I think hammering the point that AES were/are real places full of real people who did many good things but also made mistakes is important, because it's true. The reflexive (i.e. uncritical) defending of AES states, in particular China, is understandable due to the uncritical attacking the MSM does constantly but it's not helpful. You can't win just by doing the same thing your enemy does but opposite/inverted.
This requires actually knowing what AES states did and are doing, which most here don't. Not saying I do either but I know enough to know that most here know even less. But it goes back to the purpose of this 'community', should it be for teaching theory and preaching socialism or should it just be a place for terminally online leftists (in the broadest possible definition) to shoot the shit and commiserate over the world falling apart? Obviously due to the nature of the internet, the latter is the most likely/possible.