Cowbee

joined 1 year ago
[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 hour ago

Piranesi is my favorite book in recent years, it's a real gem!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 hour ago

I'd add "get organized" to that list but you're on the money otherwise

[–] [email protected] 2 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

You're defending a Tsarist that tried to deliberately sabotage the Soviets during a bloody Civil War, and later joined the Tsarist army as a means to kill more Soviets, as "weird decisions after massive trauma?" Won't anyone think of the poor, poor Tsarists, woe are they...

To mirror you: To anyone still reading, this sort of truth stretching to defend the indefensible is why I don’t trust campists

[–] [email protected] 2 points 14 hours ago (3 children)

An "anarcho-syndicalist" that a year prior tried to join the White Army, and a year after did join the White Army. Some "anarchist."

[–] [email protected] 2 points 15 hours ago (5 children)

"Lies?" It's on Wikipedia, lol. As for Marxism, I genuinely don't know what mythical form of Marxism you think is "real" Marxism in your eyes, again, read Blackshirts and Reds.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

Don't know what you're saying about Dessalines.

As for "echo chambers," they don't exist devoid of context. An "echo chamber" mirroring the positions of the status quo upholds it, while one going against the grain disrupts the status quo. They aren't equally "echo-y."

Good on you for starting Blackshirts and Reds, good luck on your exams!

[–] [email protected] 5 points 16 hours ago* (last edited 16 hours ago) (7 children)

Fair enough, but I think that goes both ways. You usually make a claim, then when pressed act vague about it. I admire your work on the Piracy communities and your FOSS development quite a bit, but I don't think you act honestly when it comes to political conversations, such as jumping to labeling Marxists "fascist" without elaborating.

Also kinda silly to bring up Kronstadt, which was led by a Tsarist in the middle of a civil war, with plans to execute the Communists.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 16 hours ago

Yep! I used to go years without reading any books, now I've gone to reading 30-50 a year. Huge improvement for me!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 17 hours ago

Same! It's a game-changer for me, I don't block the screen by holding it and I love the tactile feedback!

[–] [email protected] 5 points 17 hours ago (3 children)

I'd say that's more of an energy consumption and willpower thing than being a "father of Marxism" for the fediverse. Further, @[email protected] would have that title anyways as the lead dev of Lemmy itself. I wouldn't call the Marxist instances "echo chambers," living in Capitalist countries in general are already echo chambers, it's the Marxist communities that challenge the echo chamber.

As a side note, did you read Blackshirts and Reds?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 17 hours ago (9 children)

It was actually a Trotskyist faction, itself against AES, that led to a breakdown between the Anarchists and Marxists in Spain. The Marxists remained the only supporters of the Anarchists. Seems you did forget.

As for "slavery," by this definition taxes are slavery and public services are slavery. Marx already went over how workers cannot own all of that which they create in Socialism directly, as from a given worker's production needs to be deducted necessary maintenance of administration, social services, and more in Critique of the Gotha Programme. By your definition, Socialism is slavery. Further still, the Soviets were never disbanded, and there were still Unions. Your history is off again.

What "contradictions" do you believe led to the collapse of the Soviet Union? How was the revolution "betrayed?" What "freedoms" did the workers give up? This is all vague and vibes-based.

You still didn't elaborate on how Marxism is "akin to fascism." I'm aware of the term "red-fash," it's a ridiculous term and I linked you a book thoroughly explaining why. I can't force you to read it, nor can I force you to make a coherent point.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 17 hours ago (5 children)

I seriously disagree, there are many better than me over on Lemmygrad and Hexbear. I just spend more time on federated instances.

 

For good fun, here are a few of Lenin's most important contributions to Marxist theory, I highly recommend all of them (but Imperialism especially).

Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism (must read for any Leftist wanting to understand modern Capitalism, Anarchists included!)

The State and Revolution

"Left-Wing" Communism

 

Dr. Michael Parenti 1986 Lecture "Yellow Parenti"

Blackshirts and Reds: Rational Fascism and the Overthrow of Communism

But that expropriation of the Third World—has been going on for 400 years—brings us to another revelation—namely, that the Third World is not poor. You don't go to poor countries to make money. There are very few poor countries in this world. Most countries are rich! The Philippines are rich! Brazil is rich! Mexico is rich! Chile is rich—only the people are poor. But there's billions to be made there, to be carved out, and to be taken—there's been billions for 400 years! The Capitalist European and North American powers have carved out and taken the timber, the flax, the hemp, the cocoa, the rum, the tin, the copper, the iron, the rubber, the bauxite, the slaves, and the cheap labour. They have taken out of these countries—these countries are not underdeveloped—they're overexploited!

 

Interested in Marxism-Leninism? Check out my "Read Theory, Darn it!" introductory reading list!

139
Parenti Hands (lemmy.ml)
submitted 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
 

Dr. Michael Parenti 1986 Lecture "Yellow Parenti"

Blackshirts and Reds: Rational Fascism and the Overthrow of Communism

But that expropriation of the Third World—has been going on for 400 years—brings us to another revelation—namely, that the Third World is not poor. You don't go to poor countries to make money. There are very few poor countries in this world. Most countries are rich! The Philippines are rich! Brazil is rich! Mexico is rich! Chile is rich—only the people are poor. But there's billions to be made there, to be carved out, and to be taken—there's been billions for 400 years! The Capitalist European and North American powers have carved out and taken the timber, the flax, the hemp, the cocoa, the rum, the tin, the copper, the iron, the rubber, the bauxite, the slaves, and the cheap labour. They have taken out of these countries—these countries are not underdeveloped—they're overexploited!

 
 
277
PragerUrine (lemmy.ml)
submitted 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
 

"More than 80% of all combat during the Second World War took place on the Eastern Front."

For a fantastic look into the history of fascism and Communism as bitter enemies, Blackshirts and Reds by Dr. Michael Parenti.

 

Check out my "Read Theory, Darn it!" introductory reading list!

 

The theory that large segments of populations are manipulated through indoctrination holds little water, and serves to stem real revolutionary efforts to change the minds of people. Roderic Day makes the case in this essay I consider to be required reading for any self-respecting leftist that instead of brainwashing, propaganda instead works by providing a narrative that is easy to "go along with" as tacit benefactors of present systems. Propaganda does not need to hold under scrutiny to be effective, because it serves as justification, it "licenses" the populace to adopt stances that align with state interests.

Because these narratives are easy to go along with and stem cognitive dissonance, this means that we can convince others, primarily through focusing on positives in the primary and debunking negatives in the secondary. We can convince the proletariat of the benefits of adopting Socialist stances and subvert that way, rather than focusing on debunking atrocity propaganda which gets ignored due to a still-existing belief that the present is the best that is possible.

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