"To repeat myself - what is the difference between this and a school bully."

The difference is that communist has a worthy long term goal (that will benefit all people), whereas the bully is interested in only the short term stroking of his own ego (that benefits only him).
While the means might seem harsh, it is sometimes necessary to bear some short term pain in order to achieve a long term benefit.
We have been so indoctrinated in our capitalist system, which affects every aspect of our lives, from our work, our government, our families expectations, our entertainment, our academia, our view of history and so on and so on that we are unable think objectively. Even if we try to free ourselves from these pernicious influences - the power is so strong that it pulls us back.

Human beings are capable of achieving so much, but the present system sets us against each other, instead of working in unison towards a common goal. Look at all the wealth in the world, and yet the vast majority of it is controlled by so few. This wealth gives "the few" extraordinary tools to manipulate and control us - the mass media, the banking system, the police, the military. But it controls us in such as way as to guarantee the wealth can only ever remain in the hands of the few. For the rest of us - there is just a glimmer of hope that we might someday join those exalted ranks. But most of us have no hope. The game is rigged.

The trouble with the above - flawed as our system is, can Communism actually offer a viable alternative? I don't think so. The few always gain the upper-hand, regardless of the system. Except under communism the few can gain even more power. Under communism if you don't like your employer, you can't just quit and work for another company, or even better start your business.

And while the need to suppress freedom of speech in order to protect us from pernicious influences might have a noble goal, to preserve the truth - the costs are greater than the benefits. Especially in the information age that we are now blessed to live in. The idea that we need to suppress free speech in order to preserve the "truth" presupposes that we know what the truth is - but we don't. We are constantly evolving, and we benefit from this evolution. We need to think and speak freely in order to generate the ideas that will drive us forward.

Thus in nutshell, while I think the goals of communism are noble, its methods are ineffective. Or so I think for today.