this post was submitted on 25 Nov 2023
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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

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.

2. Anti-Imperialism means recognizing capitalist states like Russia and China as such,

as well as 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.

7. Absolutely no posts or comments meant to relativize(/apologize for), advocate, promote or defend:

(This is not a definitive list, the spirit of the other rules still counts! Eventual duplicates with other rules are for emphasis.)

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[–] [email protected] 61 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (41 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 63 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

Nah I think it's just the same snake-in-the-grass right wing propaganda bullshit that infects every leftist space online to sow complacency and disempower us with apathy by trying to convince us that the comparative left-ish-leaning party is the same or worse than the right so as to maintain the hold on power the right has. It's bullshit anti-leftist wolf-in-sheep's-clothing rhetoric. Same as it always was.

Edit: typos.

[–] [email protected] 52 points 11 months ago (4 children)

I don't know OP, or the OOP, but I read this as criticizing liberals from the left which is something many leftists engage in all the time, I know I do

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

(Before I type all of this, important caveat: I am only going to be using "liberal" in the American context, meaning a milquetoast democrat. Save all of your "bUt AcTuAlLy ClAsSiCaL lIbErAlIsM" for where it's actually fucking relevant; don't bring that shit to me)

Yes, but you do it mostly because you've been taken in by these wolves. Obviously critique and push actual leftism on liberals and Democrats, but the leftism tribalism absolutely benefits the right.

Liberals aren't leftists and we shouldn't be complacent and settle for the liberal Democrat platform, but we also have to acknowledge that given the options the Democrats are absolutely the current harm-reductive choice. And importantly, unlike the fucking chudshits on the right, liberals are the demographic that can actually be reasoned with, educated, and brought into the light.

Anyone trying to tell you associating with or attempting to convert liberals is a waste of time is somebody who is only interested in stifling leftist growth.

You don't have to agree with them, but conflating them with the wastes of flesh on the right is disingenuous as fuck as absolutely motivated by agenda, either intentionally or unintentionally as matter of coercion.

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[–] banneryear1868 5 points 11 months ago (1 children)

It's hard to not make fun of liberals from the left, but I find a lot of my generation are liberals by default and friendly to more leftist viewpoints. The left has little to no representation so I don't blame people for not being exposed to it. My parent's generation is a lost cause because of cold war propaganda, and the most staunch liberals I know are well-to-do genx.

When I was young I thought liberal was just "not right wing" or just the morally correct political position. It took some more life experience to understand what the liberal attitude and mindset really was.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 11 months ago

That's how I took this, yes.

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[–] [email protected] 14 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

I'm guessing they mean liberal in the classical sense and not liberal in the liberal/conservative meaning of the current US political parties.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 11 months ago

They're talking about the current wars and the current civil rights movements, so that wouldn't make sense anyway.

"Whigs sure hate Instagram".

[–] [email protected] 10 points 11 months ago (29 children)

"Liberal" means differently to the left (socialists and far-left to be precise). In the classical sense, a "liberal" promotes individualism, free market and private property, which many on the far-left rejects.

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[–] [email protected] 28 points 11 months ago (1 children)

It's almost like one must examine and consider each conflict individually.

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[–] [email protected] 25 points 11 months ago (12 children)

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.

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[–] [email protected] 17 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (8 children)

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.

[–] MajinBlayze 14 points 11 months ago

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.

[–] madcaesar 10 points 11 months ago (8 children)

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.

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (3 children)

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

[–] nixcamic 16 points 11 months ago (3 children)

Treat the symptoms not the cause

Treat both. They usually give you a painkiller while setting your bones.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 11 months ago (1 children)

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.

[–] Shialac 6 points 11 months ago

But why do they defend the core underlying cancer - capitalism?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Treat the symptoms not the cause

I definitely prefer my symptoms being treated while waiting to get the cure

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[–] banneryear1868 5 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (2 children)

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.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (4 children)

I think that makes you a leftist who hasn’t yet realized that liberalism doesn’t want many of those things.

[–] Psychodelic 7 points 11 months ago (1 children)

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.

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[–] banneryear1868 14 points 11 months ago

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.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 11 months ago

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.

[–] banneryear1868 5 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

"10 degrees to the left of center in good times, ten degrees to the right when it affects them personally"

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

[–] [email protected] 5 points 11 months ago
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