this post was submitted on 15 Aug 2023
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bOtH sIdEs
This is why libs get clowned on so hard. You claim to support "the only viable left leaning political party", and yet you're kneecapping large swaths of people on the ground engaging in direct action advancing left leaning values. Remember, segregation wasn't ended because black people voted, blood was spilt in the streets. Same with the LGBT community, see the stonewall uprising, aka, the first pride parade.
I don't care how you vote, but if you can't see the difference between an anarchist engaging in direct action against an oppressive state and fascists doing hate crimes; well, I'd say it's time to get off your high horse and do a little introspection.
Direct action is meaningless if you're hostile to building a coalition broad enough to actually gain any significant political power. It doesn't matter how many lit memes anarchists and communists share on social media and how much they horn on about "direct action," this is a democracy and without votes going to candidates who can win, it is ultimately meaningless.
You want me to do some introspection? I did. I remember being young and convinced socialism was the way forward. Then I grew the fuck up and did some introspection.
You mean like the 2000 election?
They must mean that referendum we had to overturn Roe v. Wade, or the one that got us universal healthcare
No I think they mean the 2016 Democrat primary and the subsequent election
The time most people didn't want trup but he still got elected because
Spoken like someone who's never done organizing, participated in protests or any other direct action. You're a keyboard warrior who's probably never even interacted with a socialist IRL.
Not a democracy and also I already gave 2 examples showing the contrary.
No need to be a condescending dick. I'm also guessing I'm older than you, not that it's relevant.
I've participated in dozens of protests. Protests with political organization can lead to change. Protests without political organization are just yelling at a wall.
If you don't want someone to take offense at what you write, don't smugly tell them to learn introspection. Act like an arrogant dick, get treated like an arrogant dick.
Right... I'm not sure why you think I'm not in favor of organized resistance.
You were doing a "both sides" between anarchists and fascists, eerily similar to Trump, while claiming to be "left leaning". I think my response was warranted, if not understated. But frankly, that's plain ignorant.
Protests !== organizing. Organizing achieves political change. Protest does not. Leftists know how to organize, liberals do not.
If liberals don't know how to organize and leftists do, why does the Democratic party dominate elections
Have you heard of COINTELPRO?
Because leftists understand that actual progress doesn’t come from voting?
Have you heard of capitalism?
Liberals don't know how to organize precisely because the Democratic party dominates the elections. No need to organize when the organization already exists. All they need to do is to "vote blue no matter who".
This is unnecessary aggro, and you are the only one here making sweeping assumptions.
Nah, the other fellow is too
Did you actually do any studying about socialism during this phase, or is this the "Che Guevara T-Shirt" socialism I've heard so much about?
We both know it wasn't even Che Guevara T-Shirt socialism. It was definitely "I think the nordic model is pretty cool" socialism.
The US isn't a democracy, you can't build coalitions with people who want to destroy everything you stand for, direct action got George Floyd justice not votes, and the people you back turned around and decided to fund the police to record levels, it's a war not an electoral campaign
Do you know how to communicate in anything other than thought terminating clichés?
The Democrats have significant political power how's that working out?
This is delusional. Direct action absolutely has its place, but all the things you mentioned were ultimately won at the ballot box. As it should be. Don't let a childish revolution fetish blind you to what constitutes a viable framework for lasting progress.
Edit - "Has." As in he has a ball. Or she has a textbook.
It's funny how libs think they can tell me when direct action is necessary, and it's always in the past tense, never in the present.
It's funny when ML thinks they are the only leftists
Not an ML. And certainly don't think I'm the only leftist. Lots of different types of leftists, many I disagree with. But unless you're opposed to capitalism, then you're a liberal, not a leftist.
Yup, like I said, lots of leftists I disagree with. That includes ML's. What's your point exactly?
My point is that I got you confused for a different poster. Please accept my deepest apologies.
All good
Liberals aren't leftists, but there's a whole world of political thought to the left of liberals.
I am a ML and everything I have seen of Jenkem's posting here makes me think they are probably a leftist.
We probably don't agree on everything, but they're no liberal.
Hey now. Anarchists and Maoists and a bunch of others are leftists too.
Liberals are not.
Can you define direct action for me? What do you think it is?
Minneapolis May 28, 2020