The reasons why people become communists without having experienced it first hand is a bit of a mystery to me. The obvious flaws in such a system, namely too much power in the hands of government, go unadressed by them. And by ignoring a problem it only get bigger.
The Black Book of Communism is a pretty good account of life under communism, which I recommend. A little bit dry, with the endless lists of attrocities visited over and over again until you have to stop and think “haven’t these people had enough?”, but no it goes on and gets even worse. From the Soviet Union to all the little despotic attempts at communism in Africa and the Americas.
It has 6 authors, by the way, former communists themselves having seen it first hand.
When I hear someone from an Eastern Block country emotionally rail about communism and get angry that we have people in this country who even CONSIDER that it might not be bad...I listen very closely to them.
One has only to read “The Gulag Archipelago” to know all you need to know about communism, never mind the millions and millions of people murdered in its name.
Thank you for that recommendation...not that I need to read it, it is like preaching to the choir, but...I am certainly going to check it out.
Because they buy the pretty cover (with rose colored glasses) and never bother to read the book on the atrocities.
They truly believe communism makes men more free than our system.
Their brains never really grow past childhood and they fall for the potemkin versions of communism instead of reality.