I just got done listening to ep 6 “wtf is a socialism?” 1/3 of the way through ep 7 “Ls of former socialism”

Some things I’ve learned so far: Democratic Socialism is like only doing a cancer treatment halfway - the cancer will always come back because capitalists will always find ways to roll back the progress made for the workers/people. That’s because it’s the way capitalism is built (squeezing the most money out of all resources, workers included) and the concessions they give are just to stem the progression towards revolution.

If anyone questions the violence of a revolution, remind them that there is inherent systemic violence in a capitalist state. Ex: homeless population, the way poc and poor people are treated, and police aggression at protests, just to name a few.

Questions: Socialism is Communism, just an earlier stage?

Other thoughts: I was humbled hearing Hakim’s childhood knowing my country did that to him.

I liked at the end of ep 6 where they talk about how you don’t have to be a martyr, just contribute to communist causes in whatever way you can. Maybe because I’m just really delving into this, but sometimes I’m like “I don’t think I can start a revolution, but it feels like I have to.” Maybe that’s normal idk

  • Pandantic [they/them]OPEnglish
    14·
    1 year ago

    (something fascism is incidentally very good at, since it capitalizes on the fury of downwardly mobile petit-bourgeois by channeling their anger against scapegoats instead of capitalism, i.e. channeling their potentially revolutionary energy into counter-revolutionary energy.)

    Sounds pretty much like the current state of the far right here in the US.

    Thank you, this was very helpful.

    • Tachanka [comrade/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
      3·
      1 year ago

      Sounds pretty much like the current state of the far right here in the US.

      Thank you, this was very helpful.

      You’re welcome. Not just the US right, but elsewhere as well. You tons of fascist movements like this. You have Hindutva in India, Rusich in Russia, Banderites in Ukraine, Bolsonaroists in Brazil, Taliban in Afghanistan, Dutertists in the Philippines, etc. etc. etc. I won’t make an exhaustive list of fascist movements or fascist-lite movements in every country. You get my point. Umberto Eco has a list of warning signs of fascism. Engels also, in my opinion, predicted the whole thing of fascism masquerading as Socialism in “Principles of Communism” way back in the 1840s, before fascism was ever a thing:

      Engels is talking about restoring feudalism and patriarchy here, which isn’t quite what fascists want, but they do “conclude from the evils of existing society” that the past must be restored through purifying violence, whether or not that is actually possible or practical.