Are/were Russia and China really communist?

[Gumba Masta]

This has been bothering me for a while. Judgin from what I learned in school, all those many years ago, I never was under the impression that neither Russia nor China really changed their system and mererly switched out names- The Czar became the Premier, the Emperor the Chairman. The system still seemed just as oppresive before and after the implied change. So am I under a wrong impression here or am I just missing some pieces of information here?

[MrBogosity]

Communism/socialism is really no different from the tyrannies that came before it. They just changed the rhetoric.

[Gumba Masta]

So who decides which tyranny gets CIA support and which don't?

[Virgil0211]

So who decides which tyranny gets CIA support and which don't?

The CIA.

[Gumba Masta]

I like you Virgil, you're so much funnier than Dante.

[VectorM]

What's with the "were"? You have doubts about them being communist in the past?

[Gumba Masta]

Communism/socialism is really no different from the tyrannies that came before it. They just changed the rhetoric.

Does that mean that socialism is oppresive by default or that if it had'nt been emloyed through such oppressive means that it could have worked or worked better? And if you say "If it were free it would be capitalism" I reserve the right to say "I saw that comming."

[MrBogosity]

It's oppressive by its very nature. You're talking about forcing people into particular roles in society and then not letting them keep the fruits of their own labor. How long do you think that's going to last completely voluntarily?

[Gumba Masta]

Could'nt you say the same thing about any factory worker anywhere, no matter the system?

[MrBogosity]

No, because in a free market they have the choice of where to work, they can negotiate their own wage, and they can keep the fruits of their labor.

[Gumba Masta]

By fruits of labor you mean the wages of course and not the finished product that the workers helped assemble? Otherwise I might be tempted to make some posts going  "HAHA! UR seyn a factry wurker ken kep de carse he meiks."

[MrBogosity]

Yes, the wages. The workers generally don't care what they're making or what it's used for. That's how it works best.

[Gumba Masta]

Yes...
For some reason that statement grates me all the wrong ways. I mean it's alright as long as the product in question are such things as cars, TVs or refridgerators. But when it comes to stuff like guns...I don't know but I did hear rumors that those can be used to kill people and I'd really, really feel a bit down if I knew that the harvest of my sweat should be used to blow out someone's brain somewhere. But that's probably  just my little leftist heart screaming in agony as I smother it with my bare hands. 

[VectorM]

Yes...
For some reason that statement grates me all the wrong ways. I mean it's alright as long as the product in question are such things as cars, TVs or refridgerators.

In my country, about 0,5 % of the population dies in car accidents every year... Just because a car is not specifically build to kill people, doesn't mean that it can't be just as deadly.

[Gumba Masta]

Only 0.5?