- cross-posted to:
- politicalmemes@lemmy.world
- cross-posted to:
- politicalmemes@lemmy.world
ID: 3 panel comic:
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A surprised looking person pops in to existence on a floating rock surrounded by fire, next to the devil.
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The person asks “wait a second-- why’d I end up in hell??”
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The devil, now taking up the entire frame, replies: “because centrism enables fascism”
There is a middle ground between the unregulated facists capitalism of today and the anarchy or authoritarian socialism of tankies.
That middle ground means that capitalism is allowed but is regulated. Minimum wage is a living wage, slave or child labor products are not allowed on the market. We do have social services including healthcare and UBI. However, there is no middle ground on perceiving much less treating anyone as lesser. Nazis and supremacist groups and systems are stamped out like the filth they are.
There’s no lasting compromise with capitalism. Capitalism inherently depends on and leads to a concentration of wealth and power.
Capitalists can and do use that wealth and power to pervert the political system to their advantage, eventually chipping away at those regulations and social services. We saw this happen with the erosion of the gains from the New Deal and Union power over the late 20th century in the US and even in Europe we’ve been seeing austerity and far right parties start to take power and try to do the same.
Political freedom and equality is intrinsically tied to economic freedom and equality. We can’t really build a better society while there are still people with the means and motive to pull us back into servitude.
Sure. You can enjoy the moderate centrism of the LAPD, the United Fruit Company, and Focus on the Family.
No they aren’t. They’re in the highest eschalons of authority.
Bud, I’m talking about what a middle ground centrist would want. It’s certainly not the past or current US government. It’s a lot lefter than is even available as choices besides maybe Bernie and the Squad. It just isn’t as left as tankies dream of.
Please read literally any socialist theory. Or at least any criticism of the Nordic model from the left.
And understand that “middle ground” arguments are fallacious and something being the middle ground does not make it the better or correct option.
Edit: Why Social Democracy Isn’t Good Enough - Second Thought
I usually don’t listen to videos but since you’re respectful so far I did listen to this one. We agree with the current reality of the system. I think what is neglected is that additional regulation (laws and constitutional amendments) are the only nonviolent way for a society to change. Enough good regulation results in first social democracy then moving closer to socialism. The major requirement is for companies/ceos/shareholders to be prevented from having the poison pill influence that they do under even Nordic social democracy. Sufficient taxation above a given limit is a relatively simple way of preventing the wealth hoarding that lets a person or company have that influence and preventing acquisitions and mergers that prevent diversification of economies.
I just don’t see the class/general consciousness necessary for “true” socialism to succeed being present in our lifetime. I can see social democracy as possible because of Bernie, AOC, and renewed working class solidarity.
Lmfao, here’s a clue - capitalism IS regulated, and it’s still decaying in to fascism, because that’s what capitalism does.
Which is the perfect example of how centrism enables fascism - because you prioritise capitalism and its status quo along with the privileges they grant you, over the lives of the people it oppresses, marginalises, and literally kills to exist.
You are part of the problem, no matter how much faux logic you use to try and maintain your own cognitive dissonance.
Capitalism will always try and prioritize profit over all else. Effective regulation(again that doesn’t currently exist same as your tankie utopia) would enforce protections and itself be protected from capitalist interference. The problem for either of us is that greed exists, some people will always want more. No governmental change will remove them from society, unless you want to debate what scale of greed is allowable before a summary execution. I’d say allowing their existence within a limited framework that protects the rest of us without murder is better.
You are still talking about what is in this debate rather than what could be. An ideology of black and white absolutism inherently makes a “purity test” hierarchy. It’s why you’re already attacking me as part of the problem instead of any attempt to change my perspective. Same issue happened at both the first and second international because Marx and his followers didn’t believe in antiwar general strikes. At least we agree on something much more left than we have.
Any system devolves to some form of shit of allowed.
For real. We just need laws for people instead of corporations. Not an upheaval of society. I want to go to work and the supermarket and on a walk, not live in rags in tunnels hiding from robot spider things