User blog comment:Centrist16/SOMETHING EVERYONE MUST KNOW/@comment-3398633-20150809140026/@comment-1045231-20150815011250

We are going in circles here. Many academics, historians, etc. agree that nearly all of the "socialist" states of our world were not. They lacked workplace democracy and their property was controlled by an undemocratic, bureaucratic state. You appear not to be able to grasp this, so let's not discuss it further. I do not defend those "socialist" states. Consider me to defend non-Leninist socialism since you won't exclude those. Do not bring them up again. You heavily overestimate deaths in Castro's Cuba.

Capitalism is quite new, being around for less than 400 years, and more modernly less than 250. I've never read a socialist work over a few pages. Scandinavia's success is arguably at the expense of poorer nations. Many people have analyzed the capitalist system and come up with vastly different conclusions from you and free market economists. That doesn't mean that they're (eg Marx) wrong. Capitalism causes vast inequality and is unjustifiable. It doesn't work at all, except for a select few. Again, stop using those non-socialist states as straw men.

You're making completely wrong claims about the Zapatistas. Many people are supportive of them (in Chiapas). I don't want to further discuss them.