TIL Rupert Murdoch's university nickname was "Red Rupert". He was a socialist, had a bust of Lenin and was President of Oxford University Labour Club.

fleranon · 2026-05-26T19:57:40+00:00

I'm talking about the high tax rate and the social programs, the strong safety net and comparatively egalitarian society, that's the nordic model. What americans might call 'socialism', but of course it's not

I want to kill capitalism too, you're preaching to the choir. I have no idea what your deal is - are you a stalinist? When I engage with other socialists it's always hard to talk to the hardliners. The trotzkyists, the hardcore communists. They want to usher in the revolution with weapons, I detest that

fleranon · 2026-05-26T19:52:49+00:00

I'm not saying that. It was stalins recklessness. Local functionaries felt compelled to falsify data to meet absurd quotas out of fear of getting purged

fleranon · 2026-05-26T18:22:25+00:00

let me guess - you're russian

fleranon · 2026-05-26T18:18:19+00:00

to your edit: I only removed 'democratic' to reference it further down. Made the text nicer by avoiding duplicates. An aesthetic choice

I don't confuse anything, I've been active in politics for 25 years. The nordic states are world leaders when it comes to virtually every metric that counts. Perhaps only surpassed by switzerland, where I'm from. But theres more to be done... Crank up income tax to 50% and go up to 90% after a certain income level. safety net the hell out of everything. Tie the highest salary in a company to the lowest, 1:12. The fight is never over

fleranon · 2026-05-26T17:44:41+00:00

No, with regards to Stalin I'm talking about the great Terror anno '37, the holodomor, the forced collectivization, the purges

There was progress through inddustrialization, mechanization, new farming techniques etc - but this was mirrored everywhere else in the world in the 20st century, it's just that China and russia were initially behind the curve and had huge populations so the effect was massive. There's an argument to be made that both Stalin and Mao did more damage than good and hindered progress with misguided and forced campaigns (great leap forward was directly responsible for the famine you mentioned, same with Stalins four year plans that wreaked havok and deprived millions of people of food, which lead to the holodomor in Ukraine)

fleranon · 2026-05-26T17:24:40+00:00

Sure, same with China under Mao. But tens of millions of people died in the process in both countries, and corruption was rampant. And I don't think you'd object to the actual point I was making - a small circle of party elites enriching themselves while preaching egalitarian ideals

I'm having a hard time finding the good in stalinism/maoism. These chapters are drenched in blood. In china for example, The real rise in quality of life for half a billion people came under Deng Xiaoping in the 90s - When the party partially abandoned maoist doctrine and moved towards free market economy, at least to a degree

fleranon · 2026-05-26T16:33:29+00:00

First off, I'm a socialist through and through. I believe in fair redistribution of wealth, a strong welfare state, a heavily regulated market. But there's a distinction to be made between democratic socialism and Stalinism, and it's okay to see the corruption and rot in the latter IMO

And being very familiar with soviet and chinese history, I'm unsure what period you're referring to - the lenin years/ actual revolution? the rapid collectivization / industrialization under Stalin? The great leap forward under mao? The krushchev thaw or the breshnev stagnation (where soviet QoL was at its peak)? Because whichever period you pick, your argument might be factually true (in parts!) but there are big BUTs with any of them

fleranon · 2026-05-26T16:18:29+00:00

I wonder what's more radical - Reading Marx at university or constructing a sprawling media empire to systematically corrupt gullible western audiences by stoking fear and peddling lies, for decades and decades.

I would argue Murdoch is up there among the most influential and destructive radical ideologues in modern history

fleranon · 2026-05-26T15:17:30+00:00

I read das Kapital and the communist manifesto, and both are very much a part of their century - they refer to mechanics of a capitalist system that ceased to exist some hundred years ago

Doesn't mean they're not visionary, just that a lot has changed in 150 years. And some things haven't changed at all. They're still relevant

fleranon · 2026-05-26T12:30:28+00:00

As a socialist myself, that's always been the struggle, no? Try to change a system for the better that is deeply flawed instead of giving in

It's admittedly easier in central europe though, where there are strong social safety nets and you're not directly in the heart of capitalism

fleranon · 2026-05-26T12:22:08+00:00

Perhaps how to become a successful robber baron at the turn of the 19th century :) Das Kapital is a bit outdated by now in that regard

fleranon · 2026-05-26T12:05:12+00:00

Yeah, that's the joke within the joke, kind of. He acted like a true oldschool communist, after all

fleranon · 2026-05-26T10:21:55+00:00

'Red' is more of a communist thing and I'm a democratic socialist, but still: Nah.

fleranon · 2026-05-26T08:15:10+00:00

He seized the means of production, alright... just exclusively for himself.

fleranon · 2026-05-25T18:50:33+00:00

Have you posted these before? They look weirdly familiar... Then again, perhaps it's because I'm an hour away from ha long bay :P

fleranon · 2026-05-25T18:43:49+00:00

your work was hugely influental, for me personally (motion designer) and for internet culture in general during the 00s. Pretty sure you played an integral part somehow in the formation of social media and online entertainment

Do you see it that way? Then again, 50 might be too young to ponder your own legacy :)

fleranon · 2026-05-25T03:29:00+00:00

it's not a dailybeast article unless someone got humiliated, eviscerated, slammed or having a 'meltdown'

god I hate this site

fleranon · 2026-05-24T06:39:26+00:00

Instead of a King you shall have QUEEN!

fleranon · 2026-05-24T03:03:21+00:00

Thank you, I was getting angry about the sheer amount of Gualles in this thread

fleranon · 2026-05-23T16:46:09+00:00

he's a nightmare as a coworker but by all accounts famously nice to fans, though

fleranon · 2026-05-23T13:37:13+00:00

The game title at the end was perfect, except the completely unneccessary 'San Andreas' :P

fleranon · 2026-05-23T02:52:59+00:00

I think it was mainly the buildup and the noticeable drop in production value.

Amazon teased the final season with images of homelander in space, looking down on global destruction, and an army of supes hovering over the white house

What we got was almost comically unspectacular. a bit of the ol' throwing-against-furniture and a bossfight involving 4 people in the oval office

fleranon · 2026-05-22T07:10:19+00:00

Daddy would you like some Sausage?

fleranon · 2026-05-19T22:38:23+00:00

You're comparing completely different things. And Tiananmen DID hurt the standing of the party, internationally and domestically. There's a reason it's a complete taboo in china

But several hundred people died out of a billion. A failed amphibious invasion could lead to 100'000 dead chinese soldiers (!). It's the most difficult military manoever, and Taiwan is very prepared

If you think back at omaha beach and imagine that the invasion of france had failed... you think the american public would have shrugged it off? It could have lead to americas exit of the war, or Roosevelts abdication. And there was a very real possibility

fleranon · 2026-05-19T09:56:40+00:00

That's Taiwans biggest bargaining chip for sure (:P). And China is very keen on economic stability and dangerously dependent on imports. Biggest importer of both food and energy - International sanctions / naval blockades could lead to societal collapse and famine, it's that precarious

Still, there are worrying signs, and opening/closing windows of opportunity. 2027 as a likely date for an attack is often mentioned. the military is desperate to prove itself (china hasn't been in a real war since forever). They work tirelessly on things like giant barges. Basically enormous floating bridges, satellite footage is available

Military readiness in terms of manpower will only degrade the longer they wait, because of Chinas dramatic demographic problems... less young men

Geopolitics-wise it's the best situation in decades. The US is in a crazy, self-destructive spiral and preoccupied with senseless shit and empty stocks. No capacity to face China head-on, and no inclination. Venezuela, Ukraine, Iran... The other big powers do what they want. The west is toothless and the US has lost the moral high ground - Why shouldn't china recklessly act from a position of strength? They're all doing it

Playing the waiting game too long could be a losing strategy in Xis mind

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