Like, Roosevelt broke up monopolies, for instance. That stuff was insufficient, but it was SOMETHING. Unlike now, where they just let capitalists do whatever they want.
Like, Roosevelt broke up monopolies, for instance. That stuff was insufficient, but it was SOMETHING. Unlike now, where they just let capitalists do whatever they want.
Part of it was because there was established capital (real estate, old plantation families, old colonial stocks and trader families), burgeoning industrial capital (railroad, steel, coal barons, Rockefellers etc.) and coming into industrial manufacturing capital (Ford, Edison, etc.), all of which had different interests. While they were often in line, much like with the international finance capital and local industrial capital today, there were disagreements that could be exploited for political gain.
For Teddy, being old money, much of the old money had been sidelined politically by industrial capital over the last half of the 1800's. So, they used the 'progressive' movement, which was itself a coopted movement from the descendents of the German 48ers (probably best described as radical socdem) movements in the Midwest (particularly cities such as Milwaukee), which was an incredibly popular movement, to break the backs of the monopolist trusts. However without the subsequent 'social revolution' that any actual 'progressive movement' follower had in mind (with redistribution of land being a priority), all that it set up was the political domination of old money financial capital and manufacturing capital for the 10's and 20's, which in part led to the old trust people moving more into military and intelligence politics (things that didn't rely on popular politicians).
Which one of the many reasons you should be wary of 'progressive' politicians in modern era. Cause classically, they have just been another way to legitimize capital power disputes using the language of labor.
Nowadays, capital is much more in lockstep. The only divisions are the two, and the trusts have totally captured the intelligence side of things (which didn't exist in before WWI). Now is the time of monsters.
deleted by creator
Sadly, we may not even be at the end of it. It is likely our children or grandchildren that will see it happen. The lights are off, nobody is home, but the house will still stand for a few generations more.
That's exactly what I don't want to hear right now.
What, do you expect communism to spring fully formed from the womb? It depresses me too, but that is the way these thing go. Maybe we won't even get communism and just another great empire cycle. History is a subject for masochists.
I’d never expect a total victory, but I sure as hell don’t expect the current paradigm to continue forever. It literally can’t. I want to be there during the rebuilding phase so I know whatever the fuck I’m doing actually matters- like the opposite of our neoliberal purgatory we have now.
All I ask is that I’m allowed to feel like a sapient being.
I can't think of the full quote right now, but something that helps me keep going is to "act as if you are at the start of a new civilization."
Tldr: The system needs to fuck up even more for change to be possible, but I am not advocating for acceleration. Find solidarity where you can. :Tldr end:
Yes, it absolutely can. Right now we are seeing Rome rise and Carthage fall, and that is definitely a good thing to watch, but that doesn't mean Hannibal still won't march on Rome. And this is despite the fact that neither Rome nor Carthage had nukes to actually prevent land armies from conquering territory. Until three things happen, the internal paradigm in the U.S. will not actually shift even if no one remembers exactly how to enforce it.
One, the internal police surveillance state must be weakened. This will likely happen naturally as crisis after crisis brings more and more people out, but at this point in time it is incredibly obvious that police tactics of organizing false flags, coopted protest, kettling, letting organizers deal with the mentally ill, and control of the narrative are far too strong to overcome, and infact lead to backfiring and legal strengthening of the security state when challenged. The Russian security state fucked up far too much during 1917, it is clear we will not have that luxury.
Two, the dollar must be weakened internationally. Far too many of our problems come from the fact that there is still too much money floating around the imperial system. Grifters on the left (even well intentioned ones) are easily able to abscond with people's money instead of their time. People are able to ignore others societal issues because of their alienation and treats. It's pretty clear that one of the things that makes a communist in America is either a) not having your shit together for a long enough time with some proper education to know that other countries handle that better or b) being a downwardly mobile school over achieving middle class person aka a nerd who was suckered by the liberal arts. These two things are not a large enough contingent to lead a revolution. Until those classes are expanded due to natural economic pressure, we are not close to revolution.
Three, the boomers must die. I don't mean we need to kill them, but their privileged anti-communist inputs into the system need to stop. It is clear that the future generations of politicians and economists are not as good at handling these sorts of class conflict, having gotten high on their own propaganda supply. However, that might lead directly to facism too, so who knows. Depends on how much they fuck it up and how quickly.
You wanna feel like a sapient being? Ok. Here it is. This is what the vast majority of humanity has felt like throughout history. Out of control of your circumstances and material conditions. What do you do about it? I dont really know.
Maybe volunteer at a library or homeless shelter, start a mutual aid society, have the audacity of having friends, try to go to community college or some sort of technical school to try to land a job that earns more money and so you understand how industrial machinery operates. Try to start a union. Go to local protests to try to find like-minded people who are probably the police, but who cares. Idk, start a journalism club. Try to be someone in your community that knows how shit works so when shit goes down you know who is involved and what their tendencies are.
You cannot be a party or civil society of one, but all I can say is that focusing all your efforts into theory will not help you, but at least understand the difference between volunteer work and praxis, it will help you determine who actually understands what is important and what is at stake.
Oh right, that's why American leftists are always backseat driving other countries's revolutions and being told to shut the fuck up.
...I'm the second one by the way. Thanks for encouraging me to not self-flagellate about my weakness before the empire.
Correct.
That's ok. Getting suckered is a part of life in America. Most of us are suckered into some scheme or another. The important part is to remember that none of this will last forever. It never does. But that doesn't mean it won't last our lifetimes. But we may potentially witness the challenging of American hegemony within our lifetimes. I wouldn't bet on it though.
Try not to think like this. It's the same kind of thinking that makes Americans think that the rapture will happen in their lifetime.
There's nothing special about the time you live in. Do what you can within it, and nothing else.
deleted by creator
And that is a big assumption.
Didn't Lenin say the same thing in 1915? You probably should never discount the sheer deathdrive of some of the people in charge. You never know when you might get a chance :chavez-guns:
deleted by creator
Mine? Lol no I don't have any children and as the years go on it is unlikely I will have any despite my personal desires. I mean more generally 'humanities children'
End? We are only 70 years in to the 1,000 year reich.
No