In what ways does the current political climate (Y/A) resemble Stalin's 'Great Purge'?

Question

The Great Purge refers collectively to several related campaigns of political repression and persecution in the Soviet Union orchestrated by Joseph Stalin during the 1930s, which removed all of his remaining opposition from power. It involved the purge of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and the persecution of unaffiliated persons, both occurring within a period characterized by omnipresent police surveillance, widespread suspicion of "saboteurs", imprisonment, and killings
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Purge

EDIT: Apparently, the Yamster has lawyered-up. Here is the lame-o response I received when I sent a petition protesting Suthrnlyts suspension:

Thank you for your concern regarding this community member, however, these discussions must remain between the account holder and us. We hope that you can understand our desire to protect their privacy.

Yahoo! Answers Team

Answer 1

Yeah it feels that way it seems when people get to level 10 they are deleted, it's starting to feel like logan's run at level 10 you are terminated.

Answer 2

Most certainly. Watching PMQs yesterday in the House of Commons on the Parliament Channel, there was more hot air from this single chamber than all the cars we all own collectively. Yes. I think politicians and the political climate are a major cause or addition to Global Warming! Edit: I agree with Heather above. When a subject as important as Global Warming simply becomes a political issue and not a science based one, then a naturally sceptical British public are going to look askance at anything coming from our elected betters! We all know don't we, that if we had a pet science theory for the production of this or that widget, we would probably get big UK.gov cash for our project so long as we remembered to insert the words, WARMING & GLOBAL into our begging letter to the Ministry of Workaholism and Profligate Spending of the Peoples Revnues - Department of Waste, etc.

Answer 3

The resemblance is that both are using unreliable informers.

Surprisingly I agree with you, this is getting out of hand.
Many of those suspended lately have been good contributers who follow the Y/A rules.
I may not always agree with the point of view, but they make their point within the guidelines, and without violating the rules. Even though Yahoo is a private Company, I feel all points of view should be allowed.

I have stopped answering the type of inflammatory questions that annoy me, based on if the poster is a new account and - points instead of + points.
This is probably not completely reliable, as most of these Q's and A's are private, but this has cut unwarranted violations so far.

The only way to be sure to avoid violation is to always follow the rules to the letter.
Ask a question, and answer the question as asked.
From reading the Violation posts, that is the Yahoo majority claim.
Did not ask, or did not answer.

Answer 4

Let us not forget the imprisonment or outright elimination of most of the officer corps in the Russian military during Joey's purge.

Another comparison might be Mao's 'Cultural Revolution'. It, too, displayed the inherent psychosis of communism; the most telling symptom being paranoia.

The Chairman had his Red Guards; Stalin used the NKVD; and yahoo employs The Gerbil.

Already there are too many casualties, and I hope you're not the next to be thrown in the backseat of a Black Raven and taken away.

I enjoy your Q&A's too much.

Answer 5

What I can't understand is what a bunch of whining thin skinned cry babies are doing in the political section anyway...

.We are going to disagree.....politic and religion....it has always been that way....I have read maybe three "question" in this section that was actually wanting info...most of them are opinions and everyone knows it...

They just want to act superior because their heads are not on the chopping block...
If it were up to me, the only thing able to be reported were posts of a profane or pornographic nature. Everyone else need to "cowboy the heck up"...and grow a thicker skin...

.I have been called a coward....a racist...an imbecile and every other derogatory name in the book....and I have reported one person for porn....and that was a year ago...In the forum, there were people admiting they had reported people for saying "I agree with Joe Blow"....how insane it that.

Grow up people and stop using the report button like you were a gestapo buffoon with you finger on the gas chamber switch.

Answer 6

I got that same exact reply to my email regarding suthrn being suspended.

I don't think this is specific to one side anymore... I have at least 3 or 4 contacts who are now no longer on Y!A. They're from both sides.

This is ridiculous. Politics, if nothing else, is a place where you express your opinion.

Since when is an opinion something which should be squelched if it's a different view than someone else's?

Answer 7

Well, the problem with the analogy is it seems to be striking people regardless of political affiliation.

I guess there's another problem in that it seems to make light of the horrors or Stalin's purges, to compare them to getting deleted from YA. Will those who are purged here be sent to the Gulag of Ask.com?

Answer 8

Dead Marxist...

What power is being gained or consolidated by the removal of these individuals from YA? How many are being killed? How many are being imprisoned?

This is a forum for the exchange of ideas. Sometimes the exchanges get heated. They shouldn't, but they do.

Now, under your scenario, there wouldn't be any exhange of ideas at all. Both sides present their cases here.

Yahoo simply asks that we refrain from getting heated or personal. I can understand that. And from what I can tell, the individuals that are no longer in the forum did not abide by those rules.

Basically, Yahoo's house, Yahoo makes the rules. You don't abide by them, you're out.

I don't buy the comparison at all. I think it's ridiculous.

Answer 9

well I guess if they are purging for political reasons soon enough all differing opinions will be gone and you will have a pretty boring place where no one will want to go because there is no debate. What they crave will be destroyed by what they wanted.

Answer 10

I'm not going to get "deleted" if I say anything against them will I, like Stalin "deleted" those who opposed him, even Lennen? Suthrynyts, Brian, and Alpha Male were deleted by Yahoo, and a HAMster....

"The death of one man is a tragedy, the death of millions is a statistic"- Joseph Stalin

Yahoo and Stalin must belong to the same party.