memes

As someone who lives in the west while yes this is a very annoying thing its also very useful. I can simply say good things about China when i meet someone, and watch their reaction to find out if they are someone i should bother befriending or not. Saves a lot of time. Like if i mention the hundreds of millions of people China has raised out of extreme poverty, or how nice their high speed rail network is, and the person is immediately like "Actually the see see pee is evil, and bla bla bla" i can just mark them down as someone i wont bother speaking to again.

Tbh to me the most common "western socialists" beliefs are:

• recognize Cuba is a socialist state, doesn't do the same for DPRK, Vietnam and China
• Marx, Engels, Lenin (sometimes), Che Guevara good, Stalin and Mao bad
• "not true socialism"
• idealizes failed revolutions like german revolution
• against "totalitarianism" and "authoritarianism"

Where does that flag come into it?

Socialism is when no criticize glorious leader