fraugremlin

[fraugremlin]

alright.

I'll start with Lenin first, then move to Marx. Lenin was an autocrat and a dictator. There's no way around it. He was unelected and created a one-party state. This was due to the fact that the revolution was led by a vanguard, which the members of, once they succeeded in overthrowing the old government, could easily set up a self-serving dictatorship. He's not a Marxist, and he's not a Socialist.

Since Lenin obviously did not in any way uphold the vision of Marx, I'll tackle him separately. A (stateless) communist society does eliminate many hierarchies, but leaves the most coercive systems untouched. Those being: the hierarchy of the collective over the individual and that coercion required of industrialism. In a commune, one's individual vote is negligible, since the outcome is only affected by one person's vote in very rare circumstances. Once the votes are tallied, the individual is expected to conform to the decisions of the majority, and to accept the commune's laws and customs. This leads to the individual becoming feeling helpless and weak.

Secondly, Marxism fails to address the coercion required to make an industrial society function. In order to have products, you must have a payroll of workers to stand where they are told to stand and do what they are told to do and go home and show up to work when they are told to do it. Instead of working towards goals that are immediate, which directly affect one's condition (such as building a house to live in), one must do a task or set of tasks that ultimately has little to do directly with one's own material well-being. Instead, the hyperspecialized work required in an industrial society is made livable indirectly via trade. This leads to a dependence on the industrial system as a whole, which requires a massive amount of cohesion to function.

Humans are no longer permitted to act autonomously since doing so would be a hindrance to the system. Behaviors which are not conducive to the system are disallowed, but all unimportant facets of our life which do not interfere with the functioning of the system are permitted to grow within said limits.

Lenin was elected as Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars by the Congress of Soviets a total of nine times before his death. His position was not one elected by the people directly, but rather he was elected by the congressional representatives of the soviets who were themselves elected by the people. You can argue that his position should have been directly elected if you want, but you cannot say he was unelected. Regardless, while the Chairman of the CPC was the head of government of the RSFSR, and later the Soviet Union, the CPC was not a one-person council and the council as a whole was subordinate to the Central Executive Committee, which was in turn subordinate to the Congress of Soviets. Lenin was not an autocrat or a dictator; he did not hold sole legal authority and the Soviet government had numerous checks and balances.

I see no reason to believe a vanguard party or a one-party state is undemocratic. The USSR was a dictatorship, but not a dictatorship of one person. It was a dictatorship of the proletariat, as the bourgeoisie were stripped of the right to vote and to be elected. You can object to this if you like, but I personally don't think that was a bad decision.

You seem to be arguing that Lenin was neither Marxist nor socialist because the nascent Soviet Union was not yet classless or stateless. Yet why should it have been expected to be? Communism is not something that can be achieved overnight, or even in one generation. In the meantime, there must be some mechanism for suppressing and overthrowing the bourgeoisie. No matter how democratic, how horizontal, and how people-oriented that mechanism is, it still constitutes a state insofar as it constitutes an organ for the oppression of one class by another. Unless you are arguing that the rights of the bourgeoisie should be maintained and protected, you cannot escape this fact.

At the point of achieving a stateless, classless communist society, I don't see why decision-making would necessarily be performed through simple majority vote. While it's rather pointless in my mind to be speculating about how a hypothetical communist society of the future might function, I think it's safe to say they'd be far more capable of exploring alternative forms of decision-making than we are now. In any case, the question of how a future communist society might function is entirely separate from questions of past and present systems of government.

You are right to point out that the industrial mode of production requires collective and specialized activity in order to function, but I fail to see what the alternative is. Humans are a social animal, our production has always been collective and we have always benefited from specialization in labor. The advancement in industry has made possible a reduction in socially necessary labor time, not an increase. It is capitalism and the profit motive that has mandated long hours and low autonomy in the workplace, not industry itself.

People are not inherently stupid or self-centered. They can understand very well the relationship between one sector of industry and another. You do not need to be building a house to understand how, for instance, the nails you are manufacturing will be used to build houses and other goods. You do not need to be manufacturing nails to understand how the iron you are mining will be used to make nails and other goods. The idea that it is alienating to be engaged in a task that is socially beneficial rather than merely individually beneficial is absurd.

You talk about social cohesion as if it is impossible or undesirable. But again, what is the alternative? An incoherent, fragmented society? No society at all, and people just fend for themselves as individuals? I fail to see how anything less than social cohesion is desirable.

You say that industrial society is coercive and prevents people from acting autonomously. I say, what does it mean to act autonomously? Humans must satisfy our basic needs before we can think about engaging in autonomous activity. If you are starving, you are compelled to seek food. If you are freezing, you are compelled to seek shelter. Individual freedom is subordinate to our material conditions, and only through improving our material conditions can we satisfy our basic needs and guarantee individual freedom.

If we are to have a society where the individual freedoms of everyone are maximized, then we must have a society which guarantees everyone their basic needs. Food, shelter, clothing, medicine, education, transportation, communication, etc. All of these must be secured before a person has full freedom to act autonomously. Improving the quality of these things and the efficiency of their production improves the standard of living and reduces socially necessary labor time, which allows for greater degrees of freedom.

You say behaviors which are not conducive to the system are disallowed. I do not necessarily disagree, but I feel you are intentionally obscuring the nature of such behaviors. What is “the system” here? The system is society. So a behavior not conducive to society is an anti-social behavior, a behavior that impedes or harms other members of society. Why should these behaviors be allowed? Is it maximizing autonomy and freedom to allow someone to steal or rape or murder with impunity? No, it is merely trading someone else's freedom and autonomy for your own.

You can certainly maximize your own freedom and autonomy at the expense of others, but if we are to live in a society where the freedom and autonomy of everyone is to be maximized, then there must be certain limits to individual behavior for the sake of others. Maybe someday humanity will evolve to a state where one can live in their own private world with maximum freedom to do as they please without worrying about impacting others, but until that day we will have to live in a society with other people and the social restrictions that come with that. Personally, I don't think it's such a burden to have to care about other people.

Society as it stands today is indeed imperfect and often oppressive. Socialist states in the past and present have yet to achieve the classlessness and statelessness that marks higher-stage socialism, i.e. communism. They too are imperfect and have restricted people's behavior in various ways, some I would argue are necessary, and some I would argue are unnecessary. However, I believe that socialism offers us the greatest opportunity to improve society as a whole and liberate humanity from oppressive structures. I believe that capitalism remains the central impediment to the advancement of society and the pursuit of human freedom. I believe that a vanguard party and a dictatorship of the proletariat have been the most effective means of combating the bourgeoisie so far. And I believe that the advancement of science and industry has been the most effective means of securing and improving the basic needs of the people as a whole.

My question to you remains: what is the alternative? You can criticize all you want, and thoughtful and rational critique of all things is both important and beneficial, but unless you have an alternative to socialist revolution and industrial society, then you're just throwing the baby out with the bathwater. How are we to combat the bourgeoisie without a vanguard or a state? How are we to provide people with their basic needs without industrial production?

[fraugremlin]

hey is the world doomed if the nazi right gains government control of the global north. freaked out by germanys election results

I mean, there's arguments to be made about whether or not they ever lost control in the first place (there were former Nazis in leading roles in NATO during the Cold War, after all) and how distinct Nazism was from imperialism and colonialism besides the fact that Europeans were the ones being victimized, but in general, I don't think the world is any more "doomed" now than it was in the 20th century. Yes, Hitler killed millions of people. He was still defeated.

The rise of reactionary right-wing politics is fueled by the same conditions which offer opportunities for the left. AfD might be making gains, but so is Die Linke. We shouldn't be passive and think everything's just going to automatically be fine, but we should not let fear lead to inaction either.

Now more than ever we need to agitate and organize against the conditions that have led us to where we are now. We need to make sure that everyone who is concerned about the rise of the right knows that this is not some horrendous exception to bourgeois liberalism but a direct consequence of it. The liberals are not going to save us. We have to save ourselves, and we have to do it together.

[fraugremlin]

In light of certain actions being made by Trump, please donate to the American Civil Liberties Union:

They help fight for trans rights, immigrant rights, and reproductive rights, among other things, in the courts so that marginalized people actually have a chance to fight legislation in the USA

If you cannot donate, please share/boost

Other resources:

If you want to be informed of things happening in a small digestible format without being overwhelmed there's this newsletter:

This is the contact information of individual US senators you can message:

You do not have to be of voting age to express concerns. Physical mail also takes priority when sent to their offices over any digital message. Postcards and cheap stamps are the most direct best bet.

Ballot ready/ vote411 allows you to know what's on your state's ballots and who represents you when that time comes. This includes representative contact information:

Please be safe. Don't give up. We're in this together, and with community, change can be positive

[fraugremlin]

Hello, with everything going on right now, I wanted to make a thread and ask Americans for resources that can be shared around for;

-Aiding Immigrants and families of immigrants, families who had their visa appointments cancelled and stuck at the border.

-LGBTQ+ resources to help people needing relocation or other situational things.

-As commented, Resources and Aid for people w/Disabilities both visible and invisible.

- General resources to give aid to impoverished or struggling communities.

-Political movements, protests, community projects and other forms of resistance.

Really, I want to make a collection of possible sources for people both in America and out to offer assistance to people who are struggling rn with the current events in US Politics and EU Musk Interference.

There is a lot of fear right now, so let's do the things we can. Even if you can't financially or physically participate, we must share any and all resources. We have to make sure the push back is louder than the fear right now. We need to make sure people can see there is still a fight and goodness in us. No sitting back in fear. We have to do something for everyone.

[fraugremlin]

It must be made clear, this is not just a threat of America, but all of us. Elon Musk is actively making efforts to interfere with European politics to push alt right extremism.

He has voiced support for problematic figures such as AfD in Germany, Alice Weidel, and far right agitator in UK, Tommy Robinson.

And the policies by the Trump administration have long reaching consequences. There is already discussions on who qualifies as American citizens, term limits and AI mass surveillance. Whether these are distractions or not, it is concerning that the discussion is even being had.

We cannot allow this to progress further.

i watched the livestream of trump signing executive orders and answering questions from the press. here are some of the big ones + other things mentioned today:

trump declared a national emergency at the southern border + is getting the US military more involved in stopping "invasions including mass migration"

no one can declare asylum in the US

all existing appointments for people wanting to legally become US citizens are canceled

birthright citizenship (aka the 14th amendment) is now gone

ICE sweeps beginning "soon," not specifying when (though there are rumors it's starting tomorrow in sanctuary cities such as chicago)

mexican cartels are now designated "foreign terrorist organizations" and trump is not opposed to US troops entering mexico to eliminate them

he restored the death penalty for "crimes committed by illegal aliens"

biden had signed an executive order attempting to stop cops from using chokeholds or doing no-knock warrants. trump just revoked that order

25% tariffs on canada and mexico begin on feb 1 2025 — expect a lot of produce imported from mexico to get more expensive soon

tariffs on china will begin soon, not specified when

trump said he intends to take back the panama canal, did not specify when or how

january 6 insurrectionists are to be immediately released/pardoned

he pardoned the leader of the proud boys

tiktok has a 90 day extension, during which the US gov will try to buy 50% of tiktok. trump said he no longer cares that china is "spying on our young people," but he wants to buy half of tiktok so the US government "can police it a little bit, or a lot." if tiktok will not sell, it will be banned in the US again.

he claims the people of greenland want to become part of the US

he says the gulf of mexico is now to be called the "gulf of america" + denali is now to be called "mount mckinley"

alaska is to be mined and become the US' main source for fossil fuels

the green new deal and "electric vehicle" (green energy) mandates are over

the US has withdrawn from the paris climate agreement

the US has withdrawn from the world health organization

reproductiverights.gov is already gone

the US now "only recognizes two genders, male and female"

trans women prisoners are to be housed in male prisons; gender affirming care for prisoners is gone

self-identification for gender on passports, government IDs, and social security cards is gone

all federal employees are required to work in the office five days a week, no more working from home

trump said the US is going to "pursue our manifest destiny into the stars" and plant a US flag on mars

sources on what executive orders were signed: one two three

and lastly, some things that happened during the inauguration:

the pastor who blessed the inauguration during the swearing in ceremony has already announced a new meme coin/cryptocurrency

trump did not put his hand on the bible + there are rumors the pope is going to say trump is the antichrist

the wealthiest people on the planet — the CEOs of twitter/tesla, amazon, google, meta, and even the CEO of tiktok — who own almost all communication platforms used by westerners — stood directly behind trump as he was sworn in

elon musk, the wealthiest person alive, who has been given his own vaguely-defined US government agency, did a nazi salute on stage at the presidential podium. neo-nazis are already celebrating

[fraugremlin]

“It wasn’t a N*zi salute! You’re overreacting!”

You are never overreacting.

[fraugremlin]

"I don't want to live in a world where people celebrate murder."

You already do. The Capitalist celebrates murder with every luxury purchased, every glass of wine raised, every competitor toppled.

You celebrate it too.

With every cup of coffee you drink, every bite of chocolate you take. every vagrant's eyes you can't meet.

Capitalism corrupts all; it leaves no innocence to claim.

It must be destroyed.

[fraugremlin]

Aight, so a suspect has been caught. In the next couple of days we’re going to be bombarded with a cavalcade of information about Luigi Mangione. As we start this period I want everyone to remember:

The killer--whether he is Mangione or another man--is a living, breathing, human being. He has followed people you don’t like, held beliefs you disagree with, and possibly voting for politicians you think suck.

He still shot a man with the blood of millions on his hands. He still caused an outpouring of rage that caused BCBS to roll back its ghoulish anesthesia policy.

Carve that into your fucking minds. Mass media is about to do its damnedest to remind us to hate each other, not the top .001%. Do not let them do this. Y’all understand what I’m saying? Here, lemme spell it out more clearly:

DO NOT FUCKING PURITY TEST THIS GUY, ASSHOLES!!

And if you see people fixating on his purity over the message he sent, call them out on it.

We have lost again and again and again on healthcare because we keep letting the rich divide us. Remember: the people united will never be defeated.

Edit: A couple of people have asked me to not convict Mangione in my post, and they're right. Mangione has been arrested on gun charges, not for the murder, and regardless of the charge he obviously hasn't been convicted yet. It's too soon to lay Brian Thompson on his head. I've modified the post to reflect that.

That said, what I've said here applies to whoever the killer is. As the media circus plays out, a lot of talking heads will be pulling out all stops to remind us to hate each other, not the insurance CEOs. Do not fall for their tricks!

[fraugremlin]

Sometimes I see people from countries with public healthcare systems post videos that are like “This is the reality of socialized medicine. I had to wait in the ER with my sick baby for 4 hours.” “I had to wait 8 months to see a specialist. That’s egregious.” or “They didn’t have a bed for my loved one in mental health treatment.” and it’s like. Come to America babygirl. You can experience all of this and have your insurance deny it and pay thousands and thousands of dollars for it. Like I know healthcare systems in countries with public health can be bad but when I see someone imply they’re bad because the healthcare is universal, I want to jump through the screen and put my elbow on their throat. “The NHS is deeply flawed, therefore we should abolish it and go back to private healthcare. That will definitely make healthcare in this country better!” I am going to Kill You.

[fraugremlin]

“Those who are against Fascism without being against capitalism, who lament over the barbarism that comes out of barbarism, are like people who wish to eat their veal without slaughtering the calf. They are willing to eat the calf, but they dislike the sight of blood. They are easily satisfied if the butcher washes his hands before weighing the meat. They are not against the property relations which engender barbarism; they are only against barbarism itself. They raise their voices against barbarism, and they do so in countries where precisely the same property relations prevail, but where the butchers wash their hands before weighing the meat.”

Bertolt Brecht,

Writing the Truth Five Difficulties.

3. The Skill to Manipulate the Truth as a Weapon

1935

[fraugremlin]

reblog if you’ve read fanfictions that are more professional, better written than some actual novels. I’m trying to see something

[fraugremlin]

18+ Bookclub/Game enthusiasm Server

࣪ ִֶָ☾.  We are trying to build a new community for people who want to have have fun exploring the things they love, what they love about them, and things others might not love about them. With Discord culture being what it is, where you join about 30+ servers and lurk in almost all of them, this space is for people who reject that mentality and want something more from their online interactions.

📖November BOTM: The Landlady - Fyodor Dostoyevsky📖

🏳️‍🌈👩✊🏿Hatespeech is not tolerated and we follow Disc. TOS

We have;

💚 Bookcord, for creating a reading profile to get recommendations.

💚BOTM voting and selections for monthly group readings and storygraph challenges.

💚we have several forum-channels dedicated to discussions about books, games and your own creative works

💚 Politics private channel for people who want more in depth discussion on politics for our theory readers!

💚we draw a line between being judgmental and being critical. The latter is encouraged, the former is not.

To access the full server, you must agree to compliance with the server rules in the rules channel. Then you can grab roles. We hope to see you here!

[fraugremlin]

verified ways to send aid to gaza directly

Help a Palestinian family directly:

gazafunds.com - Donate directly to a Palestinian family in urgent need of evacuation, medical attention, food, rebuilding homes/businesses etc. (Spotlights 1 verified gfm at a time so if you don't know who/where to donate to just go here and donate to the one they show you!)

Help provide tents (urgent):

The Sameer Project: Currently providing tents for displaced families in Gaza (emergency bc tents in Rafah are being burned as we speak) (paypal) (gfm)

Food, cash & essentials:

Care for Gaza: Working on the ground in Gaza to distribute food, cash, medicine & other essentials to displaced families. (paypal) (gfm)

Direct Aid for Gaza: also working on the ground in Gaza to distribute food, cash & other daily essential suppliess to displaced families. (paypal) (gfm)

Water:

Gaza Municipality's water project: The official Municipality of Gaza needs help rebuilding the water infrastructure in Gaza City to restore access to clean water and waste management services for the people of Gaza. (This campaign only has a couple of weeks left but it's still only at 15%!)

eSIMs (urgent):

guide to buy & send esims for gaza

crips for esims for gaza: If you don't know how to buy esims or don't have the capacity to manage them (e.g. topping up regularly), this team of volunteers are collecting funds to buy & manage gaza esims regularly

Medical Aid

Palestine Red Crescent Society: Provides emergency medical and ambulance services and humanitarian relief on the ground in Gaza e.g. rescuing and treating the wounded.

[fraugremlin]

I have been busy trying to study for a test that I have failed 2 times now, super cool and awesome I know. 3rd time is the charm I hope.

[fraugremlin]

I had a lot of fun making the milk today. The bottles are not as good, but practice is practice. I especially love how the strawberry turned out after redoing it repeatedly. As you can see, each one represents different types of milk; Flavored, Vegan, Reg. and Lactose Free :)

[fraugremlin]

[fraugremlin]

Today is Trains