this post was submitted on 17 Nov 2025
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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.

Agitprop (I.E. everything that would be more fitting on a poster than a meme) goes here.

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

Version without spoilers

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. Please post agitprop here)


0.5 [Provisional Rule] Use alt text or image descriptions to allow greater accessibility


(Please take a look at our wiki page for the guidelines on how to actually write alternative text!)

We require alternative text (from now referred to as "alt text") to be added to all posts/comments containing media, such as images, animated GIFs, videos, audio files, and custom emojis.
EDIT: For files you share in the comments, a simple summary should be enough if they’re too complex.

We are committed to social equity and to reducing barriers of entry, including (digital) communication and culture. It takes each of us only a few moments to make a whole world of content (more) accessible to a bunch of folks.

When alt text is absent, a reminder will be issued. If you don't add the missing alt text within 48 hours, the post will be removed. No hard feelings.


0.5.1 Style tip about abbreviations and short forms


When writing stuff like "lol" and "iirc", it's a good idea to try and replace those with their all caps counterpart

  • ofc => OFC
  • af = AF
  • ok => OK
  • lol => LOL
  • bc => BC
  • bs => BS
  • iirc => IIRC
  • cia => CIA
  • nato => Nato (you don't spell it when talking, right?)
  • usa => USA
  • prc => PRC
  • etc.

Why? Because otherwise (AFAIK), screen readers will try to read them out as actually words instead of spelling them


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


That means 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 irrationally 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.



  1. Absolutely no posts or comments meant to relativize(/apologize for), advocate, promote or defend:

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submitted 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) by fossilesque@mander.xyz to c/leftymemes@lemmy.dbzer0.com
 
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[–] omgboom@lemmy.dbzer0.com 146 points 3 days ago (1 children)

The real quote is almost better

[–] ceenote@lemmy.world 39 points 3 days ago

Pretty much the same message, really.

[–] andyburke@fedia.io 49 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Men like Bordain die because we let men like Kissinger live.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 29 points 3 days ago (3 children)

Folks like this are all over America, unfortunately. Hell, some of the fiercest and most vocal colonial defenders are the select handful of refugees permitted to migrate to the US and join in the looting.

[–] prettybunnys@piefed.social 25 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Part of Columbus being raised to the level he was is because of the persecution of Italian immigrants in the USA.

Some might say Columbus was a DEI hire (similar to confederate statues)

[–] Duamerthrax@lemmy.world 5 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Columbus Day sounds pretty woke.

[–] prettybunnys@piefed.social 5 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

A DEI holiday, woke as shit.

We should instead have a holiday for the true born sons of America…. Call it … say … indigenous peoples day.

[–] YiddishMcSquidish@lemmy.today 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

That last sentence hits hard. Being from South Florida and seeing Cubans pull up the ladder behind them was kinda painful.

[–] ICastFist@programming.dev 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

It never ceases to amaze me how many people operate entirely on a "I got mine, fuck you, freeloader" mentality

[–] YiddishMcSquidish@lemmy.today 2 points 2 days ago

Seriously. I got lucky being born provided, but will try and help anyone who needs it, including with my vote.

The rat the turncoat the snitch. All have a certain fervor to them.

[–] But_my_mom_says_im_cool@lemmy.world 17 points 3 days ago (23 children)

My indigenous ass watching the lefty priveledged white kids calling other white kids colonizers.

Funniest one was the white woman who was debating that my male privilege is larger than my native blood so fuck me along with all the white men. I have white ladies telling my tan ass that I have privilege over them.

[–] cassandrafatigue@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

I mean, in some ways, but they can still have you pantone-murdered by the nearest state enforcer at will.

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[–] ozymandias@lemmy.dbzer0.com 22 points 3 days ago (2 children)

this is why i hate when people throw the “colonizer” insult around like a frisbee….
it takes away from the horrors of what they’ve done, and disrespects their victims.
it’s like if someone scuffs your shoe and you call them an SS guard at Auschwitz.
….
also, fuck Belgium in the neck with a knife.

[–] NoneOfUrBusiness@fedia.io 4 points 3 days ago (2 children)

this is why i hate when people throw the “colonizer” insult around like a frisbee….

Do you have an example of this?

[–] ozymandias@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 3 days ago

just hit the search on Lemmy, type in “colonizer” and limit it to comments

[–] ozymandias@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 3 days ago

here’s one: https://lemm.ee/comment/8151410

in this example, being insensitive to racial slurs is terrible, but not as bad as invading and occupying a region, enslaving the native population, and cutting off body parts of their children if they don’t meet their work quota gathering chocolate beans for the day….

in this case explaining what they say they don’t understand is probably better than saying “ok colonizer”

[–] shawn1122@sh.itjust.works 3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

It's definitely reactionary but also understandable since most people that were beneficiaries of colonial exploitation supported the enterprise despite the human cost.

It's an odd one to use today no doubt but we live in a world where those of European ancestary have held certain advantages due to the legacy of that system. It would be genuinely remiss in a truly post racial society but, since we're not there, I see where it comes from.

[–] ozymandias@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 3 days ago (1 children)

that’s not what reactionary means… reactionary comes from the French revolution and referred to people who wanted to preserve or later restore the monarchy. Now it’s pretty much anyone anti-progress or anti-revolution… or anti-communist to the communists.
“make america great again” is an extremely reactionary slogan, for example.
when i first heard it i thought it was more like “over reactive” too.
i see where it comes from too but it’s, well it just bugs me. it’s a mostly online thing, though…

[–] shawn1122@sh.itjust.works 2 points 2 days ago

Didn't know it had a specific political tilt. Thanks for that.

[–] ChickenLadyLovesLife@lemmy.world 6 points 2 days ago (2 children)

with your bare hands

Belgium took care of that one preemptively.

[–] Hyperrealism@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

You're being flippant and know better, but I think it's important to state the obvious and add some nuance. Not to defend the Belgians, but to emphasize the central role capitalism played in the death of up to 15 million people, and how corporate-colonialism never really ended.

Arguably, the worst atrocities in Congo occured when it was the private property of king Leopold, who granted vast concessions to private companies with international investors. For example: the Anglo-Belgian India Rubber Company. They declared bankrupcy in Belgium, and refounded themselves as Abir Company in the Congo Free State, so they could avoid paying tax and avoid Belgian regulation. A corporation moving production/extraction/exploitation abroad, relocating their headquarters to a third country, so they can avoid tax and regulation....

The DRC officially became independent of Belgium in 1960, but colonial corporate rule and influence never truly ended. King Leopold founded Compagnie du Katanga, Compagnie du Katanga became Union Minière du Haut-Katanga, Union Minière du Haut-Katanga became Umicore. Umicore is very active in Congo to this day. A few years ago Elon Musk signed a deal with them to help supply Congolese cobalt for Tesla cars.

The soon to be trillionaire fascist son of a man who owned an emerald mine in a former British colony, runs a company that produces cars that include cobalt mined by a company that helped kill 15 million people in the Congo Free State.

People prefer to look the other way, then act surprised when the chickens come home to roost.

[–] ICastFist@programming.dev 4 points 2 days ago

That was good and dark 👏

[–] masquenox@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 2 days ago (1 children)
[–] explodicle@sh.itjust.works 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Like the thagomizer but for the colon.

[–] YiddishMcSquidish@lemmy.today 2 points 2 days ago

Lol, spikey tail in my butt is the meaning of life.

[–] ICastFist@programming.dev 2 points 2 days ago (3 children)

Whenever something bad happens to France, I remember how they managed to fuck up Haiti after they got their independence, then I stop feeling any sympathy for the french

[–] PeacefulForest@lemmy.world 8 points 2 days ago

There are conservative French and there are Leftist French. Not everyone is responsible. Today, there are much worse people than the French to be mad about.

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[–] YiddishMcSquidish@lemmy.today 2 points 2 days ago

Learning about the Dutch's atrocities in Africa makes me feel slightly better about my country's history.

[–] WanderingThoughts@europe.pub 2 points 3 days ago

One reason why Columbus was so awful and wanting to take every scrap of precious metal was because he was in debt up to his eyeballs for his little adventure, including with some folks of the leg breaking kind, and knew he had to pay it back when he returned.

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