• 22 Posts
  • 70 Comments
Joined 10 months ago
Cake day: December 17th, 2023
  • Alsephina@lemmy.mltoFuck Cars@lemmy.ml•The PRC's long-term high speed rail progress.English
    15·
    3 days ago
    Parenti quote

    If the Soviets refused to negotiate a point, they were intransigent and belligerent; if they appeared willing to make concessions, this was but a skillful ploy to put us off our guard.

    By opposing arms limitations, they would have demonstrated their aggressive intent; but when in fact they supported most armament treaties, it was because they were mendacious and manipulative.

    If the churches in the USSR were empty, this demonstrated that religion was suppressed; but if the churches were full, this meant the people were rejecting the regime’s atheistic ideology.

    If the workers went on strike (as happened on infrequent occasions), this was evidence of their alienation from the collectivist system; if they didn’t go on strike, this was because they were intimidated and lacked freedom.

    A scarcity of consumer goods demonstrated the failure of the economic system; an improvement in consumer supplies meant only that the leaders were attempting to placate a restive population and so maintain a firmer hold over them.

    If communists in the United States played an important role struggling for the rights of workers, the poor, African-Americans, women, and others, this was only their guileful way of gathering support among disfranchised groups and gaining power for themselves. How one gained power by fighting for the rights of powerless groups was never explained.

    What we are dealing with is a nonfalsifiable orthodoxy, so assiduously marketed by the ruling interests that it affected people across the entire political spectrum.

  • Alsephina@lemmy.mltoFuck Cars@lemmy.ml•The PRC's long-term high speed rail progress.English
    133·
    4 days ago

    Not communist obviously, since there’s still very much a state and class division. But socialist because the state primarily serves the workers, with the stated goal of striving towards communism.

    Now whether it’ll stay that way or not, we’ll see. Deng’s reforms have given liberals too much power after all; there seems to be an active class war happening in the Chinese state.

  • Alsephina@lemmy.mltoWorld News@lemmy.ml•Iran’s Khamenei slams ‘criminal’ Israel for killing Hezbollah’s NasrallahEnglish
    2·
    18 days ago

    I’m not american lol

    Y’all wanted every Arab and Muslim dead after 9/11. You guys are the biggest terrorists and murderers on earth

    True. Doesn’t mean there aren’t people organizing in america though, even if it’s not been very effective.

    Edit: I realize my comment came across as too critical of Iran; I can see how that would be very hypocritical if I was saying that from the US. I do greatly appreciate the amount of military, monetary and political support they have given — and give — to the Palestinian cause. Still, someone who wants Iran to do more — even if they’re from the US — very likely did not support the Iraq invasion and maybe even protested it; you’re directing your comment at the wrong people.