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.

Please don't forget to help keep this community clean by reporting rule violations, updooting good contributions and downdooting 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:

(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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[–] Deceptichum@sh.itjust.works 39 points 5 months ago (1 children)

One of the greatest sci-fi authors.

[–] Zehzin@lemmy.world 20 points 5 months ago (1 children)

One of the greatest fantasy authors

[–] fogstormberry@lemmy.blahaj.zone 37 points 5 months ago (2 children)

thanks for sharing. I've been feeling pretty hopeless lately and this helped me today

[–] db0@lemmy.dbzer0.com 17 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Feel free to chill around here. I'm all about uplifting peeps!

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[–] caboose2006@lemmy.ca 6 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Remember, it took the black death and like 1/2 the population dying to bring about this change

[–] Denvil@lemmy.one 16 points 5 months ago (2 children)

I mean the black death was like 450 years before the French revolution... I think it just took some angry French people for change

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[–] Kyrgizion@lemmy.world 19 points 5 months ago (6 children)

Divine right of kings simply morphed into capitalism. We didn't get rid of jack shit, and we never will.

[–] Cowbee@lemmy.ml 28 points 5 months ago (10 children)

Feudalism is entirely different from Capitalism, which is entirely different from Socialism. Class dynamics have changed, and will change.

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[–] Phegan@lemmy.world 16 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Not to piss in the lemonade, but some places still have the divine right of kings.

[–] maynarkh@feddit.nl 11 points 5 months ago

The point is that societies could progress past it, that it's not inescapable.

So the fact that there are still absolute monarchies does not invalidate that societies that are better are possible, like most of our societies today.

Every empire seems unassailable and eternal, until it doesn't. The USSR seemed like it will last beyond our lifetimes, until it didn't.

[–] stiephel@feddit.de 11 points 5 months ago (1 children)

If Charles is the divine choice, why did he get cancer?

[–] Zehzin@lemmy.world 17 points 5 months ago (1 children)
[–] stiephel@feddit.de 6 points 5 months ago

Bro wants a refund

[–] ConstantPain@lemmy.world 14 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

I met a traveller from an antique land,

Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone

Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand,

Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,

And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,

Tell that its sculptor well those passions read

Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,

The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;

And on the pedestal, these words appear:

My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;

Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!

Nothing beside remains. Round the decay

Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare

The lone and level sands stretch far away.”

Shelley’s Poetry and Prose (1977)

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[–] Rolando@lemmy.world 13 points 5 months ago (5 children)

I've only read two books of Le Guin's, and they were both memorable:

The second one is more relevant to this meme.

[–] TSG_Asmodeus@lemmy.world 5 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Absolutely 100% run (don't walk!) and get The Left Hand of Darkness. It is easily one of the best sci-fi/fantasy books I have ever read.

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[–] DrJenkem@lemmy.blugatch.tube 2 points 5 months ago

The Dispossessed had been in my backlog for a while now. I really need to get to it.

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[–] buzz86us@lemmy.world 12 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Capitalism doesn't even work in the US prices ate kept high

[–] laughterlaughter@lemmy.world 3 points 5 months ago (5 children)

I'm trying to parse your sentence. Can you use punctuation?

[–] AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world 12 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Capitalism doesn't even work in the US. Prices are kept high.

[–] iknowitwheniseeit@lemmynsfw.com 7 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (2 children)

Or alternately:

Capitalism doesn't even work. In the US prices are kept high.

[–] AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world 3 points 5 months ago (2 children)

I was just attempting to parse the string as closely as I could.

[–] iknowitwheniseeit@lemmynsfw.com 5 points 5 months ago

Either is possible, which is why @laughterlaughter@lemmy.world was asking for punctuation!

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[–] scifun@lemmy.world 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Or alternately:

Capitalism doesn't even. Work in the US. Prices are kept high.

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[–] Auli@lemmy.ca 10 points 5 months ago (3 children)

Kings had nothing on capitalism. You could overthrow a king.

[–] iknowitwheniseeit@lemmynsfw.com 4 points 5 months ago

But then you ended up with another king. Overthrowing royalty was hard.

[–] Cowbee@lemmy.ml 3 points 5 months ago

You can overthrow Capitalism, it weakens itself.

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[–] BigBenis@lemmy.world 9 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

The problem is that this time we've likely got a few decades at the most to form a movement before a huge chunk of the world becomes uninhabitable and society crumbles under the weight of war and famine.

Looking at how things are going, I have little hope that the majority of people are willing to let go of the status quo.

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[–] Maeve@kbin.social 6 points 5 months ago (3 children)

I agree with the sentiment and also wonder if she's still ferociously pro-copyright?

[–] flora_explora@beehaw.org 5 points 5 months ago (2 children)

She died about 6 years ago

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[–] Zehzin@lemmy.world 3 points 5 months ago

Bruh she died

[–] iAvicenna@lemmy.world 4 points 5 months ago

and look where that got kings, EATEN

[–] mojofrododojo@lemmy.world 3 points 5 months ago

great quote from an amazing author.

any idea why the image saves a .json?

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