The word "communist" is lost. It was used in the service of mass murder and death this century, so why try to save it? Socialism has a much more varied history and when I call myself a socialist, I can always add, "you know, like the present government of Spain" or other broad examples. It still can shock people butit's a shock that can be used to educate on the narrowness of language in the US. "Communism" overwhelmingly has meant alliance with the Soviet Union, so why make a fetish of it?
^^^^^^ CB: Not a fetish, just not give in to the falsification of history by the bourgeoisie and their "democratic" historians. It may help in disabusing people of the idea that historical communists have been involved in worse poltical crimes than historical democrats.
You never hear anybody say, "Thomas Jefferson and his posse owned slaves and committed genocide against the indigenous peoples. Or the U.S. slaughtered millions in Indo-China for "democracy". Maybe the term "democrat" has been besmirched and we should get a different name."
"(d)emocrats" were involved in mass murder, death, slavery, fascism from the 18th century and into the 21st. At this very moment, mass murder is being done in the name of "democracy" in Iraq. Would you give up the term "democrat" ?