Petite Bourgeoisie begin to side against the working class when they are being proletarianized. They have been hit hard by increasing monopolization and large businesses that can outcompete and raise the barrier to entry, and are attempting to turn the clock back. Marx's analysis of class dynamics is extremely useful for understanding the modern world. Speaking of, I can link an intro guide to theory if anyone wants one.
Cowbee
joined 2 years ago
Marx and Lenin continue to be vindicated by the passage of time.
No, the Democrats will not shift left. Their donors would rather they lose to republicans than win on a more progressive platform, and as such will not shift left.
No, we cannot "elect good democrats" to shift the party to the left. The DNC is an organization that has perfected itself as an anti-radical filter. Those who can fundraise well are elevated to the top, those who speak up against injustice are shunned and whipped.
We must actively organize outside the DNC and pressure the system. I keep an intro to Marxism-Leninism list I can link if anyone wants it, let me know.
It helps their donors, who would rather the Dems lose than shift left and win.
I'll address what you said in a moment, but I really do think you should read theory. If nihilism is overtaking you, in my opinion that means you have likely not properly analyzed our conditions, nor how to fix them. I keep an "introduction to Marxist theory" reading list I can link if you want.
First, no Communist is "Utopian." Utopianism refers to the strategy of trying to figure out the right formula and directly create it, rather than analyzing existing structures and where they are headed. Communists analyze Capitalism and advocate for Socialism because Capitalism creates the conditions for Socicalism naturally, over time, by forming monopolies that can be folded into the public sector and centrally planned.
Secondly, you are making a critical misunderstanding of Communism. Communism is fully publicly owned and centrally planned. This is the entire purpose of public ownership, once you have public ownership you can plan things centrally, along democratic lines.
Thirdly, human values and thinking is guided by their social relations and material conditions. In Capitalism, a highly individualistic system filled with competition, these values are expressed at greater levels among Capital Owners. However, as it centralizes, the working class becomes more associated, and communal values are expressed at greater levels. This process has been reflected throughout all of history, from the tight-knit family structure of Feudalism to the modern era, the Mode of Production has formed the Base of society, and influenced the laws, culture, art, and so forth forming the Superstructure that reinforces the base, in a cycle that continues to evolve over time as one Mode of Production slowly leads to the next.
As per your "Democratic Socialism," you are describing "Social Democracy." There is nothing Socialist about what you described, a Capitalist state with large safety nets is Capitalist regardless. As such, you retain the inherent unsustainability of Capitalism and the further rising disparity it contains, until it is eventually overthrown and Socialism is achieved.
Regarding people's receptions to ideas, this gets back to the Base and Superstructure argument. As the Base shifts over time, people become accepting of new ideas and values. Focusing on literacy and organizing are the best ways to increase social awareness of systemic issues, and figuring out how to solve them.
I maintain that you should read theory. I can offer a reading list, or answer any questions you might have. I don't think it's fair for you to denounce Communism as impossible if you haven't engaged with the literature enough to fully understand what it even is, or how Communists want to achieve it and why they believe it not only to be possible, but necessary.
Hell yea! Crosscode is super fun if you want a suggestion!
What do you think fascism is, out of curiosity? I'm not an Anarchist, but I do think you are making a mistake in thinking fascism is some hard ideology that necessarily includes limiting access to internet. The reality of fascism is that it is a self-defense mechanism of decaying Capitalism, deployed against rising Leftist movements.
I highly recommend reading at least the first chapter of Blackshirts and Reds, where Dr. Michael Parenti analyzes how, where, why, and when fascism rises, and who it serves.
First, I want to point out a few things.
-
Third Party voters, ie the Greens and PSL, swung 0 elections. This is a hard truth to look at for Democrats, ultimately it is unlikely that the genocide in Palestine made a large difference in the Harris campaign.
-
I would not consider Bernie or AOC to be "far left," they are moderated by European standards. If you mean within the US government, then that makes more sense, but the US is an outlier globally with how right-wing it is on average, so that bit confused me.
To answer your question about Palestinian liberation, it began when Palestine was first being colonized, back in the early 20th century. Leftists all over have historically supported Palestinian Liberation this entire time, it is only as salient of an issue now because we can watch it on Social Media.
A book titled The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine, documenting the genocide in Palestine since the mid 20th century in detail, came out in 2006. This has radicalized a lot of the western left in the modern era, but this is by no means the first time.
The Marxist-Leninist group Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine was formed in 1967, and was supported by the USSR. Incidentally, they called for a boycott of the Democrats and Republicans in the 2024 General Election (link to a translation from Arabic). They have been calling for a secular, single democratic Palestinian state to be occupied by former-Israelis and Palestinians alike, with full equality between them. This has been elaborated on in their 1969 book Strategy for the Liberation of Palestine.
Even then, the PFLP is just one group in Palestine, Palestinians and Leftists abroad have opposed it since the beginning. Albert Einstein wrote a letter to the New York Times in 1948 warning of fascist elements within the newly created state of Israel, and their treatment of Palestinian villiagers.
The fundamental difference that you are seeing is that the far-left has always opposed the Palestinian genocide, be they Communists, Anarchists, even moderates like Social Democrats. The US government, however, has strong economic ties to Israel, as they help assert power in the region, which allows the US to cement the Petro-Dollar as the global main currency. This means that within the US government, politicians are incentivized to minimize the appearance of genocide.
Free Palestine has been a movement for a century, it is only a more salient issue because the genocide has escalated in the last year and it is in full-view on social media.
Communists must be punished for overthrowing the fascist slaver regime that brought immense profits to the Imperialists, of course!
First of all, I absolutely agree that the Democrats are a right-wing party, and the center-right European Social Democracies generally have higher living standards for most people than in America. However, I believe you have overlooked what I believe are critical factors, and you can correct me if I'm wrong here:
-
The Social Safety Nets in these Social Democracies are shrinking in most cases
-
Most of the Value consumed in these Social Democracies, the grear, vast majority, comes from countries in the Global South paid far less than the Value created for the Global North, meaning they depend on Imperialism
-
Disparity continues to rise as Capitalism continues to centralize into fewer and fewer larger and larger Monopolist syndicates, the trend is still towards instability
The reason they haven't "turned to Communism" is because they have never wanted to, they have been fundamentaly structured around Capitalism as the dominant Mode of Production and rely on Imperialism to subsidize their cost of living.
The reason America is different is because it is the global Hegemonic power. The "World Police." Why is it that the US outspends the rest of the world on the military? So it can project soft power all around the world, securing unequal trade deals with the wealthy Capitalist classes in the Global South. The world trades in US dollars, which the US fights to maintain because it profits from that. This internally causes hyper-disparity between the wealthy and the poor in America.
Finally, I want to ask why you say Communism is an "unattainable utopia." Marxists have thus far been proven correct in their thesis that markets trend towards centralization through competition over time, and that as firms get larger they begin to develop infrastructure for their own internalized planning. The concept of a fully publicly owned, centrally planned economy is built up by Capitalism itself. That's without speaking to the fact that there are already Socialist states working towards said goal of full public ownership and central planning.
Why do you say the answer is a "middle ground?" What does this look like?
It doesn't have to be a gun, learning proper self-defense is important for everyone. However, guns are a useful self-defense tool. Marx was a big advocate for organizing and being able to protect each other.
Under no pretext should arms and ammunition be surrendered; any attempt to disarm the workers must be frustrated, by force if necessary.
Lady Izdihar makes great content! Super interesting if you are curious about Soviet history.
I can't take credit for it, a comrade who loved my list sent the links and suggestion for adding them in DMs. Hope you enjoy!