this post was submitted on 31 Jul 2024
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Lefty Memes

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An international (English speaking) socialist Lemmy community free of the "ML" influence of instances like lemmy.ml and lemmygrad. This is a place for undogmatic shitposting and memes from a progressive, anti-capitalist and truly anti-imperialist perspective, regardless of specific ideology.

Serious posts, news, and discussion go in c/Socialism.

If you are new to socialism, you can ask questions and find resources over on c/Socialism101.

Please don't forget to help keep this community clean by reporting rule violations, updooting good contributions and downdooting those of low-quality!

Rules

Version without spoilers

0. Only post socialist memes


That refers to funny image macros and means that generally videos and screenshots are not allowed. Exceptions include explicitly humorous and short videos, as well as (social media) screenshots depicting a funny situation, joke, or joke picture relating to socialist movements, theory, societal issues, or political opponents. Examples would be the classic case of humorous Tumblr or Twitter posts/threads. (and no, agitprop text does not count as a meme)


0.5 [Provisional Rule] Use alt text or image descriptions to allow greater accessibility


We require alternative text (from now referred to as "alt text") to be added to all posts/comments containing media, such as images, animated GIFs, videos, audio files, and custom emojis.
EDIT: For files you share in the comments, a simple summary should be enough if they’re too complex.

We are committed to social equity and to reducing barriers of entry, including (digital) communication and culture. It takes each of us only a few moments to make a whole world of content (more) accessible to a bunch of folks.

When alt text is absent, a reminder will be issued. If you don't add the missing alt text within 48 hours, the post will be removed. No hard feelings.


1. Socialist Unity in the form of mutual respect and good faith interactions is enforced here


Try to keep an open mind, other schools of thought may offer points of view and analyses you haven't considered yet. Also: This is not a place for the Idealism vs. Materialism or rather Anarchism vs. Marxism debate(s), for that please visit c/AnarchismVsMarxism.


2. Anti-Imperialism means recognizing capitalist states like Russia and China as such


That means condemning (their) imperialism, even if it is of the "anti-USA" flavor.


3. No liberalism, (right-wing) revisionism or reactionaries.


That includes so called: Social Democracy, Democratic Socialism, Dengism, Market Socialism, Patriotic Socialism, National Bolshevism, Anarcho-Capitalism etc. . Anti-Socialist people and content have no place here, as well as the variety of "Marxist"-"Leninists" seen on lemmygrad and more specifically GenZedong (actual ML's are welcome as long as they agree to the rules and don't just copy paste/larp about stuff from a hundred years ago).


4. No Bigotry.


The only dangerous minority is the rich.


5. Don't demonize previous and current socialist experiments or (leading) individuals.


We must constructively learn from their mistakes, while acknowledging their achievements and recognizing when they have strayed away from socialist principles.

(if you are reading the rules to apply for modding this community, mention "Mantic Minotaur" when answering question 2)


6. Don't idolize/glorify previous and current socialist experiments or (leading) individuals.


Notable achievements in all spheres of society were made by various socialist/people's/democratic republics around the world. Mistakes, however, were made as well: bureaucratic castes of parasitic elites - as well as reactionary cults of personality - were established, many things were mismanaged and prejudice and bigotry sometimes replaced internationalism and progressiveness.



  1. Absolutely no posts or comments meant to relativize(/apologize for), advocate, promote or defend:

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[–] [email protected] -1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

My point is that there were already conservatives 200 years ago claiming that socialism was utopian, and people like Marx and Engels proved them wrong. Lenin and Fidel, and all the workers who followed and guided them, adhering to Marxism-Leninism, successfully organized revolutions that abolished capitalism and Tsarism and turned their countries into socialist ones.

So your comment that it seems "utopian" has already been answered by Engels 150+ years ago, and confirmed wrong by Lenin and Fidel.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

claiming that socialism was utopian

I didn't claim that socialism was utopian, I pointed out that there is seemingly no proposal for how to make socialism come about, much like The Venus Project.

So your comment that it seems "utopian"

I haven't used the word utopian. You're putting words in my mouth. You're so blinded by your expectations about what you think people are going to say about socialism that you literally can't read what people are writing. Sort your shit out please.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 9 months ago (1 children)

"wouldn't it be nice if" pie in the sky idea

How's that not basically the definition of utopia?

that there is seemingly no proposal for how to make socialism come about

There pretty much is: create a vanguard party of Marxist intellectuals, create unions and give services to citizens in order to organise them, help them in their lives and their struggle, and educate them into class-consciousness. This makes a grassroots dual-power structure that makes workers class-conscious and politically involved as well as provides them with safety networks that they themselves maintain. When the material conditions for the revolution eventually come, the vanguard party and the grassroots organizations coalesce and take power from the bourgeoisie

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

How's that not basically the definition of utopia?

LOL it's not because that's how concepts work.

the revolution

What revolution?

the vanguard party and the grassroots organizations coalesce and take power from the bourgeoisie

What's the Marxist plan for preventing the people who take power from becoming the new exploiters? How do Marxists propose to overcome the fact that power corrupts?

[–] [email protected] -1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

LOL it's not because that's how concepts work.

You can tell that to yourself, it's the core of what you meant, regardless of whether you want to use the specific word "utopia" or just talk about "ideal societies that won't take place". I'm not here to argue semantics.

What revolution?

Whichever comes. Revolutions take place periodically in different countries. French revolution, October revolution, revolutionary struggles against colonialism... All of those were revolutions, i.e. events in history with rapid radical changes in the form of governance and organisation of a system, possibly with a change in the classes of society.

What's the Marxist plan for preventing the people who take power from becoming the new exploiters? How do Marxists propose to overcome the fact that power corrupts?

The solution is being as democratic as possible. Establishing grassroots, dual power structures early and way before the revolutions. Strong unions, neighborhood associations, social rights movements like current feminist organizations... All of those linked and in collaboration with each other and with a vanguard party of Marxist intellectuals who guide these collectives and vice-versa.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

it's the core of what you meant

"ideal societies that won't take place"

That's not what I meant though. You can't even listen when someone tells you you're not listening.

being as democratic as possible

LOL so no solution in fact, just hope that things might turn out better. Selling a better future. Like a religion. It all makes sense now. Best of luck.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 9 months ago (1 children)

!LOL so no solution in fact

Not if you choose to ignore everything else I said after that. But that's just you wanting to argue in bad faith

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

Nothing you said after that prevents corruption. You haven't offered a solution, you've just offered a hope.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 9 months ago (1 children)

That's just, like, your opinion, dude. Anarcho-syndicalism doesn't logically eliminate corruption either, no system does

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

no system does

Exactly. Socialism brings no solution to the table. To think, all this time Marx was just faffing about the difference between being stabbed with a six inch knife and a twelve inch knife. What a palaver.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Marx's point wasn't the complete elimination of corruption, but the elimination of the exploitation of the working class by the owning class. This has historically happened in several countries and can (and will) happen again.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

the elimination of the exploitation of the working class by the owning class

But not the elimination of exploitation. In which case: meh.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

But not the elimination of exploitation

There's no surplus labour extraction, hence no exploitation

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

LOL you're deluded. What does it mean for there to be corruption without exploitation? Corruption is a form of exploitation.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Corruption isn't systematic, it's an isolated and illegal activity, unlike extraction of surplus value in capitalism which is legal and encouraged and systematic. The extent of corruption is orders of magnitude below capitalist exploitation.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Corruption isn't systematic, it's an isolated and illegal activity

LOL

The extent of corruption is orders of magnitude below capitalist exploitation.

I see.

Well, good luck.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Dude, you're deluded if you think capitalist exploitation is even close to corruption in communism. There was no Bezos and no Elon in the USSR. There were no yatchs and hookers. There were no homeless workers, or workers without access to healthcare. The inequality was extremely low compared to Capitalism, even comparing workers with your dreaded "bureaucracy". The fact that you'd even compare the both just shows how stupidly uneducated you are in this.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

stupidly

O_o

uneducated

I'm not going to waste my time learning about a field that brings no solution to the table.

in the USSR ... The inequality was extremely low compared to Capitalism

Six inch knife vs twelve inch knife yawn

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Big quantitative differences turn into qualitative differences. But thank you for finally admitting you're talking out of your ass