this post was submitted on 16 May 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.
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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)
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.
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That means condemning (their) imperialism, even if it is of the "anti-USA" flavor.
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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).
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The only dangerous minority is the rich.
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We must constructively learn from their mistakes, while acknowledging their achievements and recognizing when they have strayed away from socialist principles.
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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.
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Divine right of kings simply morphed into capitalism. We didn't get rid of jack shit, and we never will.
Feudalism is entirely different from Capitalism, which is entirely different from Socialism. Class dynamics have changed, and will change.
Not really, no. Even though feudalism doesn't consider greed and resource hoarding inherently virtuous like capitalism does, both are at their core about the few rich and powerful exploiting and abusing the many poor and powerless through ownership of the necessities for life and a greater capacity for violence.
Both are class societies, yes. Both are fundamentally different relations of classes.
There are differences, yes, but they're built on the same foundation and as such by definition NOT fundamentally different.
They don't have the same foundation. Aristocrat/serf dynamics are entirely different from Bourgeois/Proletarian relations.
Reading Marx would help you.
They most certainly aren't.
I have. Guess what: he wasn't right about everything.
Serfs have a certified existence, they do not sell their labor in a market. They work their land, without participating in Capitalism.
Proletarians do not have a certified existence. They compete against each other in a labor market.
The difference is stark despite both being working classes.
Capitalism is like Fuedalism in a trenchcoat
It's a fundamentally different stage of class society with fundamentally different mechanics.
Fundamentally different? Lords are still in control, just now we call them "Billionaires" and act like the "Market" protects us.
Unlike serfs, workers must compete with each other as well as Capitalists. The Market protects nobody but the interests of Capital.
I agree These systems both emerged from inherent humanity, not conspiracy.
That would make sense for capitalism, if humanity didn't have to have its permanent, essential characteristics beaten, traumatised and groomed out of them with land seizures, branding, whipping, workhouses, schools, prisons, debtors prisons, being forced to sell their children, slavery and the threat of homelessness and starvation for hundreds of years.
People didn't just accept either of those two systems and there's nothing remotely inherent about them. They were both forced on people through violence or the threat of it.
And so is revealed the violence inherent to the system.
"inherent humanity" - what a magical term. you might have a magical worldview! which means you won't even recognize this as an insult, which is sad, but a little funny.
I can recognise nonsense when I see it, and viewpoints based on assumptions rather than evidence.