Beat Poet Allen Ginsberg: "Communism Just Doesn't Work"
From the WSJ, a quote pulled out of the Times Literary Supplement:
[A] postcard from Allen Ginsberg to Diane di Prima, postmarked New York, but showing a Swiss Alpine scene on the front, was auctioned by Nate D. Sanders this week, with a minimum bid of $250. The date is January 16, 1981, and Ginsberg has just returned from a "couple months" in Europe: "Hungary-Austria-Switzerland-Germany." His readings brought "little money" and he appears surprised to find "Red Lands not good." As the auctioneer says, "Ginsberg often talked about his intimate connections with communism and his admiration for communist political figures including Fidel Castro. " By 1981 he was disillusioned: "I guess communism just doesn't work."
No such thing as a good theory that doesn't work in practice.
(I visited the Soviet Union once -- it was a soul sucking hell hole.)
Jeff Guinn at May 12, 2014 12:19 AM
The pilgrims figured that out... once they alloted little fields that families got to keep the produce of, suddenly even mom and the kids were in the fields.
NicoleK at May 12, 2014 12:32 AM
No such thing as a good theory that doesn't work in practice.
(I visited the Soviet Union once -- it was a soul sucking hell hole.)
Posted by: Jeff Guinn at May 12, 2014 12:19 AM
I was spared that. But in the 80's in West Germany, I watched the neighbors load up gifts to take to their relatives in East Germany. Toothpaste, soap, toilet paper, and food, were at the top of the list.
The East German government would release the elderly sick, and retired to emigrate to West Germany. They kept everyone else as slave labor and hostages.
Isab at May 12, 2014 12:39 AM
Communism does work for one set of people -- those in power.
Amy Alkon at May 12, 2014 5:09 AM
Over at City Journal, Michael J. Totten writes about his visit to Havana. Communism doesn't work in Cuba, either, though a couple commenters didn't want to hear it.
Old RPM Daddy (OldRPMDaddy at GMail dot com) at May 12, 2014 5:40 AM
I have a friend who grew up in Havana in the late '70s-early '80s. One story that struck me was about how many streets in Havana are dirt, but they have paved sidewalks. How does that happen? Well, the streets used to be paved, but since Castro's regime had no money to "waste" on street maintenance, the pavement got to be in such horrible shape that eventually the people who had to use the street just broke out their shovels and dug the pavement out.
Cousin Dave at May 12, 2014 6:08 AM
"Communism does work for one set of people - those in power"
Indeed, and that's the answer to those clowns who insist that the People's Republic of China isn't really communist any more because it has billionaire industrialists and whatnot. Communism is about one thing only - a monopoly on political power by the Communist Party. Letting cronies in business get rich doesn't change this, and any ordinary folks who dare to challenge this monopoly will get run over by tanks like they did in '89.
Martin at May 12, 2014 9:17 AM
I guess that per the dictionary definition, what is happening in China (and the U.S.!) would be facism, not communism per se. But to paraphrase Pete Townshend, to the guy in the street it's all the same.
Cousin Dave at May 13, 2014 8:34 AM
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