this post was submitted on 02 Apr 2026
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Memes of Production
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I mean, that's definitely not a false dichotomy, that's a real dichotomy...fixing it does not destroy it and destroying it doesn't fix it...they're definitely mutually exclusive lol
And I agree, the american left is cooked, no doubt. I used to be an energized organizer and I am pretty burned out. Call it lazy if you like! Still, no matter how much energy I have i'm not wasting any of it on bourgeois party politics, supporting one heinous future or another.
Okay. Well first I apologize for lumping you in with the edge lords.
So the false dichotomy is that the system functioning as designed requires the entire thing to be destroyed.
The usa is a system in which the american people are the most powerful and fundamental of the checks and balances. However Americans have checked out and stopped participating. The system is working, it's Americans that need to do their part.
I deal with violence as a profession. So I have grave concerns about the ability of Americans to successfully destroy the system, and even graver concerns about the ability to rebuild institutions after the fact.
Why would billionaires destroy a system designed to serve them that's impervious to the will of the working class? IMO the "destroy the system" people have both given up and are playing right into the Epstein Class' hand.
Hmm, I think you may have missed the point of the meme? Your point 1 seems to just be an articulation of the first panel (a liberal idealist perspective: "the system is broken, we need to fix it"). If the second panel isn't clear (the left materialist perspective), maybe this helps.
1 Power to the people
The statement "the system is working as intended" is to point out that our only two options are two bourgeois classes, both hellbent on exploiting working people as much as possible. There cannot be other options...this is the system. It's working as intended...it was intended to be a committee of the bourgeoisie to arrange their affairs, and it serves that function fine, whether the American people turn up to "legitimize" it with their rubber stamp approving of Bourgeois Party A or Bourgeois Party B, or stay home. It doesn't really matter. It doesn't matter whether it's trump or Obama or Reagan or FDR. All of them represent the system continuing to work as intended: a dictatorship of the bourgeoisie. The people's lack of power is intended.
2 Violence
If you deal with violence, you probably know how unbelievably expensive state violence is. It requires bullets and bombs, it requires food and clothing, it requires administration and healthcare. These are things that can only be provided by the working class. Destroying the system is unquestionably possible, the question is, what's the cost, and is it worth it?
Rebuilding, is an issue too, for sure. That's why dual power and organization are so important! Though I'd be pretty surprised if the struggle of destroying the system wouldn't create the organization necessary to rebuild.
3 Billionaires?
The billionaires would not destroy such a system? I'm not sure what you mean by this point...the system is great for them...and I don't just mean under trump, it's been great for them the whole time (and always will be - which is why destroying it is correct and "fixing" it is not)
I was 100% knee jerk reacting to your meme.
Yeah, I mean, that's fine. I think that your knee-jerk reaction is negative shows that we have a real disagreement :P I'm not trying to be pedantic about the "false dichotomy" thing!
Forget all that; let's talk about the more interesting question of whether the system is designed to support the people, and therefore must be fixed, or if it's designed to oppress the people, and therefore must be destroyed.
I think that's really what you wanted to respond to, right?