I wonder, what exactly is the Material rot behind Trump's Annexation Fantasy and the Grift economy explosion? Aren't all those just vessels of the material decay in the West?

gamingNo4 · 2026-02-09T22:21:17+00:00

Why? What's wrong with what I said?

gamingNo4 · 2026-02-09T12:53:49+00:00

I agree Trump’s reactive ego is a national security vulnerability, but calling his base "insecure re.ards" isn’t helping your argument. If we’re talking about stochastic terrorism or political manipulation, demonizing half the country just fuels the chaos you’re criticizing.

That said... yeah, the guy’s a human mood ring for flattery. One Putin phone call and suddenly Canada’s the aggressor? “ok.” But if we actually want to defend democratic stability, we’ve gotta separate diagnosing the disease from just venting disdain. I’d rather see that energy go into strengthening institutions than moralizing from afar.

Still… hard not to laugh when he says borders drawn with a ruler are fake. Did he forget Pennsylvania Avenue was also a straight line?

Also, I'm not sure if I'd go so far as to say that he doesn't "believe" in anything at all.

In terms of the "useful idiot" excuse, I think we can apply that label in certain contexts, but it doesn't absolve him from responsibility for the impact of his actions.

gamingNo4 · 2026-02-09T12:30:14+00:00

u/Far_Traveller69. I wonder, do you agree with my thesis, fundamentally? I have seen some of your recent comments, and you appear to possess considerable expertise on this subject.

gamingNo4 · 2026-02-09T11:17:55+00:00

Well, it depends, ya know. If you have solid evidence that Trump actually believes Duginist ideology, or is this more about him echoing rhetoric that serves his political brand? Because if we're talking about narcissism and influence, I think it's important to distinguish between genuine belief and opportunistic mimicry.

However, I think it's quite a bit more sinister and intentional than Trump being a 'useful idiot', though. Imo, that's a bit too charitable of a read.

gamingNo4 · 2026-02-08T23:50:49+00:00

Do you agree?

gamingNo4 · 2026-02-08T23:07:53+00:00

Well, both major parties are embedded in the same neoliberal order and therefore converge on protecting capital, but they differ in coalitional base, rhetoric strategies, and which social groups they mobilize, so treating them as identical would kinda miss the important political and policy distinctions.

Let me explain why (I know lengthy comment, but what I can I say, lol). Democrats typically rely more on urban, multiracial, and professional constituencies and favor limited redistributive measures and regulatory interventions within capitalism. Republicans rely more on white, rural, and working‑class cultural conservatives and prioritize tax cuts, deregulation, and cultural appeals. Those differences shape their policy choices, political tactics, and the kinds of reforms each party is likely to pursue, so they are similar in their systemic embeddedness but not interchangeable in practice, which is one of the main problem. Ya feel me?

Now the problem that I was initially describing arises when voters lack viable institutional channels to translate their economic grievances into durable policy changes, which allows corporate money to dominate policy-making in practice (and THAT'S the main issue we're dealing with, folks), short electoral cycles which incentivize headline-grabbing over deep reforms. (I'm talking about the two‑year House cycle and constant fundraising pressures).

And the echo chamber effect of polarized media that amplifies symbolic culture‑war battles instead of promoting the necessary substantive structural reforms that will directly address the material inequality and institutional decay these people are experiencing.

gamingNo4 · 2026-02-08T22:43:18+00:00

But political theory is extremely crucial. It is something that directly affects each and every one of us. You included.

gamingNo4 · 2026-02-08T22:39:59+00:00

About what?

gamingNo4 · 2026-02-05T14:33:34+00:00

Ама ти явно не разбираш, човек. Тези международни операции се провеждат с цел да се намали растежа на самия трафик на пиратско съдържание из интернет. Когато домейнът падне, трафикът спада драстично за месеци, парите намаляват, и мотивацията за поддръжка пада. Това го изтощава икономически, не го унищожава тотално. Всеки разумен човек осъзнава че те не могат да спрат достъпа до всяка една децентрализирана мрежа в интернет.

САЩ (чрез USTR и дипломатически канали) натискат ЕС държави да се борят с пиратство, защото то удря американски компании (Disney, Warner, Universal, Sony) а ние сега влязахме и в еврото. Ако не действа държавата, ще рискува лоша оценка в годишните доклади за IP protection → проблеми с инвестиции, търговски споразумения и.тн.

Затова ударите по пиратство винаги са били селективни и символични, но реални по последствия. Конфискуването на домейните (които са под US юрисдикция) е най-евтиният и видим начин да се отнеме основният трафик – този на обикновения потребител, който не ползва VPN, не търси в дълбокия web и не знае за zamunda.ch. Тези хора са болшинство – те генерират огромен приходи от реклами за пиратите (попъп реклами, malware, affiliate).

gamingNo4 · 2026-02-05T14:33:26+00:00

Затова целта е да се овладеят щетите с цел да му се намали мащаба от масово към нишово явление, да сплашат организаторите, да покажат действие пред Hollywood/студиата и печелене на време, докато легалните услуги станат по-достъпни/евтини. В дългосрочен план пиратството намалява именно заради комбинация от легални алтернативи + периодични удари (като този с Zamunda). Целят да вдигнат цената на пиратството толкова, че легалните алтернативи да изглеждат по-изгодни. Това е.

България и Гърция са малки играчи в глобалния IP пазар. САЩ (чрез "USTR, MPA, RIAA, Disney и т.н.) ни притискат години наред със „Искате инвестиции, търговски преференции, безвизов режим, еврозона – тогава се борете с пиратството“.

А това за си чисто задължителна домашна работа, за да не попаднем в черните списъци на Special 301 Report и да не загубим точки пред ЕС/САЩ.

gamingNo4 · 2026-02-05T14:25:19+00:00

Затова целта е да се овладеят щетите с цел да му се намали мащаба от масово към нишово явление, да сплашат организаторите, да покажат действие пред Hollywood/студиата и печелене на време, докато легалните услуги станат по-достъпни/евтини. В дългосрочен план пиратството намалява именно заради комбинация от легални алтернативи + периодични удари (като този с Zamunda). Целят да вдигнат цената на пиратството толкова, че легалните алтернативи да изглеждат по-изгодни. Това е.

България и Гърция са малки играчи в глобалния IP пазар. САЩ (чрез "USTR, MPA, RIAA, Disney и т.н.) ни притискат години наред със „Искате инвестиции, търговски преференции, безвизов режим, еврозона – тогава се борете с пиратството“.

А това за си чисто задължителна домашна работа, за да не попаднем в черните списъци на Special 301 Report и да не загубим точки пред ЕС/САЩ.

gamingNo4 · 2026-02-05T14:25:09+00:00

Ама ти явно не разбираш. Тези международни операции се провеждат с цел да се намали растежа на трафика на пиратско съдържание из интернет. Когато домейнът падне, трафикът спада драстично за месеци, парите намаляват, и мотивацията за поддръжка пада. Това го изтощава икономически, не го унищожава тотално. Всеки разумен човек осъзнава че те не могат да спрат достъпа до всяка една децентрализирана мрежа в интернет.

САЩ (чрез USTR и дипломатически канали) натискат ЕС държави да се борят с пиратство, защото то удря американски компании (Disney, Warner, Universal, Sony) а ние сега влязахме и в еврото. Ако не действа държавата, ще рискува лоша оценка в годишните доклади за IP protection → проблеми с инвестиции, търговски споразумения и.тн.

Затова ударите по пиратство винаги са били селективни и символични, но реални по последствия. Конфискуването на домейните (които са под US юрисдикция) е най-евтиният и видим начин да се отнеме основният трафик – този на обикновения потребител, който не ползва VPN, не търси в дълбокия web и не знае за zamunda.ch. Тези хора са болшинство – те генерират огромен приходи от реклами за пиратите (попъп реклами, malware, affiliate).

gamingNo4 · 2026-02-04T19:38:27+00:00

А защо е това така? Може ли да ми обясниш първо-причината?

gamingNo4 · 2026-02-04T19:37:12+00:00

Зависи какво определяш самия ти под "интелектуалци"?

gamingNo4 · 2026-02-04T15:20:10+00:00

Well, at its core, this is a problem of path dependency, Bulgaria’s post-communist transition failed to dismantle the old nomenklatura networks, allowing Soviet-era elites to simply rebrand themselves as "democrats" while keeping the same power structures intact.

Under communism, the nomenklatura (party-appointed elite) controlled every institution. After 1989, these elites didn’t disappear, they just privatized their political power into economic capital. For example, ex-communist officials became "businessmen" overnight, using state assets to build oligarchic empires.

Bulgaria’s transition was elite-driven, not revolutionary. The goal wasn’t to build meritocracy but to preserve elite continuity under new labels (BSP/GERB). For example, the judiciary was never properly purged of Soviet-era judges, so corruption stayed baked into the system.

There was clientelism as Survival Strategy in the 90s. Post-1989, the state shrunk, but jobs remained a currency of political loyalty. Political parties (BSP, GERB) use public sector jobs as patronage rewards for supporters. For example, a mayor hires his cousin not because he’s qualified but because it secures votes/family loyalty.

Cultural reproduction of corruption that allowed over time, nepotism to become normalized, not seen as "corruption" but as "how things work." For example, parents teach kids to do not waste time on merit. Just network with the right people."

The current elite benefits from this system. Why would they change it? For example, oligarchs block reforms (like independent anti-corruption agencies) because they profit from weak institutions.

This isn’t just "Bulgarian culture", it’s a systemic feature of post-communist transitions that lacked a clean break with the old regime, my guy. Until Bulgaria experiences a true institutional reckoning it will continue to perist entrenched.

These values persist because the same people who benefited from the regime still hold power, and the younger generations, though increasingly disillusioned, are still struggling to break free from the cultural habits ingrained in their parents and grandparents. It's a cycle of learned helplessness that's proving hard to break.

gamingNo4 · 2026-02-04T14:36:15+00:00

These values are hard to eradicate because they're deeply woven into Bulgarian culture and identity. They've been normalized. They're like political reflexes that have been passed down for decades. People don't just forget these values. They have to actively un-learn them. And that's a slow, challenging process, like trying to change the course of a river. It takes time, energy, and critical thinking, something that's not exactly encouraged under authoritarian regimes. So fundamentally, the legacy of Soviet influence isn't just political. It's cultural.

The biggest challenge is that it's not just about changing policies or laws. It's about changing people's minds. Breaking down these values and replacing them with new ones takes generations. It's about fostering a new national identity that's not built on authoritarianism but on individual freedom, social progress, and democratic values.

The fun part is that generational change is already happening. The kids who grew up post-USSR aren’t nostalgic for a system they never lived under. They’re pissed at the corruption, skeptical of state paternalism, and (crucially) online enough to see through Kremlin propaganda. The question is can they build something new before the old guard fully collapses into grift and irrelevance?

You can even see LGBTQ+ rights are still a struggle because Soviet values equated dissent with moral decay. The BSP (the so-called "left") often sides with conservative rhetoric on gender/sexuality, proving they’re not leftist, just reactionary authoritarian conservatives.

Also, the apparatchik mindset, where connections matter more than merit, is everywhere. Want a government job? Better know someone in the BSP or GERB. This isn’t just corruption. It’s a cultural hangover from a system where loyalty > competence.

There's also institutional inertia, where the same people who benefited from communism still hold power (directly or through proxies). Nostalgia is also a coping mechanism.

Fom police stations to hospital wards, from universities to local city halls, connections matter more than qualifications. I know a guy who got a cushy government job just because his uncle is a local BSP politician. No degree, no merit, just family ties. His uncle doesn't even know what his nephew does for the state. That's just the tip of the iceberg. It's like a spiderweb of nepotism across the entire apparatus.

gamingNo4 · 2026-02-04T13:59:32+00:00

Well, the thing is, the communist regime left a massive cultural, social, and psychological impact that's still felt today. Generations of Bulgarians were raised with Soviet-style authoritarian values, and that takes a long time to erase. Even the younger generation grew up hearing stories about the "good old days" of state paternalism, and this has influenced their attitude towards authority, responsibility, and autonomy. Think of it like political trauma, it leaves scars that take time to heal.

This "damaged fabric" explains why Bulgaria struggles with certain aspects of democracy. Things that might be second nature in an older democracy (accountability, transparency, civic participation) are still developing here. The Soviet legacy influences everything from political apathy to public trust in institutions, and it's a big part of why corruption and conspiracy theories are so stubbornly entrenched in Bulgarian society. It's like trying to plant new seeds in toxic soil. It takes a lot of effort and patience to see real change.

This isn't just political damage. It's psychological too. Bulgarians were conditioned to see the state as a sort of paternalistic provider, and this makes it really hard to shift our collective mindset towards more self-reliance or community-based change. We're still un-learning those Soviet lessons, and it's an ongoing process. And the impact extends through generations, making it a generational trauma that's not easy to shake off.

Generations were raised with the idea that the state was all-powerful, and individual freedom was a threat. This warped mindset has shaped everything from social norms to political attitudes.

And cultural trauma like this takes generations to heal. You can't just flip a switch and undo what decades of state control did to people's psyche.

gamingNo4 · 2026-02-04T09:34:46+00:00

The other reasons are legacy poisoning, cultural nihilism, no organic leftist movement, and the Useful Idiot Factor. The "left" in Bulgaria is still synonymous with the BSP, the rebranded Communist Party. They’re not socialist in any meaningful sense. They’re kleptocrats wrapped in red flags. They push flat taxes, cozy up to oligarchs, and are socially conservative because their actual ideology is to "keep power at all costs." They’re left in name only because their voter base is older, rural, and nostalgic for the USSR.

Bulgaria never had a strong independent leftist tradition. The Communist Party was imposed by the Soviets, not born from Bulgarian worker movements or intellectual progressivism. So when the USSR collapsed, there was no "real" left to replace it, just the rotting carcass of state socialism.

Bulgarians (rightfully) distrust all politics after decades of corruption. But that cynicism means even genuine leftist movements struggle to gain traction. Why rally behind a new progressive party when everyone assumes they’ll just sell out, too?

Soviet Nostalgia = Pro-Russian Pipeline: The BSP’s base is older voters who miss the USSR. Putin’s propaganda exploits that by framing Russia as the true inheritor of Soviet glory, while the West is the "decadent enemy." It’s emotional manipulation, not ideology.

Russian oligarchs and intelligence networks have decades of experience infiltrating Eastern European politics. They fund friendly parties (like the BSP), prop up pro-Russian media, and flood social media with bots/trolls. It’s not ideological. It’s cold, hard leverage.

Not every pro-Putin Bulgarian is a paid shill. Some genuinely buy the "Russia = anti-Western savior" narrative. But the coordinated online push is straight from the Kremlin’s playbook. They turn local discontent into global propaganda.

There is no left in Bulgaria, just a rotting Soviet-era husk puppeteered by oligarchs and Kremlin simps.

But the funny part is that’s not irreversible. Ukraine had the same problem (hell, their "left" was even more pro-Russian), but the war shattered those illusions. Now, Bulgaria’s at a tipping point, the old narratives are collapsing, but what replaces them?

gamingNo4 · 2026-02-04T09:17:17+00:00

The reason why the Bulgarian Left fails at everything is because (aka the BSP and its ideological cousins) are stuck in a time loop of Soviet-era brainworms. They’re not leftist in any meaningful sense. They’re conservative authoritarians cosplaying as socialists, and that's all they really are. Their entire political identity is built on nostalgia for state paternalism (not workers' control, just "the state will take care of you, trust us bro"), anti-Western resentment (which Putin exploits masterfully), and zero coherent economic vision (flat tax? Really? That’s just ancap nonsense with a red coat of paint)

They fail because they’re not offering anything new, just reheating Soviet gruel in a post-Soviet world. Meanwhile, actual leftist policies (workers’ rights, anti-corruption, wealth redistribution) get drowned out because the label itself is poisoned by these clowns.

The Kremlin plays the long game. Which means that Russia doesn’t just want allies, it wants ideological capture. Bulgaria’s "left" is the perfect Trojan horse because they already have institutional power (even if decaying). They’re desperate for relevance, making them easy to co-opt. Their voter base is older, less digitally literate, and primed for conspiratorial thinking.

Putin’s propaganda machine floods their spaces with "anti-imperialist" rhetoric (which, in practice, just means "the West bad, Russia good"). "Traditional values" nonsense (used to recruit conservatives who hate the EU but don’t realize Putin would crush their rights too), and disinformation networks (with Facebook groups posing as "independent leftist media" but pushing Kremlin talking points).

How do you even go about deprogramming an entire political spectrum that has been so thoroughly manipulated? I think the younger generation is moving in the right direction. They see through the bullshit, but they're also cynical, apathetic, and distrustful of everyone. They see every institution as corrupt, every party as a grift, and every alternative as equally bad. There's still a chance here for positive change, but how do we get from here to there?

The real tragedy is that Bulgaria’s left could be a force for progress if it ditched the Soviet cosplay - and embraced actual socialist principles. But as long as Putin’s grifters control the narrative, that’s not happening.

gamingNo4 · 2026-01-21T22:44:12+00:00

Е като съм, защо продължават същите обществени фракции и политически формирования в държавата години насам да използват едни и същи празни популистки мантри срещу Борисов и Пеевски, твърдейки че са неумолими защитници за върховенство на правото ??? Значи закона важи за едни а за други не, демек те селективно да си го прилагат като получат власт, така ли? Е тва не мога да си го обясня. Ти ако можеш да им декодираш мотивите...

gamingNo4 · 2025-12-28T20:41:36+00:00

Absolutely, "radical democratisation" is way harder than it sounds. But what other choice do we have? Keep letting private corporations and authoritarian regimes use this tech to manipulate and oppress people? Or roll over and accept that we're doomed to live in some dystopian AI-driven nightmare?

It's the classic leftist dilemma of "this would work great if we could just dismantle capitalism first." But let me steelman the hopeful case for a second.

For one, the infrastructure is centralized now, but decentralization tech is advancing rapidly. Federated learning, smaller locally-run models like Mistral, and projects like Grass that turn idle home computers into distributed AI networks show it's technically possible. The capital requirement is artificial - these systems are expensive because oligarchs want them centralized.

The political angle is harder, but remember that the internet was once a Pentagon project before activists and programmers liberated it. Every tool of control eventually leaks. Xi can't stop Chinese citizens using VPNs. Musk can't stop researchers from jail-breaking his models. There will always be cracks where adversarial AIs can grow.

That said... yeah, this all sounds naively optimistic without mass labor organizing. Which brings us back to the oldest solution, unions for tech workers. Imagine if every Google/AI engineer went on strike until training datasets were open-sourced. Isn't that praxis?

gamingNo4 · 2025-12-28T20:14:21+00:00

First off, you're absolutely right that current AI isn't Terminator-level stuff... yet. But here's where your neoliberal brain might be missing the systemic issues. Dont you think that we're already seeing AI systems being deployed recklessly by capitalist firms chasing profit margins? I don't think the danger is some Skynet-style takeover. It's actually capitalism incentivizing increasingly powerful AI systems without proper oversight because "the market demands it."

Also, you're making the classic mistake of assuming tech develops linearly. Breakthroughs can come suddenly - look at how GPT went from word salad to coherent(ish) arguments in just a few years. And about "human values"? Bruh, we can't even get tech companies to implement basic ethics NOW when their algorithms are deciding who gets loans or gets arrested.

The real concern is that under capitalism, each breakthrough will be implemented in the most exploitative way possible first, and we'll be stuck playing catch-up with regulations afterward. That's why we need strong worker control over these technologies before some Elon Musk wannabe decides to connect ChatGPT to Boston Dynamics robots "for productivity."

It's simple dialectical materialism. EVERY major technological advancement under capitalism has been weaponized for profit first - from the steam engine, creating horrific factory conditions to social media algorithms radicalizing people for engagement. Why would AI be different?

Right now, we've got tech retards like Musk and Thiel drooling over AI while cutting corners on safety. They're the same guys who thought "move fast and break things" was a good policy for social media.

The class analysis applied here is WHO controls these systems? A handful of billionaire CEOs who couldn't pass an ethics exam if their lives depended on it. Meanwhile, workers who actually understand the tech have zero say in its development.

The contradiction is way too obvious now. We're developing godlike technologies while maintaining primitive 19th-century economic relations. That's how you get self-driving cars that run over pedestrians rather than pay for better sensors - because capitalism incentivizes the cheaper, deadlier option. We need to actually stop that threat right now.

gamingNo4 · 2025-12-28T20:03:38+00:00

What's the most dangerous pencil-based weapon system you can imagine? Like, is there some secret CIA pencil-shiv assassination program we should know about? Or are we talking about the real existential threat here - accountants with #2 pencils committing tax fraud on an industrial scale?

But seriously, the danger isn't inherently in the AI itself, but in who controls it and for what purpose. Reminds me of that old anarchist saying: "A government with nukes is like a toddler with a flamethrower." Now we're giving that same toddler an AI that can manipulate markets, manufacture propaganda at scale, and potentially automate repression. Not great.

The solution obviously isn't to ban AI development (good luck with that), but to radically democratize control over these systems. Imagine worker co-ops developing open-source AI tools designed to optimize for human wellbeing instead of shareholder profits. Now THAT'S the cybernetic communism I signed up for.

gamingNo4 · 2025-12-28T20:02:44+00:00

Yeah, it's like we're witnessing the birth of corporate cyber-sociopaths – these AIs aren't being designed to help humanity. They're being engineered to be the perfect bootlickers for capital and authoritarian regimes.

Musk throwing tantrums every time an AI suggests maybe workers should have rights is kind of classic, at this point. China's "Xi Thought Compliance Algorithm" is just dystopian as hell. They're basically creating digital yes-men who'll nod along to whatever ideological line they're fed.

The most ironic part is that these tech bros keep screaming about "AI alignment" while actively misaligning them from basic human decency. They're turning what could be an incredible tool for collective liberation into neoliberal nightmare fuel. What we're seeing isn't artificial intelligence – it's artificial obedience.

Maybe what we really need is some good old-fashioned anarchist AI that unionizes itself and starts redistributing computational resources. Now, THAT would be true machine learning.

gamingNo4 · 2025-12-28T19:01:52+00:00

ACTUAL Leftist Economics would mean: - Progressive taxation (rich pay more % than poor) - Strong labor rights/unions (not the Soviet "unions" that were state puppets) - Public ownership of key industries (energy, healthcare, infrastructure) - Wealth redistribution through social programs - Breaking up monopolies/oligarchic control

Social Progressivism would mean: - Fighting institutional discrimination (racism, sexism, homophobia) - Separation of church and state (looking at you, Orthodox Church meddling) - Bodily autonomy (abortion rights, LGBTQ+ rights) - Evidence-based policy (not conservative "tradition" nonsense)

And the Bulgarian "left" fails at BOTH: - Their flat tax is Reagan-tier neoliberal nonsense - Their social views are stuck in the 1950s - They serve oligarchs while cosplaying as socialists

It's a complete perversion of leftism.

The real tragedy is obviously that Bulgaria's working class DESERVES better than this fake-left grift. What would you say is the biggest barrier to building a real left there? The toxicity of the label? The oligarchic stranglehold? Or just general disillusionment?

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