Boris Hardrada
Banned deucer.
From Marxism-Leninism to Anarcho-Communism to Democratic Socialism, this is a thread for leftists of all stripes to further their understanding of leftist thought, argue their differences in a structured and respectful manner, and by strengthening their theory become more effective in their praxis. Let's also use this thread to share videos, channels, lectures, articles, and other readings we think would be of interest to fellow comrades and/or useful to novices interested in leftist thought and our shared base of values. To that end I find it necessary to lay down some guidelines:
1. Leftism =/= Liberalism. The modern understanding of liberalism (sometimes neoliberalism) differs from "classical liberalism" which is more akin to libertarianism. A liberal would often describe themselves as "socially liberal, fiscally conservative" - meaning that while they may well hold socially progressive views, such as being pro-gay marriage, pro-marijuana legalization, etc., they also may support welfare cuts, tax breaks, et al, and strongly maintain that capitalism and not the alternative is the solution to all our social ills. Leftists, on the other hand, see social progress and economic austerity as fundamentally incompatible, and seek the abolition of the capitalist mode of production - to varying degrees - in order to truly obtain this progress.
2. Keep your posts serious and on-topic, but academic formality is not necessary- This means while it's fine to share leftist memes that are funny enough to warrant it, remember that the main purpose of this thread is to have a serious and constructive discussion. However, stiff requirements such as these often stultify threads with overlong, impenetrable posts, and sometimes it can't be helped. But if we are to introduce people to leftist thought presented fairly and without implicit ideological bias, we must also make our posts accessible. So I'd ask everyone to keep that principle in mind, lest we discriminate against those less fortunate and less educated.
3. Racism/Sexism/Xenophobia/Homophobia/Transphobia/Fascism - Keep it out of this thread, and of the forums in general. This applies to both explicit discrimination (Slurs, saying all Muslims are terrorists, etc.) and to dog-whistled discrimination (Saying "ethno-nationalism" instead of "white supremacism" - you're fooling nobody).
4. Non-leftists welcome to debate, but keep your arguments in good faith.
That's all. Well, for starters I'd like to discuss something very general: do you think Western (Anglosphere) nations are due for a leftist resurgence? After the disappointing defeat of Bernie Sanders in the primaries, one would have expected the socialist sentiment in the US to deflate, but it has only grown and spawned several populist movements. And after Jeremy Corbyn's excellent performance in the polls in the UK, many people are convinced that now is a better time than ever to be a leftist. Do you think they're being too optimistic? Why or why not?
1. Leftism =/= Liberalism. The modern understanding of liberalism (sometimes neoliberalism) differs from "classical liberalism" which is more akin to libertarianism. A liberal would often describe themselves as "socially liberal, fiscally conservative" - meaning that while they may well hold socially progressive views, such as being pro-gay marriage, pro-marijuana legalization, etc., they also may support welfare cuts, tax breaks, et al, and strongly maintain that capitalism and not the alternative is the solution to all our social ills. Leftists, on the other hand, see social progress and economic austerity as fundamentally incompatible, and seek the abolition of the capitalist mode of production - to varying degrees - in order to truly obtain this progress.
2. Keep your posts serious and on-topic, but academic formality is not necessary- This means while it's fine to share leftist memes that are funny enough to warrant it, remember that the main purpose of this thread is to have a serious and constructive discussion. However, stiff requirements such as these often stultify threads with overlong, impenetrable posts, and sometimes it can't be helped. But if we are to introduce people to leftist thought presented fairly and without implicit ideological bias, we must also make our posts accessible. So I'd ask everyone to keep that principle in mind, lest we discriminate against those less fortunate and less educated.
3. Racism/Sexism/Xenophobia/Homophobia/Transphobia/Fascism - Keep it out of this thread, and of the forums in general. This applies to both explicit discrimination (Slurs, saying all Muslims are terrorists, etc.) and to dog-whistled discrimination (Saying "ethno-nationalism" instead of "white supremacism" - you're fooling nobody).
4. Non-leftists welcome to debate, but keep your arguments in good faith.
That's all. Well, for starters I'd like to discuss something very general: do you think Western (Anglosphere) nations are due for a leftist resurgence? After the disappointing defeat of Bernie Sanders in the primaries, one would have expected the socialist sentiment in the US to deflate, but it has only grown and spawned several populist movements. And after Jeremy Corbyn's excellent performance in the polls in the UK, many people are convinced that now is a better time than ever to be a leftist. Do you think they're being too optimistic? Why or why not?
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