this post was submitted on 15 May 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.

Please don't forget to help keep this community clean by reporting rule violations, updooting good contributions and downdooting those of low-quality!

Rules

Version without spoilers

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


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.



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

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[–] NaibofTabr@infosec.pub 42 points 6 months ago (5 children)

"When I was a young man, I wanted to change the world. I found it was difficult to change the world, so I tried to change my nation. When I found I couldn’t change the nation, I began to focus on my town. I couldn’t change the town, and as an older man, I tried to change my family. Now, as an old man, I realize the only thing I can change is myself, and suddenly I realize that if long ago I had changed myself, I could have made an impact on my family. My family and I could have made an impact on our town. Their impact could have changed the nation and I could indeed have changed the world."

Start with self-love friends, and then extend that love to the people closest to you.

[–] db0@lemmy.dbzer0.com 47 points 6 months ago (4 children)

While there's some truth to that, I want to see self-love stop a fascist pogrom.

[–] DessertStorms@kbin.social 42 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (4 children)

Also this whole "love yourself first" is nothing but another divisive distraction - keep people individualised rather than coming together as a community, and also perpetuate the idea that our problems are personal rather than systemic.

I don't love myself, don't think I ever have, don't think I ever will, yet I don't see how that would or should stop me from fighting fascism.

If anything, I'm able to recognise that in large part, if not entirely, my feelings come down to the world we live in and how, as an "other" in many categories, my life is seen as both worthless and also somehow such a thereat that, in both cases, it needs to be destroyed, and the idea that I shouldn't act until I manage to "get over" all of that (and potentially get comfortable enough, or at least accept, the status quo), is beyond ridiculous. In reality it's the exact opposite - I must act if there is any hope for others to have a world where they don't feel like I and so many others are made to, because not loving myself has no bearing on my wanting good for others (and no, they don't have to be "loved ones", I don't even have to know them, that's the point of wanting a better society for everyone).

[–] TranscendentalEmpire@lemm.ee 16 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Also this whole "love yourself first" is nothing but another divisive distraction - keep people individualised rather than coming together as a community, and also perpetuate the idea that our problems are personal rather than systemic.

Or it's just a way to contract a fairly simple truth, that a person who has their shit together can organize and commit to mutual aid to a degree than someone who doesn't cannot.

You gotta know how to swim before trying to help others from drowning.

[–] DessertStorms@kbin.social 7 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Fighting fascism is getting my shit together (if you'd bothered reading past that first sentence you might actually hear that my "shit" being the way it is is down to systemic issues, and no amount of "self work" can "get it together").

Also what's the point of trying to "swim" if you're in a toxic pond? If we're going to drag the metaphor out - get out of the fucking pond, help those around you out, so together you can all turn off the sewage pipe, and then get to cleaning up each other, and the pond. That is self care.

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[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 3 points 6 months ago

I’ve spent my whole life focused on self growth. It’s been a wise decision, because unlike self love it cannot be passive. It forces me not only to form community, but to form a community that I can grow in. Individualism without isolation, but rather striving to be the kind of person I want around.

It could’ve stopped fascism long ago, and today it may help. But it alone won’t. I must act. We all must.

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[–] XTL@sopuli.xyz 10 points 6 months ago (2 children)

Insisting that the first step must solve all your problems at once is how you fail to take a single step towards solving your problems.

[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 7 points 6 months ago

The first step is to embrace the fact that we’re taking a long walk.

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[–] NoIWontPickAName@kbin.earth 8 points 6 months ago

Enough masturbation could solve that

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[–] sverit@lemmy.ml 37 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Relevant Owlturd/Shencomix comic

[–] Lavitz@lemmings.world 35 points 6 months ago

I was 19 when I realized my parents were raised to be authoritarians. My grandparents would've been considered racists even in their time and both my mom and dad were raised in a little farm town. My parents are good people and generally want to do the right thing but explaining this to them and trying to make them aware of their biases has been a full time job.

I will not show the same love and respect to your parents. Go do your jobs so we don't need step 2.

-Luigi

[–] ZILtoid1991@lemmy.world 33 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

Nah, you need to realize your loved ones, and everything else you love is in danger by fascism, then use the power of love towards those things to gain inspiration in your fight against fascism.

If you ask: "gamergate" and similar things are just temporary things, usually just distractions from how capitalism decays art and "geek culture", and of course a recruitment tool. But in reality, you would be lucky, if you could play some state-sponsored games on your choice of platform, and would likely have to parttake in some "book burning type of event".

[–] milicent_bystandr@lemm.ee 23 points 6 months ago (1 children)

I dunno though... The power of love is a curious thing.

[–] problematicPanther@lemmy.world 17 points 6 months ago

I've heard that it can cause some men to weep and others to sing.

[–] fukurthumz420@lemmy.world 21 points 6 months ago (1 children)

this is a great post. i think people have trouble understanding that great acts of violence can be born out of love for humanity. there are people in society that are threats to humanity. those people cannot be saved by love. many powerful positions are only achievable by people who lack empathy.

many people also have a hard time understanding that goose and gander arguments only confuse simple truths. we are not all equal. just because you use the same tools that evil uses does not make you evil. evil will use those tools regardless of your morals. just because you choose the high road doesn't mean that evil will do the same.

we have an obligation as wardens of this world to insure that we don't destroy it. that might mean weeding out those of us that would do irreparable harm.

[–] Facebones@reddthat.com 4 points 6 months ago

I'm a combat vet and like some others realize it was for a bunch of bullshit. I'm pretty leftist and personally am pretty anti violence because of my experiences.

That being said, some systems and people only speak one language. Trying to talk to them in "human respect" and "compromise" is like trying to talk to a Frenchman in Chinese - if the options are violence or getting steamrolled then it is what it is. 🤷

[–] VinnyDaCat@lemmy.world 13 points 6 months ago (1 children)

I'm fairly anti-violence but I know it's inevitable.

The world has a lot of social issues, and it's going to take a complete upheaval before people become capable of empathizing with each other again.

[–] Liz@midwest.social 10 points 6 months ago (1 children)

The thing is it's actually not inevitable. I suggest you read "How Civil Wars Start and How to Stop Them," which is about exactly what it says it's about.

[–] VinnyDaCat@lemmy.world 9 points 6 months ago (1 children)

I'm not necessarily thinking about just civil wars, although that is what the meme is about.

People are divided in more ways than just political view points. There's a growing inequality that could potentially lead to a revolution of sorts, if people are willing. I can think of a handful of other issues that might lead to similar outcomes.

I appreciate the recommendation though, I'll try to give it a read at some point.

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[–] Etterra@lemmy.world 13 points 6 months ago

As everyone who's ever read 8-Bit Theater knows, love is in fact the most powerful force in the universe when focused into a coherent arcane energy beam of absolute magical destruction.

[–] Norgur@fedia.io 10 points 6 months ago (1 children)

What a twist! Really had me on the edge of my seat!

Seems like the next logical step though

[–] PanoptiDon@lemmy.world 10 points 6 months ago

Peace is never an option with fascism

[–] nondescripthandle@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 6 months ago (1 children)

This nonviolent stuff'll get you killed.

[–] Linkerbaan@lemmy.world 3 points 6 months ago

It's important for two reasons

First to build support and legimize a cause. if politicians actually listen then the violence would not have been justified yet Exemplified by schools that divested from israel without calling in the cops first.

Second it is the only way a movement can grow mainstream before turning to violence.The Black Panthers got so many members because MLK did his non violent thing for years.

[–] 31337@sh.itjust.works 5 points 6 months ago

Some men, you just can't reach

[–] Linkerbaan@lemmy.world 5 points 6 months ago

Super based.

[–] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 5 points 6 months ago

Does it count as love if I love violence? 🤔

[–] PanoptiDon@lemmy.world 4 points 6 months ago

Source: Luigi

[–] darkphotonstudio@beehaw.org 3 points 6 months ago

When you want to paint left-leaning people as violent, tell them they have no choice.

[–] menas@lemmy.wtf 3 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Yes. But General Strike. But Yes

[–] iknowitwheniseeit@lemmynsfw.com 3 points 6 months ago (1 children)

A general strike will almost certainly be met with violence. So comrades need to plan their reaction in advance. This could be taking the punches, or not....

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[–] HawlSera@lemm.ee 3 points 6 months ago
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