The biggest danger to US democracy is not Donald Trump or the Project 2025 christofascists, it's the crushing ignorance of the US population. The gutting of the public education system means that many if not most Americans don't understand that, "fascist" isn't just a name like, "poopie head" that you call someone. It has a definition and clearly defined policies/behaviours that closely align with Trump/Vance/Johnston and their enablers. Communist and Marxist are very clearly defined things. Harris/Walz are pro business which means they are definitely NOT communists or Marxists.
If the US population were better educated and more knowledgable they would dump these Retrumplican clowns and rebuild the Republican party from scratch.
It intentional semantic drift and has been happening for a very long time. They erode harsh terms with hyperbole and make normal positions seem extreme by stereotype and strawman. That's why I prefer specifying that I'm Mutualist rather than explain how the terms socialist/capitalist have drifted out of dichotomy or how the term anarchist and libertarian have become parodies of themselves.
Modern Libertariansm is ridiculous. Libertarianism is far better aligned with socialism (where the people do the work and most of the the benefit stays with the people) than it is with either communism (where the people do the work and most of the benefit goes to the government/plutocrats) or capitalism (where the people do the work and most of the benefit goes to the wealthy/oligarchs.) Modern Libertarians are extremist right wing capitalist stooges.
Both sides are wrong, just that Democrats are center-wrong, while Republicans are far-wrong.
They're right-wrong. Social democracy is a centrist position, not neoliberalism.
I q
Republican and Democrat parties are Traitors to the Republic. Give Nancy and McConnel the Gallows.
I have a better idea than the gallows. Give them a minimum wage job that deals with customers.
A small one bedroom apartment thrown is as well, and no access to their money for a few years. just their minimum wage.
Capitalism (or at least the current form of it) and right-wing parties should be illegalized worldwide.
Close y'all are almost as bad as Republicans but not quite. It's still hella embarrassing to be associated with the democrats though.
Yeah, the larval stage of fascism at least pretends to care about human rights, even if they're not great about actually doing anything about them.
And it doesn't make communism sound scary at all, but rather mysterious, alluring, and worth checking out.
Unless you've lived in ex-USSR.
And after looking into it, we find that the Soviets never really achieved communism in anything but name. Once again, like the feudal state they rebelled against before, it was rule by dictatorship, and rations for the people. They just couldn't give up the idea of a strongman. The people by no means ever owned the means of production in the USSR. Of course, we can never confirm that communism is inherently untenable from their example. The capitalist nations were no help at all, and forced the Soviets to waste resources on a strong military. But even despite their failings, communism was still the best thing to ever happen to Russia. Unfortunately, Russia was also the worst thing that ever happened to communism.
Fucking commies, taking our tea and throwing it overboard just because they didn't want to pay taxes. We should send an armada to put them all in jail.
Look, when Britain taxed our tea, we got frisky...Imagine what'll happen when they try to tax our whiskey!
As a communist... Yeah
Communists just think you are a little bit thick and/or uneducated. Maybe a little bit cute. Like a child who doesn't know what words mean.
Im not offended as much as I am disappointed in the Democrat party, why aren't they as cool as the Republican say they are. Whenever Trump calls them "far left communists" I think "damn I wish", instead they're boring center right liberals. Also I was promised by Trump that the Democrats would end capitalism, kill capitalists, instiute a worker owned economy, open the borders to immigration, enforce Trans rights, promote actual diversity, and unify the left under the red banner.
Dems are as cool as republicans because they're the same thing. The dems aren't going to call republicans fascist because the dems share all the same symptoms. They're not going to call out the republicans for supporting genocide because they also support genocide. They're not going to call out republicans on supporting the prison state because dems also support the prison state. The dems aren't going to criticize the republicans for serving capital because the dems serve capital. Etc.
You gotta realize these politicians are agreeing on much much more than they disagree. It's what's not debated that's most important.
Teenager energy right here, apparently functioning everyday life is boring and some wanna make some french style revolution cause raging hormones and underdeveloped brain. I promise you grow out of it though
41 year old here. Not everyone grows up to be a fascist repub.
Socialist right here.
I'm 37 and want this.
Coming off as your accusations here
wanna make some french style revolution
And not smart enough to keep your ignorance of history under your hat to boot
great first impression
It's just an hyperbole about how leftists feel about vaguely centrist policies.
I promise the republican party doesn't care and just says whatever is most offensive in their eyes.
Bro, they genuinely just don't know what words mean. Source: My Never Trumper dad who unironically called Trump a communist.
Is it forbidden in English to use commas?
Too close to the word commi
My forgotten friend, the ; is always sad that people forget that they exist.
Commas are somewhat discouraged... or at least discretion with commas is encouraged. We have a rule about commas. "If in doubt, don't."
We should only use commas for certain prescribed circumstances or if the comma is necessary for clarity.
That said I will defend the Oxford comma to my last breath.
According to Cormac McCarthy? Yes.
Democrats: "let's pass some reasonable reforms to temper the ill effects of deregulated capitalism"
Republicans: "that's socialism and you're a Marxist!"
Youth: "we want reform so I guess we like socialism!"
Republicans: "the radical left is indoctrinating our kids!"
Democrats: “let’s pass some reasonable reforms to temper the ill effects of deregulated capitalism”
Which democrats? The fuck?
Followed by :
Democrats: "Fine we'll do whatever you want! Just don't call us commies!"
Can confirm. Every time the reps call Kamala a "comrade" or "Communist" I die a little bit inside.
When I heard Trump calling her "Marxis-Leninist" I was like mate you don't even know the beginning of the beginning of even socialism.
My favorite quote from that fuckwad is "Lenin. Leh-neen, as they say." Dude has no fucking clue
"Explain to me what you think a communist is"
I guarantee they give a wrong answer if they can even figure one out.
To be fair, most people on Lemmy.world can't either. The vast majority of people in the west have not read Marx, or if they have done so, they have only read the Communist Manifesto perhaps once. Communism is so thoroughly demonized in the Imperial Core that only a minor fraction have even read Marx, and only a fraction among them have read more than just the CM.
They're using a word their base is afraid of to paint their enemies in a negative light.
Their words aren't for any of us.
They'll change to using anarchist satanists or whatever once their base has reached somatic satiation and "communist" no longer generates enough of the right dopamine hit.
Well shit.
Democrats should ask themselves why Republicans are more worried about imaginary communists than actual Democrats
Is this a genuine comment? Or some n-th level joke I'm too normie understand?
Because it reads to me like you're trying to redirect a tired, Comservative refrain that anything politically Left of Reagonomics is Communism (which hails back to the Cold War and the Red Scare) into some dogwhistle admission by the GOP that they are the same as the DNP and are, in fact, actually worried about Communists.
Which sounds ridiculous.
Dog whistle admission? No I don't think that republicans and democrats believe they are the "same" and I don't think that communists believe that GOP and dems believe that about themselves. Some young online communists might believe that Republicans and democrats are the same, since they are both capitalist parties, but that's kind of a coarse analysis and I don't think its great messaging.
Me looking for Kamala Harris's "radical Marxist policies"
Love it! 😅😅
The five dollar milkshake.
You don't put bourbon in it or nothin'?
Or… just start pushing actual socialist policy; since everything gets called socialism anyway, we may as well enjoy it.
Why would they? The Democrats are one wing of a state dominated by monopolist Capitalists, they serve the monopolist Capitalists.
Corporate donors disapprove.
But which socialism? The economic socialism that those on the right hate, or the true social Socialism of which so many enjoy the fruits?
When are we going to start PUBLICLY calling out those on the right who accepted COVID stimulus checks from the government? This was a blatantly socialist program, bigger than the "Obamaphones" even (before you go off on me for citing Obamaphones, keep in mind that I believe a smartphone with service is a human right.) we've got all these people walking around from the right to talk about how much they hate socialism but that 3,200 seemed to come in pretty handy for most of them.
I’m more of a practical American socialist than a radical communist (since that’s unlikely to happen here) but it offends me because republicans are just so ignorant. The average Republican essentially has no idea what socialism, communism or fascism actually are, and conservatives have been using this as a scary label for my entire life.
Both parties agree on the standard indoctrination. They only disagree about the purpose/topics of the brainwashing. Neither party wants it to include an honest discussion about socialism, fascism, etc. It's a self-perpetuating problem where the indoctrinators don't even understand what this stuff means.
I’m more of a practical American socialist than a radical communist (since that’s unlikely to happen here)
Why do you say this? What's a "practical American Socialist?"
- practical: I don't have any delusions that the US will implement leftism more extreme than EU style socialist policies any time soon
- American: I'm from the US
- socialist: I feel the government should be involved more in regulating industries, owning certain categories of services, moderating excess wealth, and ensuring the financial/economic well-being of citizens, as opposed to the conservative style which is basically 'well, if you're poor then fuck off'.
In order not to be confounded with economic socialists, who the right accuses of wanting everything for free at the expense of others, I always inform people that I am a Nathan J. Robinson socialist.
God I wish Harris was a radical Marxist
I was just impressed trump graduated from communist to Marxist. Getting more specific and less accurate!
Marxist is less specific than communist
I swear the republicans are running pr for democrats. Harris went from “communist” to Marxist, and not even attached to Lenin!
Republicans don't know the difference between the types of communists.
I laughed out loud at the debate where he said Harris' father was a "marxist professor of economics". That is not a thing.
What do you mean "that's not a thing?" I don't believe he's ever explicitly called himself a Marxist but he has cited Marx as an influence on his works, as a professor of economics.
One of Harris's most notable contributions to economics is his 1978 monograph Capital Accumulation and Income Distribution, which is a critique of orthodox economic theories that provides an alternative, synthesizing the work of David Ricardo, Kalecki, Marx, Roy Harrod, and others. Harris employs mathematical modeling to explore the relationship between the accumulation of capital and income inequality, economic growth, economic instability, and other phenomena, arguing that typical theories fail to adequately consider power, class, and historical context.
It seems basically true that he's a Marxist professor of economics. It's just not really relevant to Kamala since she's an entirely different person.
I promise you, the Republican party doesn't care who they offend as long as it's an out-group.
This is so true.
The only thing the righteous hate more than a heathen is a heretic.
Sectarianism is a fractal war where the only indivisible faction is the individual.
I like that last line. Is that from something? I'm uncultured.
As i always say its not the communists its the tankies. Communists want a different economic system but still agree on the equality of people and they can either want an autocratic or democratic system(from what i see simple communists usually want democracy). Then theres the tankies. They support full autocratic governments that are usually not even communitst like china and want a violent revolution. Often times they are even transphobic. Its the one group of people that annoys me more than nazis because they are basically nazis but on my side of the political compass. Also im socdem and have to explain to everyone that no that is not communism but tbf most people dont like communism because they teach its bad and not because they got to the conclusion with their own knowledge.
As i always say its not the communists its the tankies. Communists want a different economic system but still agree on the equality of people and they can either want an autocratic or democratic system(from what i see simple communists usually want democracy). Then theres the tankies. They support full autocratic governments that are usually not even communitst like china and want a violent revolution.
What do you mean by an "autocratic system?" All Communists support democratic systems, the idea of there being some especially evil Communists that don't want democratic systems is unfounded. Additionally, all Communists want revolution, reformism is anti-Marxist to the core. The State and Revolution is around 25% Marx and Engels quotes and goes over why Marxists believe Revolution is the only path to Communism, and goes over how to make a far more democratic government.
Often times they are even transphobic.
Who? The far-right American Communist Party are not Communists and reject Marxism. The 3 most Communist-friendly Lemmy instances are the most militantly defensive of trans individuals on Lemmy.
What do you mean by an “autocratic system?”
Many red fash support the states of North Korea, Russia, China, etc.
Ofc "real commies" would never support any state. But there aren't many real commies out there. Most identify as anarchists, nihilists, etc. in order to avoid ideology/terminology that's largely been recuperated by authoritarianism, capitalism, statism, etc.
Why do you think the ACP is right wing and reject Marxism? Literally they mention being Marxist-Leninist multiple times on the website you link. Nothing I've ever heard them espouse has been right wing, but I'd love if you could point me to some analysis that explains how you arrived at that conclusion.
Yes everybody wants a democratic system until that democratic system picks the guy/gal that you don't like. Then the mail-in ballots come out.
Then theres the tankies... they are basically nazis
They like to be called tankies. It makes them feel powerful and vanguardy.
Just call them red fash. More accurate.
The real fascists are the ones who put fascists in jail instead of in charge of nato
Academic question: are they really on your side of the political compass if they want less democracy and less trans rights?
Socialism means shared control of the factors of production... if the control isn't shared, then de jure landlords are just replaced by de facto "landlords", like in Animal Farm.
Yes but the political compass is a vast oversimplification of ones opionions. Think about it. How can nazism, a social ideology, be on the same axis as communism, an economical idiology. This is part of what im trying to point out in the original comment. Its interesting how you can be both a communist and a tankie but on the right side its basically just nazi nothing else. The left side is much more diverse as you bunch in basically everyone who isnt a nazi. The problem is the right often masquerades as something else and then slowly pulls people to nazism while on the left side we are always arguing with ourselves over smaller matters while we let the right eat up everything.
Communism != Democracy.
You are maybe thinking of socio democracy.
For the tankies, spot on though.
Edit: what the hell people, communism is power to the people through revolution, there's no fucking democracy in it.
Democracy is democracy, not communism smh.
Edit: In a democratic way I guess, all my comments were removed. Lots of commie bots here lol
Read The State and Revolution. Communists support the replacement of bourgeois "democracy" with far more democratic structures via a popular revolution. Asserting the will of the many against the will of the minority is democratic.
However, revolution is a form of democracy. Direct action by the People.
Communism and Democracy are not mutually exclusive, they are on two different axes.
You're thinking of Communism and Capitalism, which are polar opposites.
But are they calling them communists as in "state communism" or as in "a commune where everything is shared equally"?
That is the question!
I resemble that remark.
That sounds like a double win for the Republicans
Catching strays to piss off the communists. I love it.
"we're are"
