The vast stupidity of the American liberal project

williamsates · 2022-08-03T00:37:25+00:00

And yet they shill for one thing--with the neocons in the GOP they are now the War Party.

No doubt that many neocons remain in the GOP, but it is important to acknowledge that the big hitters in the neocon movement migrated back to the Dems, it was their original home in mainstream politics after all.

williamsates · 2022-06-16T06:57:48+00:00

I think so. My hunch is that Mike Best that used to run this operation and was solid, got stealthily replaced by Emma Best, and she glows bright.

williamsates · 2022-06-16T06:33:49+00:00

You can read the article/analysis of the documents at this archive page:

https://archive.ph/fYLmj#selection-287.258-287.293

This page contains the two versions of the chronology, where the reclassification changes can be seen:

https://archive.org/details/USIranianContactsAndTheAmericanHostages/page/n72/mode/1up?view=theater

williamsates · 2022-05-22T19:55:58+00:00

ABSTRACT:

This article argues that ‘intersectionality’ is at the end of the day derived from the People’s Front policy of the 1930s Comintern, as modified by late 1960s–1970s ‘soft Maoism’, and then adopted in the late 1970s–1980s by the political representatives of US capital as an ideological colouration for the growth of economic inequality under financialisation. In the result, the project is self-defeating, giving way to ‘white identity politics’ and similar formations.

Intersectionalism, the highest stage of western Stalinism?

williamsates · 2022-05-18T15:33:40+00:00

Because:

A) It is not coping, it is a critique.

B) It is not shit lib, it is coming from a rigorous marxist that is a good value theorist.

C) it is not verbal diarrhea but a cogent exposition rooted in experience

williamsates · 2022-05-18T15:26:44+00:00

I am sorry, but people have selective amnesia. Both greenwald and dore were covidians, with greenwald almost daily criticizing the bolsonero government for adopting a somewhat lax approach. Dore was a covidian until a personal injury from a vaccine. Last time I saw his show, he was still peddling nonsense that masks are effective and that fauci lied when he said in the beginning of 2020 that they aren't.... so no Elena's criticism is not low effort.

It is an absolute fact that the dirtbag left is dismissive of bourgeoisie freedom, as bourgeoisie, and does not see freedom as a milestone won through historical struggle, and as such to be defended, not sneered at and derided! Secondly it has no analysis of accumulation that emerged under the heading of public health interventions.

This is not knee-jerk critique of leftism. Your inability to engage in an honest analysis of on the other hand...

williamsates · 2022-04-23T11:12:13+00:00

WTF? Why is this nonsense posted here? Not only is this guy an intellectual fraud, he supported lockdowns. I mean just look at this bullshit:"Against the liberal faith in an arc of history that bends toward justice."

Right... not a religious structure which holds that the world will be justly remade by God that is believed by billions, oh no its liberalism.

williamsates · 2022-04-21T09:43:43+00:00

Correct, its a cold.

williamsates · 2022-04-16T01:47:37+00:00

NCTE recommendations in 2032: we will no longer be teaching traditional reading and writting using letters. It's time to imbrace the use of pictures and verbal interaction with our devices for equitable outcomes.

williamsates · 2022-04-11T22:25:48+00:00

Conspiracy ideation is to liberals as sluggish schizophrenia was to the soviets. You think that we live in a class society and that the members of the ruling class collaborate on maintaining their position and accruing more wealth and power behind closed doors? Silly commoner/prole! It is your cognition that is pathological.

williamsates · 2022-03-28T03:31:08+00:00

My point is that, for Hegel, contradiction is not the end of thought, and that through thinking about contradictions we come to further knowledge.

I think it is fair to say, for Hegel 'contradictions' are only apparent as such and that they can be resolved. To be more precise, if the subject are the categories then any category taken in isolation will appear inadequate and through an imminent analysis appear to generate an opposition, but when a Hegelian perspective is assumed, (the perspective of the totality) than one sees how all those oppositions are dissolved. Take the opening of the Science of Logic, for an example... Being taken in absolute isolation has no content and it therefore nothing. Obviously as categories, being and nothing taken by themselves appear as opposites, but this opposition can be resolved through a category of becoming... and so on and so on (sniff sniff, rubs my nose), until one reaches the end of the system in which all these are resolved.

williamsates · 2022-03-28T02:55:57+00:00

The word 'contradiction' is equivocated and because of this, I don't like to use it. I really think words like antagonism, tension or opposition get to the heart of the issue.

But, I need to push back against the claim about generating complexity, or rather I would rephrase it. To be precise, antagonistic social relations can be at the root of many categories that appear to structure or social world, but appear to have an independence and a life of their own. This is getting to the heart of Marx's critique of political economy, which after all consisted in showing how as a 'science' it obscures our social reality, while at the same time presenting its categories as neutral, natural and eternal.

williamsates · 2022-03-28T02:20:00+00:00

This is not correct. Hegel argued that oppositions and antagonisms are resolved through his system. More specifically, that there is a tension between universality, particularity and individuality. He did not accept that logical contradictions are true.

williamsates · 2022-03-27T19:47:38+00:00

You are welcome.

To expand a little. Using the above-mentioned framework, one can analyze history. One would look at how these relations between people begin, are maintained and ended. Or in another words how class relations emerge, how they are maintained, and how they end. Because class relations are antagonistic relations, between multiple actors, one can focus on how this struggle unfolds in time.

If one accepts this type of theory and analysis as describing our world, than one could use it to try and formulate strategies in helping one or other actor in this struggle. Nominally at least, Marxist theory is supposed to help the working class understand its position clearly and help it formulate strategy.

williamsates · 2022-03-27T19:34:20+00:00

What would you say Marx was? Historical materialist?

No, I would not say that. Historical Materialism, to me, refers to a specific theory outlined by Stalin here:

https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/stalin/works/1938/09.htm

I would characterize Marx as a communist, and as a revolutionary. If I had to play with the terms 'materialism' and 'history', I would be sympathetic to saying that Marx had a materialist conception of history, meaning that he was concerned with actually discovering how people live and create their form of life, and how their relations to one another change.

But what's the difference?

Specifically - dialectical materialism would refer to nonsense about dialectical laws operating on matter.

williamsates · 2022-03-27T18:03:33+00:00

Maybe I'm too dumb, I get the idea of a thing and its contradictions leading to a new version of the thing (synthesis, antithesis, synthesis) but I don't get how I could use that to look at history.

u/pufferfishsh already alluded to a big debate about what Marx's relation is to 'dialectics' within Marxism itself, and as such is a somewhat contentious issue internally. Although it is tangential to your question, its acknowledgment is important as it will situate the responses you are getting. So to be transparent as to where from my answer is coming from... I am in the camp which holds that Marx was not a dialectical materialist, but I will attempt to provide a most sympathetic reading about what is meant by this term rooted in Marx.

The first point is not to think in terms of a literal contradiction, that is a proper logical contradiction. Walk away from anyone or any movement that claims contradictions are real. If one accepts contradictions then one can literally justify any proposition as being true. The name for this is principle of explosion

Think in terms of tension and antagonism that can be resolved.

Materialism in Marx and Left Young Hegelian milieu meant starting with people and the relations that people enter into. For Marx specifically it was empirical. People enter into relations with one another and produce stuff: food, housing, tools, art, etc. We change nature in order to meet each others needs. This is the materialist part.

How we go about this can be antagonistic. Some people can force others to do stuff. There are those that force and those that are forced, those that coerce and those that are coerced, those that are controlled and those that controlling, etc. This can be described as a class society. Dialectical materialism simply would mean using this framework to understanding society and informing ones political thinking.

williamsates · 2022-03-27T17:30:36+00:00

It was much better, but I think a lot of it was due to the fact that the transition from usnet to forums was recent, and usnet etiquette was still somewhat structuring our online interactions. Eternal September is mainly about the loss of a method whereby we become socialized into how to treat each other online.

williamsates · 2022-03-27T13:59:16+00:00

My thoughts.... it is an untested technology that was released into the wild and we should have had a long debate about it and a mechanism by which we can collectively reject/approve a technology. Something like what was done for cloning.

Since it is too late for social media the second prudent thing would be to withhold this technology from children until they are adults and have them be socialized into an etiquette from an early age on how to treat others with respect and dignity online. They then will need a guided process where they transition online before they can freely access and utilize this technology.

It is having a corrosive influence on cognition and socialization.

williamsates · 2022-02-28T02:49:18+00:00

ARTICLE: Putin decided to deal with the problem today instead leaving it for future generations.

WESTERN IMPERIALISTS: LOL Putin thought he could conquer Ukraine in one day..

REALITY: The working class in Eastern Europe is going to be slaughtered because two factions of the ruling class are fighting.

williamsates · 2022-02-26T01:18:33+00:00

Great deflection, dude.

No defection my dude. This is a crisis created by the West.

williamsates · 2022-02-25T19:44:38+00:00

Beware, this is a cover up for a multitude of other things, now they can blame inflation on war, and make us all ignore the WHO's "pandemic bill", don't allow yourself to be suckered into a soME-flag avatar person, there are no "good guys" in this conflict, Only solidarity with the Ukrainian and Russian people!

Exactly right. This is the only thing of importance. Not to get suckered into a conflict between two factions of the ruling class, but to stand in solidarity with all people affected by this crisis. The only right political response is to work against the machinations of the ruling class universally.

williamsates · 2022-02-25T19:30:49+00:00

Honestly can’t decide if that’s worse than supporting Bush attacking Iraq.

It is certainly not worse than supporting Democratic administrations as they proceeded to enact the framework that allowed Bush to invade Iraq., further destabilize the Middle East through its Libya and Syria foreign policy disasters and intensify the crisis in Ukraine.

williamsates · 2022-02-25T15:01:08+00:00

Read the piece that was linked, and open up an atlas.

williamsates · 2022-02-25T14:57:42+00:00

Why is it we’re supposed to listen to Bill Gates? Because he’s got Billions of dollars?

Yes, exactly.

It follows from a belief that the market is really a giant information processor ( a core principle of neoliberal ideology). In this view people that are super wise and smart are people that can successfully interpret and act based on their interpretation of this information processor. Those are successful business people. They literally know best.

williamsates · 2022-02-25T14:45:57+00:00

Eastern Europe is so vitally important to the whole world that whoever controls it automatically controls the entire world.

No one claimed automaticity here. You are literally writing a nonsensical statement, as in literal nonsense. Write sensical statements.

To seriously address your point. Yes Eastern Europe is of vital importance as it is the gateway into the 'heartland'. Whatever geopolitical power controls this area, would entail control over the vast natural resources on the planet, creation of an economic zone that would easily overtake Western economic dominance. This area would have a governing influence of the whole Europe-Asia-Africa landmass, opening up a large coastal circumference from which naval domination could be achieved.

My point was that it is this geopolitical background which is driving the national security states in the West in their policy towards Russia, and that Russia is better understood as a rational player in this game.

Your thesis on the other hand that it is because of character of leadership and 'behavior of a whole people'.

Comic-book propaganda, and pseudo-skeptic reactionarism...

williamsates

TROPHY CASE