this post was submitted on 20 Aug 2023
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[–] PopOfAfrica@lemmy.one 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (7 children)

I think the framing is off on that question. Communism is not a political system, its an economic one. Tankies are pro authoritarian, but just so happen to have a communist economic theory.

I believe in Democratic communism, preferably with a much smaller government.

Revolutions that are anti authoritarian is great.

The problem is authoritarianism, not communism

[–] AntiOutsideAktion@hexbear.net 40 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Communism is not a political system, its an economic one

This distinction is pure capitalist ideology

[–] PopOfAfrica@lemmy.one 2 points 1 year ago (3 children)

This distinction is pure capitalist ide

Well that's unlikely since I don't even believe in currency.

[–] AntiOutsideAktion@hexbear.net 29 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

How is human society organized? What do humans do? They create things and they consume things. What is politics? It is deciding who in a society resources are taken from and what they applied to.

Why do you draw a line between these things? Especially as a socialist who presumably wants to bring democracy to the workplace?

[–] Flinch@hexbear.net 29 points 1 year ago

I don't even believe in currency.

miyazaki-laugh

[–] Egon@hexbear.net 4 points 1 year ago

But you live in a world that does, and therefore you are forced to relate to it wether or not you believe in it.
It does not matter what you believe in, what.matters is the material reality in which we all exist

[–] JamesConeZone@hexbear.net 30 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Communism is most definitely a political system as it has an inherent system of power relations, representation of workers, ownership of the means of production by the workers themselves, and distribution of decisions among the people until the state can be dissolved. Internationalism is a huge part of communism as is real politik, historical materialism, and other political approaches.

What I don't understand is what you mean by authoritarian? Do you mean a literal dictatorship like in Latin America? I don't know if a single communist country that has not had better representation than the USA as far as voting goes. I guess maybe the Khmer Rouge (I don't know anything beyond Wikipedia for that one)?

[–] meth_dragon@hexbear.net 23 points 1 year ago

authoritarianism is when you do things and get results, the more results you get the more authoritarian it is

true democracy is when so much nothing is happening that everyone is stochastically dissolving into elementary particles like it's the heat death of the universe

[–] Flinch@hexbear.net 28 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Interesting! Are there any Communist countries that you would classify as non-authoritarian/tankie?

[–] PopOfAfrica@lemmy.one 2 points 1 year ago (2 children)

There aren't that many Communist experiments, sadly. According to Marx, Communism as we think of it is post Capitalism. We just aren't there yet unfortunately. I think we are edging towards the socialist stage, then we can achieve communism, although I'd like it sooner.

[–] SeaJ@lemm.ee 4 points 1 year ago

Kibbutzism would fall under a non authoritarian communism, I think.

[–] bigboopballs@hexbear.net 25 points 1 year ago (1 children)

ooh, a "small government" communist

[–] PopOfAfrica@lemmy.one 3 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Yes sir. Communism's root word is "commune". Those are pretty small.

[–] AntiOutsideAktion@hexbear.net 27 points 1 year ago

You're not getting all your theory from Websters, are you?

[–] Egon@hexbear.net 6 points 1 year ago
[–] CriticalResist8@lemmygrad.ml 22 points 1 year ago

Communism is indissociable from its three components, which includes a political system: dialectical materialism (the philosophical part), the labour theory of value (the economic part), and the class struggle (the social thus political part).

Anything other than Marxism is ineffectual in the real world and leads to nothing as exemplified by 200 years of history. "Tankies" don't "happen" to have an economic theory, it's an integral part to the whole of Marxism and Marxism could not exist without the economic basis for it. Why do we dislike capitalism? Because through math we can prove it is rife with contradictions and invariably leads to imperialism. Otherwise why would we want communism? Just because it's cool to be a communist? Just because it's a hobby? There has to be an actual justification for what we want.

[–] SootySootySoot@hexbear.net 8 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I appreciate the attempt to engage in discussion about it, but it is an interesting position. Do you not think your position directly competes with assertions from The Communist Manifesto, or State and Revolution, or most communist texts?

[–] PopOfAfrica@lemmy.one 1 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I do not think communism, as paid out by Marx, was anything more than an economic framework, and as such do not believe that an authoritarian component is required or even recommended for a communist society. So no

[–] Clever_Clover@hexbear.net 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

you should read more Marx if you think Marx only said things about economics

[–] Flaps@hexbear.net 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

The guy is just waiting for the movie to come out

[–] Egon@hexbear.net 2 points 1 year ago

The anime is already there, smh at these libs

[–] Flaps@hexbear.net 4 points 1 year ago

Tries to act like he's read anything, clearly hasn't, opinion discarded