my personal definition of it is this: a non-essential (or classified essential, but over-the-top, exotic, extravagant, and/or inefficient for the purposes of fulfilling human need) commodity that has an unfortunate capital-T Tendency (as in, the TPRF in which it applies without fail) of being invoked in political discussions, almost always making said discussions objectively worse.
A sub-classification of treats, which I wish more people would directly invoke instead of using the broader term since it's funnier to me, is the 'adventures': escapist, less-than-nuanced fantasies that are, without fail, invoked by people to explain complex political issues.
Any additions? Disagreements? we must synthesize this before it becomes the new tankie in watered-down 'thing i dislike' applicability.
When used in this sense especially as an insult I have no disagreements. Don't disagree with anything you wrote there at all , good paragraphs . My comment was directed at people who I have met in real life(and flood the online "left") that will make comments about the supposed betrayal of exploited country's under actual existing socialism when they Import commodities from western countries or produce similar forms of entertainment/lifestyles associated with modernity and therefore western capitalism. As many have pointed out even Social Democracy in the global south is much different from Social Democracy in the western Imperialist block because they do not benefit from the direct surplus of the Imperialist system (rape of the global south).
Used to bludgeon spoiled workers like you and me who benefit from the surplus of the Imperialist system it is materialist and as you would say doesn't matter much . As for your last sentence why don't you chill out just a little bit and stop acting quite so high and mighty especially because you took the exact opposite point that I was making from the part you quoted.
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Exactly ! And lol all good sorry if it came off as defensive. Its imperative to be angry as fuck about the rape of the global south and we need more of that on the left. Imperialism and the rift bewteen the rich and poor the world over is what must be fought against. Keep it up comrade!