideals and free from authoritarianism. Offering relief for many who have been numbed by Marxist exegesis and given headaches by the earnest pompousness of socialist politics, it presents political theory in the simple terms of a children’s story, accompanied by illustrations of lovable little revolutionaries experiencing their political awakening.

It all unfolds like a story, with jealous princesses, fancy swords, displaced peasants, mean bosses, and tired workers–not to mention a Ouija board, a talking chair, and a big pot called “the state.” Before they know it, readers are learning about the economic history of feudalism, class struggles in capitalism, different ideas of communism, and more. Finally, competition between two factories leads to a crisis that the workers attempt to solve in six different ways (most of them borrowed from historic models of communist or socialist change). Each attempt fails, since true communism is not so easy after all. But it’s also not that hard. At last, the people take everything into their own hands and decide for themselves how to continue. Happy ending? Only the future will tell. With an epilogue that goes deeper into the theoretical issues behind the story, this book is perfect for all ages and all who desire a better world.

mitpress.mit.edu...

Wow... What better way to "brainwashing kids with false narratives" than by making "mythical fairy tales about communism"?

Why is it that communists keep trying to push for this destructive ideology alongside those who propose for nations and people to embrace socialist ideals, when time after time socialism/communism has shown it to be the most oppressive and criminal ideologies that have ever been thought of?

That's not even mentioning that the author is from Berlin and she seems to forget what happened last time Germans embraced socialism in the 1930s.

This is the type of indoctrination that changed nations which were thriving, into socialist dictatorships all over the world.

People seem to forget that this type of "socialist indoctrination" has been the same one used, and still being used by communist dictatorships.



Chilling images from inside the mass indoctrination ceremonies where communist 'cult' leaders brainwash North Korea's children

The uniform of communist youths is still used not only in North Korea, but many other communist nations that to this day brainwash and indoctrinate children to be "good revolutionaries".

I myself had to wear that communist youth uniform in Cuba, alongside all my schoolmates and every kid in Cuba.



As I remember, if it is correctly, primary school children in Cuba wear the "scarf" in blue because the Cuban flag also has that color. But children on secondary school wear the red scarf because it is a sign of the communist youth group. Red also signifies "the blood that revolution soldiers 'Mambises' shed".

When children are about 11-12 years old they have to start working for the state in what are essentially hard labor camps, collecting harvests for the state and other hard work. After the 6th grade children are inscripted to the UJC (Union de Jovenes Communistas/Union of Communist Youth). This is not optional, all children at this age are made to be part of this group, and if parents try to stop this the "state" can declare that the parents are trying to stop children from becoming good revolutionaries. When that happens children are taken into custody by the state and sent to indoctrination schools to destroy any semblance of "individualism" and "pro-Capitlist" ideology that the children might have learned from the parents.

To this day I am amazed at how socialists/communists still try to use "freedom of speech" to essentially root out that same "freedom of speech" which socialism/communism is known for.

This type of indoctrination which falsely tries to instill in children "the good things of socialism/communism" should not be taught to children. More so when these are the same types of lies used in the past and which only root out any semblance of individuality in favor for a "herd mentality". Or as socialists/communists call it "the good of the collective."

a reply to: ElectricUniverse

In my college in LA, there was a flyer calling for borders to be erased and it has the hammer and sickle in the corner of the flyer I believe.

This kind of stuff makes me miss McCarthy.

What a bunch of B.S.

a reply to: starwarsisreal

Yes, this is actually happening all over the world, and wouldn't be happening if "the elites didn't want this". This type of "collective/herd mentality" is to this day being forced upon us and this push for a "global socialist/communist collective" only gives more power to people at the top.

First, true communism is the abolishment of the State, thus no structural hierarchies and no 'authoritarian figures ruling'

Russia, China, Cuba were not a true communist or even socialist nations because they had their State and governments, so at best it was State or National Socialism which is a different ideology and theory than actual communism.

Where Marx got it wrong was the calling for a 'transitional state' or 'dictatorship of the proletarian' that would be the transition from capitalism to socialism and then communism as the final goal, that is counterproductive as the entire point is to abolish the state, money, class etc

that is why anarchist and communist have clashed before because we don't want the transitional state, we just want to go straight into communism

a reply to: ElectricUniverse

Communists, socialists never give up, they just change tactics.

If it was so great, it'd be in the Constitution.

If the morning talk radio guy was correct, the book asserts how "easy" it is and then tries to demonstrate it by listing all the different ways it has failed to show the "easy" way left at the end.

a reply to: DBCowboy

Well, it would also abolish the constitution, so, it's great without it

originally posted by: XAnarchistX
a reply to: DBCowboy

Well, it would also abolish the constitution, so, it's great without it

Yeah, I figured that one out.

I wish more people would realize the freedoms they would lose if they embraced communism.

a reply to: DBCowboy

They are just thinking freedom from responsibility and they are ready to sign up for it. The whole wolf/dog parable is an apt one.

originally posted by: XAnarchistX
First, true communism is the abolishment of the State, thus no structural hierarchies and no 'authoritarian figures ruling'

First, that is only supposed to be a stage...True communism is not what you are trying to make it out to be... It is what Marx and Engels made it to be... As for the "no authoritarian figures"... That's not even remotely close to the truth. If there is no one taking the lead there is only chaos as different people, even in socialism/communism, have different ideas and different approaches... This is why socialism has so many branches. Because every socialist thinks/he/she knows better...

originally posted by: XAnarchistX
Russia, China, Cuba were not a true communist or even socialist nations because they had their State and governments, so at best it was State or National Socialism which is a different ideology and theory than actual communism.

Cuba is and has been a Marxist/Leninist regime. Cuba, the U.S.S.R., China, North Korea, Burma, Vietnam, Venezuela, etc have all been, or are communist regimes.

originally posted by: XAnarchistX
Where Marx got it wrong was the calling for a 'transitional state' or 'dictatorship of the proletarian' that would be the transition from capitalism to socialism and then communism as the final goal, that is counterproductive as the entire point is to abolish the state, money, class etc

The entire point of communism is "to always be in a state of struggle" under a dictatorship of the proletariat. The fact that Marx called it dictatorship of the proletariat points out to the fact that socialism/communism always leads to dictatorship.

In socialism/communism the "good of the collective" matters more than an individual yearning for freedom, which is why those who oppose politically to socialism/communism have always found themselves in gulags, and other socialist/communist prisons. Well, China found a solution to having so many people in prison... They implemented the death penalty over minor infractions, and that includes the death penalty for leaders of religious groups.

originally posted by: XAnarchistX
that is why anarchist and communist have clashed before because we don't want the transitional state, we just want to go straight into communism

The clash between the different factions of socialism occurs because you all think you know how to best control the rest of the population by forcing violence/war between people for having a difference of opinion.

All socialists claim to be in favor of "human rights" yet "individual rights" which are a part of human rights are abolished "for the good of the collective".

Heck, the U.S.S.R. waged a massive disinformation campaign back in 1991 known as the "soviet union referendum" which tried to save the dictatorial U.S.S.R. It essentially claimed the majority of people in the U.S.S.R. were in favor of "preserving the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics as a renewed federation of equal sovereign republics in which the rights and freedom of an individual of any nationality will be fully guaranteed?

The only guarantee in socialism/communism is that everyone is equally poor except the leaders of the collective who become the new rich class.

a reply to: ketsuko

Well yeah.

There is the freedom from responsibility.
There is the freedom from having to make choices.
There is the freedom of the cage.

Prisoners know the same "freedoms".

originally posted by: XAnarchistX
First, true communism is the abolishment of the State, thus no structural hierarchies and no 'authoritarian figures ruling'

Russia, China, Cuba were not a true communist or even socialist nations because they had their State and governments, so at best it was State or National Socialism which is a different ideology and theory than actual communism.

Where Marx got it wrong was the calling for a 'transitional state' or 'dictatorship of the proletarian' that would be the transition from capitalism to socialism and then communism as the final goal, that is counterproductive as the entire point is to abolish the state, money, class etc

that is why anarchist and communist have clashed before because we don't want the transitional state, we just want to go straight into communism

I'd have to say there is no such thing as "true" communism. It is an unattainable, unrealistic system and as a mediocre attempt, would be more harmful than it's opposite....capitalism. In fact, it's so unattainable, it should be compared to Utopia, and that doesn't exist either.

time after time socialism/communism has shown it to be the most oppressive and criminal ideologies that have ever been thought of?

Socialist countries are not oppressive, or at least not any more oppressive than capitalist ones where government doesn't represent the people but only the wealthy.

Dictatorships are not socialist- they are dictatorships. They are two completely different things.

And capitalists are gigantic criminals, how can you pretend that capitalism is more moral than socialism when a socialist government operates on the principle of doing what's good for their people, and capitalism only cares about profits at any cost?

Falling from a tree and hitting every branch on the way down.

a reply to: CB328

a reply to: StoutBroux

You could likely come very close on an immediate family basis, but I think that's about it because true communism presupposes that all members are going to be equally dedicated to the good of the unit whole as much as themselves. In order to achieve that, you need a unit whole that all individuals can really care about in a personal way. A small family unit can sometimes achieve this, but get much larger and people start to go out for themselves or slack off and let the rest carry them. In short, they put self before group, and as soon as only one does this, you lose perfect communism and inject the need for a strong totalitarian, authoritarian element in order to keep the unit before the self for all concerned. That will begin a breakdown on an even greater scale as individuals perceive they are forced into the unit rather than choosing to be part of it.

a reply to: XAnarchistX

Nuance... it's beyond this crowd. At any rate it's not an actual children's book.

a reply to: ElectricUniverse

You got it wrong there

In political and social sciences, communism (from Latin communis, "common, universal")[1][2] is the philosophical, social, political, and economic ideology and movement whose ultimate goal is the establishment of the communist society, which is a socioeconomic order structured upon the common ownership of the means of production and the absence of social classes, money,[3][4] and the state.[5][6]

See the "absence of social classes, money, and the state"

See also:

In Marxist thought, communist society or the communist system is the type of society and economic system postulated to emerge from technological advances in the productive forces, representing the ultimate goal of the political ideology of Communism. A communist society is characterized by common ownership of the means of production with free access[1][2] to the articles of consumption and is classless and stateless,[3] implying the end of the exploitation of labor.

Communism is a specific stage of socioeconomic development predicated upon a superabundance of material wealth, which is postulated to arise from advances in production technology and corresponding changes in the social relations of production. This would allow for distribution based on need and social relations based on freely associated individuals.[4][5]

Once again, absence of the State, It would be a community consensus

and if you look up anarchist communism

Anarchist communism[1] (also known as anarcho-communism, free communism, libertarian communism,[2][3][4][5][6] and communist anarchism[7][8]) is a theory of anarchism which advocates the abolition of the state, capitalism, wage labour, and private property (while retaining respect for personal property),[9] and in favor of common ownership of the means of production,[10][11][page needed] direct democracy, and a horizontal network of voluntary associations and workers' councils with production and consumption based on the guiding principle: "from each according to his ability, to each according to his need".[12][13]

So once asgain there is no 'state' to dictate anyone.

a reply to: ElectricUniverse

What chapter is the The Great Purge in?

What about this;

Courtois considers Communism and Nazism to be distinct but comparable totalitarian systems. He says that Communist regimes have killed "approximately 100 million people in contrast to the approximately 25 million victims of the Nazis".

en.wikipedia.org...

And We ALL Hate Nazis right?

a reply to: DBCowboy

What Freedoms? The constitution is a spook, being told "how" to be free is not Freedoms and being able to use that piece of paper against you is not Freedoms.