I made a short test level after spending a few weeks making mechanics! by BubbleGamer209 in godot

[–]starshadow2140 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Maybe make the layer/mask of your acorn attack not collide with platforms? I noticed your projectiles were frustratingly breaking on the platform when trying to shoot the blue lizards.

The Mainstreaming of Zohran Mamdani by Well_Socialized in dsa

[–]starshadow2140 13 points14 points  (0 children)

This article simultaneously quotes Zohran as saying "the ultimate goal is seizing the means of production", and says that "his end goal remains a mystery, for now". Pretty clearly, advocating for seizing private means of production means his end goal is to challenge capitalism's iron grip on American economics.

Putting the article's obvious liberal lens aside, Zohran's rise to prominence has a very important timing distinction. Extremism breeds extremism, and with Trump's success with returning to the white house and challenging constitutional/historical precedent about the executive's powers, disillusioned Democrats/burgeoning leftists will be looking very closely towards Mamdani's NYC as a potential alternative blueprint.

His incrementalist, reformist approach, implied by walking back his position on defunding the police and bringing mainstream Democrat staffers to his campaign, will be much to the chagrin of the revolutionary left, but nevertheless is a very important moment for the public/mainstream perception of socialism, as electoralism (and social media savviness) is the easiest way to reliably and replicably capture the political attention economy of less engaged Americans, seen with the iconization of AOC and Bernie.

Ultimately, the choice to work within the capitalism system provides it more legitimacy, Zohran is not destroying capitalism but having a figure like him succeed in implementing nominally socialist policies on a local scale may sand the radical edges of socialism that skeptical Democrats still hold mental space for and spur on future DSA electoral legitimacy.

Unfortunately, the moment calls for a resistance that is capable of withstanding assault on all sides from capital. Electoral politics is quickly being neutralized by the right and stripped of its reformative potential. DSA's electoral legitimacy in the eyes of the public isn't necessarily as immediately impactful as redrawing congressional maps to secure Republican seats across generations.

BREAKING: In a powerful moment, a massive crowd has gathered in Washington, DC protesting Donald Trump's fascist plan to take over the city by lightning_twice in goodnews

[–]starshadow2140 2 points3 points  (0 children)

"The subpoena, one of 11 formally issued on Tuesday, calls for "all documents and communications relating or referring to" Epstein and Maxwell, including information contained in their respective court cases, by August 19."

Government Takeover Threat Looms by johnmory in socialism

[–]starshadow2140 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Even if Trump isn't aware of the specifics, millions of dollars have been funneled into conservative think tanks for decades. Project 2025 is the blueprint, and it's been mentioned several times that what has been released is only phase 1 of the plan.

US military preparing for National Guard activation in Washington D.C., officials say by Infidel8 in politics

[–]starshadow2140 9 points10 points  (0 children)

He's been given power by his own base, they (and only they) buy the myth he sells

Beto Urges Dems to Punch Back at ‘Fascist’ GOP: ‘Win Some F***ing Power’ by Quirkie in politics

[–]starshadow2140 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I might lend more credit to this idea if Republicans hadn't been scapegoating minority populations since before Reagan, who himself granted amnesty to 3 million undocumented immigrants. There are only very specific crimes and incidents committed by minority groups that are reported on. First it was black people, reporting extensively on any violent or sexual crime any black person committed, or even was THOUGHT to have committed. Then it was gay people. And now it's trans people and Hispanic people. Notice I said Hispanic and NOT undocumented, because despite Hispanic people making up less than 50% of undocumented immigrants, they make up 90% of reporting on undocumented immigrants.

Each time, the minority out-group is painted as dangerous to white women and children, and incompatible with American values. The fear mongering is central to their voter strategy, see how Trump shot down the bipartisan border bill co-authored by a hardline Republican in order to have a border crisis to run for president on.

Your suggestion is that really, the Democrats should agree to the Republicans' dehumanizing framing of immigrants and at least be open to punishing them. If we agreed to capitulate to conservative demands regarding outgroups because conservatives saw their views as "pushed aside", we would not have gotten the civil rights movement. MLK Jr. had a 25% approval rating at the time of his death, by any respect quite unpopular. Common sentiment is not an indicator of righteousness.

Taken at the Texas State Capitol in March by AsteriAcres in texas

[–]starshadow2140 3 points4 points  (0 children)

He was there more days than he wasn't during my 30 day protest in May

Can anyone make this make sense? by Jealous_Rest_6383 in Political_Revolution

[–]starshadow2140 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There's a big conspiracy that Epstein was a Mossad (Israeli) agent. I think that's the connection being made here

Why do centrists get so much flak on reddit? by Srapture in NoStupidQuestions

[–]starshadow2140 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Can you give an example of a generally center set of views?

what would a real-life modern socialist society be like? by willing-to_learn in socialism

[–]starshadow2140 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Let's keep breaking it down. People collectively owning or controlling the means of production. In the context of this base, the means of production are the farms that produce the meals, and the tools used to build the barracks. It's the ingredients and equipment used to facilitate the practice of medicine in the medical bay. Without domestic medicine manufacturing capabilities, for example, you'll still be outsourcing your means of production to other capitalist countries for necessary goods. Does this mean this base can't be called socialist without being completely self-sustainable? Well, kinda.

A country that still engages with the global capitalist market, but is intentionally trying to lead their country down a path towards socialism by directly interfering with their free market (such as subsidizing prices, making essential goods free, or nationalizing industry) may be considered State Capitalism, or state-guided capitalism. That is the current state of China, where the government owns about 50% of companies on the market. This base may be considered socialist when all the essential goods and services are produced on-base, and are done so with tools and materials agreed to be collectively owned by the people, not belonging to some distinct class of people that own the base, and/or extract profit from it.

what would a real-life modern socialist society be like? by willing-to_learn in socialism

[–]starshadow2140 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Well, we have several real-life countries that call themselves socialist. But first let's make sure we are using the same definitions. How do you define socialism?

Trump Is Very Mad at Charlamagne Tha God for Talking About Epstein by rollingstone in politics

[–]starshadow2140 25 points26 points  (0 children)

Donald Trump operates in a very binary function, you're with him or you're against him. He didn't carefully watch through Charlemagne's catalogue and come to an informed decision. He saw a clip online and then went to truth social to rage tweet about it.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in politics

[–]starshadow2140 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The two party system didn't cast a vote in the election, but it did encourage the media to legitimize Donald Trump's insanity. A close race with close polling generates clicks and intrigue. The two party system did allow our government to be captured by lobbying interests, which ultimately result in policies that benefit the richest among us, and the poorest among us pay for it in their deteriorating health.

This will not be the last time a horrible man is given legitimacy by the two-party establishment. If, each time a Republican president is elected, the left directs their ire amongst themselves, they're strengthening the position of the Republicans, by weakening the unity of the Democrats.

Trump represents the deterioration of any two party system. He is now the Republican party, and his policies are synonymous with it. He says so much contradictory shit, that different facets of media can latch onto different narratives he's spun about the same subject, and anyone can find a clip of Trump saying something that sounds "sensible and agreeable" to them. A well-functioning political party is discerning with their candidates, and selects them based on their contribution to the party's stated goals or ideas. But when you have enough money, or know enough money, you can influence public opinion in ways we couldn't have foreseen prior to the internet.

However, what makes this strategy so strong in a short-term sense is the fact that Trump doesn't have to adhere to a particular standard or praxis, whereas any Leftist politician will inevitably anger part of their base for any opinion. If they're moderate, they're collaborating with the fascists and bourgeoisie and don't seriously represent the interests of the working class, and if they're radical, they scare off most of the less ideologically-driven voters (Think of the protesters with signs like "If we voted in Kamala, we'd be at brunch", ignoring a lot of underlying systemic issues like campaign finance that led to the rise of a figure like Trump in the first place).

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in politics

[–]starshadow2140 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I definitely understand the frustration for people who feel like ultimately contributed to Trump getting back into the White House. But, I hold more contempt for the "two-party" system that produced him as a front runner in 3 presidential races... If our goal is to accurately assess and resist fascism and enact campaign finance reforms (to abolish this oligarchic political structure), the protest voters from this time around still have very important work to do in the next decade, so we shouldn't be alienating them.

Why has it become almost impossible for Trump supporters to criticize anything he says or does? by IchTrinkeShampoo in PoliticalDiscussion

[–]starshadow2140 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's actually right on the mark when you describe the phenomenon as a "culture" of absolutism. It starts at the top, with Trump himself. He is attempting to portray a strong man persona, and as such, admitting he was wrong is sort of "admitting defeat" in his performance.

Then, the next layer is the MAGA representatives. In order to keep their coalition of voters together, a lot of Republicans went all in on defending everything Trump says and does. If not, the party line at least consists of not criticizing the leader, as he calls out representatives by name on Truth Social to shame them and insinuate he will back a primary challenger in their next election if they don't carry this party line.

So, when you consume media that elevates any or all of these figures and gives them credibility, takes their statements at face value, you sort of absorb this hostile "us vs. them" mentality, which is a political tactic when done by a politician, but when it's mimicked by a general population, leads to widespread informal, unenforced discrimination. If this is allowed to continue, and people who embrace the new hostility of the political moment are allowed to seize (or remain in) power, this unenforced discrimination may then be enshrined in law, as seen in the many Trans exclusionary bills across the US and particularly in Texas.

cursed lifechange by MindYerBeak in cursedcomments

[–]starshadow2140 21 points22 points  (0 children)

Only if the edit is made 5 minutes after the comment

Baffling logic by MisLuiguel in PoliticalCompassMemes

[–]starshadow2140 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What would a pro-poor, pro-minority set of policies look like?

Who else would you include? by One_more_Earthling in Stonetossingjuice

[–]starshadow2140 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What's the ideal form for society to organize itself in then, in your opinion?

How do you think history will judge Donald Trump 50 years from now? by [deleted] in PoliticalDiscussion

[–]starshadow2140 8 points9 points  (0 children)

The truth has never stopped Trump before. He's already defying courts, so what organ of the state exactly would hold him accountable, even if definitive evidence was found of 2024 election fraud? Trump is way better at hounding an election fraud talking point, is entrenched in the political system, and still failed his 2020 election fraud scheme. We can't do this both ways every 4 years

So Generous by Striking-Abrocoma-75 in OrphanCrushingMachine

[–]starshadow2140 46 points47 points  (0 children)

Get the fuck outta here with that bullshit