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Material conditions are getting worse and worse, it seems. At least according to many of the social media folks I read. Is revolution near?
How do you think it will happen?
Fantasy answers are also appreciated.
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Our Ascent into Communism USA
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10 Replies
Reply by Macky
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America is too class cucked to pull off a successful revolution that isn't completely squashed a couple days later. I think we would have to be in far, far worse material conditions where there are only rich and piss poor people and people would have to have 0 hope of social mobility. If nothing is done about income inequality then we might very well see a revolution that could overthrow the government in pure numbers. There would be a form of class unity since everyone has nothing to lose, but I always believe that America would succumb to Fascism over any Socialist ideology due how xenophobic majority of the country is.
Hell, the reactionary storming of the capital was way more successful since the police are more trusting of people with far-right views, but they weren't organized and posted everything online on parler.
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Reply by geekout
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LOL.
I do a lot of things through ssh now. I think I could tolerate this VT220 future.
Venceremos!
Reply by Tuesday
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The average American is too happy under capitalism to want a revolution. The Americans have their bread and their circuses. Even the most impoverished people in America can eat rather well and have access to luxury items such as smartphones, television, etc. Capitalism is too efficient and successful to be replaced.
Reply by geekout
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I think material conditions are amazingly contradictory. You can get a mobile phone and internet for less than the cost of one month of rent. Partly, that's because rent is so high.
I've never met so many people who have been homeless. It's stunning.
If you have the right job, life is easy. If you have the wrong job, you might be living in your car, or a tent.
Reply by Alice
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There can be no revolution until the working masses are organized for themselves. Organizing along special cases such as "Black Lives Matter" and "Web Freedom" isn't going to work. These are easily recuperated by the bourgeoisie because they distinctly avoid class contradictions at their core. Elements of class are stripped from spontaneous worker movements and those sucked in to the movement after recuperation become pipelined back into bourgeoisie democracy. BLM as an example: it started as an organic worker movement that could've catalyzed along class lines, but because didn't have the potential to put class as core and show how black lives are primarily working class, contradictions arose (such as whites being targeted by police too, but for being homeless/workers) and companies didn't think it was too hot to touch. Now an NGO "owns" the name BLM and it's completely recuperated; when you give your money to the org, they cut and run like a scam. Until workers are ready to organize with one another along class lines to improve everyone's lives, it will be easy to atomize us with ideology. A Communist org is the true manifestation of black lives "mattering" as it responds to peoples' material needs. The same goes for any other special issue that does not take class as its general core.
@Tuesday it's good to point out luxuries and how peoples' lives have been improved. The vast majority of those improvements and factories have come from the USSR building infrastructure across the world which the US happily invaded and took over for themselves, or forces into bad trade agreements. China is the world's leader in smartphone technology and they're run by their own Communist Party of China. Socialism itself built the smartphone and capitalists are using it domestically to pump propaganda and ads into our faces 24/7. The solution is to simply remove the parasitic capitalism. We will have far more luxury, and importantly—necessities—after a socialist revolution. China for example has access to Gucci and the Democratic Peoples' Republic of Korea has access to high end jewelry. When your work force is highly coordinated and motivated, and their needs and wants are taken care of, people can do amazing things and bring much joy to the world. There's no doubt that capitalism generated wealth, but compared to the growth rate of the Bolsheviks and Chinese, there's no competition: socialism outpaces capitalism manyfold. That's what happens when the workers centrally organize production instead of backstabbing corporate competition.
@Ian You're actually right about Marxism here. There's a definite cliff it reaches where the specifics of the theory do not cover the Imperialist stage (post-Industrial Capitalism). Vladimir Lenin took the core of Marxism and synthesized it with the next era of capitalism to further Marxism where it left off. If you read "Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism" (PDF), you will have your curiosity sated!
Reply by Boris Grishenko
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Slamdangles, have you ever read a book on socialism?
Actually, why even ask that... of course you haven't. And I bet you're proud of that fact, too. Free from brain washing, right?
But let me ask you this.
Have you ever read a book on capitalism? Pure capitalism? Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations, for instance? Do you understand the actual economic mechanisms that make a system like capitalism work?
If so, great! Then you understand that in order for capitalism to work effectively, there is a requirement of less freedom for workers. So it really doesn't make sense when you hop from thread to thread here saying "I don't want my socialism, I'd rather have my freedom!".
What you're upset about is authoritarianism, not socialism. Socialism has nothing to do with freedom. A country can be just as dystopian and totalitarian while running capitalism, just look at Pinochet's Chile.
In any case, if you think the current state of America is a golden child of capitalism's wonders, think again. The rich have socialism. They spend the government's money as they want, and they're supported to pursure what they want because of their asset-funded welfare that was handed to them through either inheritance or opportunistic exploitation provided by (you guessed it) the government.
And if you think that America was better in the past, well think again... again. America in the 1940s-1960s was way more "socialist" (in your definition, anyway) than it is now.
Maybe you should dedicate yourself towards labelling your fears/anxieties correctly... start with replacing "socialists" and "communists" with "authoritarians" and "exploiters". You might be surprised how much your world view changes.
Or actually don't. It's probably too late for you anyway and such a drastic change in your psychological comfort blanket might put you to sleep for good.
Happy living!
Reply by boshi
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America is so far from having any revolutionary potential. First, basic class consciousness needs to be reached. Also, most people still believe every socialist country in history is evil.
Reply by mystical illusions
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The USA prices have gone up ... and food making smaller packaging an less in the packaging ...
mostly we are trying to save our democracy... I believe most people do not want to live under a dictator or fascism... under the last disgraceful x trump ... an certainly hope people realize this sooner then later ... he is not who I would want to have our security info ... he has shown what he has been doing with what he took when he left the white house...." he is unfit for office ... an 1 of these law suits will have to stick ..." if not more ... I believe Biden is our best bet ... he has seem to get a lot done and believe he will do more in the future too for America... and do it with democracy in place ... an trump just does not want to take responsibility for what he done to our country ... maybe they will get him off the ballads in some state ... being it has shown he was responsible for the insurrection... an tried to over turn our elections with others to ... I don't understand why his cult followers do not see what he is doing to them by taking their $ ...when he does not give two sh*ts about them... and look some of his people he had are turning on him becouse he was wrong ... and throwing lawyers 1 by 1 under the bus ...an do not know why he did not pardon these witnesses an same with his family member's... they think while their in jail he will get them out ..." no he will get more charged an put in jail..." but I still believe people will vote for democracy an our constitution in 2024... then live under a military state ... like other dictators do...
Reply by Tyler i guess
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Reply by Nathan
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