this post was submitted on 16 Dec 2025
1236 points (98.4% liked)

Murdered by Words

2283 readers
357 users here now

Responses that completely destroy the original argument in a way that leaves little to no room for reply - a targeted, well-placed response to another person, organization, or group of people.

The following things are not grounds for murder:

Rules:

  1. Be civil and remember the human. No name calling or insults. Swearing in general is fine, but not to insult someone else.
  2. Discussion is encouraged but arguments are not. Don’t be aggressive and don’t argue for arguments sake.
  3. No bigotry of any kind.
  4. Censor the person info of anyone not in the public eye.
  5. If you break the rules you’ll get one warning before you’re banned.
  6. Enjoy the community in the light hearted way it’s intended.

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] kryptonianCodeMonkey@lemmy.world 13 points 1 week ago (2 children)

The problem comes when the benevolent dictator dies peacefully in their sleep.

The problems arise well before that. There's no such thing as a benevolent dictator because it's an oxymoron. Anyone who would seek to control everyone is not benevolent. And even if we agreed that unilaterally controlling everyone could still be benevolent, there is no means to gaining such control that is not inherently not benevolent short of nearly every one of your constituents collectively appointing you to that position.

[–] MummysLittleBloodSlut@lemmy.blahaj.zone 11 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Yeah. George Washington is one of the only men in history who had a chance to be a benevolent dictator. And what did he do? He said "No, we're doing democracy now." And if he hadn't, he wouldn't have been benevolent.

[–] Alphonsus@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago

He understood normal human kindness.

[–] SparroHawc@lemmy.zip 7 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

Yes, that is why I continued to give examples of when it would go south.

This is absolutely a pie-in-the-sky fantasy. Benevolent dictatorships work as well as state-run communism does - which is to say, in theory they're great, but they show cracks nearly the instant they're actually enacted.

[–] kryptonianCodeMonkey@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

work as well as state-run communism does - which is to say, in theory they're great

State-run communism is also an oxymoron. The total state control of production is meant to be an intermediary step in the transition from capitalism. First the state seizes materials, machinery, money, etc away from the capitalists and corporations, redistributes the seized wealth according to need, and then it relinquishes control of production to the workers and of the governance to community structures and dissolves itself. That last step has never happened at a national scale in human history. State-run communism is not communism, by definition. It's just capitalism where the state leadership are the only capitalists.

[–] MrPoletki@feddit.uk 2 points 1 week ago

I have not ever heard such a bang on take vs communism on the internet before. Upvotes for you.