LGBT student group argues that gulags were good, anti-trans bigots literally kill and must be re-educated

This is one of those crazy threads that just comes out of nowhere and you have to double-check to make sure it’s not a parody account and you’re not being had. If it’s any consolation to our American readers, Goldsmiths University of London and its LGBTQ+ organization are in England, so the crazy is on the other side of the pond on this one.

Today's theme song, with thanks to @mrkhtake2 and less sincere thanks to Goldsmith's @lgbtqgold

(If you haven't caught up, they said "terfs go to gulags", then did an *amazing* "gulags are good actually" thread, which Twitter is *relentlessly* mocking)https://t.co/on827yewRP

— Anime✨Girl✨Marcus⚧⚤?? (@LogicalMarcus) September 10, 2018

First off: a TERF is a trans-exclusionary radical feminist; that is, they’re feminists who don’t accept trans women as women — that makes them bad people who need to be sent off to the gulag for re-education, at least according to LGBTQ+ Goldsmiths. Here’s a quick historical rundown on Stalin’s prison camps for those who didn’t know.

Editor’s note: LGBTQ+ Goldsmiths apparently got sick of the backlash and protected its tweets, so we’ll just have to paste in the text:

So… first of all,the USSR no longer exists, therefore “gulags” no longer exist. May as well make a case against orientalism but USSR =/= Russia. Russia is NOT governed by a communist party. Got that? Okay, good.

So… gulags. First myth to debunk: “u work until u die in gulags!!!!”. The Soviets did away with life sentences and the longest sentence was 10 years. Capital punishment was reserved for the most heinous, serious crimes.

Why? The penal system was a rehabillitary one and self supporting, a far cry from the Western, capitalist notion of prison. The aim was to correct and change the ways of “criminals”. If it couldn’t be done in 10 years, it couldn’t be done at all.

Much like wider Soviet society, everyone who was *able* to work did so at a wage proportionate to those who weren’t incarcerated and, as they gained skills, were able to move up the ranks and work under less supervision.

Educational work was also a prominent feature of the Soviet penal system. There were regular classes, book clubs, newspaper editorial teams, sports, theatre & performance groups.

There’s so much more to add but the reality is none of you actually care to learn about gulags. You don’t care about what fascism actually is and how it fuelled by anti-communist, orientalist myths and lies propagated by the CIA.

Long story short, friends, the ideas of TERFs and anti trans bigots literally *kill* and must be eradicated through reeducation. Science must be decolonised and de-essentialised in order for this to happen. #noterfsonourterf

Final note: If your sources are written by fascists or supported by the US State Department, they’re probably pretty trash sources. Good night and remember – #NoTerfsOnOurTurf

Here's a mini thread in which the Tankies running @lgbtqgold once again do @GoldsmithsUoL proud by deciding to rewrite history and declare gulags to be "compassionate". I shouldn't have to, but let me explain how very wrong they are…. https://t.co/8DnsBt4Y9Y

— Mrkhtake2 (@mrkhtake2) September 10, 2018

So…..first of all, the fact the USSR no longer exists has no bearing on this, nor does it wipe history clean. The Nazi party isn't a thing now either, but we still acknowledge the holocaust. https://t.co/G9y7KyOY3p

— Mrkhtake2 (@mrkhtake2) September 10, 2018

So….why are they staring all their tweets with this? It's annoying. Anyway, we seem a bit confused about the term 'death camp'. It means a prison camp for political prisoners or prisoners of war in which many die from poor conditions and treatment. https://t.co/YfGOFcRoae

— Mrkhtake2 (@mrkhtake2) September 10, 2018

The highest estimate for people that died in the Gulags is 12 million although, tbf, this is disputed. Funnily enough, people don't keep accurate records of their death camps and the people that die, probably something to do with the lack of value put on human life in them.

— Mrkhtake2 (@mrkhtake2) September 10, 2018

The tentative historical consensus is that of the 18 million people who passed through the gulag system from 1930 to 1953, between 1.5 and 1.7 million died as a result of incarceration. That equates to almost 74,000 human lives lost each year on average. https://t.co/kQmhtFWzgR

— Mrkhtake2 (@mrkhtake2) September 10, 2018

Why? Most prisoners laboured under the threat of starvation or execution if they refused. It's estimated that the combination of very long working hours, harsh climatic and other working conditions, inadequate food, and summary executions was responsible. https://t.co/oibA7w14Sw

— Mrkhtake2 (@mrkhtake2) September 10, 2018

Neither is it true that the work in the Gulag received the same remuneration as those who weren't incarcerated. In fact, it worked out at around a tenth of the average normal salary. Plus the wage system was not introduced until around 1952. https://t.co/5wjbOCObav

— Mrkhtake2 (@mrkhtake2) September 10, 2018

For education, read 're-education' here (I'm not surprised the trans activists are a fan of this feature). The desired 're-education' was to be realised using two kinds of measures: the physical work of the prisoners, and 'cultural education work'. https://t.co/KiTPsxWapb

— Mrkhtake2 (@mrkhtake2) September 10, 2018

'Cultural education work' did include music in the form of 'agitation brigades', ensembles, orchestras and choirs. However, music making and listening also brought about situations that meant physical and psychological torture for them.https://t.co/Y9nB3hDIDO

— Mrkhtake2 (@mrkhtake2) September 10, 2018

There's so much more to add but the reality is none of these halfwits actually care to learn about gulags. They don't care about what fascism actually is and how it is fuelled by hateful lies, propaganda, the rewriting of history and thought ploicing.https://t.co/27Be7LinWN

— Mrkhtake2 (@mrkhtake2) September 10, 2018

They could take the time to listen to the words of an actual survivor, but that would require compassion and an open mind. Something we know trans activists are often incapable of. I'll leave this here, anyway, for those who do want to learn. https://t.co/rgJkHqXbBu

— Mrkhtake2 (@mrkhtake2) September 10, 2018

Long story short, @lgbtqgold are suggesting tactics akin to fascism to "win" an argument they are rapidly losing with this kind of shit. Science is important and we don't rewrite it for abusive fantasists because it doesn't suit their political agenda. https://t.co/FuyOKeadB0

— Mrkhtake2 (@mrkhtake2) September 10, 2018

The same goes for history. The end.

— Mrkhtake2 (@mrkhtake2) September 10, 2018

this is…not accurate. not even close.
no, the gulag was not "rehabilatory," or self-supporting, or educational. but that's just the tip of the iceberg.
second time in a month I've had an opportunity to recommend a book on twitter: https://t.co/PjUm6avkmw https://t.co/XwpfMDAmOs

— Anne Applebaum (@anneapplebaum) September 10, 2018

Curious that LGBTQ+ Goldsmiths protected their tweets after getting their butts handed to them.

Related:

Majority of heterosexuals say they won't date trans folk, and that's discrimination somehow https://t.co/8JZ0t6T9S4

— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) August 8, 2018