Not gonna defend this article, it sucks. But I do think Cosmonaut is one of the best websites on the internet and the Comsopod podcast is great too. They have bad takes not infrequently, but that doesn't negate all the good stuff they put out.
I finally got to read it more thoroughly. Honestly, I agree with like 80% of it and that 20% is more in the details. I really like his comment about how we're just one revolutionary movement among others, that's a very salient point. Overall I like the idea of developing Marxism for activists and not academics (though I don't know how well he actually does that here). And I like that he talks about how we shouldnt think revolution is inevitable (though I'm not sure Marx and Engels really thought that either, they were certainly optimistic at least). I don't agree with his assessment of the working class as not having the same revolutionary potential as envisioned in the 19th century. I mean, that's true if we're talking about the global north but that's because the working class here is bought out by the spoils of imperialism. Taken across the globe, I still have tremendous hope for the working class writ large. And then there's the areas around development and degrowth, which could be a whole long discussion in itself. Personally I emphasize that we should still seek to maximize economic output and distribute it fairly across the globe within the confines of ecological sustainability. But overall a pretty good article.
Self-crit: you caught me, I only skimmed it and also saw the comment below where it shows they never even mention China. I tend to get defensive about Cosmonaut because they get shit on here sometimes. Let me read it more thoroughly so I can write a critique where I highlight what I agree and disagree with.
But I shouldn't just comment if I only skimmed it.
Not gonna defend this article, it sucks. But I do think Cosmonaut is one of the best websites on the internet and the Comsopod podcast is great too. They have bad takes not infrequently, but that doesn't negate all the good stuff they put out.
What's wrong with it?
I finally got to read it more thoroughly. Honestly, I agree with like 80% of it and that 20% is more in the details. I really like his comment about how we're just one revolutionary movement among others, that's a very salient point. Overall I like the idea of developing Marxism for activists and not academics (though I don't know how well he actually does that here). And I like that he talks about how we shouldnt think revolution is inevitable (though I'm not sure Marx and Engels really thought that either, they were certainly optimistic at least). I don't agree with his assessment of the working class as not having the same revolutionary potential as envisioned in the 19th century. I mean, that's true if we're talking about the global north but that's because the working class here is bought out by the spoils of imperialism. Taken across the globe, I still have tremendous hope for the working class writ large. And then there's the areas around development and degrowth, which could be a whole long discussion in itself. Personally I emphasize that we should still seek to maximize economic output and distribute it fairly across the globe within the confines of ecological sustainability. But overall a pretty good article.
Self-crit: you caught me, I only skimmed it and also saw the comment below where it shows they never even mention China. I tend to get defensive about Cosmonaut because they get shit on here sometimes. Let me read it more thoroughly so I can write a critique where I highlight what I agree and disagree with.
But I shouldn't just comment if I only skimmed it.