Cowbee

@Cowbee@lemmy.ml

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Is communist idea of base & superstructural bullshit?⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  Thr Nazis murdered KPD members and other union organizers, that was how they came into power. They also massacred Jewish people, disabled people, queer people, etc. They came into power as an answer to “Judeo-Bolshevism,” they didn’t simply want power for the sake of power, but to protect private capital.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Is communist idea of base & superstructural bullshit?⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  You’re equating famines that were a combination of mismanagement and weather disasters in undeveloped countries with the deliberate and intentional industrialized mass murder machine that was the Holocaust. Clear false equivalence. Further, famine was common in Russia, China, etc pre-socialism, and were eradicated once the communists successfully developed industrialized agriculture. The Nazis on the other hand had extermination as their goal.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Is communist idea of base & superstructural bullshit?⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  Just to clarify, are you calling me a fascist/14 yo/etc? I’m a communist, I organize in real life, I’ve read more than wikipedia, and I’m a working adult. None of what I said that OP is quoting is particularly out of the norm for the Marxist understanding of base and superstructure, and it was all in good faith that I responded, I even clarified more over here. OP seems to be anti-union, anti-safety net, etc and came into a months old comment chain, and I still gave them a clear and coherent overview without copying and pasting dozens of Marx and Engels quotes to make my point.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Is communist idea of base & superstructural bullshit?⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  No, this is just Double Genocide Theory, and is a form of Holocaust trivialization. The Nazis brutally oppressed the working class and created a system of industrialized mass murder, the communists oppressed the capitalists and doubled life expectancies, tripled literacy rates, provided free and high quality eduaction and healthcare, and far more.

  The idea that the Soviets were anywhere close to as evil as the Nazis requires erasing the Holocaust, and equating the suffering of the small portion of society as the capitalists and Tsarists to the large working class in Germany, both groups were victims in their respective countries but clearly the brutality of the Tsarists and capitalists against the working class is what earned the revolution in the first place.

  I recommend reading Blackshirts and Reds.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Is communist idea of base & superstructural bullshit?⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  The base is the mode of production and the relations to it, and the superstructure arises from it and reinforces it. This doesn’t mean the superstructure doesn’t exist, or that you can have a base without a superstructure, what it means is that the superstructure is secondary to the base and comes from it.

  As an example, feudalism as the base, and monarchist divine right to rule as superstructure, as well as the church. Agrarian production with large lords to be paid rent to was the form of the base, while the superstructure arose from that base and formed kingdoms and justifications for said base. They could not exist without each other, but the base was the driving factor.

  As another, we can see capitalism and liberalism. The ideas of private property rights, bootstraps mentality, and the idea that everyone has an equal chance at success are the ways the system justifies itself, even though that isn’t how it works in practice.

  This is a very old concept, not one I invented. There’s even a page on Wikipedia for it.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨YSK that apart from not having a car, the single greatest thing you can do for the climate is simply eating less red meat⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  Socialism has a better track record than capitalism, but either way, my point is that necessary systemic changes need socialism for them to happen. Socialism isn’t a promise, it’s a mode of production. Further, countries like the PRC are rapdily electrifying, at the top of solar panel production and infrastructure initiatives, and combatting desertification, that’s the power of a publicly driven economy.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨YSK that apart from not having a car, the single greatest thing you can do for the climate is simply eating less red meat⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  I really don’t think we are. You propose we push for change within the system, as it’s better to have a tweaked current system than a non-tweaked current system. My point is that the reason the current system lacks those popular and necessary tweaks is because its built to resist anything that risks lowering profits, so our strategy should focus on changing to a system that allows us to make those tweaks in the first place.

  You may not agree with me, but I don’t think we are having different discussions.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨YSK that apart from not having a car, the single greatest thing you can do for the climate is simply eating less red meat⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  I’m focusing on capitalism because we can’t let the progress we can imagine be the enemy of the progress we can actually achieve in the real world. Just like going up to Elon Musk and asking him nicely to not be a Nazi isn’t a viable solution to systemic issues, so too is trying to use regulations against the system they are meant to solidify and protect. Socialism is necessary because without it, we can’t get these well thought-through taxes and regulations to begin with, we are utterly at the mercy of profits.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨YSK that apart from not having a car, the single greatest thing you can do for the climate is simply eating less red meat⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  It’s more that under capitalism, regulations and taxes only serve the bourgeoisie. It isn’t that the concept is being undermined, it’s that those are sold to the working class as a viable solution to avoid actually solving the problem.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨YSK that apart from not having a car, the single greatest thing you can do for the climate is simply eating less red meat⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  Yep, but for systemic changes socialism is necessary. We should do what we can right now, but we can’t cause systemic change without socialism.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨YSK that apart from not having a car, the single greatest thing you can do for the climate is simply eating less red meat⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  DSA is the Democratic Socialists of America, it’s a reformist socialist party. PSL is a Marxist-Leninist (technically Marcyist but the vast majority of members are ML) party with roots as a split from the IWW, and is thus more based on party building, revolution, and practices democratic centralism. The DSA gets a lot less done per member due to its lack of democratic centralism and big-tent methodology, but it isn’t the worst org in existence if there’s no other options.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨YSK that apart from not having a car, the single greatest thing you can do for the climate is simply eating less red meat⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  Sure, I can see that hypothetical, but we can’t get to that hypothetical in capitalism. Profit drives and steers the system, not humans.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨YSK that apart from not having a car, the single greatest thing you can do for the climate is simply eating less red meat⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  Well-regulated markets, under capitalism, just means comfortable monopoly. You can’t work against the system of voracious demand for profit within said system. You can’t just pray for taxes abd regulations, the only ones that get passed are ones in the interests of the largest capitalists.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨YSK that apart from not having a car, the single greatest thing you can do for the climate is simply eating less red meat⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  Sure, it wouldn’t be easy, but it’s nearly impossible under capitalism. What would realistically happen is the state would heavily subsidize plant based food and develop economies of scale, and increase requirements on animal products for more “humane” treatment, until gradually animal products are phased out culturally. A top-down command for animal liberation would be commandist if the masses don’t want it, so raising political consiousness would be a key part of that struggle.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨YSK that apart from not having a car, the single greatest thing you can do for the climate is simply eating less red meat⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  Socialism will not automatically create vegan world, it hasn’t done so anywhere socialism exists. However, it does swap from profits as the end-all, be-all of how society is organized, to one where humanity can better plan production and meet people’s needs. If capital is in the driver’s seat, then the meat industry will continue to perpetuate said brutality and environmental destruction unimpeded. If humanity is in the driver’s seat, then we can actually work against what would be assured in a profit driven model.

  The swap to veganism will never be instant, but it will be largely impossible without human supremacy over capital.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨YSK that apart from not having a car, the single greatest thing you can do for the climate is simply eating less red meat⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  The DSA is okay if there’s nothing else around you, but PSL has a much better party platform and is growing rapidly.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨YSK that apart from not having a car, the single greatest thing you can do for the climate is simply eating less red meat⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  Veganism is good, necessary even, but more than voting we need to actually overthrow capitalism and replace it with socialism. Profit will destroy the planet unless we take control of the reigns from capital.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Self starter⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  We do not exist in a world with technology sufficient to entirely eliminate labor. Even highly automated industry like in the PRC, labor-power is still paramount for production. A transition to socialism can allow us to better direct production consciously, rather than letting the eldritch god capital decide everything based on profitability, but we will not be able to eliminate labor, only center it, rather than capital.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨[deleted]⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  You’re extremely confused, I’m not blaming “low information voters” of any sort. Electoralism is not a valid path for leftism. I’m not using a money excuse, either, though your erasure of money’s influence on media is also oversimplified. You haven’t taken any steps back, you’ve invented a caricature of “the left” in your head and are acting like you’re the only one to see things as they really are. It’s very silly.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨[deleted]⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  There have never been left presidents in the US. Mamdani is not the leader of the revolution. You’re very confused about what’s going on, and you’re out of touch with why Trump won. It wasn’t “memes,” it isn’t some masterful play, nor are liberals left wing.

  You need to take a step back and familiarize yourself more with what’s going on. Try to take a materialist outlook, not an idealist outlook.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨[deleted]⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  No, lol. The Left is fine on the internet. You can touch grass and organize, and do online agitprop. Mamdani won because people are being radicalized.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨[deleted]⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  The Left is fighting an uphill battle. Capitalism is the status quo, and the US relies on imperialism using its vast financial capital and massive number of millitary bases to keep goods relatively cheap, but this is crumbling. Change works as quantitative buildup until significant, qualitative change. Orgs like PSL are growing rapidly. They are still small, but the rate of growth is large. Time is on the Left’s side.

  Just look at Palestine, as an example. 5 years ago, the vast majority of the US was Zionist. Now, the majority oppose the genocide. Mamdani winning the primary in NYC shows that more overtly left-leaning individuals are valued over right-wingers like Cuomo. Change works on trends. History doesn’t reset every day, eventually water droplets bore through stone.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨[deleted]⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  The Left does both. The purpose of real life stikes and protests is because its proof that Leftist organizations have the logistical capacity to plan, demonstrate, and act in a cohesive and unified manner. Organizing is more important than meme sharing. Memes, agitprop, etc are very useful recruitment tools, so they should not be ignored, but it’s more important to actually put in the work of organizing effectively once recruited.

  Sharing memes without actually organizing is just an outlet for people to express frustration, but organizing is an actual necessary and important step in toppling the existing system and replacing it with a better one, as the hard work on organizing has already been laid out.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Just blocked hexbear⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  This is a bit of an idealistic look at things, rather than a materialist outlook. Socialist countries, past and present, have been faced with real problems. Their issues weren’t about “finding the right leader” or “picking the right recipe,” but largely real struggles that any country tasked with needing rapid industrialization while defending against foreign invasion and subversion would need to.

  Socialism isn’t about deciding on the right recipe, but analyzing historical progression and its laws so as to master them and wield them in our favor. No socialist country has been an outright “failure,” not even the ones that no longee exist.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Why is Lemmy attempting to radicalise people to enforce class wars?⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  1. The devs are communists.

  2. Using Lemmy over Reddit is already an ideological choice for many of us, ergo you will find people with a stronger ideological backbone here.

  3. Conditions in the English-Speaking world are getting more dire. The US Empire is struggling to prop itself up, billionaires control more and more of the wealth while working class folks control less and less, and more people are getting involved in reading theory and organizing.

  4. Many leftist subreddits were shut down and fled to Lemmy, the same has not happened to the same degree for right-wing subreddits.

  It’s as simple as that, really. I suggest you start reading some leftist theory, I made a Marxism-Leninism Beginner Reading List to help people who want to start doing that (comes with audiobook versions, too).

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Just blocked hexbear⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  I do many things, I have hobbies, a full-time job, friends, a partner, and other responsibilities. If you have to invent a version of me that has no bearing in reality, I guess I just don’t understand the point of what you’re doing. It’s much better to be attached to reality.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Just blocked hexbear⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  I have never said I’m a “leftist theory guru.” I do read a good deal of theory, but there are many here who have read a lot more than I have. I have read enough to know when I see something wrong, though, so I try to help correct it.

  I have no idea what you mean by saying I “don’t have anything to offer when engaged.” Further, if you think I read what I read for clout on a tiny, fringe website, then that’s absurd. If I wanted clout for reading, I’d go to Twitter or Bluesky, or even YouTube, where the audience is far larger.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Just blocked hexbear⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  I said it elsewhere, but a space where the dominant opinion is fringe among the general population is not really an echo chamber, while one where the space aligns with the dominant views and bans dissenting views is. You can’t avoid engaging with the dominant ideas of society.

  Secondly, I have never seen anyone say the PRC is a socialist “utopia.” It’s socialist, yes, but not a utopia. Marxism is anti-utopian.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Just blocked hexbear⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  I guess, but I don’t see how that’s relevant. Who reads for “clout?”

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Just blocked hexbear⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  It happens, lol. Karma doesn’t really get tracked on Lemmy so it doesn’t even really matter much, but some people get personal grudges if you dare speak positively about communism.