Wow! That was such an interesting conversation. I've recently read The Gulag Archipelago and that story burnt a hole in my heart learning about what happened to all those people. Thanks for posting :),(reply>), ​@Zach, Bro depends if were talking about classical marxism or not, in practice there are much more serious societal consequences.,(reply>), ​@JNR Its much more free than what happened in the USSR. The corporate media does its best to control public opinion but we're still allowed free speech to discuss amongst each other. Censorship and engineering social norms is actually the key to marxist theory whether its enforced by mob rule or the state. The issue is the lack of transparency in both situations, they're either acting with authoritarian intent or they are selling a product to the people which is the most profitable. <br><br>Hopefully these institutions are delegitimized with giving the average person more access to free and factual information online and holding the media more accountable for the destruction it has caused.,(reply>), @Vaint <br>I wish the USSR would have done media and culture differently. But, they did no different than the US did and still does. Do you really think there has been free journalism in US? They claim there is. It's obvious that's not true from all the people who get stomped on for telling the truth. Even kids movies in the US are just thinly veiled pro military forces propaganda (looking at you comic book films).<br><br>And I did read some of GA a while ago, but it was so blatantly propagandistic and dramatic that it was annoying me and I stopped.,(reply>), @JNR I agree that western media definitely is not completely truthful when it comes to journalism and it did probably serve their agenda to promote the GA, but on the other hand the soviets did not even have freedom of journalism and actively suppressed any ideas contrary to their narrative which is the issue. You could say that the gulags were grossly exaggerated but thats doing a disservice to the thousands that were robbed of their voice. The issue of power in a capitalistic society is very real and leads to inequality but its a much more approachable than the alternative of never having the possibility of recognizing tyranny.  Maybe if you would have read The Gulag Archipelago you would understand that the author purposely undermines the perceivable immorality of the camps to instead question the method of subjugation.,(reply>), @Quinn Tolchin <br><br>A reason he would lie is because western states would AND DID fund his literature on account of it serving as anti Russian propaganda. Not to say it was all lies, I'm sure there are truths in it. But you would also be incentivized to appeal to your western backers by painting the most grim images. Exactly how North Korean defectors tell horror stories about NK and get payed for it, even if it cant be verified, and is sometimes even contradictory. And occasionally when the stories are disproved nobody in the media mentions it.<br><br>Its funny because i probably research the USSR more than the average person and a lot of what is said is straight up false or twisted. Not everything, because the USSR did do things wrong but most people have no sensibility as to what that really was. They are all on the anti soviet band wagon, choo choo!!<br><br>To have an unbiased view on such a controversial topic is hard. Especially when that topic, The USSR, is used extensively in ALL forms of media to contrast and exalt "western supremacy".<br><br>This is especially toxic when our country, the USA, has been and actively is possibly the worst human rights violators on the planet. Really makes you think as to why we have to hate this boogeyman called the USSR. Maybe it's so we don't look at ourselves. The points is not to be pro this and anti that. It's to be unbiased and truthful.