An international (English speaking) socialist Lemmy community free of "ML" (read: Dengist) influence. 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!
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
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" (read: Dengists) (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.
Why does everybody insist on calling enemy occupiers, "settlers"?
When Russian civilians move in to annexed Ukrainian lands they're not called settlers. Settler suggests peaceful civilians moving somewhere they're allowed to inhabit, to start a new life.
They're invaders. Occupiers. Thieves.
Settlers my arse.
The colonizing of North America, especially in the first century after its “discovery,” was often done by settlers moving into empty land. Except that the only reason it was empty is the inhabitants had already been killed by disease brought by the Spanish. Within 150 years after contact, the population of the Americas was reduced by 93%.
additionally, eurocentric world views tend to see nomadic people as less than. for the Apache, Blackfoot, Comanche, Crow, Lakota, Nez Perce, Ojibwe, Sioux, and i'm sure many others, that "empty" land didn't look empty at all, even with their numbers reduced
Yes, I was also thinking of that. Very common for colonizers to arrive in seasonally-used lands and think they were empty until the natives showed up.
Zionazism.
L‘ Espresso just gave the term „Israeli Settler“ an associated image the Israeli regime decidedly dislikes.
I think that’s perfect TBH. Let them use euphemisms (like collateral damage, alternative facts) as much as they want.
Use it too and then rip away the mask with a photo like this.
I assumed most people use the term ironically, as "settlers" immediately brings them and their routine violence to mind. We know they're not actually settling. That's the joke.
It's a really bad joke, but I get it
Has anyone noticed how, whenever you see a picture of an Israeli settler, they all look like bad guys from Mad Max?
They are
I want to punch this guy
The photo doesn't even do him justice, watch the video. He's a PERFECT representation of the worst of Israel in one person.
He's Israel's Trump, I expect this man to run for office, and win
It is antisemitic in the sense that Israel has claimed the word, in that it accurately portrays the reality of Israeli colonialism
That is a really good photo. And it was cropped perfectly for the cover.
I'd say hand it the Pulitzer, but there has been an absolute glut of award-level material so far this year.
The pigtails too...
They're not pigtails, they're called "peyot". Orthodox Jewish men grow theirs out because it's part of the traditional dress code. In other parts of the world, they're tucked under the yarmulke. But in occupied Palestine, it's been in vogue to leave them hanging down.
Fuck Israel generally, but don't be ignorant.
Edit: Holy fuck, guys, chill out a little bit. There's criticizing a genocidal apartheid state, and then there's just plain being racist. There's a really thick line there, and y'all crossed it a loooong while ago.
they've been called "pigtails" by outright antisemites since the late 1800s as a comentary on the curly textured hair of ashkenazi jews. just in case anyone's curious where that term originates. i don't assume that's how most people in this modern time use the term, so i didn't downvote since the other poster might have jost been thinking of the modern common girl's hairstyle. but it still hit me REAL wrong
don’t be ignorant.
in occupied Palestine, it’s been in vogue to leave them hanging down
and
they’ve been called “pigtails” by outright antisemites
I dont take any of israel's definition of the world seriously, that includes their "in vogue" hairstyles while committing war crimes. They lost me when they defined anything they dont like as "antisemitism". They lost enough of my respect that I dont agree to defining anything on their terms anymore. Not words, not actions, not anything having to do with their ideas. They live in my world now, exclusively. I dont care what you and they call their hair style, or who you link to "antisemitism". So those are ponytails. If you want to kowtow to their definitions thats on you and not my problem.
So "dont be ignorant" right back at both of you supremacist apologists. You can jam your implicit demand that I understand and honor these war criminals concepts directly up your rear. They deserve zero respect and explicit rejection in any avenue of civilized society, including their personal preferences around language.
They are murdering people and you are worried that I get their ponytail names right. You two are both nuts.
This guy could do geico commercials.
It is a very punchable face.
The Israeli dudes you see like in the videos of them spitting on women in hijabs on the street etc all look like inbred mongos fr
The young, angry, undereducated men are used as the tip of the spear against people living in the region.
Imagine the government encouraging angry high-school dropouts to come assault you and they can have your house.