this post was submitted on 08 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:
- 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
(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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Voting is the bare fucking minimum. You want more change you have to do more. Help candidates you like by volunteering your time, vote in primaries especially, and your local elections. A city council member might end up mayor, might end up senator, might end up presidential hopeful. Push for ranked choice voting, write your reps and tell them that is what you want.
Labor organizing can do more than getting specific people in to places within the US government, they'll be beholden to the same interests that keep the system running. It comes down to who can raise the most money at the end of the day, and PACs are funded by corporate interests. Any political actions done without class consciousness built in are basically useless.
So close, and yet so far..
Yes, voting is the bare minimum, vote, but as you say, if you want change, you have to do more.
So why on earth would you invest any more than the bare minimum in to a system that is designed to preserve the status quo?
I'm sorry, but if you're still pinning your hopes on change via electorate, you've not been paying attention.
Why donate time and money to a candidate fighting windmills by participating in a rigged game, when you can actually contribute towards feeding your neighbours? Or supporting your local workers who are striking? Or building communal services like libraries (for books, but also movies, tools, toys, pots and pans, anything!) and spaces for people to practice hobbies and connect?
Building strong communities that understand and practice solidarity and mutual aid is the only way to build a better society and create an alternative to the systems we've been forced to exist under by and so a handful of people can hoard all of the power and resources.
My god, the privilege you must have to be so fucking blasé about the wellbeing of others who will suffer under another Trump administration. If you were in danger under a Trump administration but not in danger under a Biden administration, you would not be talking this way. It's privilege that prevents you from seeing that.