this post was submitted on 08 Jul 2024
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Lefty Memes
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For those who don't seem to get it:
No, this meme does not mean that you can't temporarily halt fascist electoral victory, but rather that fighting symptoms and portraying that as a "victory over fascism" completely disregard the root cause (as liberalism often does)...
Tho I'm ngl, the NFP seems to be pretty based, at least relative to the usual neolib bs
ie.: Fascism is a built-in function of capitalism and thus bourgeois "democracy". Capitalism turns to fascism when threatened, so as long as you aren't ready to give up the private ownership of the economy, you will not be able to get rid of fascism (paraphrasing Bertolt Brecht here)
sheesh, I often forget, that libs and revisionists actually believe in bourgeois democracy. If you are open to changing your mind I can recommend "Reform or Revolution" by Rosa Luxenburg
EDIT: @[email protected] made me aware of an ebook-specific link
I've learned that using the term "bourgeois" just confuses half of liberals and convinces the other half that you must be a tankie - I just call it liberal democracy and they get it (it does send them into reactionary fits, though).
That just exposes them as being politically illiterate reactionaries and staunch defenders of capital
Those who are open-minded will interact in good faith and ask for clarification (the thread of my overarching comment might be an example)
Found it If you click on author name it only gives you the web version, for epub you need to go to this page:
https://www.marxists.org/ebooks/#ebooksinenglish
thx for providing the link!
(I don't frequent marxists.org, since I get all my ebooks through Anna's archive)
I had to read that a couple of times before I understood what you are trying to say. At first glance, it seemed like you were calling democracy itself bourgeois, but I think you meant it as a specific thing that isn’t actual democracy… e.g. it’s an illusion of democracy because capitalism gives the wealthy the ability to steer the whole ship, as it were. Please correct me if my understanding is wrong.
Exactly that. Capitalism is incompatible with democracy.
I'm glad you took the time to read and understand it in good faith!
And yes, under bourgeois "democracy" (be it multiparty or bi/mono party dominant) you only get to choose between various representatives of capital
The system and it's laws are inherently designed in such a way, that no matter whom you elect, you still live under the dictatorship of capital
It seems so. Capitalism fundamentally unequal, which is opposite of real democracy.
1st of all there is no such thing as a communist country, as communism describes a state-, money- and classless society.
Then I think you are conflating two very different things: what I think you are alluring to, simply describes a more centralised and ruthless approach at achieving and keeping alive a revolution. (and arguably betraying it, but that does not constitute fascism)
Fascism is a very different thing. Basically it's the act of "unifying" a group of people or nation against a caricature of a "common enemy". It seeks the suppression of proletarian class struggle by forcing collaboration and integrating society into one "corpus". Corporatism is a core tenant of fascism, which is (imo) very well depicted through unions being forced to merge with (or be disbanded into) private companies, because "such distinctions are obsolete when we stand united as one Volk". Those class distinctions never disappear, but the whole charade is basically based on that premise.
Ofc this all serves the protection of capital by fooling the working masses and suppressing labour or simply "undesirable" elements of society...
Communism involves, almost by definition, a centrally planned economy. That isn't really possible without a state.
Socialism can involve that (decentralised planning is possible)
In communism - as there is no need for the suppression of reactionary classes anymore - the socialist state ceases to exist in terms of what we know as a "state"
Administration of the economy can and will still exist in the post-"socialist world republic" (ie. communist) world
A Leninist should perhaps open a dictionary instead of trying to redefine words.
An Anarchist has clearly never worked in any group setting I'm familiar with.