this post was submitted on 01 Jul 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] 113 points 8 months ago (2 children)

some people died but i got rich. sue me.

[–] [email protected] 55 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Sues you and wins but it only costs the company 5% of their normal monthly profits

[–] [email protected] 42 points 8 months ago (1 children)

And then the company never pays and you have to sue again but you are now too broke and tired.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 8 months ago

Alex Jones has entered the chat

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

Some of you may die, but that's a risk I'm willing to take!

[–] [email protected] 68 points 8 months ago (1 children)

And the US "Supreme" Court: looks great, let's do more of that!

[–] [email protected] 23 points 8 months ago

... we regulate ourselves too and nothing has gone wrong with that!

[–] [email protected] 49 points 8 months ago

You should see the lines go up though!

[–] [email protected] 26 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

The problem with using the Love Canal was that it was the local government that really fucked up.

For the time, Hooker Chemical Company disposed of the chemical waste in a somewhat responsible way; a clay lined canal that they later topped with clay to prevent water infiltration. If the town wasn't dead set in developing the land, we likely would have never heard of Love Canal.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Yeah that's immediately what I thought whem reading it. The company did the right thing, it's the government who wouldn't listen to reason.

[–] [email protected] 32 points 8 months ago (2 children)

The company did the dumping and then sold it off for $1 for a school to be built upon it. They were held liable. They also created other environmental disasters elsewhere. White Lake Michigan, for instance.

Hooker Chemical Company gave no fucks, and should not be given tacit approval or any credit.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 8 months ago

Hooker Chemical sold for $1 and a list of conditions because the local government was threatening eminent domain after the company gave several warnings.

And I'm not going to defend Hooker in other locations.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

They were forced to sell under threat of eminent domain. That's why they tried to sell it for $1 along with a list of conditions on what it could be used for to highlight the danger. The Government then rejected this offer. Rather than trying to blame some random company just because you think all companies are evil, maybe go and read the history instead.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago (1 children)

More importantly it was the 1950s before the Clean Water Act. Where both entities involved existed under the framework of industry self-regulation that is being directly criticized here.

The issue isn't a company or government is responsible: it is that the system of self regulation results in failures with significant collateral damage.

Regulation also binds government, believe it or not.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Sure it does, but you were directly trying to blame the company, and not the government that screwed it up. Stop shifting goalposts.

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[–] [email protected] 13 points 8 months ago (6 children)

What is an example of something that is not self-regulated that was worked out well?

Is the pharmaceutical industry self-regulated?

[–] [email protected] 45 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

What is an example of something that is not self-regulated that was worked out well?

EU food industry works pretty well. Incidences of food-borne disease, contaminated food, etc are very rare, and you can generally trust the label says exactly what's in the food with confidence.

The regulations themselves are very complex, change depending on new evidence, and include all sorts of rule changes for events that impact the food industry.

[–] [email protected] 26 points 8 months ago (2 children)

Don't forget basically all science, most of the actual groundbreaking work is done using public funds; private interests only step and once the underlying theory is already proven.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 8 months ago

FUSION ENERGY RESEARCH!

I'M SO FUCKING MAD! We're giving corporations the rights to our research to make PRIVATE power companies so they can charge us whatever the fuck they want....

WE FUNDED THE RESEARCH, MAKE THE FACILITIES GOVERNMENT RUN!

[–] [email protected] 7 points 8 months ago

Proven profitable and exploitable

[–] [email protected] 38 points 8 months ago

Seat belt regulations saved a lot of lives despite massive objections and many attempts from both drivers and manufacturers to work around the regulation. https://www.history.com/news/seat-belt-laws-resistance

[–] [email protected] 13 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

To all the people out there that hate questions so much and downvote people who ask them: What happened to you that made you so angry about people wanting to acquire information?

To all the informative people who answer questions, thank you!

[–] [email protected] 19 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Because we know from long experience that these questions aren't made in good faith.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 8 months ago (1 children)

No, you don't know that. You just assume you know that. You've been so brainwashed that you think anyone who doesn't already know everything you know and have every opinion you have is evil and out to get you. It is OK to learn, it is OK to change your mind, and it is OK to ask questions. The most important thing is not always hearing that you are right.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 8 months ago (1 children)

If I didn't know it before, I do know it after you posted this little rant.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago

You will be much better off if you listen to my point and don't try to imagine you know everything. There really, truly is nothing wrong with considering other points of view. There is also nothing wrong with people asking questions. You don't need the safety and constant agreement that you think you do.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago

The legal profession is self-regulated.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago
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[–] [email protected] 10 points 8 months ago

I actually grew up next to the Cuyahoga in the '70s, and it's mind-boggling how disgusting that river was. Used tires and rusted steel chemical barrels everywhere, and the surface covered with a sheen of oil or who knows what the fuck it was. The concept of a beautiful rivers edge was laughable back then, as the river was lined with various plants and factories with big drainage pipes jutting out over the water discharging ... stuff. And this was about 30 miles from the part that actually caught fire (which was in Cleveland). I really don't understand why that river wasn't just on fire all the time.

My parents founded an organization that cleaned the river up (at least the part of it in our town) and turned it into a beautiful park and walking trail. I'm so proud of them for that, but sadly these victories are never permanent.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 8 months ago (1 children)

I work in aerospace regulation and the latest media coverage has been quite upsetting for me. There is a huge difference between delegation (how the aerospace regulator gives approval power to people in companies) and self-regulation, but I'm not clever enough to summarise them in this format. So instead I'd like to share two facts that can summarize the outcome instead.

  1. An airliner is a chunk of metal full of people 30,000 ft in sky propelled to near the speed of sound by burning kerosene in a tube. With all of that is safer than driving in your car or going for a swim. That's aerospace regulation at work, and it has always included delegation. It's almost the safest industry there is even when you include Boeing's criminal fraud and attempts to abuse the system.

  2. Boeing had to ground their fleet for years and now is being charged with criminal fraud for deceiving the FAA (the aerospace regulatory body in the USA). Self regulated industries rarely face consequences.

I'm not saying it's perfect, and I wish I could explain the process better but I think it's very effective and has a proven track record across the world. Almost all modern countries use the same regulatory framework because it delivers incredible safety at a reasonable (by aerospace standards) cost to the government.

I hope more industries transition to a similar framework. If we had an FAA for finance and environmental protection, I think we could end scam shell companies and illegal pollution in a decade. But it would probably be "big government socialism" so there isn't much hope.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago

I think the narrative is about how Boeing used to be the gold standard, but with money grabs for years the check is now coming due - hopefully before its too late & there is a crash.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 8 months ago (3 children)

That's cute, now do governments.

[–] [email protected] 45 points 8 months ago (2 children)

Lol bro thinks acts of war are the same thing passing laws.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 8 months ago

Truly, the most libertarian.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 8 months ago (2 children)

Environmental destruction because of greed: inexcusable.

Environmental destruction because you don't like those bastards over there: totally acceptable.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Since leftists tend to also condemn those things, as well, what the hell are you on about?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (5 children)
[–] [email protected] 24 points 8 months ago (2 children)

There's never been an actual communist government. As much as those countries like to say they're communist, that doesn't make it true. They're authoritarian, and you're buying their propaganda if you think they're actually communist.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

They are buying propaganda, but in this thread they are selling it. They're a bad faith actor, disinfo bot, or standard issue moron. The only hard part is knowing which one.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 8 months ago (3 children)

If every "communist" government ever turned out to be authoritarian, you might want to ask yourself if there is some fundamental flaw in communism that makes it so it always turns out that way.

Also, Marx literally called for a "dictatorship of the proletariat". If that isn't authoritarian, then IDK what is.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 8 months ago

You gotta be fucking dumb to think that there is only capitalism on the right and communism on the left.

They are both extreme and should be treated as such.

I assume you are from the US because your communism trigger is the fastest in the west.

There isn't even an iota of leftism in the US political system and you call your left communist.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 8 months ago (1 children)

A bunch of Marxist-Leninist governments turned out to be authoritarian, as well as fermenting cult-like behavior in smaller ML groups. That's a reason to drop that whole branch. Has nothing to do with leftism in the broad view.

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Meanwhile England created a man-made famine in Ireland and oversaw 15 of them in India, while the US straight up did the worst genocide the world has ever seen and is driving the climate catastrophy which might end up killing most of the humans on earth. Not defending socialist states, but there's not even a comparison here.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

The Romania link is kinda misleading. That isn't a big government problem: that's a profit crushing laypeople problem. Both the communist Romanian government and the capitalist government that followed wanted to profit from many different mines even though it would destroy nearby villages.

Rosia Montana is still very controversial today. A different mine, but the same core reasoning and issues.

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[–] [email protected] 12 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Nobody said that. You can't just make shit up and act like it's what the person you're arguing with is thinking.

Also people talk about this shit like we bombed today's Japan. Japan was a horrendous empire. They were doing the same shit the Nazis were doing but in asia. Do you condem the Dresden Fire bombing this fervently? Or do you just defend the stuff that's buzz worthy?

Not nuking Japan would have allowed the USSR to invade Japan before they surrendered. Meaning another East/West Berlin/German situation. Can you honestly say that would have had a lower death toll?

Stop hopping on this contextless internet hills for dying on and learn your history.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Like I said...

And yes, I do condemn the Dresden Fire Bombing. Sure the Nazis were bad but wiping out thousands of innocent civilian lives like that was a war crime, nothing else.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 9 points 8 months ago

A war crime is a violation of the laws of war that gives rise to individual criminal responsibility for actions by combatants in action, such as intentionally killing civilians or intentionally killing prisoners of war, torture, taking hostages, unnecessarily destroying civilian property, deception by perfidy, wartime sexual violence, pillaging, and for any individual that is part of the command structure who orders any attempt to committing mass killings including genocide or ethnic cleansing, the granting of no quarter despite surrender, the conscription of children in the military and flouting the legal distinctions of proportionality and military necessity.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_crime

It's literally the first part of the definition.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago (1 children)

You cant stop a national government from making weapons and conducting war. A national government, however, should regulate corporations in its territory or sphere of influence to prevent attrocities and tragedies the corporations would conduct. You do not yet live in an idealic valley of plenty where there are corporations but not a government, so you must lend your voice; do you want one Tyranny Machine to run or should there be two Tyranny Machines and the second one has no oversight or regulation from the appropriate parties. Remember that when the government turns on its Tyranny Machine at least competing governments can oppose it. If you are not careful the Free Market Beast will allow many Tyranny Machines to run simultaneously.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago

At least you're smart enough to realize you're putting a tyranny machine in charge of regulating tyranny machines...

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