this post was submitted on 26 Jun 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, upvoting good contributions and downvoting those of low-quality!
Rules
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.
2. Anti-Imperialism means recognizing capitalist states like Russia and China as such,
as well as 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.
7. Absolutely no posts or comments meant to relativize(/apologize for), advocate, promote or defend:
- Racism
- Sexism
- Queerphobia
- Ableism
- Classism
- Rape or assault
- Genocide/ethnic cleansing or (mass) deportations
- Fascism
- (National) chauvinism
- Orientalism
- Colonialism or Imperialism (and their neo- counterparts)
- Zionism
- Religious fundamentalism of any kind
(This is not a definitive list, the spirit of the other rules still counts! Eventual duplicates with other rules are for emphasis.)
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This is your programming speaking. Fear, uncertainty, doubt.
People don't unite under solutions. They unite under ideas.
There are a million fucking problems, each require their own solution. Each need to be defined, examined, and tested. No one can sit there and say, "just do this."
The work we are doing, and the work that needs done are in opposition to each other. Right now we are working to feed the system. We need to be working on maintaining the system to feed the people.
This is obvious and I never claimed otherwise. You are reading things into what I have said that aren't there. Different solutions will always be needed for different problems in different contexts. That's like engineering 101, and should be applied to politics and economics more.
I don't care what you claim. It's not helpful. It's not having any impact. Change course.
And you think you are? Literally one of the most salty people I have met. You aren't convincing anyone.
You haven't met me, you don't know me, this is an anonymous forum. I could be a salty dog or maybe a limp dick like you but I won't change a damn thing.
I know how you are acting now, and you are acting like an insane person or a troll, or maybe both.
... this need inside you to "win" or "be right" its.... pathetic.
Solutions start with ideas. If you are someone who can't turn an idea into a workable solution then why would I follow you? The world is full of people who want to be idea people, yet they have no understanding of practical reality. That's another thing that's missing from the current leftist movements: understanding of practical reality.
Also I would stop generalising people. I follow solutions, not just ideas. That's how any engineer should think. After all we are the people who turn lofty goals into reality.
Leftists are at their best when they can see practical problems that everyday people have, and explain why they happen in the context of the larger system and its flaws. Some leftists are great at this. What you need to do is take the next step and propose how you could change, improve, or replace the system and how that would solve the current problems without creating bigger ones. If you can't do that then ultimately you aren't going to win in the end, even if you manage to get popular support, even with a revolution.
This is again another type of programing. People arent an engineering problem. Politics will never be removed from emotion.
I've told my solution but you instead want a silver bullet. Everyone wants a silver bullet. The silver bullet doesn't exist and will never come.
We need to build our communities stronger, and need to stop being divided by people with obscene wealth; the people with something to lose if we do just that. Thats what will get us to the next obstacle.
Instead you will wait around for a charismatic leader with the answer to all your problems. Who has come to save us all.
You haven't though, just said some vague phrases and hinted that if everyone else just thought like you the problem would resolve itself.
Know how I know you are completely fucked in the head? You think you can fustrate me more than I am already frustrated with the current state of things. We are rock bottom. There is one way out. If you want to stay in the mouse trap you are going to stay in the mouse trap. Nothing I say or do will lead you out.
Hahaha, oh no friend it's going to get so much worse.
That's the thing. Where we are on the path, or cycle, of human suffering doesn't matter. You have to break the wheel.
Again that's a nice sounding statement that means nothing.
I tell people as often as I can, especially my trans and bipoc friends; now is the time. Get a couple guns (a long one and a short one) and learn how to use them. Learn some basic first aid, you really just need to know how to stabilize someone. Start networking with like-minded people in your communities. The police will not protect us, they’ve proven they’ll happily club senior citizens to the ground and shoot any protesters in the face with rubber bullets while escorting a rightwing murderer to safety.
Iran was a secular, liberal state until almost 1980 when they (mostly legitimately) elected an Islamist theocracy; it could happen here.
99% of social media doesn't mean anything, it is people attempting to influence you in the easiest way possible. Sure if 80% slip through the cracks who cares but the 20% represents millions. Turn it off. Build strong bonds with your community and kick anyone to the curb that says things should stay the same.
I think you meant to reply to a different comment or this is all non-sequitors and you're replying to things I didn't say.
I don't need to argue with you. End of story. Stop thinking of me as someone who will be influenced by your words. Start understanding that no matter if the ideas inside your head are brilliant or ill founded they have no impact on the void of social media. Social media isn't for individuals to influence each other. It is for collectives to influence individuals. If you would only look you would realize youre doing the work for them.
You haven't done that.
I am asking for solutions, not some perfect leader. We have seen how leftist ideas of charismatic leaders go, and I don't want another Lenin, Stalin, or Kim Jong Un. The fact that you jump to the conclusion that solutions = charismatic leader tells me a lot about how you think about politics. Believe it or not not all ideas, systems, and solutions come from the same person. Science isn't a cult of Sir Isaac Newton so why should politics be this way? Heck why do we even have a single powerful position like President or Prime Minister or King?
Also no you haven't provided any solutions. All you have done is provide excuses as to why you do not need any. I am not asking for a magic bullet here. I understand that real life systems are necessarily complex and multi-faecited. That's why having a single leader or person in charge isn't a smart idea. You can't ask a single human to have a grasp on the whole of society and all its problems, performance metrics, or trade-offs.
I haven't provided the solution. Get fucked. HUMANITY hasn't provided the solution, and it wont! Because if the goal is to have us both walk 100 miles that way and you won't get off your ass until you think of some shit way to do it, it doesn't matter if I ride a fucking dinosaur to Timbukto. Short of knocking you on your ass and carrying you there, I can do nothing for the cause.
Are you okay? How is this in anyway a response to what I have said. You are just being rude, and acting like a troll.
Your programming told you to exact a thought terminating quip because I challenged your paper thin grasp on reality. Next you will seek affirmation.
Not at all. You haven't demonstrated you have any grasp on reality. All you've proven is you aren't willing to behave rationally and are probably insane.
Why would I seek affirmation from someone who is nuts?
A question directed a me...
Why do you even feel the need to respond?
Can't you see there is something wrong with you?
Maybe, but there is definitely something wrong with you lmao
Ha ha ha more thought terminating responses. You've certainly outwitted me. Please wait by the door for your prize.