this post was submitted on 29 Oct 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, discussion and agitprop/stuff that's better fit for a poster than a meme 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 1 year ago* (last edited 7 months ago) by hamid@vegantheoryclub.org to c/leftymemes@lemmy.dbzer0.com
 
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[–] ricecake@sh.itjust.works 40 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Tails is only partly correct. The state is open about it's monopoly on violence , and it's a key argument in the philosophy of government. The state will use that violence against anyone who threatens it.

The state exists to protect the power that enables the state. Protestors object to some organization of the state, and so they're de facto threats.
Minorities are disproportionately targeted because they inevitably don't have the power that enables the state.

It's not the state being pro peace and making exceptions, it's the state being pro-state, and being structured around that principle. The violence is inherent and exceptions are made if you provide value or benefit from value being defined to include you.

[–] Dagwood222@lemm.ee 8 points 1 year ago (2 children)

All societies use some form of violence to control people.

Even the Amish 'shun' the malefactors.

[–] Prunebutt@slrpnk.net 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

But not all societies monopolize violence in an institutional superstructure.

[–] Dagwood222@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

What does that even mean?

The Vikings let people go out and raid other villages but drew the line at murdering your neighbor. It that what you're going on about? You think any one who wants should be able to have their own army?

[–] Prunebutt@slrpnk.net 2 points 1 year ago

What exactly do you mean? Monopolization? Superstructure? Violence? Where do I need to start? At the definition of a state?

My critique is as follows: Violence is currently monopolized by a hierarchical system of command & control - the state. I (and I'm presuming: OP as well) question the legitimacy of the state and its' monopoly of violence.

I would prefer it if the necessary amount of violence would be controlled by horizontal power structures.

[–] Samvega@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 1 year ago

I've seen evidence that Amish parents hit their children with wooden spoons.

[–] GuyDudeman@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

And in a democracy, the state ought to be synonymous with "The People" but under capitalism and privately funded election campaigns, the state is controlled by the corporations and the rich who can afford to run candidates that represent their interests instead of the majority of the common people.

[–] Sauerkraut@discuss.tchncs.de 6 points 1 year ago (2 children)

A recent Factually! Podcast with Adam Conover interviewed a Political Science professor about why US politicians are so old and it came down to wealth. The boomer generation has more wealth and you need a shit load of wealth to jumpstart a political career so the US is stuck with older politicians because we are far closer to being an oligarchy or plutocracy than an actual democracy

[–] AnUnusualRelic@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

Generally speaking, older people are often wealthier as they've had more time to make money.

A lot of people seem to have trouble with this.

Note that it doesn't mean that people who have accumulated obscene amounts shouldn't be taxed to hell and back.

Exactly so. I read "Why Nations Fail" a few years ago and it really drove home what happens when nations don't have a "monopoly" on violence. It's just that you also need your government to have many firm limits on its ability to use violence.

Modern societies are rather unstable, I'm noticing.

[–] Stern@lemmy.world 16 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Me looking at the number of times nonviolence worked: Okay so MLK, Gandhi, and... uhh

Me looking at times violence worked: Opens "History of the World" to page 1, 10,000 BCE Oh this is going to take a while isn't it.

[–] Prunebutt@slrpnk.net 30 points 1 year ago (2 children)

You could argue that MLK didn't really work. And Gandhi's contemporaries weren't that peaceful, but quite influential. That narrative just isn't that great for the people in power.

[–] Stern@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

Could certainly put forth that folks had a choice between Malcolm X (or others, he's just the first to spring to mind.) or MLK and decided on discretion, but really, I'm just meme'ing so lets not think on it too hard.

[–] Flocklesscrow@lemm.ee 5 points 1 year ago

Yeah MLK is cherry picked as hell. We learn about "civil disobedience," but gloss over the White Moderate and his perspectives on Capitalism as a terminal strategy.

[–] pinkystew@reddthat.com 11 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I want the police abolished and I don't care what happens next.

[–] Dagwood222@lemm.ee -1 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Sometimes I feel the need to quote from the greatest thinkers. And other times I fee like I should quote comedians.

Richard Pryor once filmed a movie in a prison. Afterwards he talked about his experience of listening to the prisoners and hearing their stories.

His conclusion was that he was really happy there were prisons.

[–] pinkystew@reddthat.com 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

When Stir Crazy was filmed in 1980, the U.S. prison population was about 329,800 people, representing approximately 140 individuals per 100,000 residents, or roughly 0.14% of the population. By 2022, the prison population had risen to around 2 million , incarcerated in state and federal prisons and jails, making up 541 per 100,000 residents, or about 0.54% of the population.

Richard Pryor only saw the beginning of the crisis which is why he was able to joke about it.

[–] 000@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The Police hold violent power over all of society, not just prisoners.

[–] Dagwood222@lemm.ee -2 points 1 year ago

Worrying about the police is putting the cart before the horse.

We need to vote and change the laws.

[–] Smorty@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 1 year ago

Thanks Tails! I'll share that with my pals!

[–] rolandtb303@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 year ago

Tails my beloved

[–] FuryMaker@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

"Don't run, we come in peace"

[–] random@lemmy.blahaj.zone -2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

the fact that people on grad and ml would ban this is kinda amusing