How can the american left even begin to combat the damage done over the course of decades by the suburbs, mass media, propaganda, schools, and other places/institutions against class consciousness? How can it possibly begin to mobilize a fucking brainwashed, docile, pacified, and complacent masses more concerned with consuming things and petty BS, and who will readily withdraw to bourgeois propaganda and indoctrination when confronted with anything remotely revolutionary?
These are difficult questions to contend with and I dont expect anyone to be able to provide an easy answer to them, but idk Ive just been slipping further and further into doomerism lately, because the situation is just so utterly hopeless.
There are polls indicating that "socialism" (read: social democracy) are gaining popularity in america, and you have social democrats like bernie or AOC becoming popular among young people. Why should a leftist regard that with anything but horror? Communists in the 1930s and shit already figured out that the bourgeoisie uses these tactics to save capitalism and destroy revolutionary spirit by pacifying people with concessions rather than engaging in outright despotism. And because of the nonexistent left to agitate and show people this, it seems like anyone with revolutionary potential will just get won over and become satisfied by this nonsense.
Im going to take a break from politics and log off because its making me too depressed, but I doubt it will make things any better for me. I dont want to get into it but my own life is just terrible lmao. Im unable to join an org or do any mutual aid or mass work at the moment, but when things open up again and the coronavirus situation becomes better (who even knows if that will happen), Im going to do my best to participate and contribute in these orgs. but if the situation gets worse, as the trend seems to be, i really think I should just kill myself. I can barely stand to persist in this doomed "society" (what a joke) any longer as it is now, and besides my family's feelings I dont really see a reason to stick around, because idk, maybe the left did lose. :doomer:
You’re not wrong at all, and my situation is like a million times worse because my parents basically forced me to do CS. I wanted to pursue music with my life, but I’m asian so it was either get a STEM degree or be disowned by my family. I don’t really have a back up plan if comp sci proves to be too much or if it doesn’t work out for me, so if it doesn’t work out I feel like my only solution would be to take my life. It’s going ok for now, but I still contemplate suicide every day.
People like Paul Cockshott have been greatly inspirational to me (Ik he has the standard bri*ish views on LGBTQ but still, I think he’s one of the most fascinating modern Marxist academics, his reactionary social views notwithstanding). If I get to see socialism in my lifetime, I hope I’ll be able to put my comp sci skills to use in building systems to plan the economy. That’s basically my motivation in learning cs.
Also, thank god, we’re going back to in person stuff fall semester this year. I did my whole first year of college in my bedroom and it was hell.