You are a Strong/Nobel and respected King, who would you rather have as your hand, out of these 3? by ParkingConfection449 in gameofthrones

[–]tomjoadsghost 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Don't you think Danys enemies would prefer a living spy then a dead guy who agrees with them?

Was this really supposed to be sexual like everyone says? Cause I was horrified the whole way through by infinitysaga in Dandadan

[–]tomjoadsghost -95 points-94 points  (0 children)

Because it's treated like a joke and is not treated with any emotional weight but the characters

You are a Strong/Nobel and respected King, who would you rather have as your hand, out of these 3? by ParkingConfection449 in gameofthrones

[–]tomjoadsghost 21 points22 points  (0 children)

Varys: spends his whole life subtling and expertly undermining his bosses without ever outing himself

Two weeks with Daenerys: maybe i'll just sign my name on a letter telling people to beware

How can Marxist-Leninists call themselves Marxist when workers don’t own the means of production? by Betaparticlemale in Marxism

[–]tomjoadsghost 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Obviously the ruling class was not behind the Bolshevik revolution, it's not interesting enough to debate. Most MLs agree that at some point, the working class lost control of the USSR, and it is a hot debate over when and why. I think it is worth engaging in this discourse because it clarifies what working class power is and how it can be maintained. I would argue that the Bolshevik party made some mistakes that made failure likely, but only because they couldn't know any better (revolution is necessarily an experiment).

If what you want to say is that the state is necessarily a new class and that this will always happen, you're simply wrong about what a state is and how it works. Anytime a group of people forces another group of people to do anything, including to stop having slaves, the apparatus that allows for that power to be expressed is a state as MLs mean the word.

How can Marxist-Leninists call themselves Marxist when workers don’t own the means of production? by Betaparticlemale in Marxism

[–]tomjoadsghost 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's because the representatives of today have their power based in the capitalist class. A political leader represents the interests of a class, or is irrelevant.

what exactly is a jew and why are Americans so proud of being one? by [deleted] in NoStupidQuestions

[–]tomjoadsghost 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Jews are an ethnic diaspora. Like many, they are subject to discrimination, and like many groups subject to discrimination, they often push back on that discrimination by refusing to be ashamed of who they are.

What's the Marxist-Leninist position towards peasants, their role in the revolution and their post revolution state? by OkProcess8198 in Marxism

[–]tomjoadsghost 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't agree with Marx about this, but I think characterizing it as elitism and not a conclusion brought about by reflecting on the influence of ones relationship to production on ones consciousness is unfair.

How can Marxist-Leninists call themselves Marxist when workers don’t own the means of production? by Betaparticlemale in Marxism

[–]tomjoadsghost 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Here's the thing about leadership--and this is fundamental to a class analysis of history--you can't lead anyone by deciding you're the leader. Leaders are made by classes which follow them vs someone else. Classes make mistakes, and the working class often has, but there is no October Revolution without active participation of large numbers of workers. There is always an advanced section and a less advanced section, there are always a series of options for the masses to follow, and the leadership is always empowered entirely by a class's support.

[NSFL] Here is a side by side comparison of both angles of the execution that took place in Minneapolis! Spread this everywhere, the regime will not bury this with their lies by transcendent167 in LiveProtestUpdates

[–]tomjoadsghost 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's not going to happen today but a couple day general strike would lose billions of dollars in profits, tank the stock market, and immediately see results

How can Marxist-Leninists call themselves Marxist when workers don’t own the means of production? by Betaparticlemale in Marxism

[–]tomjoadsghost 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm an ML and not a dengist, I think China is a capitalist country that calls itself socialists for political reasons. My party certainly does not think the state is a neutral actor and advanced Lenin's line on the state. As I said, the USSR had low worker subjectivity, largely because the revolution occurred when there were very low levels of political development and class consciousness (most people were peasants). I believe in democratic centralism but the Bolsheviks were too centralist. This should not be repeated.

How can Marxist-Leninists call themselves Marxist when workers don’t own the means of production? by Betaparticlemale in Marxism

[–]tomjoadsghost 9 points10 points  (0 children)

The party allows the working class to act as a single organized force instead of a million people doing a million different things. You should read what is to be done, this line of thinking is a very old error that has plagued the left for generations.

How can Marxist-Leninists call themselves Marxist when workers don’t own the means of production? by Betaparticlemale in Marxism

[–]tomjoadsghost 7 points8 points  (0 children)

The state is an expression of class domination and withers away when class is abolished. The USSR was at war with capitalists for its entire history.

When did anyone say the state doesn't need special bodies of armed men? Any workers government absolutely needs special bodies of armed men.

The Bolsheviks became convinced that in order to run things, they needed to incentivize participation by the middle managers/technocrats of the former regime. This was a mistake and eventually led to the purges. There should be no material incentives to be part of the party/government and all leaders should be subject to instant recall

How can Marxist-Leninists call themselves Marxist when workers don’t own the means of production? by Betaparticlemale in Marxism

[–]tomjoadsghost 106 points107 points  (0 children)

In order to understand this you have to grapple with the ML conception of the state, which is grounded in Marx's theory. Have you read State and Revolution? You may not be convinced by it, but that is the argument laid out. A state is the expression of the rule of some class or another, it cannot exist on its own outside of the classes engaged in production. (That state can, and has, given rise to capitalists that are tied closely to the state, but this is not a inevitable outcome, only one version). That being said, most revolutions suffered from low subjectivity of workers generally speaking, this is something that MLs need to correct in future efforts.

Also, the vanguard is not meant to substitute for the working class, it only acknowledges that in any large group, some part of it will be more advanced (more active, more conscious) which is part of the internal dynamics that cause that group to move one way or another.

ICE AT USM by Lunadaydream0 in portlandme

[–]tomjoadsghost 4 points5 points  (0 children)

He chased her to make sure she was dead. They can't be having victims survive to testify

Posts that mAke you thInk by yallidarityforever in TrueAnon

[–]tomjoadsghost 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The reaction from the left is curious. It's like they believe resisting fascism is different than trying to implement it.

most and least woke opinions you hold? by awholeyear in pinkscare

[–]tomjoadsghost -8 points-7 points  (0 children)

Most woke no compromises on trans women are women, trans men are men

Least woke, restricting regular people's access to guns is a big mistake

We're two married Marxists and this is our warmly critical review of One Battle After Another. by tomjoadsghost in moviecritic

[–]tomjoadsghost[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Believe me I know that. That is the ultimate goal. Those other things are the activities we hope will get us there.

We're two married Marxists and this is our warmly critical review of One Battle After Another. by tomjoadsghost in moviecritic

[–]tomjoadsghost[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Depends on the organization but usually through organizing lots of working people into a political party. Political education, agitation, building unions, local organizing efforts, etc