this post was submitted on 18 Oct 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.

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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)


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.


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That means condemning (their) imperialism, even if it is of the "anti-USA" flavor.


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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).


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The only dangerous minority is the rich.


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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.



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[–] [email protected] 91 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

If emotional salary is another word for higher nurse:patient ratio I'm actually all for it and would treasure being able to slow down and both conserve more energy for myself and have more time to actually feel like I'm taking care of people instead of shoving pills in people's faces and running on to the next one. That's also a functional raise in that I'd be doing less overall work for the same pay.

But realistically that is also an increased expenditure for my boss same as paying me more and they're actually talking about more tea carts and pizza parties.

Was just talking to my coworker last night about how ppl be sayin' dumb shit like "ratios aren't the only thing that affect quality of care its more complex than that!" It's 90% of the problem. Stop acting like that other shit matters even half as much and admit that 90% of the problem has a super simple fix that you just don't want to pay for.

Same with housing and the mental health crisis. "Well it's more complex than that people actually also need-" shut up. Just shut the fuck up. If any other problems in the world had super simple 90% fixes and then you only have to worry about the remaining 10% complex part we would be jumping on that shit.

But telling jeff bezos to pay his fair fucking share and putting it towards housing people is just straight heresy in the church of capitalism.

[–] spankmonkey 16 points 2 months ago (1 children)

"It's more complex than the obvious huge part of the problem" should be the start of saying that the problem should be addressed and then we should also work on those other things too.

Like how both pay AND working environment need to be improved instead of choosing one over the other!

[–] krashmo 4 points 2 months ago

They may be threatening to unionize over low pay but I bet a pizza party will clear that right up.

[–] themeatbridge 52 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

I like where I work. I like my coworkers, I like my managers, I like the corporate "culture" and the flexible working conditions that permit a reasonable work-life balance.

Those are things I like.

I need to pay my mortgage, and buy food, and have health insurance, and pay my bills.

Those are things I need.

You cannot replace the latter with the former. My needs must be met, and my expenses only go up every year. If I can be paid more elsewhere, it is irresponsible of me to stay somewhere that does not provide sufficient value for my time. I am always looking for a new job.

But there is some truth to the concept. Once a certain threshold is met, I look for the perks of a healthy employer relationship. And if the emotional salary is very low, I'm going to start considering alternatives even if I don't get a pay raise.

[–] TexasDrunk 31 points 2 months ago (1 children)

But there is some truth to the concept. Once a certain threshold is met, I look for the perks of a healthy employer relationship. And if the emotional salary is very low, I'm going to start considering alternatives even if I don't get a pay raise.

The issue is that jackasses will try to apply this across the board, just like every other "management" technique that includes anything other than paying your people more.

To be clear, I'm not disagreeing with you. I'm just mad because this kind of shit defined the first decade of my career. The company that did it got bought out and the folks at the top got a fat payday while the rest of the underpaid "we're all family here" got let go.

[–] themeatbridge 8 points 2 months ago

You're right.

[–] candybrie 49 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Headline writers are the worst. The actual article isn't too bad. It acknowledges pay is important and it needs to be a liveable salary.

These very feelings allow companies to stand out, even if they can’t outpay all of their competitors. Of course, livable wages are critical for all individuals, but once reasonable compensation is established, emotional salary can outweigh base salary when it comes to engaging and retaining top talent. When paired with fair pay, a strong emotional salary can lead to higher job satisfaction, catalyzing a more committed employee base.

Which is kind of like a duh. If you hate your boss, think your company is ruining the world and the hours suck, then they'd have to pay a lot to retain you if you can get a job somewhere else. Whereas if you're besties with your coworkers, your boss regularly shows his appreciation for you, and your company is alright, and you aren't hurting for money then you're less likely to even be looking at what other companies are offering.

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

Yeah that all seems pretty common sense. The problem is the people who make the decisions about this stuff pretty much only read headlines, if they don’t get this shit fed to them second hand from some sycophant who also only read the headline. When it reaches their ears what they’ll hear is “increase pizza parties 20% and create a rewards system that lets you buy cheap plastic baubles with good boy coupons.”

[–] kat_angstrom 33 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Why would anyone want money in exchange for labor, when they can just have butterflies, rainbows, and hugs?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 months ago (1 children)

You're getting paid rainbows as well? Must be nice to be so rich! Are you guys hiring???

[–] kat_angstrom 4 points 2 months ago

Oh, they're metaphorical rainbows that live in our hearts, and shine brighter with each passing quarter as corporate profits continue to inflate to record highs, stimulating an internal sense of pride & joy to be working for such a successful company.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 2 months ago

let me guess: somebody said that keeping people miserable is not only pointless, but also bad for the holy productivity, and after translating into ghoulish-managerial it came out as something to the effect of "here's how you can get benefits of higher wages without actually spending money!" but it'll end up being something like weekly complimentary banana or something of that sort

bonus points if it's really an ad for grifty guide/book/course/bootcamp

[–] [email protected] 20 points 2 months ago

Emotional salary is something we give ourselves through organizing. ✊

[–] [email protected] 20 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I think in some cases this is really true. There are enough people switching workplaces because their current workplace sucks. If you have enough money but you hate being forced into office, have to drive every day for 1.5h and getting little to no benefits its absolutely worth to switch to another workplace even if you get slightly less money.

[–] Semi_Hemi_Demigod 9 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

You can have this problem even if you work from home. I've been busting my ass for two months to clean up somebody else's mess only to get blamed by our incompetent executives for the mess existing in the first place. So I've got a job interview today.

ETA: Nailed the interview.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago

Of course. This was just one example.

[–] draughtcyclist 18 points 2 months ago (1 children)
[–] PrimeMinisterKeyes 4 points 2 months ago

"Business bad? Fuck you, pay me.
Oh, you had a fire? Fuck you, pay me.
Place got hit by lightning, huh? Fuck you, pay me."

[–] beebarfbadger 17 points 2 months ago

"It's like a pizza party - but without the pizza costs!"

[–] ownsauce 17 points 2 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 months ago

That sounds like emotional labor.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 2 months ago

Forget the paycheck, employees really want ̶a̶ ̶r̶a̶i̶s̶e̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶e̶m̶o̶t̶i̶o̶n̶a̶l̶ ̶s̶a̶l̶e̶r̶y̶ to own the means of production and getting paid the true value of their labor

[–] hperrin 13 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Forget the check, landlords really want to receive emotional rent every month.

[–] BonesOfTheMoon 7 points 2 months ago

Landlords just want a lanyard and a pizza party at the end of the day.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 2 months ago

There's a way to say this that isn't so gross: good working conditions are valuable. Quality of life is valuable. Work-life-balance is valuable. Mental and physical health is valuable. Not having raging shitbags in management is valuable.

The problem is that you can't focus on secondary factors until the primary factor is taken care of. And the primary factor is that people need a living wage. Rent is expensive. Food is expensive. God help you if you need to pay for childcare.

If you're already paying your employees a fair living wage, then yes, you should absolutely think about how you can improve working conditions.

As an example, if my company gave me the option to switch to a 4-day workweek for the same pay, or stay at a 5-day workweek for a 25% raise, I'm honestly not sure which one I'd prefer. But we all know that's never going to happen; instead the choice would be to take a 20% pay cut or maintain the status quo. I wouldn't take that deal because I'm not making enough money to live on 20% less.

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

Once upon a time business owners would build houses for their staff, I wonder how far off we are from that again?

It won't necessarily be a good thing

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

Welcome to snailbrook I'm assuming enough people live there for them to open a 50 student Montessori school.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago

Well there you go

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

I would actually throat punch someone who offered to pay me a higher “emotional salary” in lieu of more money.

[–] BonesOfTheMoon 4 points 2 months ago

Imma pay you in pussy.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I want affordable, full Medical, Dental & Vision. A living wage. A Union. Paid Vacation & Sick Leave. 40 Hours a week minimum with Time & a half if overtime occurs. No one is ever allowed to call me during my off hours. Do not throw me a birthday party at work, and I am not participating in Secret Santa. And I want to work for a boss who is normal, not a psychopath / dictator / micromanaging freak.

[–] BonesOfTheMoon 2 points 2 months ago

I have all that in my job, but they still give me a birthday cake which is nice.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 months ago

Fulfillment is the satisfaction you get with a hardy meal made with billionaires.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 months ago

Continuation of "how about a nice pizza part after hours unpaid?" "PAY US MORE MONEY"

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago
  • insert video of Jigglypuff beating the shit out of Clefairy here
[–] Mango 3 points 2 months ago

Well then, I'll be sure to do some really emotional work.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago

Pay me more money and I'll buy my own emotional salary

[–] Zannsolo 3 points 2 months ago (1 children)

We work for different companies but I'm my best friend's(from college) technical lead on a project. I told him he was special and great then I congratulated him on his raise. Then I sent him a picture of this 🤣.

[–] BonesOfTheMoon 1 points 2 months ago

Ahahahahahaha. It's his emotional paycheck.

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

bold of them of assume I cannot increase my emotional salary by paying me more salary

[–] rain_worl 1 points 2 months ago

use that font for one letter at most

[–] latenightnoir 0 points 2 months ago

Oh, YEAAH, DADDY, SHOVE THAT CAMARADERIE RIGHT UP MY ASS AND SLAP MY CHEEKS!