If we go to Boston, and we find that the people in the North all have nice clean homes, and the people in the South live in a dump, then that&#x27;s a valid distinction because the difference existed <i>before</i> we went to Boston.<p>If you look at socialist countries throughout history, and classify them into &quot;nice moderate progressives&quot; and &quot;plain old dictatorships&quot; on the basis of <i>outcomes</i>, then that&#x27;s not a valid distinction: it&#x27;s just retroactively repainting the lines on the ideological landscape to fit your views.<p>An ex post facto difference is none at all.