Alex WellersteinVerified account

(In Berkeley, they were mostly Trotskyites, whereas in Cambridge there were Maoists. Either way, the big take away for me was that the most tedious and ineffectual people in the USA are people who actually join modern Communist movements.)

Eh, really? I have not seen this, in terms of actual card-carrying Communists and all. They're their own worst enemies; they universally lack a sense of humor. Democratic socialists, sure. But they are a far cry from Stalinists (fears of the Right notwithstanding).

I just think the response is disproportionate to the alleged threat. People say dumb things on Twitter all the time, who cares? They aren't an "influencer," and magnifying fringe opinions (even to dispute them) just gives them more attention than they deserve.

Separately: I have never seen any Americans but a card-carrying Communist express belief that the USSR was some kind of great place. Even the CCC's tend to say it corrupted Marx, ruined the revolution, etc.

I have no disagreement that knowledge of USSR/PRC history in the US is very low, but I don't see too many people advocating for Soviet or Chinese-style Communism here. Fringe movements around big college campuses exclusively, regarded as dopes by most students, it seems to me.