this post was submitted on 15 Aug 2026
733 points (93.5% liked)

Lefty Memes

7365 readers
28 users here now

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!

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] Try to use alt text or image descriptions to allow for greater accessibility


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

We encourage 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" (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.


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:

founded 3 years ago
MODERATORS
 

Maybe if people with your ideology only make things that harm you it's an opportunity to reflect.

top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] sartalon@lemmy.world 171 points 1 month ago (12 children)

Nothing wrong with communists. I feel so radicalized by capitalism I'm almost there anyway.

It's the Russian/China apologists that are annoying.

Russia is bad, Chia.na is bad, and the U.S. is bad. All those things can be true. But all the insufferable posts about how great China and Russia are, and all the bad things you have heard about them m are just Western propaganda...

If they were serious about their ideology, then why do they care so much about someone thinks about China or Russia.

If they didn't brigade those issues so much, straight up ban people, just because they disagree, or hlrefuse to have any real discussion that doesn't center on just shutting other people down, then maybe people outside their group might take them more seriously.

[–] adminofoz@lemmy.cafe 77 points 1 month ago (3 children)

Anarcho communists welcome you. We hate all nation states equally. Unfortunately there aren't enough of us to brigade anything.

[–] Zombie@feddit.uk 27 points 1 month ago (1 children)

For anyone who wishes to know more Now And After: The ABC of Communist Anarchism was written to explain anarcho-communism in plain, easily understood, language.

It begins by explaining the current capitalist system (now) and then goes on to explain anarchism (after).

It is available to read or download in multiple formats, for free, here: https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/alexander-berkman-what-is-communist-anarchism#toc2

[–] FatCrab@slrpnk.net 8 points 4 weeks ago (3 children)

This isn't terrible, but it's important to be aware that the class analysis and definition of capitalism in this is nonsense. The capitalist class is not just "rich people" and the working class is not just "poor people." Capitalism is not defined by...whatever this attempts to define it by. Capital is the power to prioritize the allocation of resources and labor.

Capitalism stands for the idea that the purpose of all value, surplus and base really, of production is to increase the capital of the holders of capital. That is it. It is the worship of allocative power solely for the sake of allocative power. And that's why it inevitably degenerates into fascism--the worship of power solely for the sake of power.

All class dynamics must oriented themselves within the structure of that allocative power analysis. The capitalist class is not "rich" people, or at least not definitionally, and the working class is not poor people. The capitalist class are those who derive increase to their allocative power primarily from the direction of capital under the capitalist system. On the flip side, working class is anyone who increases their own allocative power primarily through the application of their own labor. The vague vibes based class analysis in this would effectively place servers (like, at a restaurant) as bourgeoisie capitalist-class/adjacent just like doctors, lawyers, programmers, and the like. I think it's clear why that maybe feels like complete bullshit to most peeps.

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] flandish@lemmy.world 10 points 1 month ago

there are dozens of us!

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] flandish@lemmy.world 47 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

here’s the neat part: anyone who unironically thinks china or russia are communist is a dumbass and can be ignored or is trolling.

[–] naevaTheRat@lemmy.dbzer0.com 31 points 1 month ago (4 children)

China and russia being communist is an American right wing talking point.

No leftists consider the russian federation communist, and not even the cpc considers china communist. They claim to be attempting to realise communism by first developing socialism to the point that they can.

Whether you believe them or not aside, you're sort of showing your ignorance. Even the scary tankies on hexbear and ml or whatever don't think they're communist. That's why the term actually existing socialism (aes) is aes and not aec.

[–] flandish@lemmy.world 17 points 1 month ago

i made no indication i believed them or them to be communist. i was speaking of how trollish those who claim china/russia is communist are. they’re almost always “libertarians” or some form of boomer.

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] Axolotl_cpp@feddit.it 12 points 1 month ago

I once got at least 10 comments telling me how good russia and china are and how bad USA is and that i am a USA sucker, welp kinda my fault for making a comment in the wrong instance

[–] GolfFoxtrotLima@ani.social 10 points 4 weeks ago

Those people are called tankies

load more comments (8 replies)
[–] raman_klogius@ani.social 77 points 1 month ago (4 children)

Unfortunately half of them are tankies larping as commies

load more comments (4 replies)
[–] commiunism@lemmy.dbzer0.com 38 points 1 month ago (3 children)

Wouldn't be surprised if new users actually complain about them, pretty much all the 'communists' here are obnoxious nationalist larpers

[–] WoodScientist@lemmy.world 12 points 1 month ago (3 children)

What even is Communist anymore? The US and China both seem to be converging to the same system of government.

[–] Noggog@programming.dev 13 points 1 month ago* (last edited 4 weeks ago)

It's anarchist theory that yes, auth communism is just state capitalism instead of private capitalism. None of the "alienation" markers Marx associated with capitalism are done away with. They only pinky promise to do so one things are safe enough and the govt magically dissolves to hand the reigns to workers. Sure.

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] diaphragmwp@discuss.tchncs.de 12 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

You've slandered lemmy.ml! The party is dissapointed.

-9000 .ml credit

Testicular torsion. (obligatory: /s)

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] naevaTheRat@lemmy.dbzer0.com 11 points 1 month ago (8 children)

everyone is doing it wrong except you.

Log off and start a 5th international but correct this time.

load more comments (8 replies)
[–] 100_kg_90_de_belin@feddit.it 32 points 4 weeks ago (13 children)

Damn communists! They ruined communism!

load more comments (13 replies)
[–] Liz@midwest.social 32 points 1 month ago (3 children)

You gotta remember that no one except known communists are pitched lemmy on the basis that it's developed by a communist. Everyone else gets that fact omitted.

[–] naevaTheRat@lemmy.dbzer0.com 21 points 1 month ago (7 children)

And liberalism only survives in people that are fundamentally incurious about the conditions under which the goods and services they use are manufactured or arise.

load more comments (7 replies)
[–] Jomega@lemmy.world 14 points 1 month ago (13 children)

Finally somebody says it. I was pitched Lemmy as a version of reddit that won't enshittify because it isn't run by Spez. There was no mention of communism whatsoever. I came expecting reddit as it had existed a few years prior to the API debacle. Now everyday I have to read a genocide denier accuse someone of supporting genocide because they voted against a fascist who supports genocide. Make it make sense.

And like, the communist thing isn't a problem in itself, but there is some kind of brain rot going on in this particular online space. You know last week I stumbled into a thread full of people claiming that North Korea is some kind of utopia and all the overwhelming evidence to the contrary is propaganda? That's not regular leftist discourse, that's some kind of looney tunes shit.

[–] naevaTheRat@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 points 1 month ago

Reddit was awful from the moment it was created because it was designed to commodity and control the commons.

load more comments (12 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] Tattorack@lemmy.world 30 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

Communists? On my equally shared, federated social media!? No way!

[–] naevaTheRat@lemmy.dbzer0.com 15 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

from each according to their memes folder, to each according to their degree of unemployedness

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] drmoose@lemmy.world 23 points 4 weeks ago (2 children)

People really don't care about communists - it's the authoritarian boot licker we have a problem with.

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] brax@sh.itjust.works 19 points 4 weeks ago* (last edited 4 weeks ago) (5 children)

If communism is a failed system, why does the US keep going after communist places? Surely they're not a threat right? 🤔

load more comments (5 replies)
[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 19 points 1 month ago

Transgender Anti-War Communists, no less.

The only thing scarier is a Muslim Mayor.

[–] Gork@sopuli.xyz 15 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Is it at least of the luxurious gay space kind?

[–] naevaTheRat@lemmy.dbzer0.com 19 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (3 children)

Unfortunately we're at the screaming at each other over precisely how to realise a stateless, monieless, classless society stage.

Although we do get to enjoy devouring the occasional lib that stumbles in.

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] Souvenir@lemmy.dbzer0.com 14 points 4 weeks ago (2 children)

Some of these comments are far too long.

[–] naevaTheRat@lemmy.dbzer0.com 16 points 4 weeks ago (10 children)

take memes seriously and fight with strangers on the internet^[the Buddha or something]

load more comments (10 replies)
[–] Tetragrade@leminal.space 10 points 4 weeks ago

Well, they are written by communists what can you expect.

[–] DonkeyStar@lemmy.world 14 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Yeah, yeah, communists, whatever. Did you know that some people still pretend to be Finnish here?

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] AnimalsDream@slrpnk.net 12 points 4 weeks ago (2 children)

: Person posts something about communism.

: Buncha people in the comments inevitably say the same stale, dumb things about communism.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[–] naevaTheRat@lemmy.dbzer0.com 10 points 4 weeks ago* (last edited 4 weeks ago) (1 children)
load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] supersquirrel@lemmy.ca 12 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

yeah but HASAN PIKER!!!

screams in terror

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] godsammitdam@lemmy.zip 11 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I remember on reddit seeing discussion about the mullvad vpn nonsense and someone replied that they were based, it's not like the left would ever care about privacy.

And I was just like...brutha, wut? People are truly that dumb aren't they?

[–] A404@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 points 1 month ago

The left is anything they do not like

[–] JasonDJ@lemmy.zip 10 points 4 weeks ago* (last edited 4 weeks ago)

This is really it.

There's the fascist-owned platforms...most notably truthsocial, but definitely also X and Meta and all their platforms as well. I'd also say spez has absolutely bent the knee...several times. Fuck /u/spez.

And then there's the communist-operated platforms. Lemmy, and basically the entire fediverse.

I wouldn't say all instances are communist operated, certainly .ml, but many of them are just liberal, socialist, technohippies. (A term that I just coined now, and would gleefully apply to myself)

Only reddit still gets any of my traffic, and that's largely out of muscle-memory.

load more comments
view more: next ›