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Cake day: April 16th, 2023

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  • In the U.S., everything is right wing and there are no liberals. The Overton window in the U.S. is so far to the right that even basic civil rights, democracy, and freedoms that exist elsewhere are seen as radical.

    Right-wingers and capitalists have rebranded their system as “neoliberalism,” pretending it is about freedom. But real freedom: civil rights and human rights, democracy, secularism, economic and political freedom, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, and freedom of religion… they cannot exist under capitalism, where a small class rules over the majority. True democracy means workers control society, not just picking which capitalist will exploit them.












  • Democracy is demagogue-prone. That’s a disease to which electoral systems are vulnerable. Yet demagogues are easy to identify. They gesture a lot and speak with pulpit rhythms, using words that ring of religious fervor and god-fearing sincerity.

    The practice can always be detected by anyone who learns the signs: Repetition. Great attempts to keep your attention on words. You must pay no attention to words. Watch what the person does. That way you learn the motives.

    They create a system where most people are dissatisfied, vaguely or deeply. This builds up widespread feelings of vindictive anger. Then they supply targets for that anger as they need them—as distraction. Don’t give time to question.

    They bury mistakes in more laws. Traffic in illusion. Bullring tactics. Wave the pretty cape. People will charge it and be confused when there’s no matador behind the thing. That dulls the electorate just as it dulls the bull.

    Fewer people use their vote intelligently next time.

    There appears to be a rule of nature that says it’s almost impossible for self-serving groups to act enlightened, flowing with the forces of life, adjusting your actions that life may continue. With the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number, of course.

    The risks of democracy and how to prevent them paraphrased from Dune.

    Apparent everywhere, Trump is just one in this path of centuries.

    Focus on actions, not promises, and unite against inequality and division. Systems should be simple, transparent, and work for everyone, not just the wealthy or powerful. Educating and organizing workers, holding leaders accountable, and building solidarity across all groups are essential for achieving fairness. Lasting change comes from addressing root causes, not chasing temporary fixes.

    Maybe the next century will show results somewhere.





  • tiredturtle@lemmy.mltoMemes@lemmy.ml☭ Workers of the World, Unite! ☭
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    17 days ago

    State capitalism, as Lenin explained, can be a transitional phase under a proletarian state. However, AES states developed bureaucratic classes managing production, diverging from Marx’s idea of collective control by the working class (Critique of the Gotha Programme).

    I do not reject evidence but consider contradictions. AES planning excluded workers from real decision-making, violating Marx’s principle of collective worker control (The Civil War in France).

    I never claimed socialism must be flawless. Marx recognized contradictions exist in all stages.

    Revolutions prove nothing without examining their results. AES states stabilized under bureaucratic control, sidelining the working class, which Marx and Engels warned against (The Communist Manifesto).

    Marx and Engels envisioned workers directly controlling production. The USSR’s soviets were subordinated to a centralized bureaucracy, diverging from this vision (The State and Revolution).

    These comments are rooted in Marxism’s principle: the working class must emancipate itself.

    It might be valuable to try to be mindful of the displayed habit of repeatedly misrepresenting what is written, either purposefully or out of misunderstanding. This distorts and distracts from the actual topic and makes for a standoffish look.

    Sometimes, considering a broader perspective rather than adhering to a rigid viewpoint, even when it feels like it has all the answers you’re looking for, can help break free from those cognitive dissonance patterns.

    Good night.



  • My comments consistently reject perfectionism and dogmatism, focusing instead on grounding socialism in Marxist principles. Claiming that recognizing AES’s contradictions means believing socialism can’t exist is simply false. Whether someone agrees or not is irrelevant. This is commentary, not an effort to convert anyone.


  • The state is supposed to wither away as the working class takes control of production. Engels and Marx argued that the state, under capitalism, is a tool for maintaining class divisions, and this should end in socialism.

    Socialism requires large-scale planning, but the key difference is that it must be managed democratically by workers, not a central bureaucracy. Lenin criticized the Soviet bureaucracy because it hindered true worker control.

    The USSR state managed the economy without giving workers control. Even after the NEP, the state still controlled production without real worker participation.

    For Marx, socialism means the working class collectively controls the economy, which wasn’t realized in the Soviet system. While there were gains, they came from a centralized authority, not workers themselves.

    Despite state planning, the Soviet system concentrated power in the hands of a few.