Rest in Power
“Darling, do you remember when we said, before we have kids we should have a pet and before that a plant to see if we can handle the responsibility?”
“Yes, sure! Why do you bring that up?”
“Well, the basile withered again.”
There is a difference between “btw etymological this used to mean that but since X we use it in other contexts as well” and “no, you are wrong”. The difference is one is fun at parties, the other is not.
I’d at least appreciate acknowledgement.
I’ll give you that much: Communists don’t have a leader cult, it was wrong to imply it. They have the concept of “democratic centralism” which slowly but steadily shifts its emphasis from the first to the second bit.
Also “the ends that justify all means” was an exaggeration to emphasize the difference that anarchists focus on using only power structures they want to see in the liberated society while communists think they can get to a horizontal power structure via a vertical one. Anarchists say power structures reproduce themselves and that’s why it’s important to have the right one from the start. Communists lack any meaningful analysis of power structures but dismiss them as the superstructure that will follow the material base eventually.
So the “strong leader” is by no means core of communist ideology but merely a byproduct. Happy now?
simply by getting more people to agree with it.
That’s not what I said. Why do you insist on making it sound like some idealistic “market place of ideas” stuff?
It isn’t literally overnight.
What does that even mean? I never assumed it’s literally. Are we talking weeks now or months? Is that what you mean?
This is largely the same mechanism Marxists suggest, the entire idea of “Dual Power.”
Yes, that concept is used in anarchism, too. How does that fit to what you said before? Anarchists want it overnight (not literally but still) and communists suggest the same mechanism? What is the difference between the anarchist dual power that you dismiss as “not literally [but still] over night” and the Marxist one?
For me it’s the already mentioned lack of analysis of power structure. Communists want an “over night” revolution, put the right people in charge and they will sort things out. Anarchists will and have argued that (1.) power corrupts and (2.) positions of power attract the wrong people. I do believe Lenin that he came into power with good intentions but the power blinded him and he put “the cause” over everything else (like the workers in Kronstadt and let’s not get into Makhnov). For Stalin, well, see (2.).
Anarchists on the other hand say we need to build and work with horizontal power structures from the start and put a lot of emphasis not only on the critiques of existing hierarchies, but also into how hierarchies come into existence. There are “skill shares” for example to avoid “knowledge hierarchies” by teaching what you know to others and avoiding to be “the one and only expert”. Still, some people are better in things than others and will have a “natural authority” that never should succeed their expertise.
Anarchists believe they can do away with the State overnight.
That’s a common strawman popularized by Engels I have never heard an anarchist say. Anarchists occupy houses, forests and land to try and live their ways. They build parallel structures in the here and now that have the potential to be the thing after the revolution (think of anarchist unions that can coordinate production while now do union stuff or Rojava which built their council structure before they had power).
Anarchists believe in building the new in the shell of the old. It’s all about building it instead of hoping for a leader who will do it for us.
Tbf I’m not active in this community so from what I know, it might be full of anarchist communists reading Kropotkin and Graeber
True, anarchists believe in the unity of ends and means while communists believe in the end that justifies all means
Is it from Bullshit Jobs? Does anyone know?
I read alot from him, I would even say he’s part of my journey towards anarchism. I’m a bit surprised to see him quoted in a communist community thought.
Edit: I looked it up and the quote is from the preface of Bullshit Jobs so I guessed correctly
Ich habe mich nicht gegen eine strategische Zusammenarbeit ausgesprochen als Front gegen rechts außer oder ähnliches. Aber das Problem ist in meinen Augen der Kapitalismus und der Wachstumszwang. Solange die Grünen an Wachstumszielen festhalten und am Märchen vom grünen Wachstum, werden sie das Problem nicht lösen. Die Hauptverursacher sind die Reichen und solange die Grünen den Armen alles teurer machen wollen, gute Nacht.
Ich hoffe, du wirst die Grünen nicht als antikapitalistische Kraft verklären. Natürlich sind sie ein kleineres Übel als andere, aber solange sie an einer Regierung beteiligt sind, die Lützi auf dem gewissen hat und weiterhin Autobahnen baut, demonstrierte ich auch gegen sie. Es gibt Untersuchungen, dass zivilgesellschaftliches Engagement zurück geht bei vermeintlich linken Regierungen und das finde ich gefährlich. Wahrer Wandel kommt immer nur von unten, durch Druck von der Straße. Den Marsch durch die Institutionen hat noch niemand unbeschadet überstanden.
Bei Wahlen entscheiden wir, gegen wen wir kämpfen und, ja, ich kämpfe lieber gegen links/grün als gegen AfD, aber ich höre nicht auf zu kämpfen, weil mir ein Habeck sagt, dass Abschiebungen nun mal rechtstaatlich notwendig sind oder Schröder die Hartz Reformen als unumgänglich dargestellt hat.
Die Kapitalisten jubeln wenn wir ihres gleichen auf unserer Seite wähnen, nur weil sie “Grün” im Namen haben. Nach deiner Logik kannst du jede Kritik an allem wegwischen. Ist die CSU auch für Klimaschutz? Nein? Spalter! Söder hat einen Baum umarmt, was willst du noch?
Vielleicht versteh ich das falsch, aber ich finde, das gibt den Grünen zu viel Kredit; es sieht aus als wären sie Teil der Lösung und nicht (wie die anderen Parteien auch) Teil des Problems
Totally a red flag for me
Sommergrippe war schon ein kluger Schritt um ganzjährig zu liefern, aber Allergien waren der Durchbruch.
Die Lebkuchenindustrie kann davon noch was lernen
I once heard that monkeys will just go to the typewriter, tipe the same letter a few times and leave. Doesn’t sound like Shakespeare to me