Doing the neoliberal equivalent of that Evangelical schtick where you pretend to be a reformed Satanist.
Yeah, I used to dye my nails red and wear a Che Guevara T-shirt in middle school, but then I got a taste of the Real World when uncle Sean McElwee hired me to do Facebook ads.
"people being upset and angry made me realize nothing is fundamentally wrong with the world :)"
All of the answers by former leftists boil down to either plain old pearl clutching or "well having strong political stances is hard and I just wasn't that into it in the first place".
My favorite is when they say there were a communist, and then I ask them "What kind?" and get this vacant stare.
Normally it's a millennial or Gen-X person who is now a finance libertarian. Basically person who will be a neo-con in another decade or so. Very much a "Communism is good in theory." person who never actually bothered to learn any communist theory.
I liked the guy who said "everyone wants what's best for the country" and all the comments are random bad things they're pushing for and he just says "not like that"
its so so hard to believe that there is a single human who is not paid to post on r/neoliberal
Oh god they're having a Contrapoints struggle session :shrek-pixel-despair:
Contra: Capitalism seems bad but also I think the communists went too far.
/r/neoliberal: This is left wing extremism.
🎶 But I’ve grown older and wiser, and that’s why I’m turning you innn 🎶
I think I was already mostly deradicalized by this point, but the Ukraine war definitely made me appreciate the neoliberal perspective more. At one point I was big into the whole “US is an imperialist project, the MIC gins up conflicts for profit, the west should make way for a multipolar world” viewpoint. The war made it pretty clear that the national security sector isn’t just for kicks—there really are cruel revanchist regimes out there that will take advantage if given the opportunity.
Completes loses the plot that the MIC ginning up conflict for profit is how the fucking war started in the first place. Istg these are the dumbest motherfuckers in existence
How exactly did that "cruel revanchist regime" come to power anyway?
Through an aggressive foreign and economic policy by the United States with the intent of crushing it and make life as difficult as possible for the socialist movement that led to reformists seeking to befriend the US by conceding instead coming to power?
Through a gang of extremely corrupt former bureaucrats, noveau riche and outright criminals that came to power and tanked the quality of life through the very market reforms that were supposed to be amazing for the population?
Through the sometimes openly fraudulent support from the United States of this ruling class, because beware if the commies come back to power?
Through the open and covert support of forces hostile to even the new Russian government in areas like what used to be Yugoslavia, Central Asia, Eastern Europe, etc.?
Through engaging in sphere of influence squabbles with the Russian Federation in countries like Georgia or Ukraine, where the democracy nobody takes seriously consists of the traditionalist Communist Party [until it gets banned], a traditionalist conservative party led by the sketchiest bourgeoisie you'll ever see who like Russia and a liberal conservative party led by the sketchiest bourgeoisie you'll ever see who like America as millions of people leave to the West or Russia to actually improve their quality of life compared to the level of 1978?
Through open hostility and patronizing attitudes even in times where it tried to deescalate?
Who cares, not like neoliberals want to look beyond the here and now for any issue, be it looking at the past or into the future.
Seriously, it's all just a matrioshka of MIC meddling going back further and further. The complete disregard for how everything became the way it is frustrates me immensely
The MIC cheered on by certain factions among the regular Bourgeoisie or their allies (say the original gusanos, who were very wealthy and wish to RETRVN to that opulence, even if it's the third generation and they have never been outside of Florida), and buttered by a healthy dose of liberal pure ideology.
The same, hilariously enough, applies to the Russian Federation as well. Except there the ideology is nationalism.
And then you get the people cheering you on, while you and large parts of the population spout the ideology, they prepare contracts to grab newly privatized land in Zhytomir/become owner of the clothes factory in Melitopol as your side's army chased the old owner away. War profiteering does not necessarily have to be Lockheed Martin gaining record profits, though of course it also is that.
Remember the month leading up to Russia invading when the entire American foreign policy apparatus was saying "we double dog dare Putin to do something"? Me neither :blob-no-thoughts:
I really think my natural empathy saved me.
Sure, you have empathy and believe in the Mammon of the Free Market.
I also got pretty far to the left, and it's pretty much the same story. A lot of these people seem to have zero empathy. I remember when this retired black police officer got shot in the back of the head after trying to stop some looters during the riots following the death of George Floyd, and I saw people on Instagram and Reddit celebrate his death because he was a former cop. That inhumanity and savagery rattled me.
Sounds made up or not understanding who "the left" is, but still died attacking people for capital's profits, showing no empathy for the people needing those products. So, ACAB.
'cus it's just blog posts. They got into rightwing opinions through Shapiro's youtube blog, they got out. They looked at blog posts on twitter, and decided "the left" isn't for them.
At no point in this 'journey' did they do anything different besides read different blog posts. The internet has given people the idea that believing something is the same as being something.
Liberal logic: "If a communist-turned-capitalist state is awful, then all its problems are because of its former communism, no matter how much time has passed since it became capitalist. But if a former capitalist state has any problems that are not fixed the very day it becomes communist, then all of those lingering problems are the fault of communism."
was a 2016 Hillary primary voter to begin with since I was kindof a single issue “increase immigration” voter at the time
:hillgasm:
I spilled baked beans all over myself discussing worker's compensation at my union meeting and a pink haired organizer shouted "this comrade eating beans" and everyone laughed
If you not only know what neoliberalism is but also identify as such, you're a fucking radical
I'm always astonished at how a fringe economic theory held by some wackjobs took over the world in the span of like 50 years. Capitalism has only been the dominant global system for something like 10 generations, and the majority of westerners call it human nature. But this more diabolical evolution called neoliberalism didn't even exist during our grandparents time. Neoliberalism is radical but you'd never convince these dipshits.
if you dont post there and get banned, you arent a true tankie
But I'm already banned for reporting a Russian beheading video. Yes you read that correctly.
I got banned for citing the sub rule against supporting oppresive/autocratic countries and asked if that meant they were opposed to the U.S. now.
State in USA votes to keep abortion legal and the legislature says "naww"
Totally not authoritarian! We got means and norms over here
i keep begging people on the right and left to stop saying they are anti authoritarian. it's literally impossible to avoid if you are going to co-exist with other people.
I was de-radicalized when I realized capitalism was actually making significant contributions to the destruction of our planet's biosphere through climate change, and that it was absolutely crazy to support that system as it was undermining the basis for life itself.
