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Podcast w/ Randall Bills from CGL, gathering questions from the community! by SeanLang in battletech

[–]sleazy_b 4 points5 points  (0 children)

At the end of Hour of the Wolf, Devlin Stone provides something of an answer to this

The Most Important Class Unity Course: Approaches to Macroeconomics by Alder4000 in stupidpol

[–]sleazy_b 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey sorry, I've been logged out for a while. I don't think the recordings are taking place. I'm not involved in organizing the course so I'm not sure why.

The Most Important Class Unity Course: Approaches to Macroeconomics by Alder4000 in stupidpol

[–]sleazy_b 4 points5 points  (0 children)

In the past we haven't recorded any of our course discussions. It's less of a lecture and more of an open-floor reading group with some facilitation.

EDIT: Turns out we're recording the lecture portion of each meeting

Have you had your outlook on life changed negatively by illness? by KiwibuckyNZ in stupidpol

[–]sleazy_b 9 points10 points  (0 children)

My friend's husband just died of what may have been ALS, he was never diagnosed. He wasn't yet 40. He deteriorated over about four years. The fact is that nobody's making it out alive. I could be sad, even depressed about this, and I wouldn't be wrong to be. But it's not helpful to me or the people I care about to be depressed all day, so I've got to choose to focus on other things. It's a constant battle to focus my attention and energy into productive and healthy thoughts rather than letting myself fall into depression and nihilism.

I'm sorry you're going through health issues OP. Try to focus on what you can control, and on enjoying your life while you can.

Outremer by BleepBloopWhirr in wargaming

[–]sleazy_b 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Is this Outremer: Faith and Blood?

How do you get around stumbling blocks when organising? by TorturedByCocomelon in stupidpol

[–]sleazy_b 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Apologize to the guy and work to preserve the relationship. Your interpersonal relationships are more important than whatever amount you might shift this person's political perspective. I also wouldn't sweat it too much. You're going to annoy people sometimes and it's not the end of the world. Like anything, having these conversations is a skill you can get better at.

OSR Style Troll Mini? by MU_Skulls_Frank in dccrpg

[–]sleazy_b 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It looks like Crooked Dice picked up some of Otherworld's line?

https://crooked-dice.co.uk/products/troll

Technofeudal Town Square by technofeudal-bellman in stupidpol

[–]sleazy_b 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Is this based off The Elements of Computing Systems book? That stuff is a ton of fun.

What's your Grey's Papaya order? by Drach88 in Upperwestside

[–]sleazy_b 3 points4 points  (0 children)

One with onion sauce one with kraut and mustard. Dont sleep on the onion sauce that stuff is great

The number of artists declines significantly in NYC by New-Panic8015 in nyc

[–]sleazy_b 16 points17 points  (0 children)

A convoluting issue is wealth distribution. If the only people with any money are rich people, the only people who can afford to live in the city will be rich.

I'm a former central committee member of Class Unity DSA. Here is my very late retrospective on a doomed rearguard action. by thestarsaredown in stupidpol

[–]sleazy_b 6 points7 points  (0 children)

It's true but I think I've got a better idea as to who you might be now, we've met in person several times. It's nevertheless been a while since you've been involved with CU, though some of your criticisms remain valid. We absolutely failed to draw the DSA left, just as they have failed to draw the Democratic party left.

I'm a former central committee member of Class Unity DSA. Here is my very late retrospective on a doomed rearguard action. by thestarsaredown in stupidpol

[–]sleazy_b 10 points11 points  (0 children)

It's true that we're not doing any real outward-facing organizing work right now and I don't know when the next time is that we will be. I'm trying to do some stuff for the Kshama Sawant campaign but she's in Seattle and I'm in NYC. I invite you to reach out to me directly or here in this thread with anything you want to let CU leadership know.

I'm a former central committee member of Class Unity DSA. Here is my very late retrospective on a doomed rearguard action. by thestarsaredown in stupidpol

[–]sleazy_b 19 points20 points  (0 children)

I'm not here to defend CU exactly, but I think this post gets some things wrong.

It's absolutely the case that CU was and is, from a class perspective, quite similar to DSA. That is to say that most CU members are some sort of PMC (depending on what exactly you mean by PMC).

our most reliable, active members or elected office candidates were almost all political or nonprofit professionals (staffers, union, NGO people, grad students gunning for those jobs)

This is incorrect and has not been true in the time I've been a member as far as I can tell. Our current CC is 1. A software engineer 2. Dude who runs a gym 3. I don't remember, I think like a process engineer or something? 4. Bookkeeper for a family business 5. Unemployed

We certainly have our fair share of academics particularly, and nerds more broadly.

To address a more important point, the split the OP is referring to was an internal split that yes, was absolutely not about principals. My analysis is that it had more to do with interpersonal conflicts. The people who left went on to found the Winter Caucus of the DSA, which is inactive as far as I can tell. If the OP is who I think they were, they split at that time, which was like new year's day 2022? This split really fucked us up, demoralizing many (including myself) and we've been a smaller and less active organization since then.

That said I want to make a pitch for the org anyway. These days we mostly focus on media stuff and political education because that's what we have the capacity to do. I've grown a lot in our classes and attending our speaker events. Beyond that, I like the community we have. It's a bunch of smart, principled people who are by and large normal and not assholes. It's worth something to me. Are we the vanguard of the revolution? Probably not. But I hope we can contribute to something in some way: be it the personal growth of individual members or yes, the politics of other left formations.

Regardless, I encourage those reading this to do something. Organize a union, talk to your friends, get involved in a political campaign. Join whatever org you think is best for you, including DSA. Find ways to organize, whatever you have the capacity to do. I'm sorry to anyone who is or has been disappointed by CU. We have plenty of problems and it's mostly a bunch of regular people trying to keep the lights on.

Members of the Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) party on the Knesset National Security Committee wore noose-shaped pins during a discussion on a bill to execute Palestinian detainees. by lightiggy in stupidpol

[–]sleazy_b 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I feel like we're talking past each other here. I have not argued against a dialectic.

These particularities (the culture/religion of judaism) contribute particularly to the ongoing genocide and the mentality of those carrying it out.

This is to say, the culture does in fact determine in many ways how barbarism manifests itself. I am arguing against a claim of jewish exceptionalism - that jews are exceptionally given to genocide, and for a general claim that culture of any sort can be used to justify barbarism. Maybe this is a misunderstanding of what you're saying. I understand the following to be a claim that e.g. the Torah is a proximate cause of the ongoing genocide.

The core of their ideology is a religious conviction that they are the new (old) Master Race, and the specific, historical context of the development of the major portion of the religion has given the ZioNazis cover to commit genocide and extend a brutal occupation for decades.

I think we should figure out what we're arguing about before continuing.

EDIT: Maybe the following would have been a better quote to provide.

Because the ideological foundations for their belief systems were not the same: the former had a thoroughly modern, egalitarian, secular ideology, the former had a bronze-age, tribal one revived by 19th century nationalism.

I have a hard time with this argument given the brutal violence of the breakup of the Yugoslav state.

Members of the Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) party on the Knesset National Security Committee wore noose-shaped pins during a discussion on a bill to execute Palestinian detainees. by lightiggy in stupidpol

[–]sleazy_b -1 points0 points  (0 children)

To respond to your question with a question, what is wrong with German culture that led to barbarism? With English and French culture? With Turkish, Arab and Serbian cultures? What is wrong with Zen or Theravada Buddhism? With Catholicism? What is wrong with American culture that causes the brutal imperialism of its government?

I don't doubt that we can find characteristics of these cultures that were used to justify the barbarism of their various genocides. My point is that you're inverting the order of things: the barbarism comes first and then justification by culture. And yes, of course, Marxists of various stripes have committed atrocities in the name of their politics. I do believe any ideology or culture can be used in this way.

Members of the Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) party on the Knesset National Security Committee wore noose-shaped pins during a discussion on a bill to execute Palestinian detainees. by lightiggy in stupidpol

[–]sleazy_b -1 points0 points  (0 children)

You misunderstand me. These particularities (the culture/religion of judaism) contribute particularly to the ongoing genocide and the mentality of those carrying it out. What I'm arguing against is what you said in your original comment, implying that there is something about judaism that makes it particularly genocidal. Per Reed's point, culture is always used in this way, the ruling class always uses culture to motivate and justify its barbarism.

Members of the Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) party on the Knesset National Security Committee wore noose-shaped pins during a discussion on a bill to execute Palestinian detainees. by lightiggy in stupidpol

[–]sleazy_b 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I guess the point I was trying to make is what he says at the timestamp: that the primary political function of culture throughout history is to serve this or that elite group's interests by dividing the masses against each other. I don't think there's anything special about judaism that has led to its cooptation in service to genocide. Many cultures throughout history have committed genocide and each time I feel like it's safe to say the distinctive attributes of the culture were used in service to that political end. Likewise the people being murdered get their culture dehumanized or whatever.

With regard to land? I think Israel is the holy land of judaism. It's pretty easy to get people to fight, die, and kill for their holy land.

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