noted in passing----"better than Communism"

Observation:
In Central Europe, the remark "Well, Communism was worse...", or "It's better than Communism."
is not a serious remark.

It is a conversation-stopper.  It is a way to avoid thinking.

Context:
I was riding a crowded train, and I was complaining.  The First Class compartments are usually sparsely populated.  The Second Class compartments are crammed full like a tin of sardines.
And, as I was complaining, suddenly, I imagined the retort:  "Well, it's better than Communism."

Really?  You have newer trains, but they are still crowded.  Now, you pay for them, or pay more than you used to. Where is the progress in that?

But, I noted with horror that my own brain produced those words, "...better than Communism...."
To stop me from complaining.

Let's review:  The ruling class, via the banking system have stolen trillions of dollars.
We are paying for their bail-out.  Schools, public services including trains, salaries,
hospitals, etc., etc.  are all affected.  They are filthy rich and getting rich.  We are getting
poorer.  Public transport in Central Europe continues to be unpleasant.  The illusion
that there is now "competition" because a few rich men are now running their own trains
belongs to a catalogue of idiocy which should produce only embarrassment to the perpetrators.

But we can complain about it?  That's the difference?  So, we don't fear imprisonment, only
starvation, humiliation, and falling into the under-class?  But we can talk about it?

And our no-longer-enslaved audience responds with the knee-jerk reaction:  "Well, it's better than.......