Modus.Ponens wrote:But the truth is that as soon as this is done by the people with power in the utopia, the declared enemies of "the greater good" will either be arrested, tortured, enslaved or killed. The only way of having a communist regime is if some country unanimously decides to be communist and the unanimity remains communist for decades. Otherwise, mass violence is the only way of installing a communist regime.
The methods in different systems may vary, but the goals are the same.
In the end, there isn't that much difference between imprisoning a "political opponent" or ruining their reputation and making it impossible for them to find employment and earn a living: the goal is the same, that is to crush all opposition to the system.
In democratic systems, the methods for crushing opposition are more subtle than in some other systems, but just as effective, if not more.
Liberal democracy, with respect for individual rights and freedoms, and the several variations we've come up with so far are not perfect. Far from it. But when you compare this with other systems, it's better. It's good enoguh.
Democracies so far either had slaves (like in ancient Greece), or outsourced their dirty work and their cheap work, like modern capitalist countries do.
So whenever you think of all the wellbeing in some Western capitalist country, think of all the people in poor Asian, poor South-American and poor African countries who are working hard for pennies and whose countries are polluted by dirty industry -- just so that the capitalist country for which they work can look like the model of wellbeing and democarcy.