• @tee9000
    link
    English
    022 hours ago

    How likely do you think it is that masses of people will become well-read marxists and start a violent revolt? Is it even within the realm of reality?

    • Cowbee [he/him]
      link
      fedilink
      English
      8
      edit-2
      21 hours ago

      What area, specifically, are you referring to? It’s already happened in several countries, usually it doesn’t require everyone to be well-read but for those who are to help guide the ones who aren’t, and this trust is built by placing material benefits for the working masses at the forefront. The Black Panther Party tried to do this with children’s feeding programs, as an example.

      If you’re asking about if I think it will happen in the US, my answer is that yes, it certainly can. Capitalism and by extension Imperialism are unsustainable as they naturally kill off competition and centralize. Where the course of this collapse is steered depends on the Workers themselves, hence the necessity for at least some of them to take theory seriously.

      • @tee9000
        link
        English
        -1
        edit-2
        21 hours ago

        What does marx say about combating clusters of ai drones? Because to be clear, if we are going the violent route, it wont be a matter of storming the capital of a third-world country.

        And wouldnt that require everyone being on the same ideological page? How bad would the state of the country need to be for people to coordinate on one idea when they are inundated with psychological warefare and disinformation? People dont want to educate themselves or be brave, especially at the advice of an anonymous social media comment on a fringe platform.

        All that said, you want to dedicate yourself to fostering a violent marxist revolution instead of getting involved in local political reform yourself?

        Idk, it just seems delusional (though for good moral reasons).

        • Cowbee [he/him]
          link
          fedilink
          English
          321 hours ago

          For the first question, on the how of revolution, we can look to historical, successful revolutions, and again, the inherent unsustainability of Capitalism. It isn’t a matter of if, but when, Capitalism crumbles. Additionally, as the contradictions within Capitalism sharpen, so too does the social consciousness of the international working class. Ideas come from material conditions, not the other way around. I spend sections 2 and 3 explaining both the formation of ideas and the transition to Socialism from a Materialist perspective, and showcasing the inherent unsustainability of Capitalism and Imperialism.

          Secondly, if reform were possible, Marxists would be the first in line. I spend section 4 going over the futility of reform and the necessity of revolution.

          I recommend at least taking a peak at the list I made, plus if you ask questions there they can all be answered in one place, which I selfishly prefer to save my own time.

          • @tee9000
            link
            English
            020 hours ago

            I just cant believe a claim of inevitability from past history with the extraordinary circumstance of the information age.

            I certainly agree that captialism is a process with a conclusion, when we are talking about organic growth and not some perpetual strategy to maintain the illusion.

            But intelligence is an unprecedented disruptor in what could otherwise be a predictable repetition of history. What if we need a lot less people than before to thrive?

            Who do we even kill? Could a revolution even develop without being recognized? In the past the power structure couldnt deal with so many people in its opposition. In the past the system needed the people who opposed it. Is that still true? I think the game has changed quite a bit.

            Strategy from the ruling class is how they maintain power. What about strategy derived from super computer analytics (predicting the future) with more data input than ever by astronomical margins, and language models to digest it? When there are paths for ai to interact and influence these problems more directly by building it into infrastructure i wonder how deeply the people can be disrupted and how perfectly counter strategies to resistance will be instantly carried out.

            If you are recruiting people to read text on inequality, and hope to have a lot of peoppe arming themselves for your cause, i suggest hurrying.

            • Cowbee [he/him]
              link
              fedilink
              English
              220 hours ago

              Each of these paragraphs can spiral into its own conversation. I suggest giving the first section of my list a try, if you don’t want to read further then feel no need to.

              Your questions on technology, cybernetics, computerization, and climate change can all be tackled, but it would be best for us to be on the same relative page first before diving into a Marxist answer to said questions.

              • @tee9000
                link
                English
                020 hours ago

                Transparently, I wont, and thats part of the problem.

                If you want to talk about overcoming increasingly capable power structures that are increasingly yielded by laymen individuals, and not highly trained groups, then id be interested to hear about it. But i understand if this is not how you want to spend your time.

                • Cowbee [he/him]
                  link
                  fedilink
                  English
                  520 hours ago

                  The shortest possible answer is that the very fact that Capitalism is unsustainable means it can’t field these power structures against an organized and growing working class. If that’s not enough, then you aren’t going to find a satisfying answer outside of doing the work of reading.

                  Maybe later on when conditions have deteriorated further, there will be a point that you are more willing to read theory, and I’ll be right here if you need me.

                  • @tee9000
                    link
                    English
                    020 hours ago

                    Im feeling a little ignored with that answer when im saying the power structures can be largely automated, and used by individuals, which certainly must be outside the comprehension of marxist teachings.

                    Additionally, while capitalism might end, we have no guarantee about its replacement. If any time in history could yield a unique power structure it would be now.

                    Seems more relevant to try to influence the power structure than to destroy it. I say that not because it currently cant be destroyed, but that it wont, and this only becomes more true as time goes on as capability of automated power structures increases. Our comfort is ample to keep the system safe.