I read the post. What is fascinating is how much and how recently I dismissed “tankie” rhetoric out of hand like that, until a couple of very patient comment threads where I suspended disbelief, asked broad, open-ended questions, considered the answers given, and actually read any links provided and looked up other sources, besides. I only vehemently disagreed with a few points, and having already realized how much my own history (world and US) had been whitewashed or simply omitted decades prior, started rethinking cherished beliefs still held, and went waaaay back to a technique used in a college class (university, though not really by global standards, but I did luck into a few really good professors, before adjuncts were so widely used), “critical thinking” which was a prereq of syllogistic logic, which was required, along with a bunch of soc classes: we were presented a controversial topic each Monday, required to state our side, and by Friday were required to turn in a well-researched and cited essay convincingly arguing the opposite stance. It already changed my views on a lot, so I just started doing the research and credible source cites without paper, which turned out to be a lot faster and easier than it was then, obviously. Holy moly, I set out to prove myself wrong and easily did so with mostly mainstream sources, it just took learning how to search, which I’m still doing. It’s just that we’ve been brainwashed from birth, and since I’m right on the cusp of boomer/x Gen, if this old dog can do it, anyone can, with sufficient time, which seems deliberately constrained by the capitalist mechanisms. I have more time than many, but still regular responsibilities and obligations, and it’s still not as rapid as I’d prefer, and my brain is slower now, but if people could suspend disbelief and rather than try to prove themselves right, which leads to confirmation bias, try to prove themselves wrong, imagine the world we could have! And that’s not having even dug deeply into theory, yet.
Grand rising. I only reread The Communist Manifesto from college (paperback) and Capital a few months ago, and I found this somewhere on .ml instance and plan to start after I finish hurricane cleanup and some neighborhood issues. I believe I’ve seen you recommend The State and Revolution? which I’d planned next, but if you have better suggestions for my neophyte self (maybe 1-3 at a time, that would be great, especially if I can find them on invidious and can listen while doing household cleanup and regular chores). Thanks so much!
I used that site! Got through parts 1-3 and need to do org theory. Great works, don’t use the site, a comrade pointed out that it uses google analytics. Make the same list, but read from sites like Marxists.org instead.
State and Rev is great, but I would read Politzer’s Elementary Principles of Philosophy first, understanding Dialectical and Historical Materialism means you understand Marxism itself, the rest of Marxism builds on that foundation.
Excellent, I’ve bookmarked those sites and will begin in the next week, hopefully. I’m also add so please feel free to nag me until I do. Not that that’s your responsibility, I just know my weaknesses. The hurricane mess makes me apathetic and want to veg with mind candy, but real nourishment is needed. Off to start my day, I wish you a great day/evening, as applicable. Thanks again!
I just found the Politzer book on invidious (posted by Marxist Audiobooks)! It’s over six hours, my worry is that YT will break invidious again, and front ends are dwindling, understandably, with the cost and risks that come with the project. Do you know of any backup sites in case the worst happens with invidious?
ETA: the one posted in six parts on the Communist ASMR channel seems better, so far. It actually has inflection, whereas the other was in a monotone.
I read the post. What is fascinating is how much and how recently I dismissed “tankie” rhetoric out of hand like that, until a couple of very patient comment threads where I suspended disbelief, asked broad, open-ended questions, considered the answers given, and actually read any links provided and looked up other sources, besides. I only vehemently disagreed with a few points, and having already realized how much my own history (world and US) had been whitewashed or simply omitted decades prior, started rethinking cherished beliefs still held, and went waaaay back to a technique used in a college class (university, though not really by global standards, but I did luck into a few really good professors, before adjuncts were so widely used), “critical thinking” which was a prereq of syllogistic logic, which was required, along with a bunch of soc classes: we were presented a controversial topic each Monday, required to state our side, and by Friday were required to turn in a well-researched and cited essay convincingly arguing the opposite stance. It already changed my views on a lot, so I just started doing the research and credible source cites without paper, which turned out to be a lot faster and easier than it was then, obviously. Holy moly, I set out to prove myself wrong and easily did so with mostly mainstream sources, it just took learning how to search, which I’m still doing. It’s just that we’ve been brainwashed from birth, and since I’m right on the cusp of boomer/x Gen, if this old dog can do it, anyone can, with sufficient time, which seems deliberately constrained by the capitalist mechanisms. I have more time than many, but still regular responsibilities and obligations, and it’s still not as rapid as I’d prefer, and my brain is slower now, but if people could suspend disbelief and rather than try to prove themselves right, which leads to confirmation bias, try to prove themselves wrong, imagine the world we could have! And that’s not having even dug deeply into theory, yet.
Glad to hear it!
What have you read so far? I can make some good recs if you want.
Grand rising. I only reread The Communist Manifesto from college (paperback) and Capital a few months ago, and I found this somewhere on .ml instance and plan to start after I finish hurricane cleanup and some neighborhood issues. I believe I’ve seen you recommend The State and Revolution? which I’d planned next, but if you have better suggestions for my neophyte self (maybe 1-3 at a time, that would be great, especially if I can find them on invidious and can listen while doing household cleanup and regular chores). Thanks so much!
I used that site! Got through parts 1-3 and need to do org theory. Great works, don’t use the site, a comrade pointed out that it uses google analytics. Make the same list, but read from sites like Marxists.org instead.
State and Rev is great, but I would read Politzer’s Elementary Principles of Philosophy first, understanding Dialectical and Historical Materialism means you understand Marxism itself, the rest of Marxism builds on that foundation.
Excellent, I’ve bookmarked those sites and will begin in the next week, hopefully. I’m also add so please feel free to nag me until I do. Not that that’s your responsibility, I just know my weaknesses. The hurricane mess makes me apathetic and want to veg with mind candy, but real nourishment is needed. Off to start my day, I wish you a great day/evening, as applicable. Thanks again!
No worries! If you go with Politzer, you can skip Dialectical and Historical Materialism, which covers the same subject. I prefer Politzer’s work.
I just found the Politzer book on invidious (posted by Marxist Audiobooks)! It’s over six hours, my worry is that YT will break invidious again, and front ends are dwindling, understandably, with the cost and risks that come with the project. Do you know of any backup sites in case the worst happens with invidious?
ETA: the one posted in six parts on the Communist ASMR channel seems better, so far. It actually has inflection, whereas the other was in a monotone.
Nope, don’t know, sorry. I read it online.
No problem, thanks anyway.