Slurs and insults

As discussed on the open thread, here's that controversial BBC video report on Marxism - the one which calls it a "slur" or an "insult" to call Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell Marxists! As MB commented:

Also, the commentary says Marx's ideas were "reasonable".  

The video ends with the upbeat comment of a devotee suggesting that when it comes to Marxism "those ideas have held up".  

Marxists have been responsible for the intentional deaths of at least 50 million and probably as many as 100 million people over the last 100 years.  

Can you imagine the BBC adopting the same tone with the Far Right who are in the same totalitarian Death League?

Boris Johnson has called Jeremy Corbyn "the leader of a cabal of superannuated Marxists"

But what does it actually mean to be Marxist?

[Tap to expand] https://t.co/yVMg1T8Ftp pic.twitter.com/zsDUvFeKT0

— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) June 29, 2019

Another comment on this video comes from writer Sam White:

This functions as Marxist propaganda. It *mentions* the totalitarianism, but with uplifting background music, and an overall slant that, well, the tens of millions dead aren't all there is to Marxism. Can't help thinking the responsible thing to do would be to put the carnage and total lack of freedom up front, and then follow everything else on from there.

Quite!
The report is by BBC journalist Megan Fisher.