And by that I mean, "The last capitalist will sell us the rope we use to hang him" or "when our time comes, we will make no excuses for the terror". Those are bangers, to be sure, but they can't really be brought up in casual conversation. And I don't mean to construe them as overly edgy, because I understand a revolution isn't a dinner party, but I think there's something to be said sometimes for stressing the inherent humanity of communism.

Maybe I'm a little soft, but I love

"If you tremble with indignation at every injustice, then you are a comrade of mine" - Che Guevara

and

"When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why they are poor, they call me a communist." - Helder Camara

  • YoungMarxBans [he/him]
    ·
    4 years ago

    I also love this proverb:

    Ah, you who make iniquitous decrees, who write oppressive statutes, to turn aside the needy from justice and to rob the poor of my people of their right, that widows may be your spoil, and that you may make the orphans your prey! What will you do on the day of punishment, in the calamity that will come from far away? To whom will you flee for help, and where will you leave your wealth, so as not to crouch among the prisoners or fall among the slain? For all this, his anger has not turned away; his hand is stretched out still.

    Something deep within me really connects with the idea that there is always retribution, there is always hope. Of course, I think Christianity's faith on that retribution coming after death is wrong. But no man should ever be considered beyond saving. I've been doing a lot of reading this week on prisons in the US (Caught by Marie Gottschalk is excellent), and one of the things she stresses continuously is the death of hope in prisons. At least juvenile life without parole is no longer constitutional, but it's beyond disgusting to me that someone can be held forever without a future.

    • Coca_Cola_but_Commie [he/him]
      ·
      4 years ago

      This isn't germane to the discussion, but I've been wanting to tell this to someone for weeks and there's never been a time to bring it up so I will here.

      I decided to read my King James Bible's version of Ecclesiastes. I liked it, but I decided to also look up a more recent translation for the bits where the language tripped me up. I think it was the New International translation, but I'm not sure. Anyway, in KJV the author frequently calls various pointless tasks "a vexation of the spirit." I take the phrase to mean that the tasks are counterproductive or fruitless. However, in the newer version the same phrase was translated as "a chasing after the wind" and I just thought that was much more interesting imagery while communicating the same idea.

      For context, I consider myself a militant atheist but I had to read a passage from Ecclesiastes (9:11) for an English course I took once upon a time and I always thought that that book in particular was probably worth reading.

      That's it, that's the whole thing, sorry for wasting your time.

      • YoungMarxBans [he/him]
        ·
        4 years ago

        I've heard Ecclesiastes is actually pretty good, especially since it's pretty divorced from the story of the Bible. What is interesting, since you mentioned translations, is I looked that passage up. The one I saw was this one, from the KJV

        For all this, his anger has not turned away; his hand is stretched out still.

        But the NIV uses this:

        Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised.

        It's very interesting, because just changing the last word from "stretched out still" to "upraised" immediately makes me realize the theme is not one of retribution, it's God about to bring some whoop-ass down on the Assyrians. Turns out this is a common mistake, too, and stretched out is a pretty bad translation cause the original idiom makes it clear it's in a threatening manner.

        https://interpreterfoundation.org/blog-john-gee-his-hand-is-stretched-out-still/

        Anyway, organized religion sucks, but I believe there's something to be said for religion in totality, even though I don't believe.

    • marxisthayaca [he/him,they/them]M
      1·
      4 years ago

      pleeeaaasseee stop thinking retribution will come “after death”. God will judge the living and the dead at the end of times.