Just saw which instance this was. Apologies, I’ll take my anarchist self elsewhere.
Respect. Although I’m curious what problem you as an anarchist would have with calling democrats blue maga lol
Oh, they’re absolutely shit (even the furthest left of them) but, the system is rigged with FPTP and other “features” to give us either a neoliberal party or a fascist party. Neither is a good choice though I find equating them to be a false equivalency. My personal ethics require that I take what action that I can to reduce harm, especially to those must vulnerable and historically oppressed. Data shows anti-electoralism and third parties in FPTP to be functionally equivalent to voting for fascists, so, garbage neoliberals who at least aren’t trying to string up trans people while robbing the working class is my option.
I agree, although I would also argue that in the specific case of the US, the situation is a bit more drastic since in most (specially oppressed countries) the liberals/moderate fascists/national bourgeoisie have a somewhat “revolutionary” role since they generally oppose the international bourgeoisie and do win some concessions for the working class, as you mention, or help with industrialisation and so on. In the case of the US, though, both parties represent the international bourgeoisie, and the international political agenda of both countries is essentially the same, interventionism, imperialism, economic blockades, and so on, so the difference is radically different in that the number of concessions the liberals/moderate fascists can give the working class, specially the working class of oppressed countries, is much smaller than in other places. I too critically support the left wing liberals in my country because the option is total deindustrialisation and selling everything to the lowest bidder otherwise, so I totally get your point but wanted to make a small distinction.
By the way, I don’t know if you’ve heard of Hexbear, they’re a pan-leftists instance who will be federating with us and a couple of other instances by the end of the month luckily, they have a pretty active anarchist community so you might have a better time there than on a general purpose liberal instance.
Definitely agreed and thank you for the solid discourse. My contention is that nominal support of a liberal/moderate international bourgeoise still tends towards reduction of harm, compared to fascists. They still practice imperialism and exploitation but tend to do so when softer gloves more frequently by compare. Additionally, their constituents tend to be more likely to urge further harm reduction, when they are unable to remain ignorant of it. My loyalties being to those groups that have been, from my perspective, most harmed throughout recorded human (indigenous peoples, minorities, and general non-combatants), I still have to make that choice in the artificial binary.
My ideal societal organization (mostly in-line with anachro-syndicalism) is something that I hold no illusion of being achievable in my lifetime, if it ever is, at least not without unacceptable suffering and loss of life (nor do I pretend that my non-violent path is the only one necessary to achieve positive change - the labor and civil rights movements being excellent examples contrary). So, I do what is within my means and abilities to corrode these systems by cultivating curiosity and kindness while mitigating harms in hope that this continues our species’ social and psychological evolution towards something compatible with my ideals.
Thank you for recommending Hexbear! I hope that they federate with my home instance as well, which seems to skew more towards anarchism, in my experience, but is more topically aligned with free and open knowledge and creativity.
I need to make a bot to post this any time fascism gets mentioned.
The western left’s use of the term fascism, is borderline white-supremacist at this point. Fascism was a form of colonialism that died by the 1940s, and is only allowed to be demonized in public discourse, because it was a form of colonialism directed also against white europeans. It was defeated, and Germany / Italy / Japan reverted to the more stable form of government for colonialism (practiced by the US, UK, France, the Netherlands, Australia, etc): bourgeois parliamentarism.
British, european, and now US colonizers were doing the exact same thing, and killing far more people for hundreds of years in the global south, yet you don’t hear ppl scared of their countries potentially "adopting parliamentary democracy”. They haven’t changed, and their wealth is still propped up by surplus value theft from the super-exploitation of hundreds of millions of low-paid global south proletarians.
This is why you have new leftists terrified that the UK or US or europe “might turn fascist!!”, betraying that the atrocities propagated by those empires against the global south was and is completely acceptable.
Make no mistake about it: parliamentary / bourgeois democracy is not only a more stable form of government, it’s also far more effective at carrying out colonialism, and killing millions of innocent people.
So I’m guessing this instance is infested with MAGAts? Good to know; I’ll grab my bug spray.
Nope. Marxist-Leninists. We agree on some things, disagree on others, sometimes rather vehemently. Rather than stir up unnecessary internet drama, I edited my comment because I know that it’s something we’re unlikely to come to any agreement on. Plus, it’s their meme community - nothing positive for anyone to gain in bickering here.
In that case, can you please explain how Marxism-Leninism leads to supporting Russia in the current war? Is Putin following Marx, Lenin, or any other socialist in any way?
The case for supporting Russia in the current conflict is not because it is some harbor of socialist development, Russia in it’s current state is very much the opposite when it comes to it. Very much a capitalist shithole. That’s what critical support means.
However, the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine has sparked new developments globally. This conflict has very much accelerated the trend of multipolarity, meaning that it weakens the hegemony of the United States thus allowing third world countries as well as communists some breathing room. The development of BRICS is very much a positive one for the working classes of Africa, Asia and South America by giving these countries an alternative to existing western institutions that were bleeding them dry. Like the IMF and the World Bank.
Now because of this conflict directly, imperialist forces have been preoccupied with different matters and thus are unable to intervene in case of progressive developments around the world as they normally would be able to. Take a look at Libya, it was an example for many countries to stay in line.
For example the coup in Niger, would never have happened just a few years ago. This is massive progress in a very short time span!
If Russia were to „win” this conflict it would only exacerbate the current developments further, no matter what happens it was essentially proven that NATO is not well equipped for combat with a peer power, dedollarization is already happening and would then only accelerate with Russia being declared the de-facto victor.
Also to add something personally. I don’t like Nazis, and seeing Azov and others get turned into swiss cheese was some very positive news to read B)
Thank you for a serious answer and not just a downvote.
Unfortunately, you are mostly wrong. It has indeed sparked new developments, but those developments are making the world even more reliant on the US. Europe is now importing American gas instead of Russian one, this is giving the US tons of extra money and power, both of which used to go to Russia. Wagner had to be pulled out of Africa and Syria which means there is nobody there to counter US interests. China is now looking at Siberia rather than Africa.
I will concede that if Russia won in 3 days, then all of the international responses probably wouldn’t happen at all. But they didn’t, and in the current state every day they stay there is worse for BRICS.
