Stalin , Mao , and Pol Pot types of leaders are every bit as much of a problem as Hitler , Pinochet , and Mussolini types of leaders

At this point it doesn’t matter what economic policies a tyrant nominally supports , the problem is the authoritarianism that they use that overshadows their economic outlook. Your freedom is just as screwed if you are a fascist labor conscript , or you are a prisoner working in a gulag on some trumped up charge.

The idea of socialism has a lot of appeal .

That is why wannabe tyrants latch onto it .

Being a grognard is not a bad thing , having an experienced gamer who "has been here since the beginning " at the table who knows roleplaying backwards, forwards and sideways can be a valuable resource to a club , they can be mentors and leaders and now that many are hitting retirement age and now have the kind of free time they have not had since their teens they are available and bored , and they have been mulling over campaign ideas for years as well as reflecting on things that make some sessions memorable and other sessions be utter dumpster fires.

Fuck Spez , I have bailed out of Reddit , it is beyond saving because structurally it is built on a flawed concept of assuming benevolent admins who work for the good of the community , and that is no longer the case , they are too far gone to be able to salvage value from that place and we are better off rebuilding better here.