Q&A for How to Be Okay with Having a Communist Friend

Just act normally. Don't bring up politics, but if its brought up, don't hide your views. If they stop being your friend because of politics, then they weren't your friends in the first place. Also, look up their views so you can have a better understanding of them, and educate them on why you are a communist. Do not push your views as it can drive them away.

In most countries, being a communist isn't illegal. It's not the Cold War era anymore, and there's nothing to report. People can have whatever political views they like. The only time you would need to report them to authorities is if they had made some sort of violent threat or you had evidence that they were dangerous. It would be advisable to leave your neighbor be and let them to have their political views in peace, otherwise it will cause upset and make life uncomfortable for the both of you. If you feel that bothered by the fact you live next door to a communist, move.

There is nothing wrong with a solid debate between people with different views. This can be an enlightenment for all involved. A debate is not about winning or losing though, it's about testing your thoughts, theories, and arguments against those of others, you have to listen at least as much as you talk. If a debate degrades into a fight or an argument without intellectual content, then nobody benefits. Point that out to your friends. If nothing works, physically remove yourself from the conversation as soon as it starts to become another argument.

Point out to your friend which country sent the first satellite into space, the first animal, the first human, the first space station, and who currently facilitates launches to the International Space Station.

Just say, "Hey, do you want to go do something fun?" You don't have to do anything differently just because your friend is a communist.

He probably still has the beliefs of those during the Cold War, that communists were all dangerous, terrible people. It’s an outdated view. No one would get arrested for being communist nowadays.

There's not really a way around it, they may get mad. Be honest about it, your parents may be proud that you're figuring out what you believe.

Explain the appeal to them, and argue (politely) for its benefits. Good books to recommend are The Foundations of Leninism and Dialectical and Historical Materialism by Stalin, State and Revolution, and What is to be Done? by Lenin, and if they're in for a big read, give them Capital by Marx. There is no guarantee that they will take your recommendations or become interested, though. You have to respect that people have different interests and perspectives. Don't push it too much.

To be honest, though it is a complex and interesting matter, I think humanity doesn't really know yet if communism works, as it has never been truly implemented in a society yet. So give your friend the benefit of the doubt. Listen to the arguments and ideas, and keep an open mind. If you're just going to address it as "you're wrong", that's not really a debate, is it? Nor is it a nice way to act around friends. They differ from you as much as you differ from them, and they're not saying to you that you're wrong for your beliefs.

Only if they are okay with them and the joke doesn't deeply insult them or their belief.

Tell them that you don't mind if they are fond of communism, but you are bored with this theme. It won't be rude if you let them know your opinion. You can still have a lot of in common with your friends without talking about politics.

Work to get rent control on the ballot in the city or town you are living in. This is the necessary first step to restraining the landed class.

Be more open to others. Think about why you hate communists. Being a communist does not affect people's personality. Communists can be very nice, too. If you are happy when you are with that friend, stay friends. However, if you feel too uncomfortable with that person and you feel like you can't stand it, break it off. Tell them politely your true feelings. Don't be rude, or else they will be hurt.

Just with any other friend, find an activity that you think would interest your friend. Communism doesn't prohibit having fun. However, people may not want to do some activities that do not align with their politics; for example, they may not want to go to the cinema because most movies made in capitalist countries have a message supportive of capitalism, or to go shopping because they believe it encourages mindless consumption. So ask first, respect your friend's answer and find other activities if necessary. If the friend doesn't agree to anything fun at all, there may be a deeper problem with your friendship and you should try to resolve that.

If you have to travel together, then you must agree on a destination first. You each write down a list of places, then talk about why you do or do not want to go there. There are almost 200 countries in the world, so surely you can both agree on one of them. If not, travel separately or not at all. Of course, you can always agree to go to the country he chose, on condition that you immediately make plans to go to your country as well on the next trip. Who knows, you might learn something. Just because you're in a communist country doesn't mean you must become one.

Though heraldry has a long and storied history, ultimately the choices for this or that color are for a large part random and arbitrary. In this instance, using red to symbolize communism dates back to the French Revolution's Red Flag in the 18th century and the revolutions of 1848.

The general idea is that all the factories and farms must be overrun by their workers and then controlled by those same workers. It's not enough to storm just one factory, you must storm them all, simultaneously and successfully. Because if you're repelled, your revolution will have failed. I guess you could also found a company which is a secret front for a communist uprising and slowly buy each and every factory and farm, but that would take a few hundred years.

Refer to Be a Communist .