Also Democrats: Ve shall round up und eradicate ze undesirables from society!!! Ve shall put zem into ze camps and ve shall enslave them to benefit ze superior class!!!

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[–] MayoPete@hexbear.net 17 points 4 months ago (1 children)

We've done the polite explaining for decades and it's gotten us nowhere. What worked in China doesn't work in burgerland

[–] 420blazeit69@hexbear.net 4 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Did not expect the wholesale rejection of Mao on Hexbear today.

It's worth noting that Mao's point (which is apparently tailism!) has been echoed all over the place (see sankara-bass "we can never stop explaining"), and that nothing the U.S. left has tried worked either. I put more weight on things that have worked somewhere than on things that have worked nowhere.

[–] MayoPete@hexbear.net 4 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Sure and I want to agree with you! As I've said in other comments last week, I believe our culture puts us in a position where it is much harder to get Americans to even listen vs. Places like China.

I believe Chinese culture is more geared toward community, helping your neighbors, looking out for each other, etc. Same for many places. Not in America. We are hyper-individualist to an absurd degree. Just drive down any stretch of highway to see how selfish the average driver is. See how many crashes we have because people have no respect for others on the road. Then walk down our streets and see all of the litter, all of the dog shit that isn't being picked up, etc. We want to be left alone and we don't care about others at all. We are greedy, resentful, selfish, etc.

You may say that is a product of Capitalism, but I believe there's more to it here. Even among other capitalist countries I don't see the amount of carelessness present in everyday life. Ex: In Japan there are norms around eating in public, taking your trash with you, giving space in public, and so on.

[–] 420blazeit69@hexbear.net -1 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

I agree that the U.S. is more selfish and individualistic than even other capitalist countries. I agree that fewer people in the U.S. will respond positively to discussion than they would in other countries.

But some people will respond to it, while no one -- especially not hyper-individualists! -- will respond to variations on "fuck off." I'd rather engage with some people than with no people, because while the former may be a long shot, the latter is a guaranteed loss.

I genuinely don't get how anyone thinks "agree with everything I say immediately or fuck off" is going to accomplish anything. That is exactly the shit we laugh at small weirdo ultra sects for doing.

[–] MayoPete@hexbear.net 2 points 4 months ago

So what are you suggesting we do differently? From where I stand I don't see current tactics are working.

DSA is shrinking & other left orgs have a few thousand members each on a good day. We're looking at maybe if you stretch 100k leftists that join an org? That's a Taylot Swift concert. Not nothing, but not enough for a revolution or to be taken seriously in most parts of the country.

I have some ideas in an effort post I made a while back. Who knows what will work? I just believe that the current tactics are being done out of inertia more than strategic thinking.