Juice

@Juice@midwest.social

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⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨The curse of ‘Disco Elysium’, the greatest RPG ever made⁩ ⁨⁨10⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago⁩:
“Disco Elysium is perfect but also a complete shit show” is becoming its own genre of journalism.
⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Anon looks into cults⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago⁩:
Own a fuck load of property, don’t pay taxes, keep attracting new people to pay into the group, convince existing members to pay more
⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Bird⁩ ⁨⁨5⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago⁩:
Land creatures = fish + time
⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Bird⁩ ⁨⁨5⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago⁩:
Bum, bum, bum
⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨I'm doing my part⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago⁩:
Right, but at this point pedophilia does exist as an actual phenomenon, which the right uses to build a culture of fear and suspicion in which they can frame all their arguments credibly.

Like people are actually worried about child abuse, for many good and bad reasons. So without addressing the fear and the underlying desire for just governance then no amount of political humanism will get through. People are, irrationally, more afraid of pedophiles than they are willing to criticize the cultural implications of the meanings of words.

That’s not your fault, you aren’t creating or reproducing this phenomenon and I largely agree with you. I just think its time to start coming up with better criticisms than trying to poke logical holes. The right is fighting a war and we are having an intellectual debate. I’m a firm advocate for scientific intellectualism, while exploring even philosophical implications of your plans and actions. I think this is logically strong, but practically weak argument.
⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨the universe about to have a little minty b⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:
We love neo-geocentrism
⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Anon is smarter than a genius⁩ ⁨⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:
The sales people almost always end up doing well in companies. And then when they get high up in the company they only value others ability to make sales and work for bonuses. As time goes on a company’s e-suite gets more and more saturated with charismatic dummies who will do anything for a buck, leaving less room for good administrators and engineers.
⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Having a baby? Use this one weird trick!⁩ ⁨⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:
Hah! Good luck finding one
⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Anon is smarter than a genius⁩ ⁨⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:
Being rich makes you so divorced from consequences that you start to believe that what is in your brain is what is real. Money isn’t what we think it is.
⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨fuck this asshole⁩ ⁨⁨5⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:
There’s some of it in the comments of this post
⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨fuck this asshole⁩ ⁨⁨5⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:
Make sure to keep blaming “rednecks” and “hillbillies”, and not the billionaire backers of MAGA who own various media outlets and some of the largest companies in the world.
⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Boiling hot, Ice cold, skin melting, frigid, liquid magma, hailstorm, just right for 5 seconds, dragon fire⁩ ⁨⁨5⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

4cm

Perfectly average
⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨That explains a lot⁩ ⁨⁨5⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:
Sounds kinda tain
⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Sun God⁩ ⁨⁨5⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:
Neat! Thanks!
⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Sun God⁩ ⁨⁨5⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:
I guess because of perspective, Mercury being millions of miles closer to the camera than it is to the sun, the actual proportions would have the planet being much smaller by comparison
⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Microsoft CEO Admits That AI Is Generating Basically No Value⁩ ⁨⁨5⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:
“Machines were the weapons deployed by the capitalists to quell the revolt of specialized labor”
⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Microsoft CEO Admits That AI Is Generating Basically No Value⁩ ⁨⁨5⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:
I’ve said it before, all ceos could be replaced by mascots and it would have no negative effect on the productive capabilities of our society. On the contrary things might actually improve for once in my life
⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Stop touching your stuff!⁩ ⁨⁨5⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:
You say that, but what about St. Paul who is definitely in heaven and was a pathological gooner
⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Why would America declaring cartels terrorist organizations be a problem for Mexico?⁩ ⁨⁨5⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:
Hah! Good one
⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Why would America declaring cartels terrorist organizations be a problem for Mexico?⁩ ⁨⁨5⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:
Same, except i wasnt a lit major, just a guy who was going through the phase of “this is what intelligent people look like” while trying to educate myself. I was convinced DFW was the voice of our generation, heralding in a new era of consciousness.

The book is conceptually pretty cool, like it is really well written and he draws together so many disparate elements to make kind of a coherent narrative.

But the idea of making a book impossible to read on purpose is a funny joke, especially one that so many aspiring intelligentsia gush over. I can appreciate a good shaggy dog as much as the next guy, but IJ is just so far beyond the pale.

A book should be challenging because the concepts are unique and well considered, and it draws from lots of historic and philosophical research; not because the author decided to intentionally break the flow of the narrative to make you flip to the not-optional appendix to read 32 pages of made up synopsis about a character’s avant-garde filmography.
⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Why would America declaring cartels terrorist organizations be a problem for Mexico?⁩ ⁨⁨5⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

Quebec

Yeah if our reality could stop resembling Infinite Jest, that would be great. I can’t stand that stupid fucking book and how accurately it predicts our increasingly insane circumstances
⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Sooo, where did the blatant Nazism suddenly come from?⁩ ⁨⁨5⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:
Fascism shouldn’t be thought of as a static “thing” or an object of ideology. Peoples beliefs come from their environment. We are so individualized as a society that often we as progressives take “personal responsibility” too far, we buy the premise implicitly without realizing there are flaws with thinking in this way. Every logical system has flaws and contradictions, its proven mathematically though I think some systems are more rigorous and based on evidence.

GWF Hegel’s philosophy of Right was written in 1820, and influenced political thought ever since. Liberalism was still in it’s revolutionary phase and theories about it were still fairly new, the Wealth of Nations was written just 50 years before, and Karl Marx was like two when it was released, although it would serve as the basis for much of his work analyzing the hidden relationships of Capital, and ethical political philosophy on the whole.

The book is the closest I think someone can honestly get to an actual “horseshoe theory” because not only did it influence the left but it also influenced the far right. Hegel, using the works of other great liberal philosophers such as Locke and Kant, who Hegel was always working to surpass, applied his dialectical philosophical methods to the writings of liberalism.

What he discovered was a natural tendency toward fascism. Like he prefigured fascism by 100 years. He wasn’t a fascist, there was no such thing. He was just exploring the ideas of this revolutionary philosophy, one that purported to liberate the mind, body and spirit, and discovered the oppressive seeds which might grow into something quite different.

This isn’t to call liberals fascists, I’m a communist and 20th century communism had a lot of problems, to put it mildly. I would say confidently that progressive liberals are not crypto fash, in fact the term “progressive” is a typically left-Hegelian ideal, in that it describes human progress and development as the subject of history. Instead it challenges the idea of the liberatory nature of private property, a key component of liberal thought. Of course this is all depending how you look at it, right-Hegelians see this same formulation as proof of the inevitability of their ideas and justification for their actions.

You’re getting a lot of different opinions about this stuff so I’m trying to make sort of a different point about philosophy, history and action. Other reading for a deep dive on fascism is the essay Ur Fascism by Umberto Eco (great empirical analysis, but the least scientific IMO), Trotsky’s pamphlet Fascism: What it is and How to Fight It, and HA Roy’s Fasism, Its Philosophy, Professions and Practice.

In a way, fascism has always been there below the surface, informally shifting the sands of history until it was formalized in the early 20th century. I don’t think you can have a society based on private property without some elements of fascism somewhere. Mostly “western democracies” will outsource their extreme cruelty to other countries where it doesn’t affect their citizens.

But in summary, Fascism is the realization of the contradictions inherent in liberal ideology, its liberalism turned inside-out, with all its appearances of justice and freedom cut away, leaving only the logic of expansion and domination that most liberal democracies do their best to hide. This is how fascists are able to hide in our society, their individual beliefs are not completely unpalatable to centrists and conservatives who have also started to dispense with justice and freedom in the interest of national greatness. Its what makes their beliefs so malleable, and its also why liberals have such a hard time defining it. But fascism isn’t an individual’s beliefs, if it was it would be just regular bog-standard chauvinism. Fascism is a mass movement which will use charismatic leaders amenable to their politics to rally the masses.

In our society, the middle classes are the “battery” for fascism. Middle classes are constantly under attack under capitalism and the individuals often feel this and become paranoid (doomsday prepping, etc.,) and this paranoia and real social pressure to produce or be wiped out, the fear from the constant threat of precarity and uncertainty fits hand in glove with the aims and means of fascists.
⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Funny this never made it into a James Taylor song⁩ ⁨⁨5⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:
I see lots of references to John Denver, Country Roads, but I present:

“Bye, bye Miss Bologna Pie”
⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨imagine⁩ ⁨⁨5⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:
GMO skepticism or not, Monsanto is one of the most evil companies in the world and a perfect example of what makes the profit motive such an inefficient organizer of production and distribution
⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Electoral politics doesn't get the job done⁩ ⁨⁨5⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:
Get organized with a progressive or socialist organization. DSA, PSL, or just you and some homes. If you’re completely isolated, an org like DSA is good because they have a lot of “at large” members that aren’t in formal chapters, but at large members have access to national resources too (not in day 1, its a political org, but DSA is good for at large membership). But the people who seem “the most organized” in your area, who have good politics and active membership, is the best org for you to join since these things can vary drastically from place to place.

From there, get involved in local labor organizing, your group might even have like a labor group that focuses on it.

If you live in a place where you can get a job that is a part of UAW Union, you can try to get it and “salt”, which means adding radical militant labor organizers to existing stagnant or bureaucratic unions, and start mobilization campaigns.

A pretty easy thing that would be super helpful, would be to fundraise for materials to create “strike-ready” kits, basically 5 gal bucket and lid full of supplies for an extended period, since strikes are long, difficult, protracted affairs. People get hungry, they get cold and wet, etc., mutual aid has a very low barrier to entry. I’m not a mutual aidist, but its something you could start basically today and have a bunch ready by that time.

If you can, don’t go alone, bring like minded people in or find like minded people. The best individual thing you can do is to educate yourself so when the time comes you can educate others. Read! Class Struggle Unionism is a classic, but there are probably books about UAW specifically. Another favorite of mine is “Teamster’s Rebellion” if you can find it
⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Don't forget where we came from and what shaped us as a species. The Jungle.⁩ ⁨⁨5⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:
Wait that isn’t what I meant at all, I was contrasting the “return to nature” view with the vegan view.
⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Don't forget where we came from and what shaped us as a species. The Jungle.⁩ ⁨⁨5⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:
Where we came from is less important than where we are going. The problems with veganism are not that they don’t eat animals, in fact I don’t think the problem is with veganism at all but with moral imperatives in general that promote black and white, oppositional political positioning. But moral imperatives are one of the most popular and effective rhetorical methods to make a point (and split opposition) so we are just kind of raised in it. If you’re someone who has strong opinions you learn to express them in a certain way.

But veganism is good and primitivist “return to nature” types have a dubious track record aka they tend to be chuds or on their way to chuddening. “Retvrn to the past” is a conservative talking point, but what separates us from nature is capitalism, not veganism.
⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨You wouldn't even need to stop going to work!⁩ ⁨⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:
I mean I guess as a Marxist there are just some things we have fundamentally different understandings? The way you talk about consumerism and alienation, is fundamentally opposed to a Marxist’s definition. To a Marxist alienation isn’t subjective, it is material; a result of workers slavish relation to commodity production, as the relation that generates surplus value.

But I’m trying to back off of explicitly anarchist critiques, and kind of begrudgingly think about your basic conceptions. I’ve spent enough time around anarchists and Marxists to know that there’s something sort of broken there, broken by history. And I know enough about anarchists, who kind of effortlessly organize circles around us, and the history of anarchism as it relates to various socialist projects of the 20th century, than to do what many of my comrades do, and just like quote “On Authority” to y’all as if it has ever made a lick of difference. I guess to put it plainly: I can understand why an anarchist wouldn’t necessarily be all for a Marxist or Leninist conception of revolution, might advocate for a measure of caution and search for a “third way”. I won’t be convinced that money is anything other than a mechanism of class oppression, and the value form itself is actually a tremendous mind fuck, accounting for the alienation that workers experience.

What I think I really don’t understand, is the anarchist conception of the individual, like, in a scientific way. There’s something “in the sauce” that I can’t account for in our analysis, something that overlaps with a great deal of the working class. But if we are comrades in sharing and binding ourselves to the struggles of workers then that’s basically what’s most important. And demanding that you adhere to “correct” theoretical analysis when there is something I dont understand about like one of anarchism’s fundamental concepts, something that seems to be very “right” that comes from your tradition, something that I can’t just dismiss as “petty bourgeois” or liberal.

So more power to ya, friend. I’d love to read anything you come out with.
⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨You wouldn't even need to stop going to work!⁩ ⁨⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:
You had me till your last sentence which I think is reformist, but since you stated your position so well im sure we could (hypothetically) work together in coalition.

I think its clear that there is a great deal of consumerism that exists in excess of peoples needs, but without a means to replace it with anything, since the consumerism is an expression of people’s social alienation, then there’s no material incentive for people to make these changes. It seems like the thrust of your ideas would work well along side certain anarchist and social libertarian ideas of dual power, which I think is also worth of criticisms but also is a step closer theoretically to a correct formula for change.

Confusion about the government’s role in class oppression, unawareness of what money is and how it operates, these are big questions that took me a long time to find sufficient and satisfying answers for them. If your like to share your zones or writings I’d at least give them a look! I read and contribute political and economic articles to some zines too, and frankly I’m just a fan of the form. I’m a bit older and diy zines were the first polisci I ever encountered, and now I’m a smelly commie, on watchlists and everything
⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨You wouldn't even need to stop going to work!⁩ ⁨⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:
You wont weaken the government by not paying biills. We don’t want a weaker state we want to smash the state and create a new one for and by workers not billionaires. How does weakening the government weaken their power? Right now the government is weaker than its been in 70 years and the billionaires are more powerful than ever.

I agree that a united, militant workers movement will weaken various structures that the rich use to reinforce their rule, including parts of the government but I think you need to develop your view of the state under capitalism because you still subscribe yo many false illusions. Its like people saying Luigi is going to tip the balance in class relations for the workers. Its just a kind of reformism or false.co sciousness that hopes that there is a step before what is necessary that would be good enough.

Like organize bill ass payment strikes, I think strategically, like in healthcare, a mass movement could shake some things up, but likely it would just result in increased violence against the movement. Individuals not paying bills will literally not do shit. Individual action is basically worthless. In order for it to reach a critical tipping point, where a quantity of individual action transforms into change in political or economic quality, will take a lot of organization. And more power to you! Organize it and I’ll likely join. I’ll throw you a bone, but you have to provide the meat. Personally it’s not what I think is going to lead to greater worker consciousness and emancipation, but I’m just some guy. Organize it and prove me wrong.