It's almost like one must examine and consider each conflict individually.
Lefty Memes
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
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
(Please take a look at our wiki page for the guidelines on how to actually write alternative text!)
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.
- Absolutely no posts or comments meant to relativize(/apologize for), advocate, promote or defend:
- Racism
- Sexism
- Queerphobia
- Ableism
- Classism
- Rape or assault
- Genocide/ethnic cleansing or (mass) deportations
- Fascism
- (National) chauvinism
- Orientalism
- Colonialism or Imperialism (and their neo- counterparts)
- Zionism
- Religious fundamentalism of any kind
I oppose war. I don't oppose defending oneself. I don't oppose helping somebody defend themselves.
What is opposing a war?
People call themselves war opponents when they oppose invading Vietnam, which is good.
People also call themselves war opponents when they oppose Ukraine defending itself, which is bad. They support Russia invading Ukraine. They support wars except the ones when the US is invading.
I'm liberal and support trans/gay rights, woman's body autonomy, social umbrellas for the poor and unhoused, legalization of recreational drugs, but I also like guns and desire all minorities who have no agency to own them, as well as support all wars against bullies because pacifism does nothing to stop them otherwise. Where do I stand? I guess I'll go fuck myself then.
That's the fun thing; go far enough left and find that guns become an important tool for the proletariat to protect itself from the ruling class.
I agree with all of those except I don't like guns. Don't want nothing to do with them, and those that do should be required to take mental and physical competency tests as well as mandatory registration. I wouid also impose a minimum 5 year prison sentence for letting one of your guns fall into somone else's hands owning a gun should come with massive responsibility to keep the gun secure.
social umbrellas
Treat the symptoms not the cause
support all wars against bullies because pacifism does nothing to stop them otherwise.
Simplify geopolitics into "bullies", support the actions of NATO/US as though they're not "bullies"
Pretty much liberal yeah
Treat the symptoms not the cause
Treat both. They usually give you a painkiller while setting your bones.
Wait until they find out that there's a ton of "we don't know what the underlying cause is" and "we don't have a cure for that yet" in medicine. In which case you have to do your best treating the symptoms -- which is also true outside of the world of medicine.
Sometimes a temporary fix buys you time to do it right. Sometimes a perfect or even "really good" solution isn't feasible for myriad reasons: so you do the best with what you have.
It's just such a stupid false dichotomy. Give the man the fish and teach him to fish. It's a lot easier to learn on a full stomach.
Treat the symptoms not the cause
I definitely prefer my symptoms being treated while waiting to get the cure
Liberals don't want the cure though. They want "ethical capitalism" or whatever. (A contradiction in terms)
I didn't say they were the one with the cure
Treat the symptoms not the cause.
You'll find that almost all liberals also want to treat the cause, but they are blocked at every step by conservatives and centrists.
I think that makes you a leftist who hasn’t yet realized that liberalism doesn’t want many of those things.
Most Americans still don't realize there's a difference. I've been hoping the recent conflict in the Middle East would wake some people up to the major differences between libs and leftists - it sure did for me.
Leftists are literally losing their job for not supporting Israel and yet liberals are still out here confused about what's even going on.
Liberals prefer negative peace - the absence of conflict - over positive justice.
If you prefer positive justice, you aren't a liberal.
Sounds like liberalism can go fuck itself too if they don't care about trans/gay rights, etc.
They care about them in a performative way. The minute it stands in their way or they can’t use it as a tool to get your support to gain or maintain power they will immediately drop the act. Before Oberfell even Obama wouldn’t give a clear statement of support for gay marriage because it was seen as political poison.
Those are all very liberal-minded interests and there's nothing really wrong with them. The left largely agrees as well but would go further to the structural causes for why these issues are important, questioning the very economic and material arrangements for which these issues are contingent on. IE why does our economic system require people to be poor? What are the class dynamics behind these issues etc.
Liberalism is the ideology of free markets and individual freedom, but those mechanisms are contingent on exploitation.
why does our economic system require people to be poor
Let me guess, you’re from US. Or from Canada, and are stuck in US narrative.
Your economic system (or rather society) has never ditched slavery, which is nowadays masquerading as a penal system. Poor people are easy to enslave.
I think you're missing how I'm rhetorically posing that question to the preceding comment and not sincerely wondering myself...
You are left.
Need to know his stsnce on capitalism first.
Sounds liberal af to me; definitely not a leftist.
Long live the American arms trade and long live the empire!
You can see this all the time with Hollywood liberal values. All the gay stereotyping and jokes through the 90s then all of a sudden they're patting themselves on the back for being the arbiters of social progress.
It reads a lot different if you're familiar with Gourevitch's writing, especially on the Rwandan genocide. "We Wish to Inform you that Tomorrow we Will be Killed with our Families." Read it if you haven't already.
Correct
I read new republic and nation
I've learned to take every view
You know, i've memorized lerner and golden
I feel like i'm almost a jew
But when it comes to times like korea
There's no one more red, white and blue
So love me, love me, love me, i'm a liberal
This is a joke, right?
Is this a "the right can't meme" thing? Liberals are opposed to the current Russia-ukraine war and Israeli-palestine war and are currently supporting the newest civil rights movement.