I wholeheartedly agree with you, Z-B, but given the success of the US powers-that-be at convincing folks that "Communism" did exist and was a threat, I figured that I had to frame my point the way it did.

Reminds me of Gandhi's comment about "Western Civilization" - you know the one.

Also, btw, you mentioned the other day that you don't feel qualified to comment on the US mise-en-scene because you're over there. In that regard, it's certainly true that there still is a "real" left over there, perhaps because class-structures are so much more obvious.