this post was submitted on 16 May 2024
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Lefty Memes

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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)


0.5 [Provisional Rule] Use alt text or image descriptions to allow greater accessibility


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.


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:

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[–] [email protected] 39 points 10 months ago (1 children)

One of the greatest sci-fi authors.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 10 months ago (1 children)

One of the greatest fantasy authors

[–] [email protected] 7 points 10 months ago
[–] [email protected] 37 points 10 months ago (2 children)

thanks for sharing. I've been feeling pretty hopeless lately and this helped me today

[–] [email protected] 17 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Feel free to chill around here. I'm all about uplifting peeps!

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 10 months ago

Remember, it took the black death and like 1/2 the population dying to bring about this change

[–] [email protected] 32 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Divine right of kings simply morphed into capitalism. We didn't get rid of jack shit, and we never will.

[–] [email protected] 32 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Feudalism is entirely different from Capitalism, which is entirely different from Socialism. Class dynamics have changed, and will change.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Feudalism is entirely different from Capitalism

Not really, no. Even though feudalism doesn't consider greed and resource hoarding inherently virtuous like capitalism does, both are at their core about the few rich and powerful exploiting and abusing the many poor and powerless through ownership of the necessities for life and a greater capacity for violence.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Both are class societies, yes. Both are fundamentally different relations of classes.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago (1 children)

There are differences, yes, but they're built on the same foundation and as such by definition NOT fundamentally different.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago (1 children)

They don't have the same foundation. Aristocrat/serf dynamics are entirely different from Bourgeois/Proletarian relations.

Reading Marx would help you.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Aristocrat/serf dynamics are entirely different from Bourgeois/Proletarian relations.

They most certainly aren't.

Reading Marx would help you.

I have. Guess what: he wasn't right about everything.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago

Serfs have a certified existence, they do not sell their labor in a market. They work their land, without participating in Capitalism.

Proletarians do not have a certified existence. They compete against each other in a labor market.

The difference is stark despite both being working classes.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Capitalism is like Fuedalism in a trenchcoat

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago (1 children)

It's a fundamentally different stage of class society with fundamentally different mechanics.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Fundamentally different? Lords are still in control, just now we call them "Billionaires" and act like the "Market" protects us.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago

Unlike serfs, workers must compete with each other as well as Capitalists. The Market protects nobody but the interests of Capital.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 10 months ago (2 children)

I agree These systems both emerged from inherent humanity, not conspiracy.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 10 months ago (1 children)

That would make sense for capitalism, if humanity didn't have to have its permanent, essential characteristics beaten, traumatised and groomed out of them with land seizures, branding, whipping, workhouses, schools, prisons, debtors prisons, being forced to sell their children, slavery and the threat of homelessness and starvation for hundreds of years.

People didn't just accept either of those two systems and there's nothing remotely inherent about them. They were both forced on people through violence or the threat of it.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago

.They were both forced on people through violence or the threat of it.

And so is revealed the violence inherent to the system.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 10 months ago (1 children)

"inherent humanity" - what a magical term. you might have a magical worldview! which means you won't even recognize this as an insult, which is sad, but a little funny.

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[–] [email protected] 17 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Not to piss in the lemonade, but some places still have the divine right of kings.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 10 months ago (1 children)

If Charles is the divine choice, why did he get cancer?

[–] [email protected] 17 points 10 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago

Bro wants a refund

[–] [email protected] 11 points 10 months ago

The point is that societies could progress past it, that it's not inescapable.

So the fact that there are still absolute monarchies does not invalidate that societies that are better are possible, like most of our societies today.

Every empire seems unassailable and eternal, until it doesn't. The USSR seemed like it will last beyond our lifetimes, until it didn't.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Capitalism doesn't even work in the US prices ate kept high

[–] [email protected] 5 points 10 months ago (6 children)

I'm trying to parse your sentence. Can you use punctuation?

[–] [email protected] 12 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Capitalism doesn't even work in the US. Prices are kept high.

[–] iknowitwheniseeit 8 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (3 children)

Or alternately:

Capitalism doesn't even work. In the US prices are kept high.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 10 months ago (2 children)

I was just attempting to parse the string as closely as I could.

[–] iknowitwheniseeit 5 points 10 months ago

Either is possible, which is why @[email protected] was asking for punctuation!

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[–] [email protected] 14 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

I met a traveller from an antique land,

Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone

Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand,

Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,

And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,

Tell that its sculptor well those passions read

Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,

The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;

And on the pedestal, these words appear:

My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;

Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!

Nothing beside remains. Round the decay

Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare

The lone and level sands stretch far away.”

Shelley’s Poetry and Prose (1977)

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[–] [email protected] 13 points 10 months ago (5 children)

I've only read two books of Le Guin's, and they were both memorable:

The second one is more relevant to this meme.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Absolutely 100% run (don't walk!) and get The Left Hand of Darkness. It is easily one of the best sci-fi/fantasy books I have ever read.

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[–] [email protected] 12 points 10 months ago (3 children)

Kings had nothing on capitalism. You could overthrow a king.

[–] iknowitwheniseeit 4 points 10 months ago

But then you ended up with another king. Overthrowing royalty was hard.

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

The problem is that this time we've likely got a few decades at the most to form a movement before a huge chunk of the world becomes uninhabitable and society crumbles under the weight of war and famine.

Looking at how things are going, I have little hope that the majority of people are willing to let go of the status quo.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago (3 children)

I agree with the sentiment and also wonder if she's still ferociously pro-copyright?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 10 months ago (2 children)

She died about 6 years ago

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago

and look where that got kings, EATEN

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