Well ackchyually, those are not textbooks.
this post was submitted on 24 Jan 2026
498 points (97.9% liked)
Lefty Memes
6582 readers
1540 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
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
- 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.
(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.
- Absolutely no posts or comments meant to relativize(/apologize for), advocate, promote or defend:
- Racism
- Sexism
- Queerphobia
- Ableism
- Classism
- Sexual assault
- Genocide/ethnic cleansing or (mass) deportations
- Fascism
- (National) chauvinism
- Orientalism
- Colonialism or Imperialism (and their neo- counterparts)
- Zionism
- Religious fundamentalism of any kind
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
Both are studied in schools, how are they not textbooks? What's the technical distinction?
Just being pedantic on the definition of a textbook.
The books aren't technically textbooks and buffet is claiming there are no textbooks.
I doubt his statement is true because I'm sure there are plenty of textbooks that include references to the two referenced works in the meme but the meme isn't making that specific case, hence the sarcastic use of "ackchyually"
I guess I'm curious what distinguishes a textbook from a non-textbook. Both titles above were meant for academic settings, as well as for the average worker and organizer.
Basically every single economist who was not far far right wing/liberal, said that giving all the power to the small group of people, and removing society control over economy will fail, and it will create ultra wealth class, people without any morals, any empathy towards rest of the people. You don't have to be a anarchist, socialist, communist, also people like Adam Smith, wrote the same thing.
From what i know, only very radical groups like Chicago Boys, promoted the model that we have right now.
It's like with climate change. Every specialist, every one who knows the basics, is saying that you cannot pollute the world so much, and pretend that humans are not killing the ecosystem.
Yeah, Adam Smith hated rentier forms of economy, that's how insane the current form is capitalism is.
It's often called hyper capitalism for that reason.
I love the meme, but, no, even Marx didn't predict the economy we have now. He correctly identified all the players at the table, but his worst predictions were reminiscent of pre-Reagan. His worst fever dreams were the "best" the economy has been for the working class in 50 years. That's how fucked we are.
If you went back and explained how we implemented supply-side economics, he'd look at you expectantly like "finally, their final move; then revolution, right?" If you continued with the housing crash, I'm pretty sure he'd collapse from terror. God, if you explained the modern finacialization of the economy, he'd probably kill you, if not himself.
Capitalism in Marx's age was far worse for the average laborer than the current western labor aristocracy feels. Child workers were packed like sardines into tiny rooms and forced to work over 10 hours a day, Capital Volume I describes this vividly. However, Marx only lived to see the beginnings of imperialism, which Lenin observed, and watched the imperial core export suffering to the global south and bribe its proletariat into complacency with the spoils. That's why Imperialism, the Current Highest Stage of Capitalism is listed in the meme alongside Capital.
Further, Lenin did not live to see the consolidation of the world's competing imperialist power into one unified international dictatorship of the bourgeoisie, helmed by the US Empire, with subservient vassal states. This happened post-World War II, and the decay in this "super-imperialism" is what is driving present conditions forward.
Exactly. It wouldn't occur to him, or really anyone, that the people would tolerate this for so long.
He didn't predict it, but he did begin to analyze imperialism, which is why it has lasted longer than he thought it would, and which Lenin continued on. Capitalism in Marx’s age was far worse for the average laborer than the current western labor aristocracy feels. Child workers were packed like sardines into tiny rooms and forced to work over 10 hours a day, Capital Volume I describes this vividly. However, Marx only lived to see the beginnings of imperialism, which Lenin observed, and watched the imperial core export suffering to the global south and bribe its proletariat into complacency with the spoils. That’s why Imperialism, the Current Highest Stage of Capitalism is listed in the meme alongside Capital.
Further, Lenin did not live to see the consolidation of the world’s competing imperialist power into one unified international dictatorship of the bourgeoisie, helmed by the US Empire, with subservient vassal states. This happened post-World War II, and the decay in this “super-imperialism” is what is driving present conditions forward.
ITT: mfs who have read 0 Marx boldly making comments about what Marx's predictions were and how they were wrong
It's exactly one comment and one person agreeing. Grow a pair and reply directly.
I need the marx emoji
I’d add in Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds by Charles Mackay.