this post was submitted on 09 Dec 2024
609 points (88.5% liked)

Lefty Memes

4546 readers
764 users here now

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, and discussion 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)


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 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 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] Infomatics90@lemmy.ca 4 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (16 children)

whats a leftist who doesn't want guns to be legal for citizens and only for military and police? I don't like capitalism.

[–] Diva@lemmy.ml 18 points 2 weeks ago (17 children)

doesn't like capitalism

only wants state enforcers of capitalism to be armed

I think that makes you inconsistent

[–] dev_null@lemmy.ml 12 points 2 weeks ago

I presume in his ideal country there is no capitalism, and as such state enforcers don't enforce capitalism, but enforce whatever he is thinking of

[–] Opisek@lemmy.world 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I don't see how law enforcement and profit driven market are inseparable concepts.

[–] Diva@lemmy.ml 5 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

It's entirely possible for a state to enforce laws without it being capitalist, however what I thought was a weird inconsistency was to posture as 'opposed to capitalism' but pro cops/military having guns without anybody else having them.

I don't relish the idea of people having to take up arms against the government, but I certainly don't want militarized police to be the only ones with them either.

[–] _stranger_@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

If all the citizens are trained in the defense of the nation, then both things can be true. There's only so many fighters jets, tanks, and nuclear bombs to go around, so the stewardship of those assets is going to fall to a trusted committee anyway (an organized military), but that's logistics, not politics.

What does such a society do with conscientious objectors and Pacificsts? Hopefully value their option as a source of diversity and honor their choices.

load more comments (15 replies)
[–] Cowbee@lemmy.ml 10 points 2 weeks ago (43 children)

How do you plan on ending Capitalism without revolution?

[–] SupahRevs@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Purchase goods from employee owned entities. Support financial transitions away from shareholder owned entities to employee owned entities.

[–] Cowbee@lemmy.ml 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Where has this shown progress towards undermining the Capitalist system, and then not been curtailed by said Capitalist system? It sounds nice on paper but I doubt it's possible.

[–] _stranger_@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

The problem is people. Greed is a human trait. You could wave a magic wand tomorrow and delete capitalism and greed would resurrect it before the wand cooled off.

You need a system that subverts greed, harnessing the human potential for selfishness to drive common social selflessness. The best answer humans have found is highly regulated capitalism and graduated taxes. This answer (and others) never last because capitalism either breaks out of jail when capitalists gain control of government, or another capitalist society physically (or politically, or economically) destroys or undermines the non-capitalistic one.

It's kind of the same reason cancer kills: It's really good at spreading, and really bad at stopping.

[–] Cowbee@lemmy.ml 2 points 2 weeks ago (6 children)

This is idealism, and has no basis in reality. You are projecting the functions and systems of Capitalism as a human problem based on individual moral failings and not on the self-propelling nature of Capitalist accumulation. The best answer is not regulated Capitalism, but Socialism, because that is when humans gain supremacy over Capital, rather than the inverse.

load more comments (6 replies)
load more comments (42 replies)
[–] chiliedogg@lemmy.world 8 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

Impotent. You reject economic and lethal power, and what you you have left to defend your rights? Hopes and dreams don't have any teeth.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] UltraGiGaGigantic@lemmy.ml 2 points 2 weeks ago

Someone who only likes to lick left boots?

load more comments (12 replies)