diff --git a/acab.md b/acab.md index 95bd6e0..b141f4a 100644 --- a/acab.md +++ b/acab.md @@ -1,20 +1,20 @@ # Why do we say ACAB (All cops are bastards) -Police are the armed enforcers of the owning / capitalist class, in the US having their origins in the [Slave catching patrols of the 1700s](https://medium.com/s/story/slavery-and-the-origins-of-the-american-police-state-ec318f5ff05b). They're the domestic enforcement arm of capital, the hired goons of the elites of their given city, serving their interests, with a monopoly on violence, analogous to the military, who acts as the imperialist enforcement arm. Their daily activities consist of fucking over poor people and trapping them in a cycle of poverty. +Police are the armed enforcers of the owning / capitalist class, in the US having their origins in the [Slave catching patrols of the 1700s](https://medium.com/s/story/slavery-and-the-origins-of-the-american-police-state-ec318f5ff05b). They're the domestic enforcement arm of capital, the hired goons of the elites of their given city, serving their interests, with a monopoly on violence, analogous to the military, who acts as the imperialist enforcement arm. Their daily activities consist of fucking over poor people and trapping them in a cycle of poverty. -Instead of solving thefts of personal property for working class people, they are themselves active thieves, generating over [$12B USD / year in "civil forfeiture"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_forfeiture_in_the_United_States), and even more profit through traffic offenses and court costs. Since 2012, [cops have stolen more property than burglars](https://i.redd.it/5rdxigt5ndo31.jpg) ( asset forfeiture ). You can call them to come stand around and scratch their heads for an hour (if they don't decide to shoot you), but more likely they'll be at a protest being active agents of the [US police state](https://github.com/dessalines/essays/blob/master/us_atrocities.md#pervasive)([pic](https://i.imgur.com/KRbulxR.jpg)), where they collect a massive amount of data on "troublemakers" using [facial recognition](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/how-facial-recognition-became-routine-policing-tool-america-n1004251), and [military grade equipment](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Militarization_of_police), ([pic](https://i.imgur.com/9wj0OG4.jpg)) against the citizens they occupy. Many of the largest corporations in the US, [openly bankroll police departments](https://news.littlesis.org/2020/06/18/corporate-backers-of-the-blue-how-corporations-bankroll-u-s-police-foundations/), helping them buy surveillance equipment, defensive gear, and military weaponry. +Instead of solving thefts of personal property for working class people, they are themselves active thieves, generating over [$12B USD / year in "civil forfeiture"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_forfeiture_in_the_United_States), and even more profit through traffic offenses and court costs. Since 2012, [cops have stolen more property than burglars](https://i.redd.it/5rdxigt5ndo31.jpg) ( asset forfeiture ). You can call them to come stand around and scratch their heads for an hour (if they don't decide to shoot you), but more likely they'll be at a protest being active agents of the [US police state](https://github.com/dessalines/essays/blob/master/us_atrocities.md#pervasive)([pic](https://i.imgur.com/KRbulxR.jpg)), where they collect a massive amount of data on "troublemakers" using [facial recognition](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/how-facial-recognition-became-routine-policing-tool-america-n1004251), and [military grade equipment](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Militarization_of_police), ([pic](https://i.imgur.com/9wj0OG4.jpg)) against the citizens they occupy. Many of the largest corporations in the US, [openly bankroll police departments](https://news.littlesis.org/2020/06/18/corporate-backers-of-the-blue-how-corporations-bankroll-u-s-police-foundations/), helping them buy surveillance equipment, defensive gear, and military weaponry. -Oh but who will imprison the rapists? Not the police: Less than [0.5% of rapists are in prison](https://www.rainn.org/statistics/criminal-justice-system), despite [1 out of every 5 women being raped in the US](https://www.nsvrc.org/about-sexual-assault). Perpetrators of sexual violence are *less likely* to go to prison than for any other crime, such as non-violent drug offenses. Police, when not [abducting and raping women themselves](https://twitter.com/rontkim/status/1130889246162804737)(over [1200 formally charged incidents over a 9 year period, many of them during traffic stops](https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/19/us/police-sexual-assaults-maryland-scope/index.html)), [or beating their wives and kids in high numbers](https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2014/09/police-officers-who-hit-their-wives-or-girlfriends/380329/), have been shown to [protect high-status sex traffic rings](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/feb/26/jimmy-savile-given-free-rein-to-sexually-abuse-60-people-report-finds), and famous, well-connected predators. +Oh but who will imprison the rapists? Not the police: Less than [0.5% of rapists are in prison](https://www.rainn.org/statistics/criminal-justice-system), despite [1 out of every 5 women being raped in the US](https://www.nsvrc.org/about-sexual-assault). Perpetrators of sexual violence are _less likely_ to go to prison than for any other crime, such as non-violent drug offenses. Police, when not [abducting and raping women themselves](https://twitter.com/rontkim/status/1130889246162804737)(over [1200 formally charged incidents over a 9 year period, many of them during traffic stops](https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/19/us/police-sexual-assaults-maryland-scope/index.html)), [or beating their wives and kids in high numbers](https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2014/09/police-officers-who-hit-their-wives-or-girlfriends/380329/), have been shown to [protect high-status sex traffic rings](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/feb/26/jimmy-savile-given-free-rein-to-sexually-abuse-60-people-report-finds), and famous, well-connected predators. [Cops have a long history of murdering workers organizing for better conditions. ](https://github.com/dessalines/essays/blob/master/us_atrocities.md#workers-and-the-poor) It's no accident that cops usually hold [pro police rallies](https://www.voanews.com/europe/may-day-2019-workers-demand-rights-respect) on [May Day](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haymarket_affair), where cops killed a bunch of workers striking for an 8 hour day in Chicago, that has since become an international day comemmorating worker's rights. -As **the** protectors of capitalist property rights, they carry out all evictions on behalf of landlords, and even [investigate and arrest people](https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/kendalltaggart/insurance-fraud-erie-state-farm-farmers) on behalf of insurance companies. +As **the** protectors of capitalist property rights, they carry out all evictions on behalf of landlords, and even [investigate and arrest people](https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/kendalltaggart/insurance-fraud-erie-state-farm-farmers) on behalf of insurance companies. They imprison the poor in [huge numbers](https://github.com/dessalines/essays/blob/master/us_atrocities.md#prisoners), [1 out of every 5 black men](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_on_Drugs), and 1 / 7 Latino men are kidnapped at some point and thrown in a cage, mostly for nonviolent drug-related offenses. [Cops kill over 1000 ppl a year in the US.](https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/national/police-shootings-2019/) -All cops have a duty to uphold those interests, that is their societal function; if they don't toe that line, they get fired. That's the systemic reason to hate them, and advocate for the abolition of capitalist police, and why the only good cop is an ex cop, or a dead one. And I know an ex cop who quit when they realized what harm they were doing to ppl. +All cops have a duty to uphold those interests, that is their societal function; if they don't toe that line, they get fired. That's the systemic reason to hate them, and advocate for the abolition of capitalist police, and why the only good cop is an ex cop, or a dead one. And I know an ex cop who quit when they realized what harm they were doing to ppl. -But not all cops are bad you might say? Well when they're not spending their time fucking with poor ppl, kidnapping, and murdering people, [4 out of every 10 of them go home and beat their wives and kids.](https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2014/09/police-officers-who-hit-their-wives-or-girlfriends/380329/) They also [kill so many house pets](https://qz.com/870601/police-killing-dogs-is-an-epidemic-according-to-the-justice-department/amp/) that it's considered a noted statistical phenomenon ([30 murdered dogs every day](https://www.criminallegalnews.org/news/2018/jun/16/doj-police-shooting-family-dogs-has-become-epidemic/), [2](https://puppycidedb.com/)) . So they are also domestic abusers, pet killers, and all around trash on a personal level. +But not all cops are bad you might say? Well when they're not spending their time fucking with poor ppl, kidnapping, and murdering people, [4 out of every 10 of them go home and beat their wives and kids.](https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2014/09/police-officers-who-hit-their-wives-or-girlfriends/380329/) They also [kill so many house pets](https://qz.com/870601/police-killing-dogs-is-an-epidemic-according-to-the-justice-department/amp/) that it's considered a noted statistical phenomenon ([30 murdered dogs every day](https://www.criminallegalnews.org/news/2018/jun/16/doj-police-shooting-family-dogs-has-become-epidemic/), [2](https://puppycidedb.com/)) . So they are also domestic abusers, pet killers, and all around trash on a personal level. Sorry I'm so amped about this but they just murdered a [14 year old in Phoenix, AZ](https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/tempe/2019/02/15/month-after-officer-killed-teen-antonio-arce-tempe-investigation-continues/2873020002/) a few weeks ago, and after delaying the release of, then doctoring the body cam footage, the cop is getting off yet again. @@ -35,4 +35,3 @@ Oh, and for anyone wondering what the alternative is, here are some things domes - Worker strikes, when they happened, were left alone. - Had minimal crime rates, since homelessness and joblessness were low. - Focused on rehabilitation, not punishment. - diff --git a/aimixin_transitions_to_socialism.md b/aimixin_transitions_to_socialism.md index 33cf208..17309cf 100644 --- a/aimixin_transitions_to_socialism.md +++ b/aimixin_transitions_to_socialism.md @@ -8,23 +8,23 @@ What Lenin and Stalin had argued is that working with other classes is not inher The reason Engels, Lenin, and Stalin all defended this viewpoint was because it made sense given their material conditions. They couldn't just wave a magic wand and abolish the peasantry because they were part of the material foundations of the economic system, and so you had to work with them when possible. Mao also defended working with the peasantry and the national bourgeoisie during socialist construction and was really only opposed to working with foreign bourgeoisie and landlords. -Economic planning is founded on public ownership, public ownership is founded on incredibly large-scale production built by markets. When the proletarian revolution occurs, if the entire economy is not *already* under a giant private monopoly, then inevitably, the material foundations to transform the economy into a fully planned economy would not exist, and you'd still have a large market sector. You can only establish economic planning to a scale proportional to your level of economic development which means the economy would not be fully planned. +Economic planning is founded on public ownership, public ownership is founded on incredibly large-scale production built by markets. When the proletarian revolution occurs, if the entire economy is not _already_ under a giant private monopoly, then inevitably, the material foundations to transform the economy into a fully planned economy would not exist, and you'd still have a large market sector. You can only establish economic planning to a scale proportional to your level of economic development which means the economy would not be fully planned. -This was something Marx, Engels, Lenin, and Stalin were all very well aware of. The *Manifesto* does not argue for the immediate abolition of all private property but a gradual abolition alongside economic development. Engels specifically says in *The Principles of Communism* that private property can only be abolished in proportion to the level of the development of the productive forces. Lenin argued in *The Tax in Kind* that immediate abolition of small producers would be economically impossible and suicidal. While Stalin went the furthest trying to fully plan the economy, he also admits in *Economic Problems of Socialism in the USSR* that he found such a task to be fundamentally impossible to achieve because of the low level of development of the USSR and that some markets had to remain. +This was something Marx, Engels, Lenin, and Stalin were all very well aware of. The _Manifesto_ does not argue for the immediate abolition of all private property but a gradual abolition alongside economic development. Engels specifically says in _The Principles of Communism_ that private property can only be abolished in proportion to the level of the development of the productive forces. Lenin argued in _The Tax in Kind_ that immediate abolition of small producers would be economically impossible and suicidal. While Stalin went the furthest trying to fully plan the economy, he also admits in _Economic Problems of Socialism in the USSR_ that he found such a task to be fundamentally impossible to achieve because of the low level of development of the USSR and that some markets had to remain. -Stalin had the additional idea of taking those market elements and transforming them into worker co-operatives in order to get rid of bourgeois ownership. However, there really is no theoretical basis for this in Marxism but just a strategy Stalin thought was useful in the USSR at the time. +Stalin had the additional idea of taking those market elements and transforming them into worker co-operatives in order to get rid of bourgeois ownership. However, there really is no theoretical basis for this in Marxism but just a strategy Stalin thought was useful in the USSR at the time. -Che Guevara wrote a good critique of this in his book *Apuntes Críticos a la Economía Política* where he criticizes the USSR's economic textbooks for conflating things the USSR did with socialism in general, that the USSR being the first socialist experiment often failed to separate between what was specific to the USSR's material conditions and what could be applied universally. +Che Guevara wrote a good critique of this in his book _Apuntes Críticos a la Economía Política_ where he criticizes the USSR's economic textbooks for conflating things the USSR did with socialism in general, that the USSR being the first socialist experiment often failed to separate between what was specific to the USSR's material conditions and what could be applied universally. He goes onto criticize how there is no theoretical basis in Marxism for replacing all private ownership with co-ops and that co-ops do not constitute a form a socialist property, and in fact goes onto argue that workers in co-ops have fundamentally different class interests than workers in the public sector. The public sector workers benefit from an expansion of it, the co-op workers benefit from shrinking it, handing more power to the co-ops, accumulating more wealth individually, etc, etc. -He actually speculated the USSR might return to capitalism because they didn't take this problem seriously, that they assumed co-op workers had the same class interests as public-sector workers, and were not really concerned with what potential dangers they could present to constructing socialism. He also provides a couple examples where the co-op sector (the "kolkhozian class") conflicted with the public sector and the conflicts were resolved in favor of the kolkhozians, leading to deregulation and the restoration of buying and selling of means of production, something Stalin feared would end up laying the basis for the dismantling of the kolkhoz system in *Economic Problems* and potentially even the restoration of capitalism in the long-run. +He actually speculated the USSR might return to capitalism because they didn't take this problem seriously, that they assumed co-op workers had the same class interests as public-sector workers, and were not really concerned with what potential dangers they could present to constructing socialism. He also provides a couple examples where the co-op sector (the "kolkhozian class") conflicted with the public sector and the conflicts were resolved in favor of the kolkhozians, leading to deregulation and the restoration of buying and selling of means of production, something Stalin feared would end up laying the basis for the dismantling of the kolkhoz system in _Economic Problems_ and potentially even the restoration of capitalism in the long-run. Transforming the market sector fully into a co-operative sector was something the Soviets experimented due to the particularities of their material conditions, but it is nowhere to be found in Marxism and cannot be universalized to all countries nor is there any reason to, and the insistence that we have to embrace such as thing or else we're "revisionist" makes absolutely no sense and is just a dogmatic application of everything the Soviet Union did into other countries. If we are not to be idealists that believe we can just wave a magic wand and instantly change our material conditions, then we would be forced to conclude that private property would continue to exist as a subordinated form of property for a long time post-revolution. If private property continues to exist, definitionally, so does the bourgeoisie. They would exist as a real material part of the economy and you have to work with that. -You can't just ignore your material basis and refuse to ever talk to the bourgeoisie because of an emotional visceral reaction against doing so. You can't pretend the economic base of your country isn't real because you don't like it. Even if you make them illegal, they will continue to exist in the form of black markets which plagued socialist countries which overly planned their economies in a way that was far too ahead of their productive forces. +You can't just ignore your material basis and refuse to ever talk to the bourgeoisie because of an emotional visceral reaction against doing so. You can't pretend the economic base of your country isn't real because you don't like it. Even if you make them illegal, they will continue to exist in the form of black markets which plagued socialist countries which overly planned their economies in a way that was far too ahead of their productive forces. Private property was recently legalized in Cuba very recently in the constitutional referendum and this was the same argument they had made as well. They made private property illegal, it sprung up as black markets anyways. These black markets flourished not because of evil people wanting to destroy socialism, but because the productive forces were underdeveloped and so the Cuban state was simply not economically efficient enough to plan the whole economy, and so many of these spontaneous black markets were providing real and genuinely useful services. We have seen in the DPRK for example a lot of black markets appear around food production due to food shortages where people grow and sell food independently of the central government that is not adequately providing enough on its own. @@ -34,8 +34,8 @@ By legalizing them, they no longer have a reason to hide their activities and it The only response to this ultraleftists give are visceral emotional reactions. They just hear "working with the bourgeoisie!!! evil!!!" and then get angry and upset about it because they think the only way to not be a "revisionist" is to just keep killing all private business owners until you have none left. -Yet, this was not what Marx nor Engels nor Lenin ever proposed. They all understood that markets have to develop alongside and supplementary to the development of planning, you can't just abolish one because you don't like it. +Yet, this was not what Marx nor Engels nor Lenin ever proposed. They all understood that markets have to develop alongside and supplementary to the development of planning, you can't just abolish one because you don't like it. -Stalin's economic model was specific to the Soviet Union's material conditions and the necessity to rapidly bring the country together and industrialize in order prepare for a fight against the Nazis. There is no reason to think Stalin's model should be universalized to every socialist country. But this is exactly what people are doing when they call China or Cuba or whatever revisionist for not making all private property illegal and turning all private businesses into co-ops. +Stalin's economic model was specific to the Soviet Union's material conditions and the necessity to rapidly bring the country together and industrialize in order prepare for a fight against the Nazis. There is no reason to think Stalin's model should be universalized to every socialist country. But this is exactly what people are doing when they call China or Cuba or whatever revisionist for not making all private property illegal and turning all private businesses into co-ops. And, again, if you don't make all private property illegal, you will inevitably have a bourgeoisie, and that means you'll inevitably at some point have to talk to them if you want to actually run an economy and not virtue signal. That doesn't mean the proletariat and the bourgeoisie share equal political power and footing, nor did the proletariat and peasantry share equal political power in that alliance, either. The country is still a dictatorship of the proletariat, but that doesn't mean the proletariat can't ever cooperate with other classes on any issue ever. diff --git a/anticapitalist_orgs.md b/anticapitalist_orgs.md index 11d88d5..de7fae9 100644 --- a/anticapitalist_orgs.md +++ b/anticapitalist_orgs.md @@ -2,65 +2,63 @@ ## What can we do? -Many think that fighting against capitalism feels a lot like throwing pebbles at a tidal wave. How can *I, alone*, do anything to stop all of the [injustices I see being committed?](https://github.com/dessalines/essays/blob/master/us_atrocities.md) We see our neighbors being picked up and [deported by ICE](https://github.com/dessalines/essays/blob/master/us_atrocities.md#latinos), [police murdering and imprisoning us](https://github.com/dessalines/essays/blob/master/us_atrocities.md#black-people), debts that lock us into [indentured servitude](https://github.com/dessalines/essays/blob/master/us_atrocities.md#workers-and-the-poor), [global surveillance of every minute detail of our lives](https://github.com/dessalines/essays/blob/master/us_atrocities.md#pervasive), endless [wars and imperialism](https://github.com/dessalines/essays/blob/master/us_atrocities.md#imperialism), ecological destruction, and [literal slave labor camps](https://github.com/dessalines/essays/blob/master/us_atrocities.md#prisoners). Our rents, food costs, and debts are going up, and our [incomes have stagnated.](https://github.com/dessalines/essays/blob/master/capitalism_doesnt_work.md) The media, and everything around us seems apathetic, complacent, and oblivious. Eight men currently control about half the world's wealth. Their share is growing daily, and will reach a conclusion obvious to anyone who's played monopoly before. With only our labor to sell, and the demand for that labor decreasing, things seem oppressively bleak. +Many think that fighting against capitalism feels a lot like throwing pebbles at a tidal wave. How can _I, alone_, do anything to stop all of the [injustices I see being committed?](https://github.com/dessalines/essays/blob/master/us_atrocities.md) We see our neighbors being picked up and [deported by ICE](https://github.com/dessalines/essays/blob/master/us_atrocities.md#latinos), [police murdering and imprisoning us](https://github.com/dessalines/essays/blob/master/us_atrocities.md#black-people), debts that lock us into [indentured servitude](https://github.com/dessalines/essays/blob/master/us_atrocities.md#workers-and-the-poor), [global surveillance of every minute detail of our lives](https://github.com/dessalines/essays/blob/master/us_atrocities.md#pervasive), endless [wars and imperialism](https://github.com/dessalines/essays/blob/master/us_atrocities.md#imperialism), ecological destruction, and [literal slave labor camps](https://github.com/dessalines/essays/blob/master/us_atrocities.md#prisoners). Our rents, food costs, and debts are going up, and our [incomes have stagnated.](https://github.com/dessalines/essays/blob/master/capitalism_doesnt_work.md) The media, and everything around us seems apathetic, complacent, and oblivious. Eight men currently control about half the world's wealth. Their share is growing daily, and will reach a conclusion obvious to anyone who's played monopoly before. With only our labor to sell, and the demand for that labor decreasing, things seem oppressively bleak. -Here's the thing: **You are not alone**. In fact, **we wage workers are the majority**. The ruling class of [absentee owners](https://github.com/dessalines/essays/blob/master/crash_course_socialism.md) makes up a *tiny minority* of your city's population. Often invisible to us, is the fact that we as wage workers are *surrounded by comrades* who share our same basic interests. Some hold more prejudices than others, but all are deserving of a comfortable life, free from fears about our health and living situation. We are impoverished by an *imposed artificial scarcity*, a mal-allocation of the things we need to survive. World food production and housing *already surpasses global needs*, yet [1 out of every 7 US citizens needs to visit food banks to survive.](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/08/17/hunger-study-food/14195585/) In the [UK there are 10x more houses than homeless families.](http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/ampp3d/housing-crisis-10-empty-homes-5008151) Our healthcare and other social services, which are in some cases ample, are increasingly being privatized and gutted. We know that by simply organizing and planning for *human needs rather than private profit*, we can solve our societal problems. We have but to shake off these mooching, leeching, capitalist parasites, like a dog shaking off fleas. +Here's the thing: **You are not alone**. In fact, **we wage workers are the majority**. The ruling class of [absentee owners](https://github.com/dessalines/essays/blob/master/crash_course_socialism.md) makes up a _tiny minority_ of your city's population. Often invisible to us, is the fact that we as wage workers are _surrounded by comrades_ who share our same basic interests. Some hold more prejudices than others, but all are deserving of a comfortable life, free from fears about our health and living situation. We are impoverished by an _imposed artificial scarcity_, a mal-allocation of the things we need to survive. World food production and housing _already surpasses global needs_, yet [1 out of every 7 US citizens needs to visit food banks to survive.](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/08/17/hunger-study-food/14195585/) In the [UK there are 10x more houses than homeless families.](http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/ampp3d/housing-crisis-10-empty-homes-5008151) Our healthcare and other social services, which are in some cases ample, are increasingly being privatized and gutted. We know that by simply organizing and planning for _human needs rather than private profit_, we can solve our societal problems. We have but to shake off these mooching, leeching, capitalist parasites, like a dog shaking off fleas. How do we get there, how do we win? **We join anti-capitalist organizations.** -Capitalists retain their power through the strategy of *divide and conquer.* [Scapegoating hasn't gone out of style;](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scapegoating) the tactic has always been to blame certain races, sexes, religions, activists, and transform them into demons causing all the world's problems, so people won't point their fingers upwards. The *isolating individualism* [upheld by them](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_hegemony) pervades all aspects of our lives: we often live in isolated housing, we're actively told not to organize or form unions, the news tells us to be afraid of our neighbors... everything (even human life) has value only as a unit of *individual consumption.* Their ruling-class worldview becomes the accepted, the natural, the inevitable norm that is *good for all*, rather than one them benefits the ruling minority only. Profit and the *entrepeneurial capitalist innovator* become our new Gods, hiding the truth about our material conditions. There is a **finite number of hours of labor that can be done in a given day,** and most of it is going to absentee owners. Or as Eugene Debs put it, that "millions of men and women work all the days of their lives and secure barely enough for a wretched existence." +Capitalists retain their power through the strategy of _divide and conquer._ [Scapegoating hasn't gone out of style;](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scapegoating) the tactic has always been to blame certain races, sexes, religions, activists, and transform them into demons causing all the world's problems, so people won't point their fingers upwards. The _isolating individualism_ [upheld by them](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_hegemony) pervades all aspects of our lives: we often live in isolated housing, we're actively told not to organize or form unions, the news tells us to be afraid of our neighbors... everything (even human life) has value only as a unit of _individual consumption._ Their ruling-class worldview becomes the accepted, the natural, the inevitable norm that is _good for all_, rather than one them benefits the ruling minority only. Profit and the _entrepeneurial capitalist innovator_ become our new Gods, hiding the truth about our material conditions. There is a **finite number of hours of labor that can be done in a given day,** and most of it is going to absentee owners. Or as Eugene Debs put it, that "millions of men and women work all the days of their lives and secure barely enough for a wretched existence." -Anti-Capitalist organization always has, and always will be, our only hope, and the only real threat to Capitalism. Malcolm X keenly stated that the hand becomes a weapon only when our fingers are **joined together into a fist.** +Anti-Capitalist organization always has, and always will be, our only hope, and the only real threat to Capitalism. Malcolm X keenly stated that the hand becomes a weapon only when our fingers are **joined together into a fist.** Our task is the same as it always has been: to **agitate, educate, organize, and join leftist organizations in our cities.** -Our pessimism or optimism is irrelevant: *we have no choice but to organize* for the overthrow of Capitalism; anything less results in a [destruction of the environment and our lives.](https://pics.onsizzle.com/in-this-hour-socialism-is-the-only-salvation-for-humanity-12219484.png) We have no time to waste, capitalists prefer our pacification and death, to our organized resistance. [The police state is here](https://github.com/dessalines/essays/blob/master/us_atrocities.md#pervasive), and no amount of [pacifist resistance](https://theredphoenixapl.org/2011/08/11/pacifism-how-to-do-the-enemys-job-for-them/) will threaten it. +Our pessimism or optimism is irrelevant: _we have no choice but to organize_ for the overthrow of Capitalism; anything less results in a [destruction of the environment and our lives.](https://pics.onsizzle.com/in-this-hour-socialism-is-the-only-salvation-for-humanity-12219484.png) We have no time to waste, capitalists prefer our pacification and death, to our organized resistance. [The police state is here](https://github.com/dessalines/essays/blob/master/us_atrocities.md#pervasive), and no amount of [pacifist resistance](https://theredphoenixapl.org/2011/08/11/pacifism-how-to-do-the-enemys-job-for-them/) will threaten it. ### Notes -Lastly, for those who think that broadcasting a list like this (potentially to our enemies) harms the cause of anti-capitalism. Note that: +Lastly, for those who think that broadcasting a list like this (potentially to our enemies) harms the cause of anti-capitalism. Note that: - All of these organizations have (or should have) vetting processes in place for new members. -- These are all completely legal, *above ground* organizations. Many of them even do armed organizing where it is legal to do so. -- Socialists disdain to conceal our aims; Reactionaries are a vocal minority that are given a loudspeaker by the capitalist media, but workers and those that believe in worker power have always outnumbered them. +- These are all completely legal, _above ground_ organizations. Many of them even do armed organizing where it is legal to do so. +- Socialists disdain to conceal our aims; Reactionaries are a vocal minority that are given a loudspeaker by the capitalist media, but workers and those that believe in worker power have always outnumbered them. This list is a living document; it will be updated as necessary. Feel free to contact me to add to this, fork this list, or create your own versions. - - ## Organizations -| Name | Tendency | Contact | Locations | -|:---:|:---:|:---:|---| -| [Party for Socialism and Liberation](http://www.pslweb.org/) | Marxist-Leninist | [FB](https://www.facebook.com/pslweb/) [Twitter](https://twitter.com/pslweb)| US - Baltimore, Maryland; Boston, Massachusetts; Miami, Florida; New Haven, Connecticut New Paltz and New York City (Harlem), New York; Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Sacramento, San Diego, San Jose, Santa Cruz, Los Angeles and the Inland Empire in California; Phoenix, Arizona; Seattle, Washington; Austin, Texas; Chicago, Illinois; Sioux Falls, South Dakota; and St. Louis, Missouri | -| [Socialist Party USA](http://socialistparty-usa.net/) | Multi-tendency | [FB](https://www.facebook.com/SPUSofA/) [Twitter](https://twitter.com/SPofUSA) | US - New York City, New York; Washington, DC; Maine; Boston, Massachusetts; Montclair, New Jersey; Carrboro, North Carolina; Memphis, Tennessee; Los Angeles, Moorpark, California; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Puget Sound Region, Washington; Jackson, Mississippi; Golden Crescent Area, Rio Grande Valley, Houston, Texas; Salt Lake City, Utah; Green Bay Area, Wisconsin; St. Louis, Missouri; Red River Region, Minnesota; Michigan; Indianapolis, Indiana; Chicago, Sauk Valley, Illinois; Denver, Colorado; | -| [Socialist Alternative](http://www.socialistalternative.org/) | Trotskyist | [FB](https://www.facebook.com/SocialistAlternativeUSA/) [Twitter](https://twitter.com/SocialistAlt) | US - New York City, New York; Boston, Massachusetts; Tampa, Florida; Philadelphia, Pennslyvania; Oakland, California; Seattle, Washington; New Orleans, Louisiana; Madison, Mobile, Alabama; Austin, Texas; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Chicago, Illinois | -| [Redneck Revolt / John Brown Gun Club](https://www.redneckrevolt.org/) | Armed Anti-Capitalist | [Contact](https://www.redneckrevolt.org/contact) [FB](http://www.facebook.com/redneckrevolt) [Twitter](http://www.twitter.com/redneckrevolt) | US - Phoenix,Arizona;Los Angeles,California;San Diego,California;San Francisco,California;Colorado Springs,Colorado;Fort Collins,Colorado;Gainesville,Florida;Miami,Florida;Orlando,Florida;Tampa,Florida ;Nez Perce,Idaho;Wichita,Kansas;New Orleans,Louisiana;Brunswick,Maine;Grand Rapids,Michigan;Traverse City,Michigan;Ypsilanti,Michigan;Lansing ,Michigan;Eau Claire,Michigan;Minneapolis,Minnesota;Rolla,Missouri;Columbia,Missouri;Springfield,Missouri;Albany,New York;Palmyra,New York;Long Island,New York;Redwood,New York;High Point,North Carolina;Columbus,Ohio;Astoria,Oregon;Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania;Providence,Rhode Island;Chattanooga,Tennessee;Houston,Texas;Ogden,Utah;Montpelier,Vermont;Seattle,Washington; | -| [Socialist Rifle Association](https://www.socialistra.org/) | Armed Anti-Capitalist | [Contact](https://socialistra.org/contact/) [FB](https://www.facebook.com/SocialistRifle) [Twitter](https://twitter.com/socialistra) | US - Spokane, Washington; Portland, Oregon; Sacramento, California; Los Angeles, California; Flagstaff, Arizona; Northwest Kansas; Wichita, Kansas; Tulsa Oklahoma; Dallas, Texas; Northwoods, Wisconsin; Madison, Wisconsin; Pittsburgh, PA; Northeast Georgia; Charleston, South Carolina; Southwest Florida; | -| [Industrial Workers of the World](https://www.iww.org/) | Unionism | [Contact](https://www.iww.org/branches) [FB](https://www.facebook.com/iww.org) [Twitter](https://twitter.com/_IWW) | US - Every state | -| [Workers World Party](http://www.workers.org/) | Marxist-Leninist | [FB](https://www.facebook.com/WorkersWorldParty/) [Twitter](https://twitter.com/workersworld) | US - Boston, Massachusetts; Buffalo, New York, and Rochester, New York; Charlotte and Durham, North Carolina; Cleveland, Ohio; Huntington and Morgantown, West Virginia; Lexington, Kentucky; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Virginia; Washington, DC; Los Angeles and San Diego, California; Houston, Texas; Chicago, Illinois; Cleveland, Ohio; Denver, Colorado; Detroit, Michigan; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; | -| [Black Rose Anarchist Federation](http://blackrosefed.org/) | Anarcho-communist | [FB](https://www.facebook.com/BRRNfed/) | US - Austin Texas; Boston, MA; Burlington, Vermont; Central Illinois; Chicago, Illinois; Los Angeles, California; Miami, Florida; New York City, NY; Philadelphia, PA; Portland, Oregon; Providence, Rhode Island; Richmond, Virginia; San Antonia, Texas; Seattle, Washington; Denver, Colorado; Durham, North Carolina; | -| [International Socialist Organization](http://www.internationalsocialist.org/) | Trotskyist | [FB](https://www.facebook.com/International-Socialist-Organization-122646921103159/) [Twitter](https://twitter.com/Socialists_ISO) | US - CA, Los Angeles; CA, NorCal, Berkeley; CA, Northern California (District); CA, San Diego; CO, Boulder; CO, Denver; CT, New Haven; CT, New London; DC, Washington DC; FL, Orlando; FL, South Florida; GA, Georgia State University; IL, Chicago (District); IL, Chicago, DePaul; IL, Chicago, Loyola; IL, Chicago, University of Chicago; IL, University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana; KS, Lawrence; MA, Boston; MA, Western Mass; MD, University of Maryland; ME, Portland; MI, Mount Pleasant; MN, Twin Cities; MO, University of Missouri; NC, Asheville; NC, Boone; NC, Greensboro; NC, Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill/UNC; NC, Winston-Salem; NY, NYC, Brooklyn; NY, NYC, Brooklyn College; NY, NYC, Columbia University; NY, NYC, Downtown Manhattan; NY, NYC, Hunter College; NY, NYC, Lehman College; NY, NYC, New York City (District); NY, NYC, New York University; NY, Potsdam; NY, Rochester; NY, Syracuse; OH, Athens; OH, Columbus; OH, Dayton; OH, Toledo; OR, Portland; PA, Philadelphia; PA, Pittsburgh; TX, Austin; TX, Denton; TX, Denton, Texas Women’s University; VT, Burlington/University of Vermont; VT, UVM; WA, Seattle; WA, University of Washington; WI, Madison; WI, Milwaukee; | -| [Freedom Road Socialist Organization](http://frso.org/) | Marxist-Leninist | [Contact](https://frso.org/join/) [FB](https://www.facebook.com/FreedomRoadSocialistOrg) | US | -| [Huey P Newton Gun Club](http://hueypnewtongunclub.org/) | Black Empowerment | [Twitter](https://twitter.com/HueyGunClub) | US - Dallas, Texas | -| [Trigger Warning Queer and Trans Gun Club](https://www.facebook.com/triggerwarninggunclub/) | Queer / Trans Empowerment | [FB](https://www.facebook.com/triggerwarninggunclub/) | US - Rochester, New York | -| [Party of Communists USA](http://www.partyofcommunistsusa.org/) | Marxist-Leninist | [FB](https://www.facebook.com/partyofcommunists/?ref=br_rs) | US - New York City, New York; Atlanta, Georgia | -| [Maoist Internationalist Movement](https://www.prisoncensorship.info/faq) | Maoist | [Contact](https://www.prisoncensorship.info/contact) [FB](https://www.facebook.com/MaoistInternationalist/) | US | -| [Red Guards of Los Angeles](http://redguardsla.org/) | Maoist | [FB](http://www.facebook.com/RedGuardsLA) [Twitter](http://twitter.com/RedGuardsLA) | US - Los Angeles, CA | -| [Red Guards of Austin](https://redguardsaustin.wordpress.com/) | Maoist | [Contact](https://redguardsaustin.wordpress.com/) | US - Austin, Texas | -| [Red Guards of Charlotte](https://redguardscharlotte.wordpress.com/) | Maoist | [FB](https://www.facebook.com/redguardscharlotte1/) | US - Charlotte, North Carolina | -| [Red Guards of Kansas City](https://kcmlm.wordpress.com/) | Maoist | [FB](https://www.facebook.com/itisrighttorebel/) | US - Kansas City, MO | -| [Red Guards of Pittsburgh](https://redguardspittsburgh.wordpress.com/2018/03/10/attn-pittsburgh-loose-lips-sink-ships-be-aware/) | Maoist | [FB](https://www.facebook.com/redguardspittsburgh) | US - Pittsburgh, PA | -| [New Black Panther Party](https://www.facebook.com/The-New-Black-Panther-Party-Southeast-Region-Hashim-Nzinga-643248062674191/?fb_dtsg_ag=Ady85UUKUbAspxRM0TrSwhC3UMcOiCzGWcq2uucsc00cjA%3AAdzLbTTtZ6d17ABFdBTf0KofTp-NuGFGYVCDKgOwgzPbsg) | Black Empowerment | [FB](https://www.facebook.com/The-New-Black-Panther-Party-Southeast-Region-Hashim-Nzinga-643248062674191/?fb_dtsg_ag=Ady85UUKUbAspxRM0TrSwhC3UMcOiCzGWcq2uucsc00cjA%3AAdzLbTTtZ6d17ABFdBTf0KofTp-NuGFGYVCDKgOwgzPbsg) | US - Atlanta GA | -| [Green Party](http://www.gp.org/) | Eco-Socialism | [FB](https://www.facebook.com/GreenPartyUS) | US | -| [American Party of Labor](http://americanpartyoflabor.org/) | Marxist-Leninist, Hoxhaist | [FB](https://www.facebook.com/americanpartyoflaborapl) | US | -| [Progressive Labor Party](http://www.plp.org/) | Marxist-Leninist | [Twitter](https://twitter.com/PLPchallenge) | US | -| [Peace and Freedom Party](http://peaceandfreedom.org/home/) | Eco-Socialism / Trotskyism | [FB](https://www.facebook.com/PFP.CA.Official/) | US | -| [Socialist Action](https://socialistaction.org/) | Trotskyism | [FB](https://www.facebook.com/socialist.action.1) | US | -| [Socialist Labor Party](http://www.slp.org/) | De Leonism | [De Leon literature](http://www.slp.org/De_Leon.htm) | US | -| [Democratic Socialists of America](http://www.dsausa.org/) | Democratic Socialism / Reformism | [FB](https://facebook.com/demsocialists) [Twitter](https://twitter.com/DemSocialists) | US | -| [Socialist Workers Party](http://themilitant.com/) | Multi-tendency | [about](http://www.slp.org/De_Leon.htm) | US | -| [Liberty Union Party](http://www.libertyunionparty.org/) | Multi-tendency | [FB](https://www.facebook.com/LibertyUnionParty) | US | -| [Workers' Solidarity Alliance](https://workersolidarity.org/) | Anarcho-Syndicalism | [FB](https://www.facebook.com/workersolidarityalliance) | US | -| [Rose City Antifa](https://www.rosecityantifa.org/) | Multi-tendency | [FB](https://www.facebook.com/sometimesantisocialalwaysantifascist/) | US - Portland, Oregon| -| [Revolutionary Communist Party](http://revcom.us/) | Maoist | [FB](https://www.facebook.com/Revolutionary-Communist-Party-991523717554453/) | US | \ No newline at end of file +| Name | Tendency | Contact | Locations | +| :----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------: | :------------------------------: | :-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------: | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | +| [Party for Socialism and Liberation](http://www.pslweb.org/) | Marxist-Leninist | [FB](https://www.facebook.com/pslweb/) [Twitter](https://twitter.com/pslweb) | US - Baltimore, Maryland; Boston, Massachusetts; Miami, Florida; New Haven, Connecticut New Paltz and New York City (Harlem), New York; Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Sacramento, San Diego, San Jose, Santa Cruz, Los Angeles and the Inland Empire in California; Phoenix, Arizona; Seattle, Washington; Austin, Texas; Chicago, Illinois; Sioux Falls, South Dakota; and St. Louis, Missouri | +| [Socialist Party USA](http://socialistparty-usa.net/) | Multi-tendency | [FB](https://www.facebook.com/SPUSofA/) [Twitter](https://twitter.com/SPofUSA) | US - New York City, New York; Washington, DC; Maine; Boston, Massachusetts; Montclair, New Jersey; Carrboro, North Carolina; Memphis, Tennessee; Los Angeles, Moorpark, California; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Puget Sound Region, Washington; Jackson, Mississippi; Golden Crescent Area, Rio Grande Valley, Houston, Texas; Salt Lake City, Utah; Green Bay Area, Wisconsin; St. Louis, Missouri; Red River Region, Minnesota; Michigan; Indianapolis, Indiana; Chicago, Sauk Valley, Illinois; Denver, Colorado; | +| [Socialist Alternative](http://www.socialistalternative.org/) | Trotskyist | [FB](https://www.facebook.com/SocialistAlternativeUSA/) [Twitter](https://twitter.com/SocialistAlt) | US - New York City, New York; Boston, Massachusetts; Tampa, Florida; Philadelphia, Pennslyvania; Oakland, California; Seattle, Washington; New Orleans, Louisiana; Madison, Mobile, Alabama; Austin, Texas; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Chicago, Illinois | +| [Redneck Revolt / John Brown Gun Club](https://www.redneckrevolt.org/) | Armed Anti-Capitalist | [Contact](https://www.redneckrevolt.org/contact) [FB](http://www.facebook.com/redneckrevolt) [Twitter](http://www.twitter.com/redneckrevolt) | US - Phoenix,Arizona;Los Angeles,California;San Diego,California;San Francisco,California;Colorado Springs,Colorado;Fort Collins,Colorado;Gainesville,Florida;Miami,Florida;Orlando,Florida;Tampa,Florida ;Nez Perce,Idaho;Wichita,Kansas;New Orleans,Louisiana;Brunswick,Maine;Grand Rapids,Michigan;Traverse City,Michigan;Ypsilanti,Michigan;Lansing ,Michigan;Eau Claire,Michigan;Minneapolis,Minnesota;Rolla,Missouri;Columbia,Missouri;Springfield,Missouri;Albany,New York;Palmyra,New York;Long Island,New York;Redwood,New York;High Point,North Carolina;Columbus,Ohio;Astoria,Oregon;Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania;Providence,Rhode Island;Chattanooga,Tennessee;Houston,Texas;Ogden,Utah;Montpelier,Vermont;Seattle,Washington; | +| [Socialist Rifle Association](https://www.socialistra.org/) | Armed Anti-Capitalist | [Contact](https://socialistra.org/contact/) [FB](https://www.facebook.com/SocialistRifle) [Twitter](https://twitter.com/socialistra) | US - Spokane, Washington; Portland, Oregon; Sacramento, California; Los Angeles, California; Flagstaff, Arizona; Northwest Kansas; Wichita, Kansas; Tulsa Oklahoma; Dallas, Texas; Northwoods, Wisconsin; Madison, Wisconsin; Pittsburgh, PA; Northeast Georgia; Charleston, South Carolina; Southwest Florida; | +| [Industrial Workers of the World](https://www.iww.org/) | Unionism | [Contact](https://www.iww.org/branches) [FB](https://www.facebook.com/iww.org) [Twitter](https://twitter.com/_IWW) | US - Every state | +| [Workers World Party](http://www.workers.org/) | Marxist-Leninist | [FB](https://www.facebook.com/WorkersWorldParty/) [Twitter](https://twitter.com/workersworld) | US - Boston, Massachusetts; Buffalo, New York, and Rochester, New York; Charlotte and Durham, North Carolina; Cleveland, Ohio; Huntington and Morgantown, West Virginia; Lexington, Kentucky; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Virginia; Washington, DC; Los Angeles and San Diego, California; Houston, Texas; Chicago, Illinois; Cleveland, Ohio; Denver, Colorado; Detroit, Michigan; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; | +| [Black Rose Anarchist Federation](http://blackrosefed.org/) | Anarcho-communist | [FB](https://www.facebook.com/BRRNfed/) | US - Austin Texas; Boston, MA; Burlington, Vermont; Central Illinois; Chicago, Illinois; Los Angeles, California; Miami, Florida; New York City, NY; Philadelphia, PA; Portland, Oregon; Providence, Rhode Island; Richmond, Virginia; San Antonia, Texas; Seattle, Washington; Denver, Colorado; Durham, North Carolina; | +| [International Socialist Organization](http://www.internationalsocialist.org/) | Trotskyist | [FB](https://www.facebook.com/International-Socialist-Organization-122646921103159/) [Twitter](https://twitter.com/Socialists_ISO) | US - CA, Los Angeles; CA, NorCal, Berkeley; CA, Northern California (District); CA, San Diego; CO, Boulder; CO, Denver; CT, New Haven; CT, New London; DC, Washington DC; FL, Orlando; FL, South Florida; GA, Georgia State University; IL, Chicago (District); IL, Chicago, DePaul; IL, Chicago, Loyola; IL, Chicago, University of Chicago; IL, University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana; KS, Lawrence; MA, Boston; MA, Western Mass; MD, University of Maryland; ME, Portland; MI, Mount Pleasant; MN, Twin Cities; MO, University of Missouri; NC, Asheville; NC, Boone; NC, Greensboro; NC, Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill/UNC; NC, Winston-Salem; NY, NYC, Brooklyn; NY, NYC, Brooklyn College; NY, NYC, Columbia University; NY, NYC, Downtown Manhattan; NY, NYC, Hunter College; NY, NYC, Lehman College; NY, NYC, New York City (District); NY, NYC, New York University; NY, Potsdam; NY, Rochester; NY, Syracuse; OH, Athens; OH, Columbus; OH, Dayton; OH, Toledo; OR, Portland; PA, Philadelphia; PA, Pittsburgh; TX, Austin; TX, Denton; TX, Denton, Texas Women’s University; VT, Burlington/University of Vermont; VT, UVM; WA, Seattle; WA, University of Washington; WI, Madison; WI, Milwaukee; | +| [Freedom Road Socialist Organization](http://frso.org/) | Marxist-Leninist | [Contact](https://frso.org/join/) [FB](https://www.facebook.com/FreedomRoadSocialistOrg) | US | +| [Huey P Newton Gun Club](http://hueypnewtongunclub.org/) | Black Empowerment | [Twitter](https://twitter.com/HueyGunClub) | US - Dallas, Texas | +| [Trigger Warning Queer and Trans Gun Club](https://www.facebook.com/triggerwarninggunclub/) | Queer / Trans Empowerment | [FB](https://www.facebook.com/triggerwarninggunclub/) | US - Rochester, New York | +| [Party of Communists USA](http://www.partyofcommunistsusa.org/) | Marxist-Leninist | [FB](https://www.facebook.com/partyofcommunists/?ref=br_rs) | US - New York City, New York; Atlanta, Georgia | +| [Maoist Internationalist Movement](https://www.prisoncensorship.info/faq) | Maoist | [Contact](https://www.prisoncensorship.info/contact) [FB](https://www.facebook.com/MaoistInternationalist/) | US | +| [Red Guards of Los Angeles](http://redguardsla.org/) | Maoist | [FB](http://www.facebook.com/RedGuardsLA) [Twitter](http://twitter.com/RedGuardsLA) | US - Los Angeles, CA | +| [Red Guards of Austin](https://redguardsaustin.wordpress.com/) | Maoist | [Contact](https://redguardsaustin.wordpress.com/) | US - Austin, Texas | +| [Red Guards of Charlotte](https://redguardscharlotte.wordpress.com/) | Maoist | [FB](https://www.facebook.com/redguardscharlotte1/) | US - Charlotte, North Carolina | +| [Red Guards of Kansas City](https://kcmlm.wordpress.com/) | Maoist | [FB](https://www.facebook.com/itisrighttorebel/) | US - Kansas City, MO | +| [Red Guards of Pittsburgh](https://redguardspittsburgh.wordpress.com/2018/03/10/attn-pittsburgh-loose-lips-sink-ships-be-aware/) | Maoist | [FB](https://www.facebook.com/redguardspittsburgh) | US - Pittsburgh, PA | +| [New Black Panther Party](https://www.facebook.com/The-New-Black-Panther-Party-Southeast-Region-Hashim-Nzinga-643248062674191/?fb_dtsg_ag=Ady85UUKUbAspxRM0TrSwhC3UMcOiCzGWcq2uucsc00cjA%3AAdzLbTTtZ6d17ABFdBTf0KofTp-NuGFGYVCDKgOwgzPbsg) | Black Empowerment | [FB](https://www.facebook.com/The-New-Black-Panther-Party-Southeast-Region-Hashim-Nzinga-643248062674191/?fb_dtsg_ag=Ady85UUKUbAspxRM0TrSwhC3UMcOiCzGWcq2uucsc00cjA%3AAdzLbTTtZ6d17ABFdBTf0KofTp-NuGFGYVCDKgOwgzPbsg) | US - Atlanta GA | +| [Green Party](http://www.gp.org/) | Eco-Socialism | [FB](https://www.facebook.com/GreenPartyUS) | US | +| [American Party of Labor](http://americanpartyoflabor.org/) | Marxist-Leninist, Hoxhaist | [FB](https://www.facebook.com/americanpartyoflaborapl) | US | +| [Progressive Labor Party](http://www.plp.org/) | Marxist-Leninist | [Twitter](https://twitter.com/PLPchallenge) | US | +| [Peace and Freedom Party](http://peaceandfreedom.org/home/) | Eco-Socialism / Trotskyism | [FB](https://www.facebook.com/PFP.CA.Official/) | US | +| [Socialist Action](https://socialistaction.org/) | Trotskyism | [FB](https://www.facebook.com/socialist.action.1) | US | +| [Socialist Labor Party](http://www.slp.org/) | De Leonism | [De Leon literature](http://www.slp.org/De_Leon.htm) | US | +| [Democratic Socialists of America](http://www.dsausa.org/) | Democratic Socialism / Reformism | [FB](https://facebook.com/demsocialists) [Twitter](https://twitter.com/DemSocialists) | US | +| [Socialist Workers Party](http://themilitant.com/) | Multi-tendency | [about](http://www.slp.org/De_Leon.htm) | US | +| [Liberty Union Party](http://www.libertyunionparty.org/) | Multi-tendency | [FB](https://www.facebook.com/LibertyUnionParty) | US | +| [Workers' Solidarity Alliance](https://workersolidarity.org/) | Anarcho-Syndicalism | [FB](https://www.facebook.com/workersolidarityalliance) | US | +| [Rose City Antifa](https://www.rosecityantifa.org/) | Multi-tendency | [FB](https://www.facebook.com/sometimesantisocialalwaysantifascist/) | US - Portland, Oregon | +| [Revolutionary Communist Party](http://revcom.us/) | Maoist | [FB](https://www.facebook.com/Revolutionary-Communist-Party-991523717554453/) | US | diff --git a/arm_frontpage.md b/arm_frontpage.md index 62eaf47..ab75ea9 100644 --- a/arm_frontpage.md +++ b/arm_frontpage.md @@ -1,8 +1,9 @@ # Anticapitalist Revolutionary Movement (ARM) ARM is a revolutionary anticapitalist organization with a commitment to: + - Revolutionary overthrow of capitalism. - Direct-democracy in decision-making. - Community organization providing alternatives to capitalism for housing, transportation, food, electricity, medical treatment, and education, seizing existing means if necessary. - Resistance to racism, sexism, LGBTQ-hate, religious bigotry. -- A unified front, which may include *temporary alliances* with broad leftist causes, in order to provide a platform for agitation. +- A unified front, which may include _temporary alliances_ with broad leftist causes, in order to provide a platform for agitation. diff --git a/burn_the_constitution.md b/burn_the_constitution.md index a5a5bf0..2f656d4 100644 --- a/burn_the_constitution.md +++ b/burn_the_constitution.md @@ -1,7 +1,5 @@ # Burn the Constitution - - To emphasize the commonality of the 99 percent, to declare deep enmity of interest with the 1 percent, is to do exactly what the governments of the United States, and the wealthy elite allied to them-from the Founding Fathers to @@ -10,47 +8,39 @@ Constitution would control it. He and his colleagues began the Preamble to the C the words "We the people ...," pretending that the new government stood for everyone, and hoping that this myth, accepted as fact, would ensure "domestic tranquility." - - ## What is the Constitution? -A constitution is a set of fundamental principles and precedents according to which a state or an organization is governed. As a **foundational document**, it outlines the relationship between its subsections, defines how laws are made, what +A constitution is a set of fundamental principles and precedents according to which a state or an organization is governed. As a **foundational document**, it outlines the relationship between its subsections, defines how laws are made, what ## The problems + - The cult of the constitution + ### Who were the framers? - There is an almost religious devotion to which most citizens hold up both the constitution, and the framers -- As is the case with any codified document of law or principles, its important to figure out in whose interest it was written. There is no such thing as a neutral political document. +- As is the case with any codified document of law or principles, its important to figure out in whose interest it was written. There is no such thing as a neutral political document. - A class analysis. -- By discovering this, we can go beyond apparantly +- By discovering this, we can go beyond apparantly - Neutrality ### Reforming the Constitution -- Limits of reformism. How does it get changed? Go through history of amendments. Mass struggle, revolts, protests, etc. +- Limits of reformism. How does it get changed? Go through history of amendments. Mass struggle, revolts, protests, etc. - Go through how each clause oppresses workers in some way. -- Never be deceived that the rich will allow you to vote away their wealth. +- Never be deceived that the rich will allow you to vote away their wealth. - ​ ## The solution -- Stop holding a highly flawed and vague document as an infallible religious text. -- Stop glorifying the framers as enlightened beings, when in reality they were the class enemies of the workers then, just as much as now. -- Realize that bourgeois political processes cannot reform the constitution. Improvements only occur when politicians are threatened by violence and instability. - - - - - -## - -## - - +- Stop holding a highly flawed and vague document as an infallible religious text. +- Stop glorifying the framers as enlightened beings, when in reality they were the class enemies of the workers then, just as much as now. +- Realize that bourgeois political processes cannot reform the constitution. Improvements only occur when politicians are threatened by violence and instability. +## +## Things that were legal, and enforced by the police: diff --git a/capitalism_doesnt_work.md b/capitalism_doesnt_work.md index 338789a..ab0aa09 100644 --- a/capitalism_doesnt_work.md +++ b/capitalism_doesnt_work.md @@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ Lets unpack the idea that "Capitalism works". In the US, the most developed Capi - [Capitalist monopolies in media, food, energy, and transportation, mostly controlled by ~200 powerful shareholders.](https://imgur.com/a/xgnEp) - [Billionaires made enough money in 2017 to end poverty 7 times over.](https://www.newsweek.com/billionaires-money-end-poverty-report-786675) - [A reduction in US military spending of just 3% per year could end world hunger.](https://www.sharing.org/information-centre/blogs/3-us-military-spending-could-end-starvation-earth) -- [US Life expectancy peaked in 2014](https://i.redd.it/6zo861tkn0441.png), is on the decline, and [is now lower than in China.](https://www.businessinsider.com/china-boasts-that-its-healthy-life-expectancy-beats-the-us-is-correct-2018-5), [2](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-life-expectancy/us-life-expectancy-declining-due-to-more-deaths-in-middle-age-idUSKBN1Y02C7) +- [US Life expectancy peaked in 2014](https://i.redd.it/6zo861tkn0441.png), is on the decline, and [is now lower than in China.](https://www.businessinsider.com/china-boasts-that-its-healthy-life-expectancy-beats-the-us-is-correct-2018-5), [2](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-life-expectancy/us-life-expectancy-declining-due-to-more-deaths-in-middle-age-idUSKBN1Y02C7). The average US citizen [has a worse life expectancy](https://nitter.net/jburnmurdoch/status/1641799698058035200) than a citizen in the most impoverished city in England as of 2023. - Suicide rates have leaped more than [33% in the last 20 years.](https://politsturm.com/american-suicide-rate-up-33/) [2](https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/07/health/suicide-report-cdc/index.html), [3](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2018/06/07/u-s-suicide-rates-rise-sharply-across-the-country-new-report-shows/?utm_term=.18c1060e6b2f) [Teen suicides are on the rise and outpacing all other age groups.](http://archive.is/Ips7C) - A [Drug overdose epidemic, and suicides](https://www.latimes.com/science/story/2019-11-26/life-expectancy-decline-deaths-of-despair) are fueling a decrease in life expectancy. - [Committed countless atrocities](https://github.com/dessalines/essays/blob/master/us_atrocities.md), killing millions directly and indirectly across the globe. Currently maintains an [imperialist network](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Df4R-xdKvpM) of over [800 military bases in 70 countries.](https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/06/us-military-bases-around-the-world-119321) (For comparison, all the other countries combined have only 30 bases) diff --git a/dash_rendar_what_is_capitalism.md b/dash_rendar_what_is_capitalism.md index 39cdf3a..2781421 100644 --- a/dash_rendar_what_is_capitalism.md +++ b/dash_rendar_what_is_capitalism.md @@ -2,16 +2,16 @@ - [link](https://www.reddit.com/r/communism101/comments/a0mwut/what_exactly_is_capitalism/eaj3b4a/) -Capitalism is, fundamentally, about the underlying property relations at the base of society. Claims on ownership granting special rules. So kind of like how in feudalism - the King got a bunch of special rules that only applied to him (sometimes from God), and later some of those would extend to the nobility and aristocracy, but not to the serfs and peasants - or how in ancient Rome, masters got one set of rules and slaves got a different set of rules - well Marxists make the argument that we've still got a two-tiered ruleset in place today - where one group of people (or CLASS of people) have to live and play by a basic set of rules, but another, smaller group (or CLASS) of people get some bonus special rules that help them out extra and give them bonus power and authority that members of the much larger group don't have the same access to or ability to wield. Even moreso, Marxists make the argument that these bonus rules are actually detrimental and damaging to the larger group, in order to amplify the benefit provided to the smaller group. +Capitalism is, fundamentally, about the underlying property relations at the base of society. Claims on ownership granting special rules. So kind of like how in feudalism - the King got a bunch of special rules that only applied to him (sometimes from God), and later some of those would extend to the nobility and aristocracy, but not to the serfs and peasants - or how in ancient Rome, masters got one set of rules and slaves got a different set of rules - well Marxists make the argument that we've still got a two-tiered ruleset in place today - where one group of people (or CLASS of people) have to live and play by a basic set of rules, but another, smaller group (or CLASS) of people get some bonus special rules that help them out extra and give them bonus power and authority that members of the much larger group don't have the same access to or ability to wield. Even moreso, Marxists make the argument that these bonus rules are actually detrimental and damaging to the larger group, in order to amplify the benefit provided to the smaller group. -So let's talk about these two groups. The first group is probably the one that you and I are a part of, as is the overwhelming majority of humanity. This group is a CLASS of people that acquire and grow their wealth - that is to say, make their money, earn their income, etc - primarily through doing work -ie/ labour. This can be a lot of different things: flipping burgers, writing code, building houses, transporting goods, etc. Lots of different things. But how they all get paid is largely the same. They perform this task, over a certain amount of time, and they receive money from the person or people who owns the business at a fixed rate of pay, multiplied by the amount of time that they spent working. So you make X dollars per hour (called a wage), or you make Y dollars per month or per year (called a salary), or you get paid Z dollars for doing a specific job that will take a specific amount of time. +So let's talk about these two groups. The first group is probably the one that you and I are a part of, as is the overwhelming majority of humanity. This group is a CLASS of people that acquire and grow their wealth - that is to say, make their money, earn their income, etc - primarily through doing work -ie/ labour. This can be a lot of different things: flipping burgers, writing code, building houses, transporting goods, etc. Lots of different things. But how they all get paid is largely the same. They perform this task, over a certain amount of time, and they receive money from the person or people who owns the business at a fixed rate of pay, multiplied by the amount of time that they spent working. So you make X dollars per hour (called a wage), or you make Y dollars per month or per year (called a salary), or you get paid Z dollars for doing a specific job that will take a specific amount of time. -Now there's a lot of interesting characteristics to talk about with this relationship - but one of the obvious ones is the mathematical limit to wealth growth through labour. Karl Marx calls this group the PROLETARIAT. +Now there's a lot of interesting characteristics to talk about with this relationship - but one of the obvious ones is the mathematical limit to wealth growth through labour. Karl Marx calls this group the PROLETARIAT. -If you are getting paid at X dollars an hour, then there's only so many hours in a day that you can work, (and lets face it, you need to sleep to some extent, and there's likely transit and other life obligations involved in there too) and there is a clear upper limit to how quickly you can grow your wealth. Yes, if you have the fortune of being born into a very privileged position, you might be able to negotiate a higher X dollars per hour rate, but it is still a fixed rate, and it still is capped off by how many hours you can physically perform work over the course of a day (or a week, or a year). So even if you are a super skilled, super hard worker who negotiated a good contract, you can still only grow your wealth arithmetically - in direct proportion to the time you put in. But overwhelmingly, that's not how fortunes are made. +If you are getting paid at X dollars an hour, then there's only so many hours in a day that you can work, (and lets face it, you need to sleep to some extent, and there's likely transit and other life obligations involved in there too) and there is a clear upper limit to how quickly you can grow your wealth. Yes, if you have the fortune of being born into a very privileged position, you might be able to negotiate a higher X dollars per hour rate, but it is still a fixed rate, and it still is capped off by how many hours you can physically perform work over the course of a day (or a week, or a year). So even if you are a super skilled, super hard worker who negotiated a good contract, you can still only grow your wealth arithmetically - in direct proportion to the time you put in. But overwhelmingly, that's not how fortunes are made. -Now let's talk about that other group in society - the much smaller and much more powerful one - the one with all the fortunes - the one that really gets to make use of those bonus rules I mentioned. So remember, the PROLETARIAT primarily makes their money from doing work - that's the defining characteristic of that class. Well this group, who Marx calls the BOURGEOISIE, grows their wealth, makes their money in a very different way. Their wealth does not primarily come from doing work - their money comes primarily from ownership claims. They make their money simply by owning things. +Now let's talk about that other group in society - the much smaller and much more powerful one - the one with all the fortunes - the one that really gets to make use of those bonus rules I mentioned. So remember, the PROLETARIAT primarily makes their money from doing work - that's the defining characteristic of that class. Well this group, who Marx calls the BOURGEOISIE, grows their wealth, makes their money in a very different way. Their wealth does not primarily come from doing work - their money comes primarily from ownership claims. They make their money simply by owning things. -Rich people sell you a story about working hard for their money - for the most part, that's a myth - most of their money is made via ownership. In the old days is was the certificate they had that said 'this factory belongs to me (or me and my business partner), and in more modern times, it's divvied up a little differently with things like stocks and bonds - people with differing amounts of equity and portions of the total ownership claim. But the money they make from the ownership claim - that money is made while they sleep and play golf. That money is the money made by the workers, that they only pay a fractional portion back to the people who did the labour to make the money in the first place (salaries, wages, etc). The owners pocket the rest, and the mechanics of how this system works is not the standard of history, but something that has come into place only in the past few hundred years. +Rich people sell you a story about working hard for their money - for the most part, that's a myth - most of their money is made via ownership. In the old days is was the certificate they had that said 'this factory belongs to me (or me and my business partner), and in more modern times, it's divvied up a little differently with things like stocks and bonds - people with differing amounts of equity and portions of the total ownership claim. But the money they make from the ownership claim - that money is made while they sleep and play golf. That money is the money made by the workers, that they only pay a fractional portion back to the people who did the labour to make the money in the first place (salaries, wages, etc). The owners pocket the rest, and the mechanics of how this system works is not the standard of history, but something that has come into place only in the past few hundred years. Think of a coal mine for example. The owner doesn't physically go into the mine and dig up the coal. He doesn't run the local office and organize the labour. The owner lives thousands of miles away. Yet, because he has a little sheet of paper that say he owns it, every three months he can expect a substantial cheque in the mail paid out to him. He gets a (very large, rather significant) cut of everything that mine produced this quarter. But he didn't mine any coal. Capitalists love to say that "There's no free lunch" - except that there is - as long as you have enough wealth to belong to the ownership class - you can extract free lunches from actual working men and women for as long as you own property. It's not the poor and powerless who are leeches - it's the wealthy who are the parasites. diff --git a/firearms_torrents.md b/firearms_torrents.md deleted file mode 100644 index 50e701e..0000000 --- a/firearms_torrents.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,4 +0,0 @@ -# Firearms torrents - -*This is a list of firearms torrents, due to youtube likely removing them.* - diff --git a/glossary_of_socialist_terms.md b/glossary_of_socialist_terms.md index ef432b5..3d743d6 100644 --- a/glossary_of_socialist_terms.md +++ b/glossary_of_socialist_terms.md @@ -1,91 +1,91 @@ # Glossary of Socialist Terms -Notes: +Notes: - Try to keep each term to 3 sentences max. - Keep the definitions as simple as possible, ~ELI 10 years old. ## Terms -| Term | Definition | -| ------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------ | -| [Capitalism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitalism) | A system that allows private individuals to own the means of production, with the goal of extracting a profit from the sale of commodities produced by wage workers. | -| [Profit / Surplus Value](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surplus_value) | The difference between the value a worker adds, and the value that they receive (such as a wage) and are able to use for themselves. This surplus value goes to another leeching party that controls production (capitalists, slavemaster, etc).
`Surplus Value = Worker Value Added - Wage Paid`.
Synonymous with unpaid labor, profit, exploitation, and wage theft. | -| [Communism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communism) | A stateless, moneyless, and classless system where the means of production are democratically owned and controlled by the community, for the benefit of all. Production is planned for human needs, rather than private profit. It can also refer to the movement towards communism. | -| [Socialism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialism) | A range of social and economic systems characterized by social ownership of the means of production. It can also mean the transitional stage between capitalism and communism, sometimes referred to as the dictatorship of the proletariat. | -| [Anarchism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anarchism) | A political philosophy that critiques hierarchical organization, and emphasizes free association. The main two branches are social anarchism, and individualist anarchism. | -| [Social Democracy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_democracy) | Originally synonymous with socialism, then evolutionary socialism, then restricted capitalism. Social democracy is an ideology that supports economic interventionism to promote social justice whilst retaining capitalist control over the economy. It is often seen by socialists as supporting "welfare-state" band-aids to capitalism. | -| [Welfare State](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welfare_state) | A state that provides social services on behalf of the well-being of its citizens, while retaining capitalism. It often refers to Germany, the UK, and the Nordic countries, but can refer to any state with social services. | -| [State Capitalism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_capitalism) | An economic system where some means of production are owned by the state, surplus labor is still extracted, and capitalists still hold state power. The state decides how to distribute the surplus. Engels argued that the state form would be the final stage of capitalism. State Capitalism could also refer to a capitalist class controlling, or rising above, political power and decision-making. | -| [State Socialism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communist_state) | A state governed or administered by a single party, with wide participation, integrating various state-sponsored organizations, such as labor unions, trade unions, youth organizations, women's organizations, associations of teachers, writers, consumer cooperatives, and housing cooperatives. All land and productive facilities are controlled by the party. The party may allow limited private ownership, often offering leases in specialized zones, but will not allow a capitalist class to rise above the level of state power or decision-making, as in multi-party bourgeois democracies. | -| [Liberalism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberalism) | A political ideology that emerged in the 19th century that justifies capitalism, free markets, representative democracy, freedom of the press, free speech, freedom of religion, and freedom to own property. It views rights as individual, rather than collective.. | -| [Slavery](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery) | A system that allows individuals to own other human beings, in order to extract a surplus from their labor. | -| [Feudalism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feudalism) | An arrangement predominating in the middle ages, where a local lord would allow serfs to live and sustain themselves on his land, as long as they provided him labor and military support. | -| [Fascism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fascism) | A multi-definition term generally characterized by hyper-nationalism, racial supremacy, a cult of personality around a "strong" leader as superior to democracy, crushing of labor unions and organizations, and an alliance between big and small capitalists. | -| [Late Stage Capitalism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Late_capitalism) | As human labor becomes more unecessary, the rate of profit tends to fall. This new extreme polarization, the increasingly absurd and cruel ways our society copes and justifies such stark inequality, and the horrible things capitalism forces people to do to survive, is called Late Stage Capitalism. | -| [Means of Production](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Means_of_production) | Physical, non-human inputs used for the production of economic value, such as workplaces, factories, machinery, or tools. Synonymous with Capital. | -| [Private Property](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_property) | Means of production, when owned by private individuals, whose ownership is claimed through title, and **not use**, with the aim of extracting rent from the actual users or workers. Synonymous with absentee property. | -| [Personal Property](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_property) | Property for personal use and consumption. Put simply, your house, and everything in it. Neither socialism nor communism intends to do away with personal property. | -| [Socialized Property](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_ownership) | Means of production, when democratically and socially owned and controlled, put to use to benefit people. Surplus value may still exist, but democratic decision-making decides how to use it. | -| [Proletariat](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proletariat) | The wage-earning class which lives entirely from the sale of its labor and does not draw profit from any kind of capital; whose weal and woe, whose life and death, whose sole existence depends on the demand for their labor power (their ability to work). | -| [Bourgeoisie](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bourgeoisie) | The social class that came to own the means of production during modern industrialization and whose societal concerns are the value of property and the preservation of capital, to ensure the perpetuation of their economic supremacy in society. | -| [Class Struggle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Class_conflict) | A tension that exists between competing classes, caused by contradictory interests, that can only be resolved through violent confrontation. The competing classes are determined by the economic mode of society: In Slavery, the master and slave. In Feudalism, the lord and serf. In Capitalism, the capitalist and wage worker. | -| [Class Consciousness](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Class_consciousness) | A state of awareness of the class system and membership to a class, as well as understanding the true collective interests of each class. | -| [Petite Bourgeoisie](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petite_bourgeoisie) | The lower subset of the bourgeoisie made up of small-scale capitalists such as shop-keepers and workers who manage the production, distribution, and/or exchange of commodities and/or services owned by their bourgeois employers. It often refers to "small business owners", and is contrasted with the haute bourgeoisie, or the big capitalists. | -| [Labor Aristocracy](https://github.com/dessalines/essays/blob/master/zak_cope_divided_favorites.md) | The section of the international working class whose privileged position in lucrative job markets opened up by imperialism guarantees its receipt of wages approaching or exceeding the per capita value created by the working class as a whole. The class interests of the labor aristocracy are bound up with those of the capitalist class, such that if the latter is unable to accumulate superprofits then the super-wages of the labor aristocracy must be reduced. | -| [Bourgeois Democracy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy_in_Marxism) | The name that socialists use to refer to modern representative liberal democracies, criticized as being democracies for the rich only, since representatives and the media in capitalist countries are the puppets controlled by capitalists. | -| [Reformism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reformism) | A position that advocates gradually transforming a capitalist economy into a qualitatively different socialist system through political and economic reform, in contrast to revolutionary socialism. Synonymous with evolutionary socialism. | -| [Revisionism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revisionism_(Marxism)) | A pejorative term used by Marxists to refer to the common practice of "watering down", or blunting the revolutionary spirit of historical figures and theories, in order to make their ideas more *acceptable* to the ruling class. It often refers to bourgeois scholars transforming revolutionary icons into pacifists, or to socialist societies that have abandoned progress towards communism. | -| [Cultural Hegemony](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_hegemony) | The domination of a culturally diverse society by the ruling class who manipulate the culture of that society—the beliefs, explanations, perceptions, values, and mores—so that their imposed, ruling-class worldview becomes the accepted cultural norm; the universally valid dominant ideology, which justifies the social, political, and economic status quo as natural and inevitable, perpetual and beneficial for everyone, rather than as artificial social constructs that benefit only the ruling class. | -| [The State](https://theimmortalscience.wordpress.com/2017/02/27/the-state-and-revolution-an-overview/) | In Leninism, the state is a *special organization of force* used for the suppression of one class by another. Under capitalist society, the state upholds capitalism and wields force to suppress the working class. In socialism, state power is held by workers and uses force to suppress the capitalist class. In general terms, a state is any politically organized community under a single government. | -| [Imperialism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperialism) | The domination of a weaker country by a stronger one; referring primarily to the conquering and exploitation of the land, labor, and natural resources of the weaker country. In Leninism, imperialism is the final stage of capitalism, where finance capital is exported to undeveloped economies, resulting in the colonization and division of the world amongst capitalist monopolies. Geopolitical conflict ensues over this economic exploitation, and the resulting super-profits permit businessmen to bribe native politicians and labor leaders, and intervene militarily to suppress worker revolts. | -| [Nationalism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationalism) | An ideology which emphasizes nations (and often specific races living in those nations), self-governance, national identity, and patriotism over internationalism. Communists want working-class internationalism, but also defend the right of nations to be free from imperialism. | -| [Revolution](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolution) | A fundamental change in political power or organizational structures that takes place in a relatively short period of time when the population rises up in revolt against the current authorities. In Marxism, a revolution is expropriation and smashing of existing property relations, with the proletariat being the only truly revolutionary class that can enact this social transformation. | -| [Praxis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Praxis_(process)) | The act of engaging, applying, exercising, realizing, or practicing ideas. Theory in action. | -| [Dictatorship of the Proletariat](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dictatorship_of_the_proletariat) | A transitional state of affairs, between capitalism and communism, in which the working class holds political power, and is in the process of changing the means of production from private, to social ownership. Dictatorship doesn't refer to an autocracy, but rather that the working class now dictates what happens in society. | -| [Dialectical Materialism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dialectical_materialism) | The evolution of the natural world and the emergence of new qualities of being at new stages of evolution. It also recognizes that the mode of production is the main motive force of history, and contains contradictions (such as class struggle), whose resolution results in the development of new modes of production and social organization. | -| [Labor theory of value](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labor_theory_of_value) | A theory of value that argues that the economic value of a good or service is determined by the total amount of average socially necessary labor required to produce it, rather than by the use or pleasure its owner gets from it. | -| [Socialism in one country](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialism_in_One_Country) | A theory by Joseph Stalin and Nikolai Bukharin, that given the failure of the European revolutions of the early 1900s (except in Russia), that the Soviet Union should strengthen itself internally, and postpone exporting world-revolution. Also called siege socialism. | -| [Permanent Revolution](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permanent_revolution) | In Marxism, the strategy of a revolutionary class to continue to pursue its class interests independently and without compromise, despite overtures for political alliances, and despite the political dominance of opposing sections of society. In Trotskyism, PR holds that the only way to achieve world communism is to allow the revolution to spread unimpeded from nation to nation, the theory that a revolution in one nation would ignite revolutionary fervor worldwide, and that full scale working class revolution must be allowed to germinate. | -| [Right of nations to self-determination](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leninism#National_self-determination) | In Lenin's words: "The bourgeois nationalism of any oppressed nation has a general democratic content that is directed against oppression, and it is this content that we unconditionally support. At the same time, we strictly distinguish it from the tendency towards national exclusiveness." In short, its much easier to fight a one front war against local capitalists, than a two front war against much more powerful imperialists. | -| [Democratic Centralism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_centralism) | A tenet of Leninism, described as, *diversity in discussion, unity in action.* After decisions are reached, they are followed by the group. | -| [Vanguardism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanguardism) | A strategy whereby the most class-conscious and politically advanced sections of the working class form organizations in order to draw larger sections of the workers towards revolutionary politics and serve as manifestations of proletarian political power against its class enemies. | -| [Two Stage Theory](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two-stage_theory) | Argues that underdeveloped countries, such as Tsarist Russia, must first pass through a stage of capitalism before moving to a socialist stage. | -| [Mass Line](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_line) | In Mao-Zedong-thought, a method of growing class consciousness and communism, where communists consult the masses, interpret their ideas and suggestions within the framework of Marxism-Leninism, decide how to best solve those problems through collective action, and then enforce those resulting policies. | -| [Mass Strike](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_strike) | A strike action in which a substantial proportion of the total labor force in a city, region, or country participates, spreading class consciousness, and forcing capitalist concessions. Rosa Luxemburg identified it as one of the most powerful tactics available to workers. | -| [Alienation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marx%27s_theory_of_alienation) | A term used by Marx to denote the estrangement of workers under capitalism from the products of their labor, and themselves; the worker loses the ability to determine life and destiny, when deprived of the right to think of themselves as the director of their own actions; to determine the character of said actions; to define their relationships with other people; and to own the things produced by their own labor. Although the worker is an autonomous, self-realized human being, as an economic entity, this worker is directed by the bourgeoisie, who own the means of production with which they must work to survive. | -| [Cultural Revolution](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_Revolution) | In Mao-Zedong-thought, the idea that capitalist values do constantly re-appear within the communist party, although not uniformly. It is up to the people, who are the real motive force in world history, to call out and denounce capitalist values and corrupt people in positions of authority, and "bombard the headquarters", to ensure the elimination of bourgeois values and cement proletarian power. In short, "it is always right to rebel." | -| [United Front](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_front) | In Trotskyism, an initiative whereby communists propose to join with all workers belonging to other parties and groups and all unaligned workers in a common struggle to defend the immediate, basic interests of the working class against the bourgeoisie. Through united struggle, many workers can be won over to revolutionary socialism. | -| [Transitional Demand](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transitional_demand) | In Trotskyism, an agitational demand made by a socialist organization with the aim of linking the current situation to progress towards their goal of a socialist society. Transitional demands differ from calls for reform in that they call for things that governments and corporations are unwilling or unable to offer, and therefore, any progress towards obtaining a transitional demand is likely to weaken capitalism and strengthen the hand of the working class. Examples of transitional demands would be "Employment for all" or "Housing for all"; demands that sound reasonable to the average citizen, but are practically impossible for capitalism to deliver on. | -| [Dual Power](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dual_power_(Russian_Revolution)) | A tenet of Leninism, in which two powers, one proletarian (workers' councils / direct democratic organizations) and one capitalist (the official state apparatus) coexist and compete for legitimacy, during the transition away from capitalism. | -| [Protracted Peoples War](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marxism%E2%80%93Leninism%E2%80%93Maoism#People.27s_War) | In Mao-Zedong-thought, a strategy for achieving communism that includes winning the support of the locals (usually the peasantry) in areas away from capitalist strongholds, waging unconventional guerrilla warfare, and building institutions of dual power to replace capitalist ones. | -| Workers Militia | An important focus of Trotskyism, where local, self-organized working-class militias, fighting for their class interests, are the primary vehicle to achieve socialism. | -| [Accelerationism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accelerationism) | The support for increasing the oppression of capitalism in the hope that class contradictions will reach a point that revolution will become more likely. Accelerationists might view our current situation as boiling a frog in water slowly, while a stark uptick in oppression will cause workers to revolt. Few communists support it, because it harms working people, and historically increased oppression hasn't lead to increased chance of revolt. What leads to revolution is actually socialist organization efforts, and a growth in class conciousness. | -| [Intersectionality](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intersectionality) | A term that signifies that the various forms of social stratification, such as class, race, sexual orientation, age, religion, creed, disability and gender, do not exist separately from each other but are interwoven together, and must be attacked equally without neglecting any one axis. | +| Term | Definition | +| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | +| [Capitalism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitalism) | A system that allows private individuals to own the means of production, with the goal of extracting a profit from the sale of commodities produced by wage workers. | +| [Profit / Surplus Value](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surplus_value) | The difference between the value a worker adds, and the value that they receive (such as a wage) and are able to use for themselves. This surplus value goes to another leeching party that controls production (capitalists, slavemaster, etc).
`Surplus Value = Worker Value Added - Wage Paid`.
Synonymous with unpaid labor, profit, exploitation, and wage theft. | +| [Communism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communism) | A stateless, moneyless, and classless system where the means of production are democratically owned and controlled by the community, for the benefit of all. Production is planned for human needs, rather than private profit. It can also refer to the movement towards communism. | +| [Socialism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialism) | A range of social and economic systems characterized by social ownership of the means of production. It can also mean the transitional stage between capitalism and communism, sometimes referred to as the dictatorship of the proletariat. | +| [Anarchism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anarchism) | A political philosophy that critiques hierarchical organization, and emphasizes free association. The main two branches are social anarchism, and individualist anarchism. | +| [Social Democracy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_democracy) | Originally synonymous with socialism, then evolutionary socialism, then restricted capitalism. Social democracy is an ideology that supports economic interventionism to promote social justice whilst retaining capitalist control over the economy. It is often seen by socialists as supporting "welfare-state" band-aids to capitalism. | +| [Welfare State](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welfare_state) | A state that provides social services on behalf of the well-being of its citizens, while retaining capitalism. It often refers to Germany, the UK, and the Nordic countries, but can refer to any state with social services. | +| [State Capitalism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_capitalism) | An economic system where some means of production are owned by the state, surplus labor is still extracted, and capitalists still hold state power. The state decides how to distribute the surplus. Engels argued that the state form would be the final stage of capitalism. State Capitalism could also refer to a capitalist class controlling, or rising above, political power and decision-making. | +| [State Socialism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communist_state) | A state governed or administered by a single party, with wide participation, integrating various state-sponsored organizations, such as labor unions, trade unions, youth organizations, women's organizations, associations of teachers, writers, consumer cooperatives, and housing cooperatives. All land and productive facilities are controlled by the party. The party may allow limited private ownership, often offering leases in specialized zones, but will not allow a capitalist class to rise above the level of state power or decision-making, as in multi-party bourgeois democracies. | +| [Liberalism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberalism) | A political ideology that emerged in the 19th century that justifies capitalism, free markets, representative democracy, freedom of the press, free speech, freedom of religion, and freedom to own property. It views rights as individual, rather than collective.. | +| [Slavery](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery) | A system that allows individuals to own other human beings, in order to extract a surplus from their labor. | +| [Feudalism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feudalism) | An arrangement predominating in the middle ages, where a local lord would allow serfs to live and sustain themselves on his land, as long as they provided him labor and military support. | +| [Fascism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fascism) | A multi-definition term generally characterized by hyper-nationalism, racial supremacy, a cult of personality around a "strong" leader as superior to democracy, crushing of labor unions and organizations, and an alliance between big and small capitalists. | +| [Late Stage Capitalism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Late_capitalism) | As human labor becomes more unecessary, the rate of profit tends to fall. This new extreme polarization, the increasingly absurd and cruel ways our society copes and justifies such stark inequality, and the horrible things capitalism forces people to do to survive, is called Late Stage Capitalism. | +| [Means of Production](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Means_of_production) | Physical, non-human inputs used for the production of economic value, such as workplaces, factories, machinery, or tools. Synonymous with Capital. | +| [Private Property](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_property) | Means of production, when owned by private individuals, whose ownership is claimed through title, and **not use**, with the aim of extracting rent from the actual users or workers. Synonymous with absentee property. | +| [Personal Property](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_property) | Property for personal use and consumption. Put simply, your house, and everything in it. Neither socialism nor communism intends to do away with personal property. | +| [Socialized Property](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_ownership) | Means of production, when democratically and socially owned and controlled, put to use to benefit people. Surplus value may still exist, but democratic decision-making decides how to use it. | +| [Proletariat](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proletariat) | The wage-earning class which lives entirely from the sale of its labor and does not draw profit from any kind of capital; whose weal and woe, whose life and death, whose sole existence depends on the demand for their labor power (their ability to work). | +| [Bourgeoisie](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bourgeoisie) | The social class that came to own the means of production during modern industrialization and whose societal concerns are the value of property and the preservation of capital, to ensure the perpetuation of their economic supremacy in society. | +| [Class Struggle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Class_conflict) | A tension that exists between competing classes, caused by contradictory interests, that can only be resolved through violent confrontation. The competing classes are determined by the economic mode of society: In Slavery, the master and slave. In Feudalism, the lord and serf. In Capitalism, the capitalist and wage worker. | +| [Class Consciousness](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Class_consciousness) | A state of awareness of the class system and membership to a class, as well as understanding the true collective interests of each class. | +| [Petite Bourgeoisie](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petite_bourgeoisie) | The lower subset of the bourgeoisie made up of small-scale capitalists such as shop-keepers and workers who manage the production, distribution, and/or exchange of commodities and/or services owned by their bourgeois employers. It often refers to "small business owners", and is contrasted with the haute bourgeoisie, or the big capitalists. | +| [Labor Aristocracy](https://github.com/dessalines/essays/blob/master/zak_cope_divided_favorites.md) | The section of the international working class whose privileged position in lucrative job markets opened up by imperialism guarantees its receipt of wages approaching or exceeding the per capita value created by the working class as a whole. The class interests of the labor aristocracy are bound up with those of the capitalist class, such that if the latter is unable to accumulate superprofits then the super-wages of the labor aristocracy must be reduced. | +| [Bourgeois Democracy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy_in_Marxism) | The name that socialists use to refer to modern representative liberal democracies, criticized as being democracies for the rich only, since representatives and the media in capitalist countries are the puppets controlled by capitalists. | +| [Reformism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reformism) | A position that advocates gradually transforming a capitalist economy into a qualitatively different socialist system through political and economic reform, in contrast to revolutionary socialism. Synonymous with evolutionary socialism. | +| [Revisionism]() | A pejorative term used by Marxists to refer to the common practice of "watering down", or blunting the revolutionary spirit of historical figures and theories, in order to make their ideas more _acceptable_ to the ruling class. It often refers to bourgeois scholars transforming revolutionary icons into pacifists, or to socialist societies that have abandoned progress towards communism. | +| [Cultural Hegemony](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_hegemony) | The domination of a culturally diverse society by the ruling class who manipulate the culture of that society—the beliefs, explanations, perceptions, values, and mores—so that their imposed, ruling-class worldview becomes the accepted cultural norm; the universally valid dominant ideology, which justifies the social, political, and economic status quo as natural and inevitable, perpetual and beneficial for everyone, rather than as artificial social constructs that benefit only the ruling class. | +| [The State](https://theimmortalscience.wordpress.com/2017/02/27/the-state-and-revolution-an-overview/) | In Leninism, the state is a _special organization of force_ used for the suppression of one class by another. Under capitalist society, the state upholds capitalism and wields force to suppress the working class. In socialism, state power is held by workers and uses force to suppress the capitalist class. In general terms, a state is any politically organized community under a single government. | +| [Imperialism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperialism) | The domination of a weaker country by a stronger one; referring primarily to the conquering and exploitation of the land, labor, and natural resources of the weaker country. In Leninism, imperialism is the final stage of capitalism, where finance capital is exported to undeveloped economies, resulting in the colonization and division of the world amongst capitalist monopolies. Geopolitical conflict ensues over this economic exploitation, and the resulting super-profits permit businessmen to bribe native politicians and labor leaders, and intervene militarily to suppress worker revolts. | +| [Nationalism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationalism) | An ideology which emphasizes nations (and often specific races living in those nations), self-governance, national identity, and patriotism over internationalism. Communists want working-class internationalism, but also defend the right of nations to be free from imperialism. | +| [Revolution](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolution) | A fundamental change in political power or organizational structures that takes place in a relatively short period of time when the population rises up in revolt against the current authorities. In Marxism, a revolution is expropriation and smashing of existing property relations, with the proletariat being the only truly revolutionary class that can enact this social transformation. | +| [Praxis]() | The act of engaging, applying, exercising, realizing, or practicing ideas. Theory in action. | +| [Dictatorship of the Proletariat](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dictatorship_of_the_proletariat) | A transitional state of affairs, between capitalism and communism, in which the working class holds political power, and is in the process of changing the means of production from private, to social ownership. Dictatorship doesn't refer to an autocracy, but rather that the working class now dictates what happens in society. | +| [Dialectical Materialism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dialectical_materialism) | The evolution of the natural world and the emergence of new qualities of being at new stages of evolution. It also recognizes that the mode of production is the main motive force of history, and contains contradictions (such as class struggle), whose resolution results in the development of new modes of production and social organization. | +| [Labor theory of value](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labor_theory_of_value) | A theory of value that argues that the economic value of a good or service is determined by the total amount of average socially necessary labor required to produce it, rather than by the use or pleasure its owner gets from it. | +| [Socialism in one country](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialism_in_One_Country) | A theory by Joseph Stalin and Nikolai Bukharin, that given the failure of the European revolutions of the early 1900s (except in Russia), that the Soviet Union should strengthen itself internally, and postpone exporting world-revolution. Also called siege socialism. | +| [Permanent Revolution](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permanent_revolution) | In Marxism, the strategy of a revolutionary class to continue to pursue its class interests independently and without compromise, despite overtures for political alliances, and despite the political dominance of opposing sections of society. In Trotskyism, PR holds that the only way to achieve world communism is to allow the revolution to spread unimpeded from nation to nation, the theory that a revolution in one nation would ignite revolutionary fervor worldwide, and that full scale working class revolution must be allowed to germinate. | +| [Right of nations to self-determination](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leninism#National_self-determination) | In Lenin's words: "The bourgeois nationalism of any oppressed nation has a general democratic content that is directed against oppression, and it is this content that we unconditionally support. At the same time, we strictly distinguish it from the tendency towards national exclusiveness." In short, its much easier to fight a one front war against local capitalists, than a two front war against much more powerful imperialists. | +| [Democratic Centralism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_centralism) | A tenet of Leninism, described as, _diversity in discussion, unity in action._ After decisions are reached, they are followed by the group. | +| [Vanguardism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanguardism) | A strategy whereby the most class-conscious and politically advanced sections of the working class form organizations in order to draw larger sections of the workers towards revolutionary politics and serve as manifestations of proletarian political power against its class enemies. | +| [Two Stage Theory](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two-stage_theory) | Argues that underdeveloped countries, such as Tsarist Russia, must first pass through a stage of capitalism before moving to a socialist stage. | +| [Mass Line](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_line) | In Mao-Zedong-thought, a method of growing class consciousness and communism, where communists consult the masses, interpret their ideas and suggestions within the framework of Marxism-Leninism, decide how to best solve those problems through collective action, and then enforce those resulting policies. | +| [Mass Strike](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_strike) | A strike action in which a substantial proportion of the total labor force in a city, region, or country participates, spreading class consciousness, and forcing capitalist concessions. Rosa Luxemburg identified it as one of the most powerful tactics available to workers. | +| [Alienation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marx%27s_theory_of_alienation) | A term used by Marx to denote the estrangement of workers under capitalism from the products of their labor, and themselves; the worker loses the ability to determine life and destiny, when deprived of the right to think of themselves as the director of their own actions; to determine the character of said actions; to define their relationships with other people; and to own the things produced by their own labor. Although the worker is an autonomous, self-realized human being, as an economic entity, this worker is directed by the bourgeoisie, who own the means of production with which they must work to survive. | +| [Cultural Revolution](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_Revolution) | In Mao-Zedong-thought, the idea that capitalist values do constantly re-appear within the communist party, although not uniformly. It is up to the people, who are the real motive force in world history, to call out and denounce capitalist values and corrupt people in positions of authority, and "bombard the headquarters", to ensure the elimination of bourgeois values and cement proletarian power. In short, "it is always right to rebel." | +| [United Front](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_front) | In Trotskyism, an initiative whereby communists propose to join with all workers belonging to other parties and groups and all unaligned workers in a common struggle to defend the immediate, basic interests of the working class against the bourgeoisie. Through united struggle, many workers can be won over to revolutionary socialism. | +| [Transitional Demand](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transitional_demand) | In Trotskyism, an agitational demand made by a socialist organization with the aim of linking the current situation to progress towards their goal of a socialist society. Transitional demands differ from calls for reform in that they call for things that governments and corporations are unwilling or unable to offer, and therefore, any progress towards obtaining a transitional demand is likely to weaken capitalism and strengthen the hand of the working class. Examples of transitional demands would be "Employment for all" or "Housing for all"; demands that sound reasonable to the average citizen, but are practically impossible for capitalism to deliver on. | +| [Dual Power]() | A tenet of Leninism, in which two powers, one proletarian (workers' councils / direct democratic organizations) and one capitalist (the official state apparatus) coexist and compete for legitimacy, during the transition away from capitalism. | +| [Protracted Peoples War](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marxism%E2%80%93Leninism%E2%80%93Maoism#People.27s_War) | In Mao-Zedong-thought, a strategy for achieving communism that includes winning the support of the locals (usually the peasantry) in areas away from capitalist strongholds, waging unconventional guerrilla warfare, and building institutions of dual power to replace capitalist ones. | +| Workers Militia | An important focus of Trotskyism, where local, self-organized working-class militias, fighting for their class interests, are the primary vehicle to achieve socialism. | +| [Accelerationism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accelerationism) | The support for increasing the oppression of capitalism in the hope that class contradictions will reach a point that revolution will become more likely. Accelerationists might view our current situation as boiling a frog in water slowly, while a stark uptick in oppression will cause workers to revolt. Few communists support it, because it harms working people, and historically increased oppression hasn't lead to increased chance of revolt. What leads to revolution is actually socialist organization efforts, and a growth in class conciousness. | +| [Intersectionality](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intersectionality) | A term that signifies that the various forms of social stratification, such as class, race, sexual orientation, age, religion, creed, disability and gender, do not exist separately from each other but are interwoven together, and must be attacked equally without neglecting any one axis. | ## Branches -| Branch | Description | -| ------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------ | -| [Marxism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marxism) | A socialist tradition created by Karl Marx and Frederick Engels, that places emphasis on the means of production, your relation to them, and the inherent class struggle involved between those who control production, and those who don't. | -| [Leninism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leninism) | A branch of Marxism developed by Vladimir Lenin and the Bolsheviks drawn from their experiences in early 20th century Russia. Important concepts include vanguardism, dictatorship of the proletariat (and how to transition to communism), dual power, the right of nations to self-determination, imperialism, and democratic centralism. The goal of Leninism is the development of a worker state capable of withstanding capitalist encirclement (often called siege socialism), in order to protect and continue the transition to communism, as well as aid other anti-imperialist nations. | -| [Marxism-Leninism (ML)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marxism%E2%80%93Leninism) | A term created by Joseph Stalin to refer to the ideology of the USSR, generally synonymous with Leninism. | -| [Mao-Zedong-thought](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maoism) | A Marxist tendency developed by Mao Zedong and other early leaders of the Chinese revolution. Important concepts include protracted people's war, new democracy, the mass line, cultural revolution, contradiction, and agrarian socialism. | -| [Marxism-Leninism-Maoism (MLM)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marxism%E2%80%93Leninism%E2%80%93Maoism) | A resurgent tendency of Maoism formalized by the [Revolutionary Internationalist Movement](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolutionary_Internationalist_Movement) in 1993, primarily by Abimael Guzman, emphasizing the universal applicability of people's war, and a rejection of the USSR, modern China, Cuba, and Vietnam as "revisionist". Distinct from Mao-Zedong-thought. | -| [Anarcho-communism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anarcho-communism) | A theory of anarchism which advocates the immediate abolition of the state, capitalism, wage labour, and private property (while retaining respect for personal property), and in favor of common ownership of the means of production, direct democracy, and a horizontal network of voluntary associations and workers' councils with production and consumption based on the guiding principle: "from each according to his ability, to each according to his need". Primarily based on the ideas of Kropotkin. | -| [Egoist Anarchism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egoist_anarchism) | An individualist school of anarchist thought that originated in the philosophy of Max Stirner, defining an egoist as one who has no political calling, but rather "lives themselves out" without regard to "how well or ill humanity may fare thereby". Stirner held that the only limitation on the rights of the individual should be his power to obtain what he desires. | -| [Trotskyism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trotskyism) | A branch of Leninism created by Leon Trotsky, a leading Bolshevik. Important concepts include permanent revolution, world revolution, the transitional programme, transitional demands, the united front, workers militias, and criticism of the soviet union under Stalin as a deformed workers state. | -| [Luxemburgism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luxemburgism) | A branch of Marxism created by Rosa Luxemburg, a leading figure in the German revolution of 1919. Important concepts include Revolutionary Spontanaeity, emphasis on low-level democracy, the mass-strike, opposition to reformism, and criticism of bolshevism. | -| [Left-Communism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Left_communism) | A range of communist viewpoints held by the communist left, which criticizes the political ideas and practices espoused by Bolsheviks, Marxist-Leninists, Anarchists, and social democrats. Proponents of left communism include Amadeo Bordiga (Italian tradition), Herman Gorter, Anton Pannekoek (Dutch tradition). Left communists assert positions which they regard as more authentically Marxist and proletarian than other traditions. | -| [Syndicalism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syndicalism) | A proposed economic system, that suggests that workers, industries, and organizations be systematized into confederations or syndicates. It can also refer to the tactic of using general strikes to build trade unions. | -| [Democratic Socialism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_socialism) | A branch of socialism that emphasizes democratic management of enterprises within a socialist economic system. The redundant adjective "democratic" is often used to distinguish it from the Marxist-Leninist branches, whom democratic socialists view as not being democratic enough. | -| [Council Communism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_communism) | A type of socialism that rejects vanguardism and democratic centralism, opposes the state, and advocates workers councils as the basis for dismantling the class state. | -| [Hoxhaism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoxhaism) | A branch of Marxism-Leninism by Enver Hoxha, communist leader of Albania, that distinguishes itself by a strict defense of the legacy of Joseph Stalin, the organisation of the Soviet Union under Stalin, and fierce criticism of virtually all other communist groupings as "revisionist". | -| [Autonomism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autonomism) | A set of anti-authoritarian left-wing political and social movements and theories, emerging from Italy in the 1960s. It involves a call for the independence of social movements from political parties in a revolutionary perspective which seeks to create a practical political alternative to both authoritarian socialism and contemporary representative democracy. | -| [Bordigism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bordigism) | A variant of Left communism espoused by Amadeo Bordiga. Bordigists refuse on principle any participation in parliamentary elections. | -| [Titoism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titoism) | A branch of socialism by Josip Broz Tito, leader of Yugoslavia, a once socialist state independent of the soviet union. Characterized by policies and practices based on the principle that in each country, the means of attaining ultimate communist goals must be dictated by the conditions of that particular country, rather than by a pattern set in another country. During Tito’s era, his ideas specifically meant that the communist goal should be pursued independently of (and often in opposition to) what he referred to as the Stalinist and Imperialist policies of the Soviet Union. | -| [Communalism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communalism) | A system that integrates communal ownership and federations of highly localised independent communities, developed by libertarian socialist Murray Bookchin. | -| [Utopian Socialism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utopian_socialism) | A collection of socialist ideas that predated Marx, namely those of Owen, Fourier, and Saint-Simon. They focus on the presentation of visions and outlines for imaginary or futuristic ideal societies, with positive ideals being the main reason for moving society in such a direction. Later socialists such as Marx and Engels criticized utopian socialism as not being grounded in the material conditions of existing society, and for not identifying the wage-earning class capable of making the transition, and relying on wealthy utopian reformers acting within a capitalist framework. | +| Branch | Description | +| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | +| [Marxism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marxism) | A socialist tradition created by Karl Marx and Frederick Engels, that places emphasis on the means of production, your relation to them, and the inherent class struggle involved between those who control production, and those who don't. | +| [Leninism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leninism) | A branch of Marxism developed by Vladimir Lenin and the Bolsheviks drawn from their experiences in early 20th century Russia. Important concepts include vanguardism, dictatorship of the proletariat (and how to transition to communism), dual power, the right of nations to self-determination, imperialism, and democratic centralism. The goal of Leninism is the development of a worker state capable of withstanding capitalist encirclement (often called siege socialism), in order to protect and continue the transition to communism, as well as aid other anti-imperialist nations. | +| [Marxism-Leninism (ML)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marxism%E2%80%93Leninism) | A term created by Joseph Stalin to refer to the ideology of the USSR, generally synonymous with Leninism. | +| [Mao-Zedong-thought](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maoism) | A Marxist tendency developed by Mao Zedong and other early leaders of the Chinese revolution. Important concepts include protracted people's war, new democracy, the mass line, cultural revolution, contradiction, and agrarian socialism. | +| [Marxism-Leninism-Maoism (MLM)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marxism%E2%80%93Leninism%E2%80%93Maoism) | A resurgent tendency of Maoism formalized by the [Revolutionary Internationalist Movement](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolutionary_Internationalist_Movement) in 1993, primarily by Abimael Guzman, emphasizing the universal applicability of people's war, and a rejection of the USSR, modern China, Cuba, and Vietnam as "revisionist". Distinct from Mao-Zedong-thought. | +| [Anarcho-communism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anarcho-communism) | A theory of anarchism which advocates the immediate abolition of the state, capitalism, wage labour, and private property (while retaining respect for personal property), and in favor of common ownership of the means of production, direct democracy, and a horizontal network of voluntary associations and workers' councils with production and consumption based on the guiding principle: "from each according to his ability, to each according to his need". Primarily based on the ideas of Kropotkin. | +| [Egoist Anarchism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egoist_anarchism) | An individualist school of anarchist thought that originated in the philosophy of Max Stirner, defining an egoist as one who has no political calling, but rather "lives themselves out" without regard to "how well or ill humanity may fare thereby". Stirner held that the only limitation on the rights of the individual should be his power to obtain what he desires. | +| [Trotskyism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trotskyism) | A branch of Leninism created by Leon Trotsky, a leading Bolshevik. Important concepts include permanent revolution, world revolution, the transitional programme, transitional demands, the united front, workers militias, and criticism of the soviet union under Stalin as a deformed workers state. | +| [Luxemburgism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luxemburgism) | A branch of Marxism created by Rosa Luxemburg, a leading figure in the German revolution of 1919. Important concepts include Revolutionary Spontanaeity, emphasis on low-level democracy, the mass-strike, opposition to reformism, and criticism of bolshevism. | +| [Left-Communism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Left_communism) | A range of communist viewpoints held by the communist left, which criticizes the political ideas and practices espoused by Bolsheviks, Marxist-Leninists, Anarchists, and social democrats. Proponents of left communism include Amadeo Bordiga (Italian tradition), Herman Gorter, Anton Pannekoek (Dutch tradition). Left communists assert positions which they regard as more authentically Marxist and proletarian than other traditions. | +| [Syndicalism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syndicalism) | A proposed economic system, that suggests that workers, industries, and organizations be systematized into confederations or syndicates. It can also refer to the tactic of using general strikes to build trade unions. | +| [Democratic Socialism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_socialism) | A branch of socialism that emphasizes democratic management of enterprises within a socialist economic system. The redundant adjective "democratic" is often used to distinguish it from the Marxist-Leninist branches, whom democratic socialists view as not being democratic enough. | +| [Council Communism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_communism) | A type of socialism that rejects vanguardism and democratic centralism, opposes the state, and advocates workers councils as the basis for dismantling the class state. | +| [Hoxhaism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoxhaism) | A branch of Marxism-Leninism by Enver Hoxha, communist leader of Albania, that distinguishes itself by a strict defense of the legacy of Joseph Stalin, the organisation of the Soviet Union under Stalin, and fierce criticism of virtually all other communist groupings as "revisionist". | +| [Autonomism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autonomism) | A set of anti-authoritarian left-wing political and social movements and theories, emerging from Italy in the 1960s. It involves a call for the independence of social movements from political parties in a revolutionary perspective which seeks to create a practical political alternative to both authoritarian socialism and contemporary representative democracy. | +| [Bordigism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bordigism) | A variant of Left communism espoused by Amadeo Bordiga. Bordigists refuse on principle any participation in parliamentary elections. | +| [Titoism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titoism) | A branch of socialism by Josip Broz Tito, leader of Yugoslavia, a once socialist state independent of the soviet union. Characterized by policies and practices based on the principle that in each country, the means of attaining ultimate communist goals must be dictated by the conditions of that particular country, rather than by a pattern set in another country. During Tito’s era, his ideas specifically meant that the communist goal should be pursued independently of (and often in opposition to) what he referred to as the Stalinist and Imperialist policies of the Soviet Union. | +| [Communalism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communalism) | A system that integrates communal ownership and federations of highly localised independent communities, developed by libertarian socialist Murray Bookchin. | +| [Utopian Socialism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utopian_socialism) | A collection of socialist ideas that predated Marx, namely those of Owen, Fourier, and Saint-Simon. They focus on the presentation of visions and outlines for imaginary or futuristic ideal societies, with positive ideals being the main reason for moving society in such a direction. Later socialists such as Marx and Engels criticized utopian socialism as not being grounded in the material conditions of existing society, and for not identifying the wage-earning class capable of making the transition, and relying on wealthy utopian reformers acting within a capitalist framework. | ## Sources diff --git a/how_to_torrent.md b/how_to_torrent.md index a520e00..6bd19e7 100644 --- a/how_to_torrent.md +++ b/how_to_torrent.md @@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ ## Find a Torrent Search Engine -- Use [Google](https://www.lifewire.com/top-torrent-sites-alternatives-to-kat-2483512) +- Use [Google](https://www.lifewire.com/top-torrent-sites-alternatives-to-kat-2483512) ## Find a Media Player @@ -30,4 +30,4 @@ ## Next steps - Get a media server like [Plex](https://www.plex.tv/) for a Netflix-like experience. -- Get a remote controller for your torrent machine like [qBittorrent Controller](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lgallardo.qbittorrentclient&hl=en) \ No newline at end of file +- Get a remote controller for your torrent machine like [qBittorrent Controller](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lgallardo.qbittorrentclient&hl=en) diff --git a/how_to_win_a_revolution.md b/how_to_win_a_revolution.md index 8561995..1aa3b36 100644 --- a/how_to_win_a_revolution.md +++ b/how_to_win_a_revolution.md @@ -3,10 +3,10 @@ - Cuban, Haitian, Russian, and French revolutions, Paris Commune, and the Spanish Revolution - Read Che - tactics book - Read Mao - tactics book -- Read that one liberal's book about how to win a non-revolutionary struggle. +- Read that one liberal's book about how to win a non-revolutionary struggle. - Huey P. Newton's - Lives of Lenin and Trotsky, Marx and Engels, Toussaint L'Overture, Dessalines, Danton, Che, Ho Chi Minh, Mao. -Look at the lives of successful revolutionaries. + Look at the lives of successful revolutionaries. - NOT influenced by machiavellianism, democratic - Search and read books about guerilla warfare - Read David Kilcullen - The Coming Age of the Urban Guerilla @@ -14,62 +14,98 @@ Look at the lives of successful revolutionaries. - Like the anarchists cookbook, or how to win a revolution # Table of Contents + 1. [What is a Revolution?](#what-is-a-revolution) - 1.1. [The Ruling Class](#the-ruling-class) + 1.1. [The Ruling Class](#the-ruling-class) 2. [Example2](#example2) 3. [Third Example](#third-example) ## The Crisis + Short description of why capitalism is bad, why reformism doesn't work, and why revolution is necessary. A short description also of the path, as given in Lenin's S+R. We won't know how the world will exactly look without wage slavery, whether it will be a bookchin-like communalism, or TODO include picture fully automated luxury gay space communism. -## + +## + ## What is a Revolution? + ### The Ruling, and the Ruled + Property relations. Who controls the means of production, and how this is organized. -When one group of people overthrows another, to become the new dominant, ruling class. "Political Revolutions" and "Coups" are often not revolutions at all. Replacing one military dictator, with another, without changing the class-nature of the power structure, isn't a revolution. +When one group of people overthrows another, to become the new dominant, ruling class. "Political Revolutions" and "Coups" are often not revolutions at all. Replacing one military dictator, with another, without changing the class-nature of the power structure, isn't a revolution. + ## Conditions + ### Dissatisfaction + What is this pointed at? Minorities? The ruling class? Where is the rage directed at? Where the rage gets directed, is where the guns get pointed. + ### Solidarity / Class Conciousness + #### Unified class interests + #### Comradery, and friendship + #### Social Justice + ### Armed population + ### Leadership + #### Organization + #### Decision-making - ## Strategy + ### Organizing + Why organizing is necessary. Use trotskys article on why individual terrorism is bad. Need class nature. + #### Political Parties + #### Unionism in the 21st century + #### Spreading the message + Pablo iglesias video, language and propaganda. Agitprop. Memes. + ### Location -Why the countryside / forests is no longer a viable 'cover' for guerilla warfare. Guerillas need safety, and protection, IE, cover, can't have meetings and organize, no rifle practice. David Kilcullen video, 45:45. Max Boot on guerilla warfare. Traditionally guerillas weren't successful in cities. Today we have foliage penetrating radar that can see through forests, Drones that can surveil mountain ranges 24 hours a day. No more cover in the rural environment anymore, the cover is in the cities. Governments try to understand the information about cities, knowing who people are, where they live, where they go. These pieces of information can be obfuscated and made confusing. + +Why the countryside / forests is no longer a viable 'cover' for guerilla warfare. Guerillas need safety, and protection, IE, cover, can't have meetings and organize, no rifle practice. David Kilcullen video, 45:45. Max Boot on guerilla warfare. Traditionally guerillas weren't successful in cities. Today we have foliage penetrating radar that can see through forests, Drones that can surveil mountain ranges 24 hours a day. No more cover in the rural environment anymore, the cover is in the cities. Governments try to understand the information about cities, knowing who people are, where they live, where they go. These pieces of information can be obfuscated and made confusing. The cover areas must be in slums, or 'illegible' territory, IE areas where capital has no vision. + ### Strikes + Workers councils in the 21st century don't have the same power as they did in earlier times. Automation, and a labor surplus means that workers tactics like strikes, sit-ins, aren't as effective as in earlier times. + ### Arming + ### Fighting + #### Tech + Syrian rebels using android phones to control mortars. Drones. Self-created armored vehicles, alshams, miniature lightweight, home-made tank. Remote controlled machine gun, with armored video cameras. Consumer electronics, urban environment, democratized military tech. David kilcullen out of the mountains youtube, 26:21. OpenStreetMaps for strategy. + ### Winning the battle of public opinion + In 2010, Kilcullen brought together his writings in his book Counterinsurgency and developed his understanding of counterinsurgency to address the globalized threat of radical Islam. He argues that successful counterinsurgency is about out-governing the enemy and winning the adaptation battle to provide integrated measures to defeat insurgent tactics through political, administrative, military, economic, psychological and informational means. Everything that the city/government does, you have to provide an alternative to do better. Free breakfast, etc. Che teaching people how to read, giving health care to the campesinos. + ### Seizing power + #### When is the right time? + Too early, and you'll blow it, or be destroyed. + ### Defeating the counter-revolution ### Compromises ## What to do next? - Extra: + - Talk about how in russia, the conscripted soldiers aligned with the workers, and the army was pissed off at the government. Conversely in Cuba, the army actively suppressed the people, and an insurgency was necessary. diff --git a/images_csv.md b/images_csv.md index 9e657b9..ca4faa5 100644 --- a/images_csv.md +++ b/images_csv.md @@ -9,10 +9,10 @@ It consists of: csv columns: `image_hash, torrent_infohash, tags, filename, ip` -- Someone runs a server, it has a simple image file upload API. +- Someone runs a server, it has a simple image file upload API. - The front end does an image hash check before uploading against a primary images.csv source hosted somewhere. -- If the hash is new, the upload goes through, and a change to that file is done somehow. The server creates a torrent, and seeds it, and adds that line. -- if the hash already exists, the server torrents the file, and serves it as an upload. +- If the hash is new, the upload goes through, and a change to that file is done somehow. The server creates a torrent, and seeds it, and adds that line. +- if the hash already exists, the server torrents the file, and serves it as an upload. - A `size_limit` is given to make sure the server doesn't seed above a certain limit, and removes older files. Maybe ~100MB by default. - Periodic scrapes ensure that everything is always available. diff --git a/js_imperialism_favorites.md b/js_imperialism_favorites.md index 23b4c54..e38fa8b 100644 --- a/js_imperialism_favorites.md +++ b/js_imperialism_favorites.md @@ -4,12 +4,12 @@ Favorite passages ## Outsourcing and the Reproduction of Labor-Power in Imperialist Nations -Neoliberal globalization has transformed the production of all commodities, including labor-power, as more and more of the manufactured consumer goods that reproduce labor-power in imperialist countries are produced by super-exploited workers in low-wage nations. The globalization of production processes impacts workers in imperialist nations in two fundamental ways. +Neoliberal globalization has transformed the production of all commodities, including labor-power, as more and more of the manufactured consumer goods that reproduce labor-power in imperialist countries are produced by super-exploited workers in low-wage nations. The globalization of production processes impacts workers in imperialist nations in two fundamental ways. 1. Outsourcing enables capitalists to replace higher-paid domestic labor with low-wage Southern labor, exposing workers in imperialist nations to direct competition with similarly skilled but much lower paid workers in Southern nations, -1. While falling prices of clothing, food, and other articles of mass consumption protects consumption levels from falling wages and magnifies the effect of wage increases. +1. While falling prices of clothing, food, and other articles of mass consumption protects consumption levels from falling wages and magnifies the effect of wage increases. -The IMF’s *World Economic Outlook 2007* attempted to weigh these two effects, concluding: “Although the labor share [of GDP] went down, globalization of labor as manifested in cheaper imports in advanced economies has increased the ‘size of the pie’ to be shared among all citizens, resulting in a net gain in total workers’ compensation in real terms.” +The IMF’s _World Economic Outlook 2007_ attempted to weigh these two effects, concluding: “Although the labor share [of GDP] went down, globalization of labor as manifested in cheaper imports in advanced economies has increased the ‘size of the pie’ to be shared among all citizens, resulting in a net gain in total workers’ compensation in real terms.” In his study of Walmart, Nelson Lichtenstein reports: “Wal-Mart argues that the company’s downward squeeze on prices raises the standard of living of the entire U.S. population, saving consumers upwards of $100bn each year, **perhaps as much as $600 a year at the checkout counter for the average [US] family…**. ‘These savings are a lifeline for millions of middle- and lower-income families who live from payday to payday,’ argues Wal-Mart CEO H. Lee Scott. ‘In effect, it gives them a raise every time they shop with us.’” Lichtenstein, 2005, Wal-Mart: The Face of Twenty-First-Century Capitalism (New York: New Press). @@ -21,11 +21,11 @@ Perhaps the most in-depth research into this effect was conducted by two Chicago ## Second version of this above: -Neoliberal globalization has transformed the production of all commodities, *including labor-power*, as more and more of the manufactured consumer goods that reproduce labor-power in imperialist countries are produced by super-exploited workers in low-wage nations. The globalization of production processes impacts workers in imperialist nations in two fundamental ways. Outsourcing enables capitalists to replace higher-paid domestic labor with low-wage Southern labor, exposing workers in imperialist nations to direct competition with similarly skilled but much lower paid workers in Southern nations, while falling prices of clothing, food, and other articles of mass consumption protects consumption levels from falling wages and magnifies the effect of wage increases. The IMF's *World Economic Outlook 2007* attempted to weigh these two effects, concluding: "Although the labor share \[of GDP\] went down, globalization of labor as manifested in cheaper imports in advanced economies has increased the 'size of the pie' to be shared among all citizens, resulting in a net gain in total workers' compensation in real terms. +Neoliberal globalization has transformed the production of all commodities, _including labor-power_, as more and more of the manufactured consumer goods that reproduce labor-power in imperialist countries are produced by super-exploited workers in low-wage nations. The globalization of production processes impacts workers in imperialist nations in two fundamental ways. Outsourcing enables capitalists to replace higher-paid domestic labor with low-wage Southern labor, exposing workers in imperialist nations to direct competition with similarly skilled but much lower paid workers in Southern nations, while falling prices of clothing, food, and other articles of mass consumption protects consumption levels from falling wages and magnifies the effect of wage increases. The IMF's _World Economic Outlook 2007_ attempted to weigh these two effects, concluding: "Although the labor share \[of GDP\] went down, globalization of labor as manifested in cheaper imports in advanced economies has increased the 'size of the pie' to be shared among all citizens, resulting in a net gain in total workers' compensation in real terms. In other words, cost savings resulting from outsourcing are shared with workers in imperialist countries. This is both an economic imperative and a conscious strategy of the employing class and their political representatives that is crucial to maintaining domestic class peace. Wage repression at home, rather than abroad, would reduce demand and unleash latent recessionary forces. Competition in markets for workers' consumer goods forces some of the cost reductions resulting from greater use of low-wage labor to be passed on to them. -In his study of Walmart, Nelson Lichtenstein reports: "Wal-Mart argues that the company's downward squeeze on prices raises the standard of living of the entire U.S. population, saving consumers upwards of \$100bn each year, perhaps as much as \$600 a year at the checkout counter for the average family.... 'These savings are a lifeline for millions of middle- and lower-income families who live from payday to payday,' argues Wal-Mart CEO H. Lee Scott. 'In effect, it gives them a raise every time they shop with us.'" Lichtenstein, 2005, *Wal-Mart: The Face of Twenty-First-Century Capitalism* (New York: New Press). +In his study of Walmart, Nelson Lichtenstein reports: "Wal-Mart argues that the company's downward squeeze on prices raises the standard of living of the entire U.S. population, saving consumers upwards of \$100bn each year, perhaps as much as \$600 a year at the checkout counter for the average family.... 'These savings are a lifeline for millions of middle- and lower-income families who live from payday to payday,' argues Wal-Mart CEO H. Lee Scott. 'In effect, it gives them a raise every time they shop with us.'" Lichtenstein, 2005, _Wal-Mart: The Face of Twenty-First-Century Capitalism_ (New York: New Press). Perhaps the most in-depth research into this effect was conducted by two Chicago professors, Christian Broda and John Romalis, who established a "concordance" between two giant databases, one tracking the quantities and price movements between 1994 and 2005 of hundreds of thousands of different goods consumed by 55,000 U.S. households, the other of imports classified into 16,800 different product categories. Their central conclusion: "While the expansion of trade with low wage countries triggers a fall in relative wages for the unskilled in the United States, it also leads to a fall in the price of goods that are heavily consumed by the poor. We show that this beneficial price effect can potentially more than offset the standard negative relative wage effect." They calculate that China by itself accounted for four-fifths of the total inflation-lowering effect of cheap imports, its share of total U.S. imports having risen during the decade from 6 to 17 percent, and that "the rise of Chinese trade ... alone can offset around a third of the rise in official inequality we have seen over this period." @@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ Squeezing wages allows markups to increase. Thus UNCTAD reports that “clothing Milberg's recognition of outsourcing's growing preponderance leads him to rhetorically ask, "Why should arm's-length outsourcing be of increasing importance in a world where transnational corporations play such a large role? ... Why should cost reductions be increasingly prevalent externally rather than within firms?" He answers, "The growing tendency toward externalization implies that the return on external outsourcing---implied by the cost reduction it brings to the buyer firm---must exceed that on internal vertical operations.... These cost savings constitute rents accruing abroad in the same sense that internal profit generation does for a multinational enterprise." This is a crucial insight, yet it poses a perplexing puzzle. As the three global commodities discussed in [chapter 1](#08_Chapter01.xhtml) illustrate, "rents accruing abroad" appear, in company and national accounts, to accrue instead from the domestic design, branding, and marketing activities of the lead firm. We will return to this puzzle a few pages hence, but first we'll consider some reasons why the arm's-length relationship might be increasingly favored over FDI. -One reason why arm's-length outsourcing may be more profitable than FDI is that, as Martin Wolf notes, "transnational companies []{#10_Chapter03.xhtml#page_81}pay more---and treat their workers better---than local companies do." Citing "detailed econometric evaluation" that takes into account "the educational levels of employees, plant size, location, and capital- and energy-intensity ... the premium is 12 percent for 'blue-collar' workers and about 22 percent for the 'white-collar' workers." Jagdish Bhagwati also reports that TNCs "pay an average wage that exceeds the going rate, mostly up to 10 percent and exceeding it in some cases." Writing in *The Economist*, Clive Crook gives much higher estimates: he claims that wages in the affiliates of TNCs in "middle-income countries" are 80 percent higher than those paid by local employers, and in "low-income countries" their wages are 100 percent higher. Thus one reason why TNCs increasingly prefer to externalize their operations is that forcing outsourced producers into intense competition with one another is a more effective way of driving down wages and intensifying labor than doing so in-house through appointed managers. +One reason why arm's-length outsourcing may be more profitable than FDI is that, as Martin Wolf notes, "transnational companies []{#10*Chapter03.xhtml#page_81}pay more---and treat their workers better---than local companies do." Citing "detailed econometric evaluation" that takes into account "the educational levels of employees, plant size, location, and capital- and energy-intensity ... the premium is 12 percent for 'blue-collar' workers and about 22 percent for the 'white-collar' workers." Jagdish Bhagwati also reports that TNCs "pay an average wage that exceeds the going rate, mostly up to 10 percent and exceeding it in some cases." Writing in \_The Economist*, Clive Crook gives much higher estimates: he claims that wages in the affiliates of TNCs in "middle-income countries" are 80 percent higher than those paid by local employers, and in "low-income countries" their wages are 100 percent higher. Thus one reason why TNCs increasingly prefer to externalize their operations is that forcing outsourced producers into intense competition with one another is a more effective way of driving down wages and intensifying labor than doing so in-house through appointed managers. A further incentive to "deverticalize"---that is, to move from a vertical parent-subsidiary relationship to a horizontal contractual relation between formally equal partners---is that arm's length also means "hands clean"---the outsourcing firm externalizes not only commercial risk and low value-added production processes, it also externalizes direct responsibility for pollution, poverty wages, and suppression of trade unions. One notorious example is Coca-Cola's operations in Colombia, the hub of its Latin American soft drinks empire, where the food workers' union, SINALTRAINAL, accuses company management of colluding with death squads who have assassinated nine union members and leaders since 1990 and forced many others into exile. "Eighty percent of the Coca-Cola workforce is now composed of non-union, temporary workers, and wages for these individuals are only a quarter of those earned by their unionized counterparts.... Coca-Cola is in fact a stridently anti-union company, and the destruction of SINALTRAINAL, as well as the capacity to drive wages into the ground, is one of the primary goals of the extra-judicial violence directed against workers." Coca-Cola's Atlanta-based international directors wash their hands of any responsibility either for the poverty wages paid to their workers or for the violent repression of their efforts to remedy this, on the grounds that its Colombian bottling plants are independent companies operating under a franchise, enabling it to make the legally precise claim that "Coca-Cola does not own or operate any bottling plants in Colombia." Mark Thomas, an investigative journalist, commented that this is @@ -60,4 +60,3 @@ In sum, it is possible to identify four major reasons why outsourcing firms migh The puzzle posed by Milberg's insight that a large portion of the profits of firms in imperialist countries (he does not call them this) is accrued []{#10_Chapter03.xhtml#page_83}in distant production processes can be restated as follows. The foreign direct investments of northern TNCs generate a gigantic S-N flow of repatriated profits, but in complete contrast, between Southern firms and Northern lead firms there is, in the data on financial flows, neither sign nor shadow of any S-N profit flows or value transfers. Furthermore, the various subterfuges indulged in by transnational corporations to conceal part of this flow from tax authorities (transfer pricing, under-invoicing, etc.) are not available in arm's-length relationships. These are large benefits to forgo---yet TNCs increasingly find the arm's-length relationship to be more profitable than in-house FDI. Does the fact that the S-N flow of value and profit is invisible mean that this flow doesn't exist? If not, what becomes of the profit-flows that are visible in the case of an in-house relationship but completely disappear when this is replaced by an outsourcing relationship? This is the question left unanswered by Milberg, Gereffi, etc., a conundrum that cannot be resolved without breaking free of the neoclassical framework, which presumes markets to be the "ultimate arbiter of value" and price to be its ideal measure, precluding the possibility of hidden flows or transfers of values between capitals prior to their condensation as prices. This calls to mind the physical phenomenon known as sublimation---when the application of heat to a visible solid turns it into a flow of invisible vapor, only for it to rematerialize as a visible solid at a different relocation. Similarly, the flow of value from Southern producers to Northern capitalists is invisible---that is, there's no sign of it in standard data on global capital and commodity flows. According to the bourgeois economists, if it's not visible it doesn't exist; and since value can only appear in the form of price, this, to positivist economics, is its measure. This, the central premise of neoclassical economics, crassly precludes the possibility that value is transferred or redistributed between capitals in order to achieve equilibrium prices that equalize profits. Conversely, to recognize the existence of such flows is to dislodge the keystone of the ruling economic theory, causing the entire edifice to collapse. Renaming "profit' as "rent," as do Milberg, Kaplinsky, Gereffi, and others studying this phenomenon, does not clarify this question. In fact, it blurs the important distinction between profit and rent. Milberg's notion of "rents accruing abroad" implies that the South-North flow continues; and simply calling it rent says nothing about a really interesting implication of this. These "rents accruing abroad" appear in the GDP---the gross domestic product---of the importing nation---even though they were "accrued abroad." The solution of this paradox, which we have been hinting at so far, will be presented in [chapter 9](#16_Chapter09.xhtml), "The GDP Illusion." - diff --git a/left_anticommunism_parenti.md b/left_anticommunism_parenti.md index 87e7b0c..76d3ec9 100644 --- a/left_anticommunism_parenti.md +++ b/left_anticommunism_parenti.md @@ -8,15 +8,14 @@ By Michael Parenti. This article is being reposted by readers’ request. This essay first ran in the 1990s, and was first republished on May 23, 2015 on TGP. It is reposted here again due to the upsurge in McCarthyism from “the left”, spearheaded by the usual suspects, mainly CIA-influenced liberals in the Democratic party and numerous media assets, plus their legions of clueless followers. -* * * +--- [![](https://www.greanvillepost.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/noamChomsky.jpg "noamChomsky")](https://www.greanvillepost.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/noamChomsky.jpg) -*Despite a lifetime of “shaming” the system, NOAM CHOMSKY, America’s foremost “engagé” intellectual, remains an unrepentant left anticommunist.* +_Despite a lifetime of “shaming” the system, NOAM CHOMSKY, America’s foremost “engagé” intellectual, remains an unrepentant left anticommunist._ In the United States, for over a hundred years, the ruling interests tirelessly propagated anticommunism among the populace, until it became more like a religious orthodoxy than a political analysis. During the Cold War, the anticommunist ideological framework could transform any data about existing communist societies into hostile evidence. 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. - ## Genuflection to Orthodoxy Many on the U.S. Left have exhibited a Soviet bashing and Red baiting that matches anything on the Right in its enmity and crudity. Listen to Noam Chomsky holding forth about “left intellectuals” who try to “rise to power on the backs of mass popular movements” and “then beat the people into submission. . . . You start off as basically a Leninist who is going to be part of the Red bureaucracy. You see later that power doesn’t lie that way, and you very quickly become an ideologist of the right. . . . We’re seeing it right now in the \[former\] Soviet Union. The same guys who were communist thugs two years back, are now running banks and \[are\] enthusiastic free marketeers and praising Americans” (Z Magazine, 10/95). @@ -113,7 +112,7 @@ All this is not to say that everything Stalin did was of historical necessity. T The transforming effects of counterrevolutionary attack have been felt in other countries. A Sandinista military officer I met in Vienna in 1986 noted that Nicaraguans were “not a warrior people” but they had to learn to fight because they faced a destructive, U.S.-sponsored mercenary war. She bemoaned the fact that war and embargo forced her country to postpone much of its socio-economic agenda. As with Nicaragua, so with Mozambique, Angola and numerous other countries in which U.S.-financed mercenary forces destroyed farmlands, villages, health centers, and power stations, while killing or starving hundreds of thousands–the revolutionary baby was strangled in its crib or mercilessly bled beyond recognition. This reality ought to earn at least as much recognition as the suppression of dissidents in this or that revolutionary society. -* * * +--- [![Richard Lichtman, an otherwise capable theorist and activist, was among those on the Marxian left who applauded the downfall of the Eastern bloc nations and the USSR itself. ](https://www.greanvillepost.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/richard_lichtman.jpg)](https://www.greanvillepost.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/richard_lichtman.jpg) @@ -127,7 +126,7 @@ In addition, the overthrow of communism gave the green light to the unbridled ex Having never understood the role that existing communist powers played in tempering the worst impulses of Western capitalism, and having perceived communism as nothing but an unmitigated evil, the left anticommunists did not anticipate the losses that were to come. Some of them still don’t get it. -* * * +--- ## ABOUT THE AUTHOR @@ -139,18 +138,18 @@ Having never understood the role that existing communist powers played in temper PARENTI is the author of twenty-three books, among which: -* [The Face of Imperialism](http://www.michaelparenti.org/the_face_of_imperialism.html) (Paradigm, 2011) -* [God and His Demons](http://www.michaelparenti.org/goadandhisdemons.html) (Prometheus Books, 2010) -* [Democracy for the Few](http://www.michaelparenti.org/DemocracyForFew.html) (Wadsworth, 9th edition, 2011) -* [Contrary Notions: The Michael Parenti Reader](http://www.michaelparenti.org/contrarynotions.html) (City Lights Books, 2007) -* [Democracy for the Few](http://www.michaelparenti.org/DemocracyForFew.html) (Wadsworth, 8th edition, 2007) -* [The Culture Struggle](http://www.michaelparenti.org/CultureStruggle.html) (Seven Stories Press, 2006) -* [Superpatriotism](http://www.michaelparenti.org/superpatriotism.html) (City Lights Books, 2004) -* [The Assassination of Julius Caesar](http://www.michaelparenti.org/Caesar.html) (The New Press, 2003) -* [The Terrorism Trap](http://www.michaelparenti.org/TerrorismTrap.html) (City Lights Books, 2002) -* [To Kill a Nation](http://www.michaelparenti.org/ToKillANation.html) (Verso Books, 2001) -* [History as Mystery](http://www.michaelparenti.org/HistoryAsMystery.html) (City Lights Books, 1999) -* [Blackshirts and Reds](http://www.michaelparenti.org/BlackShirts.html) (City Lights Books, 1997) -* [Dirty Truths](http://www.michaelparenti.org/DirtyTruths.html) (City Lights Books, 1996) -* [Inventing Reality](http://www.michaelparenti.org/InventingReality.html) (Wadsworth, second edition, 1993) - are duly regarded as classic. +- [The Face of Imperialism](http://www.michaelparenti.org/the_face_of_imperialism.html) (Paradigm, 2011) +- [God and His Demons](http://www.michaelparenti.org/goadandhisdemons.html) (Prometheus Books, 2010) +- [Democracy for the Few](http://www.michaelparenti.org/DemocracyForFew.html) (Wadsworth, 9th edition, 2011) +- [Contrary Notions: The Michael Parenti Reader](http://www.michaelparenti.org/contrarynotions.html) (City Lights Books, 2007) +- [Democracy for the Few](http://www.michaelparenti.org/DemocracyForFew.html) (Wadsworth, 8th edition, 2007) +- [The Culture Struggle](http://www.michaelparenti.org/CultureStruggle.html) (Seven Stories Press, 2006) +- [Superpatriotism](http://www.michaelparenti.org/superpatriotism.html) (City Lights Books, 2004) +- [The Assassination of Julius Caesar](http://www.michaelparenti.org/Caesar.html) (The New Press, 2003) +- [The Terrorism Trap](http://www.michaelparenti.org/TerrorismTrap.html) (City Lights Books, 2002) +- [To Kill a Nation](http://www.michaelparenti.org/ToKillANation.html) (Verso Books, 2001) +- [History as Mystery](http://www.michaelparenti.org/HistoryAsMystery.html) (City Lights Books, 1999) +- [Blackshirts and Reds](http://www.michaelparenti.org/BlackShirts.html) (City Lights Books, 1997) +- [Dirty Truths](http://www.michaelparenti.org/DirtyTruths.html) (City Lights Books, 1996) +- [Inventing Reality](http://www.michaelparenti.org/InventingReality.html) (Wadsworth, second edition, 1993) + are duly regarded as classic. diff --git a/lenin_lwc.md b/lenin_lwc.md index 43de809..eb13f0e 100644 --- a/lenin_lwc.md +++ b/lenin_lwc.md @@ -1,8 +1,8 @@ -# Lenin's Revolutionary Strategy +# Lenin's Revolutionary Strategy -*From Left-Wing Communism: An Infantile disorder, and other works.* +_From Left-Wing Communism: An Infantile disorder, and other works._ -*WIP* +_WIP_ ## Steps @@ -21,14 +21,14 @@ - After a prosperous period of growing industry and population, a rapid inequality grows and engenders increasing poverty. - The limits of new markets, profit and carrying capacity are reached, and surplus revenue stagnates. The upper classes then launch wars to fight over this decreasing surplus. War, famines, and massive social upheaval ensue in the coming years. -- Battle lines are drawn among the three principle groups: +- Battle lines are drawn among the three principle groups: - Capitalists / Liberals / Reactionaries. (Right) - Social Democrats. (Center / Center-right) - Working-class Revolutionaries. (Left) ### The First Attempt -- The lower classes join unions, and become more class-conscious. Communist parties support and build these organizations. +- The lower classes join unions, and become more class-conscious. Communist parties support and build these organizations. - Workers, professionals, and small business owners become increasingly dissillusioned by the concentration of wealth. - A period of mass unionisation and strikes occurs. This initial "dress rehearsal" is usually severely repressed, or diffused by social democrats. If diffused, capitalists regain power over the next few years. @@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ ### Shake-up -- Capitalist contradictions reach a point that war breaks out. The ineptitude of Capitalist / reactionary political parties and their unpopularity results in a surge of class conciousness. +- Capitalist contradictions reach a point that war breaks out. The ineptitude of Capitalist / reactionary political parties and their unpopularity results in a surge of class conciousness. - A center-right social democratic party takes over parliament. - Capitalists gut / break down infrastucture: shutting down transportation, resources, and energy. They openly arm xenophobic militias. - Capitalist reactionaries attempt to restore themselves to power, communists and unions make temporary alliances with the social democrats to prevent it. @@ -57,8 +57,7 @@ ### Revolution -- The social democrats are unable to stem the worsening conditions brought on by Capitalism: unable to end war, poverty, hunger, and homelessness, and workers turn en masse to far-left parties and revolutionary unions. +- The social democrats are unable to stem the worsening conditions brought on by Capitalism: unable to end war, poverty, hunger, and homelessness, and workers turn en masse to far-left parties and revolutionary unions. - Communist vanguard parties emerge as a stable, disciplined alternative to capitalist political parties. - A revolutionary situation is reached, militant unions begin socializing workplaces, communities engage in rent strikes. Armed communists dissolve local and national capitalist parliaments, stock markets, and centers of financial imperialism. - A civil war ensues between the capitalists and their petty-bourgeois defenders, and those committed to revolution. - diff --git a/market_socialism.md b/market_socialism.md index deaa233..528ed30 100644 --- a/market_socialism.md +++ b/market_socialism.md @@ -6,14 +6,14 @@ Remember that this is a **distributional** problem : we have a bunch of goods an Markets are **one way** to do that, and the primary way under capitalism. Markets are based on two things: -* **Individual profit**: IE, buying low, selling high, and ignoring the effect of the transaction on others (externalities). -* **Commodification of every resource** (even people). +- **Individual profit**: IE, buying low, selling high, and ignoring the effect of the transaction on others (externalities). +- **Commodification of every resource** (even people). Labor is one such commodity, that is bought for cheap, and it's results sold for high (IE profit). ### History of markets Yes, markets are oppressive. -Markets only became the primary way to distribute goods *within the last 500 years*. For the vast majority of human history, rituals, harvest festivals, a group of elders deciding fair distribution, or communal decision-making accomplished what the market does today. Writers like Plato and Aristotle detested markets (small-scale trade within cities and between nation-states at that time), because they witnessed how the individualistic profit motive worked to **destroy the community**. +Markets only became the primary way to distribute goods _within the last 500 years_. For the vast majority of human history, rituals, harvest festivals, a group of elders deciding fair distribution, or communal decision-making accomplished what the market does today. Writers like Plato and Aristotle detested markets (small-scale trade within cities and between nation-states at that time), because they witnessed how the individualistic profit motive worked to **destroy the community**. Markets, through the **commodification of every resource** (including human beings), destroy the community in the following ways: they promote generational wealth hoarding, increasing inequality, treating people as objects, monopolistic practices (price-fixing, dumping, colluding), rent-seeking, informational failure (over/under production), booms/busts/business cycles, negative externalities (affecting the environment and third parties), unpaid labor (such as housework, and childcare), human exploitation (slavery and wage-slavery, prostitution), large-scale imperialism (Such as in Africa, South America, and Asia post 1700s) demerit goods (encouraging for-profit drug use, see Opium wars), inefficient and incorrect valuation, artificially high barriers to entry for many sectors.... in short, they result in an antagonistic relationship between a working class, and an owning/wealth hoarding class. @@ -21,19 +21,19 @@ Also, **free markets inherently favor those with the most capital**, giving elit ### What do we replace markets with? -You'll hardly see any Socialist advocating markets as a distribution system, because of that individualistic profit motive. Most of us advocate for **democratically planned economies** with labor vouchers, or **gift economies** in goods that are widely abundant. For a great academic breakdown of how planned economies would work, I suggest [Cottrell - towards a new socialism](http://ricardo.ecn.wfu.edu/~cottrell/socialism_book/new_socialism.pdf). +You'll hardly see any Socialist advocating markets as a distribution system, because of that individualistic profit motive. Most of us advocate for **democratically planned economies** with labor vouchers, or **gift economies** in goods that are widely abundant. For a great academic breakdown of how planned economies would work, I suggest [Cottrell - towards a new socialism](http://ricardo.ecn.wfu.edu/~cottrell/socialism_book/new_socialism.pdf). ### What about market socialism? -The argument for market socialism states that we outlaw the commodification of labor, but retain markets. This completely ignores the incentive structures associated with market transactions, by which the profit motive demands the commodification of everything, including labor. Even if the market were socially controlled and commodification of labor were *somehow* outlawed, it would still allow hoarding of wealth, **individual profit motive over collective good**, and emphasize monetary incentives over human ones. +The argument for market socialism states that we outlaw the commodification of labor, but retain markets. This completely ignores the incentive structures associated with market transactions, by which the profit motive demands the commodification of everything, including labor. Even if the market were socially controlled and commodification of labor were _somehow_ outlawed, it would still allow hoarding of wealth, **individual profit motive over collective good**, and emphasize monetary incentives over human ones. Market enterprises have one goal, increasing profit and market share, in isolated transactions. What would prevent a coop from **polluting a river** that people use, if they're able to cut corners and extract a larger profit? What would prevent a small group of people from accumulating wealth and using it for individualistic motives? Maybe they won't be legally able to exploit a labor force, but they will still try to get away with it to satisfy the profit motive, which is unavoidable and systemically inherent to a market system. -Finally, there is the market socialist principle that somehow we stop treating labor as a commodity, but we continue to treat *everything else* like one. Natural resources, health care, living spaces, and food security are things we should **not** be treating as a commodity, which they would be under a market system. +Finally, there is the market socialist principle that somehow we stop treating labor as a commodity, but we continue to treat _everything else_ like one. Natural resources, health care, living spaces, and food security are things we should **not** be treating as a commodity, which they would be under a market system. -Market socialism in a predominantly capitalist society has a historical name: **utopian socialism**, or the cooperative movement. Engels, in [Socialism: Utopian and Scientific](https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1880/soc-utop/index.htm), explained how a few of the early socialist reformers such as Fourier and Owen nobly tried to set up idealistic isolated islands of socialism, known as worker cooperatives, in the early stages of the industrial revolution. These all failed in the long run, both because they relied on capitalist enterprises for materials and means, and because they were out-competed by capitalists who did a better job of extracting a higher profit from their workforce. Engels stated that as the class contradictions become more absurd, *The mode of production rises in rebellion against the form of exchange*, IE, the socialized force of production (the united working class) rises up against the individualism of the market. +Market socialism in a predominantly capitalist society has a historical name: **utopian socialism**, or the cooperative movement. Engels, in [Socialism: Utopian and Scientific](https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1880/soc-utop/index.htm), explained how a few of the early socialist reformers such as Fourier and Owen nobly tried to set up idealistic isolated islands of socialism, known as worker cooperatives, in the early stages of the industrial revolution. These all failed in the long run, both because they relied on capitalist enterprises for materials and means, and because they were out-competed by capitalists who did a better job of extracting a higher profit from their workforce. Engels stated that as the class contradictions become more absurd, _The mode of production rises in rebellion against the form of exchange_, IE, the socialized force of production (the united working class) rises up against the individualism of the market. ## How do we get to Fully Automated Luxury Queer Space Communism? @@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ Labor vouchers are different from money in that: 3. They are destroyed after they're exchanged for goods/services from the democratic workers council organization (I usually call it the pool) 4. They optionally have expiration dates (to prevent wealth hoarding, and inter-generational conflict) -In books like I like linked above, goods/services are valued and labor vouchers are based on **labor time**, and that book provides good calculations for how to value labor time for various things. Instead of getting paid a certain amount per hour, you would receive something that proves your *hours worked*. Goods and services are then valued based on all the constituent labor time necessary (including all the sub-parts) to produce them. For example, a door might cost 2 Labor hours (LH), after adding in the time costs to harvest all the materials for the wood frame, metal handle, lock, hinges, etc, and assemble them. Large input-output tables (and some linear algebra) could be used to calculate the labor time values of every good and service in an economy. +In books like I like linked above, goods/services are valued and labor vouchers are based on **labor time**, and that book provides good calculations for how to value labor time for various things. Instead of getting paid a certain amount per hour, you would receive something that proves your _hours worked_. Goods and services are then valued based on all the constituent labor time necessary (including all the sub-parts) to produce them. For example, a door might cost 2 Labor hours (LH), after adding in the time costs to harvest all the materials for the wood frame, metal handle, lock, hinges, etc, and assemble them. Large input-output tables (and some linear algebra) could be used to calculate the labor time values of every good and service in an economy. As technological improvements decrease the labor time cost of goods and services to nearly zero, that good becomes an abundant good. Many food products and consumer items could already be considered abundant. When nearly all goods are abundant, then we could say that we've reached full communism. @@ -59,4 +59,3 @@ With regards to moderating demand for goods, grocery stores **can currently** fu Unlike a capitalist economy, where the goal is individualistic profit, in a labor-time economy the goal is **minimizing the labor-time-cost** of all goods and services, to improve the well-being of the community. Likely there would also be a kind of basic income of labor vouchers, to make sure everyone gets a fair share of the distribution of food and housing and such (this could be seen as accounting for unpaid labor done in the home). Since they are attached to a person/family, labor vouchers prevent wealth accumulation being handed down to further generations. - diff --git a/microsoft.md b/microsoft.md index 0bb7198..ff67e80 100644 --- a/microsoft.md +++ b/microsoft.md @@ -1,21 +1,22 @@ # Whats so bad about microsoft? -- Microsoft collaborated with the [NSA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NSAKEY)'s prism program to: - - Read and store all outlook service emails. +- Microsoft collaborated with the [NSA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NSAKEY)'s prism program to: + - Read and store all outlook service emails. - Read all your OneDrive files. - NSA recorded all Skype calls. - - [Windows 10 watches everything you type and sends it to Microsoft.](http://www.newsweek.com/windows-10-recording-users-every-move-358952) Branded by microsoft as telemetry, its stated purpose is to provide you a *personalized user dictionary*, and provide you with text suggestions as you type. Even after turned off, [it still collects data and sends to microsoft.](https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/08/even-when-told-not-to-windows-10-just-cant-stop-talking-to-microsoft/) Microsoft retroactively added Windows 10 spying to [Windows 7 and 8. ](https://www.pcworld.com/article/2978239/windows/microsoft-slips-user-tracking-tools-into-windows-7-8-amidst-windows-10-privacy-storm.html) + - [Windows 10 watches everything you type and sends it to Microsoft.](http://www.newsweek.com/windows-10-recording-users-every-move-358952) Branded by microsoft as telemetry, its stated purpose is to provide you a _personalized user dictionary_, and provide you with text suggestions as you type. Even after turned off, [it still collects data and sends to microsoft.](https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/08/even-when-told-not-to-windows-10-just-cant-stop-talking-to-microsoft/) Microsoft retroactively added Windows 10 spying to [Windows 7 and 8. ](https://www.pcworld.com/article/2978239/windows/microsoft-slips-user-tracking-tools-into-windows-7-8-amidst-windows-10-privacy-storm.html) - [Microsoft has a long history of buying up and killing small companies to stifle competition and innovation.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mergers_and_acquisitions_by_Microsoft) The US Department of Justice launched an anti-trust suit against Microsoft in 2001. Documents on microsoft found that they referred to a policy called [Embrace, Extend, Extinguish](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embrace,_extend,_and_extinguish), to describe its strategy for entering product categories involving widely used standards, extending those standards with [proprietary](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proprietary_software) capabilities, and then using those differences to strongly disadvantage its competitors. This policy was either attempted or successfully carried out via: + - After Microsoft crushed browser competition with its operating system monopoly, a [web dark ages stalled browser development for 2 years.](https://www.reddit.com/r/ragecomics/comments/11c1t1/internet_explorer_rfunny_said_i_should_post_it/c6lbhu2/) - Browser incompatibilities: Killing Netscape via incompatible Java, CSS, and ActiveX incompatibilies. - Office incompatibilities: Bill gates : "One thing we have got to change in our strategy—allowing Office documents to be rendered very well by other peoples [*sic*] browsers is one of the most destructive things we could do to the company." - - Java incompatibilities: Tried to kill sun by introducing Java incompatibilities. Lost two lawsuits to Sun. + - Java incompatibilities: Tried to kill sun by introducing Java incompatibilities. Lost two lawsuits to Sun. - Messaging: Killed AOL's instant messenger via embracing then introducing incompatibilities in AIM messenger. - Microsoft acquired Nokia, and mandated that Windows Phone 7 be put on all new phones. [9000 workers quit the company in protest](https://www.reddit.com/r/ragecomics/comments/11c1t1/internet_explorer_rfunny_said_i_should_post_it/c6lbhu2/), and Nokia's brand value fell from [5th to 98th place](https://www.rankingthebrands.com/The-Brand-Rankings.aspx?rankingID=37&year=857) in 2014. - [Microsoft acquires Skype, it becomes bloated and users flee to other platforms.](https://www.reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace/comments/736tfh/skype_is_officially_bloatware_uninstalled_it/) - [Bill Gates alternating between acting like a child, and a sociopath during his anti-trust deposition.](https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2020/09/revisiting-the-spectacular-failure-that-was-the-bill-gates-deposition/) -- Its [workers often suffer burnout](https://archive.is/20120629191556/http://www.krsaborio.net/research/1980s/89/890423.htm), and has been called a *velvet sweatshop*. Microsoft lost a lawsuit for $93 million for using "permatemp" employees, which were worked as hard as ordinary employees, yet received none of the benefits. Microsoft is the largest American corporate user of H-1B guest worker visas in order to pay them less. Microsoft has also come under criticism for developing software capable of analyzing the output of remote sensors in order to [measure the competence and productivity of workers based on their physical responses.](https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/microsoft-seeks-patent-for-office-spy-software-h0dd5zmtfnt) +- Its [workers often suffer burnout](https://archive.is/20120629191556/http://www.krsaborio.net/research/1980s/89/890423.htm), and has been called a _velvet sweatshop_. Microsoft lost a lawsuit for $93 million for using "permatemp" employees, which were worked as hard as ordinary employees, yet received none of the benefits. Microsoft is the largest American corporate user of H-1B guest worker visas in order to pay them less. Microsoft has also come under criticism for developing software capable of analyzing the output of remote sensors in order to [measure the competence and productivity of workers based on their physical responses.](https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/microsoft-seeks-patent-for-office-spy-software-h0dd5zmtfnt) - Github, now owned by microsoft, begins [blocking developers from countries antagonistic to the US](https://www.zdnet.com/article/github-starts-blocking-developers-in-countries-facing-us-trade-sanctions/) such as Iran, Russia. - [The Case against Microsoft and Github (On Microsofts collaboration with ICE / Border Patrol, and NSA).](https://sneak.berlin/20200307/the-case-against-microsoft-and-github/) diff --git a/nietzsche.md b/nietzsche.md index da6233d..47e6f16 100644 --- a/nietzsche.md +++ b/nietzsche.md @@ -1,6 +1,6 @@ # Why Nietzsche is a terrible role model for the left -Instead of writing up a longer, meandering argument against Nietzsche's philosophy, I found that his quotations themselves make the strongest argument for why he makes a terrible role model for the left. +Instead of writing up a longer, meandering argument against Nietzsche's philosophy, I found that his quotations themselves make the strongest argument for why he makes a terrible role model for the left. The core concepts of his philosophy, Masculine virtue and elitism, the Superman, Will to Power, worship of warrior heroes and militarism, Anti-democracy, Anti-Socialism, Reverence for hereditary Aristocracy (whether Teutonic, or Roman), Anti-feminism, Anti-Christianity / Buddism, Biological determinism, are shown through his quotes. After getting past his love of contradictory statements, and his propensity to try to gain hipster cred through the shock-value of anti-moralism, we're left with a system of thought that's as aristocratic and supportive of the status quo as has ever existed. @@ -8,25 +8,25 @@ It shouldn't be surprising that this proto-incel, lover of masculinity and war, ## Great man / Aristocracy -> There is only nobility of birth, only nobility of blood. When one speaks of "aristocrats of the spirit," reasons are usually not lacking for concealing something. As is well known, it is a favorite term among ambitious Jews. For spirit alone does not make noble. Rather, there must be something to ennoble the spirit. What then is required? Blood. +> There is only nobility of birth, only nobility of blood. When one speaks of "aristocrats of the spirit," reasons are usually not lacking for concealing something. As is well known, it is a favorite term among ambitious Jews. For spirit alone does not make noble. Rather, there must be something to ennoble the spirit. What then is required? Blood. -> The possibility has been established for the production of...a master race, the future "masters of the earth"...made to endure for millennia — a higher kind of men who...employ democratic Europe as their most pliant and supple instrument for getting hold of the destinies of the earth. +> The possibility has been established for the production of...a master race, the future "masters of the earth"...made to endure for millennia — a higher kind of men who...employ democratic Europe as their most pliant and supple instrument for getting hold of the destinies of the earth. > Will this aristocracy be a caste, and their power hereditary? For the most part yes, with occasional openings to let in new blood. But nothing can so contaminate and weaken an aristocracy rich vulgarians, after the habit of the English aristocracy; As it was such intermarriage that ruined the greatest governing body the world has ever seen: the aristocratic Roman senate. -> The European man nowadays [...] glorifies his qualities, such as public spirit, kindness, deference, industry, temperance, modesty, indulgence, sympathy, by virtue of which he is gentle, endurable, and useful to the herd, as the peculiarly human virtues. +> The European man nowadays [...] glorifies his qualities, such as public spirit, kindness, deference, industry, temperance, modesty, indulgence, sympathy, by virtue of which he is gentle, endurable, and useful to the herd, as the peculiarly human virtues. > > [...] In spite of all, what a blessing, what a deliverance from a weight becoming unendurable, is the appearance of an absolute ruler for these gregarious Europeans of this fact the effect of the appearance of Napoleon was the last great proof; the history of the influence of Napoleon is almost the history of the higher happiness to which its worthiest individuals and periods. > The Superman can survive only by human selection, by eugenic foresight and an ennobling education. -> The homogenizing of European man … requires a justification: it lies in serving a higher sovereign species that stands upon the former which can raise itself to its task only by doing this. Not merely a master race whose sole task is to rule, but a race with its own sphere of life, with an excess of strength … strong enough to have no need of the tyranny of the virtue-imperative. +> The homogenizing of European man … requires a justification: it lies in serving a higher sovereign species that stands upon the former which can raise itself to its task only by doing this. Not merely a master race whose sole task is to rule, but a race with its own sphere of life, with an excess of strength … strong enough to have no need of the tyranny of the virtue-imperative. > Not Mankind, but Superman is the goal. ## Anti-feminism -> God created woman. And boredom did indeed cease from that moment — but many other things ceased as well! Woman was God's second mistake. +> God created woman. And boredom did indeed cease from that moment — but many other things ceased as well! Woman was God's second mistake. > Women are considered profound. Why? Because we never fathom their depths. But women aren't even shallow. @@ -60,9 +60,9 @@ It shouldn't be surprising that this proto-incel, lover of masculinity and war, > The doctrine of equality! … But there is no more venomous poison in existence: for it appears to be preached by justice itself, when it is actually the end of justice. -> Socialism--as the logical conclusion of the tyranny of the least and the d***est, i.e., those who are superficial, envious, and three-quarters actors--is indeed entailed by "modern ideas" and their latent anarchism; but in the tepid air of democratic well-being the capacity to reach conclusions, or to finish, weakens. One follows--but one no longer sees what follows. Therefore socialism is on the whole a hopeless and sour affair; and nothing offers a more amusing spectacle than the contrast between the poisonous and desperate faces cut by today's socialists--and to what wretched and pinched feelings their style bears witness!--and the harmless lambs' happiness of their hopes and desiderata. +> Socialism--as the logical conclusion of the tyranny of the least and the d\*\*\*est, i.e., those who are superficial, envious, and three-quarters actors--is indeed entailed by "modern ideas" and their latent anarchism; but in the tepid air of democratic well-being the capacity to reach conclusions, or to finish, weakens. One follows--but one no longer sees what follows. Therefore socialism is on the whole a hopeless and sour affair; and nothing offers a more amusing spectacle than the contrast between the poisonous and desperate faces cut by today's socialists--and to what wretched and pinched feelings their style bears witness!--and the harmless lambs' happiness of their hopes and desiderata. > -> [...] In any case, even as a restless mole under the soil of a society that wallows in st***ity, socialism will be able to be something useful and therapeutic: it delays "peace on earth" and the total mollification of the democratic herd animal; it forces the Europeans to regain spirit, namely cunning and cautious care, not to abjure manly and warlike virtues altogether, and to retain some remnant of spirit, of clarity, sobriety, and coldness of the spirit--it protects Europe for the time being from the marasmus femininus that threatens it. +> [...] In any case, even as a restless mole under the soil of a society that wallows in st\*\*\*ity, socialism will be able to be something useful and therapeutic: it delays "peace on earth" and the total mollification of the democratic herd animal; it forces the Europeans to regain spirit, namely cunning and cautious care, not to abjure manly and warlike virtues altogether, and to retain some remnant of spirit, of clarity, sobriety, and coldness of the spirit--it protects Europe for the time being from the marasmus femininus that threatens it. > How can the superman arise in such a soil [democracy]? And how can a nation become great when its greatest men lie unused, discouraged, perhaps unknown? Such a society loses character; imitation is horizontal instead of vertical; not the superior man but the majority man becomes the ideal and the model; everybody comes to resemble everybody else; even the sexes approximate - the men become women and the women become men. @@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ Railing against the Collectivism of Eastern philosophies: ## Pro-war -> A declaration of war on the masses by higher men is needed! … Everything that makes soft and effeminate, that serves the end of the people or the feminine, works in favor of universal suffrage, i.e. the domination of the inferior men. But we should take reprisal and bring this whole affair to light and the bar of judgment. +> A declaration of war on the masses by higher men is needed! … Everything that makes soft and effeminate, that serves the end of the people or the feminine, works in favor of universal suffrage, i.e. the domination of the inferior men. But we should take reprisal and bring this whole affair to light and the bar of judgment. > A herd of blond beasts of prey, a race of conquerors and masters, with military organizations, with the power to organize, unscrupulously placing their fearful paws upon a population perhaps vastly superior in numbers, ... this herd founded the State. The dream is dispelled which made the State begin with a contract. What has he to do with contracts who can command, who is master by nature, who comes on the scene with violence. @@ -84,15 +84,15 @@ Railing against the Collectivism of Eastern philosophies: > I felt for the first time that the strongest, highest Will to Life does not find expression in a miserable struggle for existence, but in a Will to War, a Will to Power, a Will to Over-Power! -> What is good? All that heightens the feeling of power in man, the will to power, power itself. What is bad? All that is born of weakness. What is happiness? The feeling that power is growing, that resistance is overcome. +> What is good? All that heightens the feeling of power in man, the will to power, power itself. What is bad? All that is born of weakness. What is happiness? The feeling that power is growing, that resistance is overcome. -> Does anybody at last understand, will anybody understand what the Renaissance was? The transvaluation of Christian values, the attempt undertaken with all means, all instincts and all genius to make the *opposite* values, the *noble* values triumph. [...] Caesar Borgia as Pope. ... Do you understand me? +> Does anybody at last understand, will anybody understand what the Renaissance was? The transvaluation of Christian values, the attempt undertaken with all means, all instincts and all genius to make the _opposite_ values, the _noble_ values triumph. [...] Caesar Borgia as Pope. ... Do you understand me? > In contrast to all this, everyone ought to say to himself: ‘better to go abroad, to seek to become master in new and savage regions of the world and above all master over myself; to keep moving from place to place for just as long as any sign of slavery seems to threaten me; to shun neither adventure nor war and, if the worst should come to the worst, to be prepared for death: all this rather than further to endure this indecent servitude, rather than to go on becoming soured and malicious and conspiratorial!’ This would be the right attitude of mind: the workers of Europe ought henceforth to declare themselves as a class a human impossibility and not, as usually happens, only a somewhat harsh and inappropriate social arrangement; they ought to inaugurate within the European beehive an age of a great swarming-out such as has never been seen before, and through this act of free emigration in the grand manner to protest against the machine, against capital, and against the choice now threatening them of being compelled to become either the slave of the state or the slave of a party of disruption. Let Europe be relieved of a fourth part of its inhabitants! ## Racism -> What follows, then? That one had better put on gloves before reading the New Testament. The presence of so much filth makes it very advisable. One would as little choose early Christians for companions as Polish Jews: not that one need seek out an objection to them — neither has a pleasant smell. +> What follows, then? That one had better put on gloves before reading the New Testament. The presence of so much filth makes it very advisable. One would as little choose early Christians for companions as Polish Jews: not that one need seek out an objection to them — neither has a pleasant smell. > Do I still have to add that in the entire New Testament there is only one solitary figure one is obliged to respect? Pilate, the Roman governor. To take a Jewish affair seriously — he cannot persuade himself to do that. One Jew more or less — what does it matter ? diff --git a/paul_cockshott_cyber_communism.md b/paul_cockshott_cyber_communism.md index b9bd45e..78ebe96 100644 --- a/paul_cockshott_cyber_communism.md +++ b/paul_cockshott_cyber_communism.md @@ -6,14 +6,14 @@ Taken from his book, [Towards a New Socialism](http://ricardo.ecn.wfu.edu/~cottr - Production takes place. All goods / services are valued by their **composite labor time** (in labor voucher hours, see below). Factor in depreciation and education into cost. For example, a smartphone might cost 0.5 labor hours. Goods that have neglible marginal cost (~ 0 labor hours) would be free. - Open, publicly funded research and development is shared by all, with the goal of **decreasing the labor time cost** of every good. -- Workers are paid in labor vouchers **per hour work performed**. Working 8 hours would earn you 8 LVH (labor voucher hours) (or a bit less to cover social services). Multipliers *may* be used if certain work is deemed more necessary, or dangerous, but most likely limited by a certain ratio to foster community. +- Workers are paid in labor vouchers **per hour work performed**. Working 8 hours would earn you 8 LVH (labor voucher hours) (or a bit less to cover social services). Multipliers _may_ be used if certain work is deemed more necessary, or dangerous, but most likely limited by a certain ratio to foster community. - Goods are sold in public shops. -- Shop managers are instructed to **adjust labor prices so that all goods are sold**. While a good selling out is itself an indicator of demand, adjusting by a certain limited ratio gives more demand information, and prevents unwanted goods from going to waste. -- Each good now has a ratio of its *sold labor time* to actual labor time cost. -- If goods are selling *above* their actual labor cost (ratio > 1), that means society wants *more* labor allocated to produce that good. Below that means they want less labor allocated. -- Planners adjust output targets based on this demand. -- Planners do material balances to derive gross output requirements (raw materials + intermediate materials + labor). Input-output tables are solved using linear algebra. -- They compare these requirements with the *actual resources* available. Some of these might be set by environmental constraints, or limited quantities. +- Shop managers are instructed to **adjust labor prices so that all goods are sold**. While a good selling out is itself an indicator of demand, adjusting by a certain limited ratio gives more demand information, and prevents unwanted goods from going to waste. +- Each good now has a ratio of its _sold labor time_ to actual labor time cost. +- If goods are selling _above_ their actual labor cost (ratio > 1), that means society wants _more_ labor allocated to produce that good. Below that means they want less labor allocated. +- Planners adjust output targets based on this demand. +- Planners do material balances to derive gross output requirements (raw materials + intermediate materials + labor). Input-output tables are solved using linear algebra. +- They compare these requirements with the _actual resources_ available. Some of these might be set by environmental constraints, or limited quantities. - Population uses direct democracy to vote on how much labor to allocate to non-consumer goods (see below). - They see if the final output targets can be met, and if not, go back to the adjust output targets step. - Finally, form a detailed production plan, broadcast it over the internet to all productive facilities, monitor production (and sales) in real-time. Adjust plan accordingly. @@ -23,45 +23,48 @@ Taken from his book, [Towards a New Socialism](http://ricardo.ecn.wfu.edu/~cottr ### Labor vouchers - Earned by workers. 1 LVH = 1 Labor Voucher Hour earned per hour of work (or less to cover social services) -- Attached to a single person / family, likely through a credit card. -- Can only be exchanged for consumer goods. You cannot transfer them to another person. Buying absentee property is illegal. +- Attached to a single person / family, likely through a credit card. +- Can only be exchanged for consumer goods. You cannot transfer them to another person. Buying absentee property is illegal. - Are destroyed after being used in shops. - Possibly destroyed after a certain amount of time (to prevent hoarding) -- Labor time across the economy is preserved. If there are 8 million workers in a country : +- Labor time across the economy is preserved. If there are 8 million workers in a country : - Lets say 2 million workers are devoted to social services, 6 million to consumer goods. - Labor ministry issues 6 million person-years vouchers to workers, split among the 8 million workers. - Labor hours used producing non-consumer goods (2 million person-years) + labor hours used in consumer goods production (6 million person-years) = cost of goods in shops (6 million person-years) + (2 million person-years cancelled for social tax bin) - - Workers spend 6 million in the shops, social income tax of 2 million ( to provide for social services ), and the 8 million labor hours are fully canceled. + - Workers spend 6 million in the shops, social income tax of 2 million ( to provide for social services ), and the 8 million labor hours are fully canceled. - This defetishizes consumer-producer relations, since you can see exactly how human labor is being allocated, and spent. ### Direct democracy for non-consumer goods -- New enterprises, entertainment, research and development, social services are all examples of non-consumer goods. +- New enterprises, entertainment, research and development, social services are all examples of non-consumer goods. - Society votes on how much labor to devote to social services: education, health care, child care, environmental protection, national defense. If a country has 6 million adult workers, it might allocate 2 million people to non-consumer goods. - Major strategic decisions taken democratically by all the interested population. Minor decisions left to planners. Information open to all, voting available to all. ### Foreign trade - Uneven development of technology and natural resources means that external trade with capitalist nations will still be necessary and sometimes preferred during the transition to a global socialist economy. -- Imports (or buys) from capitalist countries are paid for with labor credit certificates issued from the foreign trade ministry. +- Imports (or buys) from capitalist countries are paid for with labor credit certificates issued from the foreign trade ministry. - Capitalist countries (which already have freely circulating money), could then decide their own exchange rates for the labor credits, and circulate them as they would any other currency. The rates would come from the demand for goods our country produces, and isn't a concern for our planners. - This is the reverse of the USSR's system, which was to pay for imports in held dollars or marks, and restrict the export of its own currency. - Exports (or sales) to capitalist countries are either an exchange of goods, or labor vouchers they sell back to us. -- Planners decide whether to import a good, or produce it locally, based on the offered price vs domestic cost. +- Planners decide whether to import a good, or produce it locally, based on the offered price vs domestic cost. + - Sell the good if the labor voucher price offered is higher than the actual labor-time cost, buy the good if its less than the domestic labor-time cost. - Example: - Good|Domestic cost|Price offered|Decision - ---|---|---|--- - Oil|1 million hrs|1.5 million hrs|export - Cars|2 million hrs|1.5 million hrs|import + | Good | Domestic cost | Price offered | Decision | + | ---- | ------------- | --------------- | -------- | + | Oil | 1 million hrs | 1.5 million hrs | export | + | Cars | 2 million hrs | 1.5 million hrs | import | + + | []() | []() | + | ------------------------- | ------------------------------- | + | Value of exports | 1 million hrs in domestic units | + | Value of imports | 2 million hrs in domestic units | + | Labour-time trade deficit | 1 million hrs in domestic units | - []()|[]() - ---|--- - Value of exports|1 million hrs in domestic units - Value of imports|2 million hrs in domestic units - Labour-time trade deficit|1 million hrs in domestic units - Since prices and speculation fluctuate wildly in capitalist countries, the planners will have to make import/export decisions based on long-term trends rather than short-term variations. + - Foreign currency is outlawed. Fight black markets by making sure that labor vouchers are not overvalued. Planners track these markets, and ensure that demands for foreign-produced goods are being addressed by either increased local production, or official international trade. - For visiting tourists, an arrangement could be made with capitalist banks to allow the use of their credit cards, at the moment-in-time exchange rate. Tourists from our country could use their labor credit cards externally, which would effectively sell their labor vouchers to an external bank for that exchange rate of capitalist currency. - Trade with other socialist nations, would be a 1-to-1 equal labor-time exchange. diff --git a/paying_one_half_the_poor_to_kill_the_other_half.md b/paying_one_half_the_poor_to_kill_the_other_half.md index 38293e4..972268f 100644 --- a/paying_one_half_the_poor_to_kill_the_other_half.md +++ b/paying_one_half_the_poor_to_kill_the_other_half.md @@ -1,16 +1,16 @@ -IE, why pushing for social democracy in the imperial core countries is a terrible idea. +IE, why pushing for social democracy in the imperial core countries is a terrible idea. -In Settlers, Sakai talks about how a lot of poor proles from europe who came to the US, *still pushed for the genocide and expropriation of native american lands*, because it meant that they could potentially get land for next to nothing. The colonial bourgeoisie were happy to give them that slice of the american pie, because it meant furthering the US goals of westward expansion, and building a garrison / middle layer of settler troops who would have their same goals in driving out Native Americans. +In Settlers, Sakai talks about how a lot of poor proles from europe who came to the US, _still pushed for the genocide and expropriation of native american lands_, because it meant that they could potentially get land for next to nothing. The colonial bourgeoisie were happy to give them that slice of the american pie, because it meant furthering the US goals of westward expansion, and building a garrison / middle layer of settler troops who would have their same goals in driving out Native Americans. -The same thing happened with the new deal, where workers were bribed with welfare and higher wages to abandon revolutionary organizations, coalitions with black and brown workers, and be pushed into settler unions (and management positions) who could do their bidding against various other working groups, creating yet another grouping of "middle class / labor aristocrats" whose goals aligned more with the bourgeoisie than with the poor. +The same thing happened with the new deal, where workers were bribed with welfare and higher wages to abandon revolutionary organizations, coalitions with black and brown workers, and be pushed into settler unions (and management positions) who could do their bidding against various other working groups, creating yet another grouping of "middle class / labor aristocrats" whose goals aligned more with the bourgeoisie than with the poor. -This new *new deal* Sanders is proposing is the same idea: that workers in the imperial core will accept a new round of welfare policies. Since the US is primarily a service / consumer goods import economy, social services are entirely funded off the backs of third world workers who get paid next to nothing in wages. [Sanders record of voting for US military intervention in 15+ countries](https://github.com/dessalines/essays/blob/master/socialism_faq.md#whats-wrong-with-bernie-sanders), his preference for lighter skinned social imperialists (like the nordic countries), his denigration of actually existing socialist movements (he calls Maduro a "vicious tyrant"), and his anti-immigration stances are more than enough evidence that he wants to continue the US policy of enslaving the third world to feed the imperial core. +This new _new deal_ Sanders is proposing is the same idea: that workers in the imperial core will accept a new round of welfare policies. Since the US is primarily a service / consumer goods import economy, social services are entirely funded off the backs of third world workers who get paid next to nothing in wages. [Sanders record of voting for US military intervention in 15+ countries](https://github.com/dessalines/essays/blob/master/socialism_faq.md#whats-wrong-with-bernie-sanders), his preference for lighter skinned social imperialists (like the nordic countries), his denigration of actually existing socialist movements (he calls Maduro a "vicious tyrant"), and his anti-immigration stances are more than enough evidence that he wants to continue the US policy of enslaving the third world to feed the imperial core. -All of these are instances of **one half of the poor being bribed into killing the other half;** but in the modern day, its imperial core workers being bribed into continuing the exploitation of the third world to provide cheap products and enough surplus value to fund welfare policies. Rather than dismantling capitalism / imperialism, Sanders wants to increase taxes on billyahnayas, in which a cut of their imperialist superprofits will go towards first world welfare, thus strengthening the alliance between capital, and its labor aristocracy, much like the new deal. I know, we can call this new class collaborationist garrison of labor aristocrats, the "middle class"! +All of these are instances of **one half of the poor being bribed into killing the other half;** but in the modern day, its imperial core workers being bribed into continuing the exploitation of the third world to provide cheap products and enough surplus value to fund welfare policies. Rather than dismantling capitalism / imperialism, Sanders wants to increase taxes on billyahnayas, in which a cut of their imperialist superprofits will go towards first world welfare, thus strengthening the alliance between capital, and its labor aristocracy, much like the new deal. I know, we can call this new class collaborationist garrison of labor aristocrats, the "middle class"! In fact, many forward-thinking capitalists are openly in support of this project: [Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Richard Branson, Sam Altman, are just a few billionaires who support a universal basic income](https://www.industryleadersmagazine.com/billionaire-entrepreneurs-who-support-universal-basic-income/), seeing its potential use as a finely tunable fuel source to quell class struggle, gain public support, and preserve their fortunes. -To quote /u/Guillotron9000 : +To quote /u/Guillotron9000 : > Nothing of the sort will happen. Even if Sanders is elected he'll pass M4A and most of his base will be satisfied. And the capitalists won't care too much either. They'll just make up for the losses by fucking over the third world even harder. > diff --git a/recipes/taco_rice.md b/recipes/taco_rice.md index 807bfb6..c89cc60 100644 --- a/recipes/taco_rice.md +++ b/recipes/taco_rice.md @@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ - 1 clove garlic - 1 Tbsp tomato paste - 1 3/4 cups water, divided, .25 cup first, then 1.5 cups -- 1 tsp Knorr caldo de pollo +- 1 tsp Knorr caldo de pollo - 1/2 tsp salt - 3 Tbsp corn oil @@ -18,3 +18,4 @@ - 1/2 small onion - 4 cloves garlic - 2 tablespoons caldo de pollo + diff --git a/reform_or_revolution.md b/reform_or_revolution.md deleted file mode 100644 index 64a24dc..0000000 --- a/reform_or_revolution.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,5 +0,0 @@ -# Reform or Revolution - - - -Pacifism is dangerously liberal, it's always rooted in the privlege of people not affected by violence (rich whites), telling people who are affected by violence (impoverished, imperialized, and oppressed people), to just chill and don't do anything to liberate themselves. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/socdem_bribery.md b/socdem_bribery.md index d7676e4..b8ec70b 100644 --- a/socdem_bribery.md +++ b/socdem_bribery.md @@ -1,18 +1,18 @@ # Paying one half of the poor to kill the other half: Why Marxists should not support social democrats in the Imperial core. -IE, why pushing for social democracy in the imperial core countries is a terrible idea. +IE, why pushing for social democracy in the imperial core countries is a terrible idea. -In Settlers, Sakai talks about how a lot of poor proles from europe who came to the US, *still pushed for the genocide and expropriation of native american lands*, because it meant that they could potentially get land for next to nothing. The colonial bourgeoisie were happy to give them that slice of the american pie, because it meant furthering the US goals of westward expansion, and building a garrison / middle layer of settler troops who would have their same goals in driving out Native Americans. +In Settlers, Sakai talks about how a lot of poor proles from europe who came to the US, _still pushed for the genocide and expropriation of native american lands_, because it meant that they could potentially get land for next to nothing. The colonial bourgeoisie were happy to give them that slice of the american pie, because it meant furthering the US goals of westward expansion, and building a garrison / middle layer of settler troops who would have their same goals in driving out Native Americans. -The same thing happened with the new deal, where workers were bribed with welfare and higher wages to abandon revolutionary organizations, coalitions with black and brown workers, and be pushed into settler unions (and management positions) who could do their bidding against various other working groups, creating yet another grouping of "middle class / labor aristocrats" whose goals aligned more with the bourgeoisie than with the poor. +The same thing happened with the new deal, where workers were bribed with welfare and higher wages to abandon revolutionary organizations, coalitions with black and brown workers, and be pushed into settler unions (and management positions) who could do their bidding against various other working groups, creating yet another grouping of "middle class / labor aristocrats" whose goals aligned more with the bourgeoisie than with the poor. -This new *new deal* Sanders is proposing is the same idea: that workers in the imperial core will accept a new round of welfare policies. Since the US is primarily a service / consumer goods import economy, social services are entirely funded off the backs of third world workers who get paid next to nothing in wages. [Sanders record of voting for US military intervention in 15+ countries](https://github.com/dessalines/essays/blob/master/socialism_faq.md#whats-wrong-with-bernie-sanders), his preference for lighter skinned social imperialists (like the nordic countries), his denigration of actually existing socialist movements (he calls Maduro a "vicious tyrant"), and his anti-immigration stances are more than enough evidence that he wants to continue the US policy of enslaving the third world to feed the imperial core. +This new _new deal_ Sanders is proposing is the same idea: that workers in the imperial core will accept a new round of welfare policies. Since the US is primarily a service / consumer goods import economy, social services are entirely funded off the backs of third world workers who get paid next to nothing in wages. [Sanders record of voting for US military intervention in 15+ countries](https://github.com/dessalines/essays/blob/master/socialism_faq.md#whats-wrong-with-bernie-sanders), his preference for lighter skinned social imperialists (like the nordic countries), his denigration of actually existing socialist movements (he calls Maduro a "vicious tyrant"), and his anti-immigration stances are more than enough evidence that he wants to continue the US policy of enslaving the third world to feed the imperial core. -All of these are instances of **one half of the poor being bribed into killing the other half;** but in the modern day, its imperial core workers being bribed into continuing the exploitation of the third world to provide cheap products and enough surplus value to fund welfare policies. Rather than dismantling capitalism / imperialism, Sanders wants to increase taxes on billyahnayas, in which a cut of their imperialist superprofits will go towards first world welfare, thus strengthening the alliance between capital, and its labor aristocracy, much like the new deal. I know, we can call this new class collaborationist garrison of labor aristocrats, the "middle class"! +All of these are instances of **one half of the poor being bribed into killing the other half;** but in the modern day, its imperial core workers being bribed into continuing the exploitation of the third world to provide cheap products and enough surplus value to fund welfare policies. Rather than dismantling capitalism / imperialism, Sanders wants to increase taxes on billyahnayas, in which a cut of their imperialist superprofits will go towards first world welfare, thus strengthening the alliance between capital, and its labor aristocracy, much like the new deal. I know, we can call this new class collaborationist garrison of labor aristocrats, the "middle class"! In fact, many forward-thinking capitalists are openly in support of this project: [Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Richard Branson, Sam Altman, are just a few billionaires who support a universal basic income](https://www.industryleadersmagazine.com/billionaire-entrepreneurs-who-support-universal-basic-income/), seeing its potential use as a finely tunable fuel source to quell class struggle, gain public support, and preserve their fortunes. -To quote /u/Guillotron9000 : +To quote /u/Guillotron9000 : > Nothing of the sort will happen. Even if Sanders is elected he'll pass M4A and most of his base will be satisfied. And the capitalists won't care too much either. They'll just make up for the losses by fucking over the third world even harder. > diff --git a/star_trek_communism.md b/star_trek_communism.md index 3d3211d..0ccc29f 100644 --- a/star_trek_communism.md +++ b/star_trek_communism.md @@ -8,4 +8,3 @@ - [According to Gene Roddenberry's (Star Trek's creator) wife, Magel Barret, Gene was a communist, favoring the Chinese model of Communism as his ideal.](https://mix979fm.com/ten-things-you-didnt-know-star-trek-creator-gene-roddenberry/) - [Does star trek promote communism?](https://www.quora.com/Does-Star-Trek-promote-communism) - [The Star Trek Communist Hopes.](https://www.startrek.com/news/the-star-trek-communist-hopes-star-trek-can-inspire-a-real-revolution) - diff --git a/supercooper_china_deng.md b/supercooper_china_deng.md index 90d81db..4618760 100644 --- a/supercooper_china_deng.md +++ b/supercooper_china_deng.md @@ -1,26 +1,24 @@ # Is China Socialist? [Link](https://www.reddit.com/r/DebateCommunism/comments/b3gjfe/chinas_drastic_decrease_in_poverty_is_a_result_of/) + ## China's Drastic Decrease in Poverty is a Result of the Increase in Free Market Capitalist Policies -## Post body - -Basically as the title states, China's poverty has lowered as a result of the communist government opening up markets, allowing privately owned enterprises and reducing regulation, among other things. Not as the result of a centralised planned economy organised by a central government. +## Post body +Basically as the title states, China's poverty has lowered as a result of the communist government opening up markets, allowing privately owned enterprises and reducing regulation, among other things. Not as the result of a centralised planned economy organised by a central government. Summary: -The Communist Party authorities began economic reforms introducing market principles in 1978 and carried them out in two stages. The first stage, in the late 1970's and early 1980's, involved the de-collectivization of agriculture, the opening up of the country to foreign investment, and permission for entrepreneurs to start businesses. However, most industry remained state-owned. The second stage of reform, in the late 1980's and 1990's, involved the privatization and contracting out of much state-owned industry and the lifting of price controls, protectionist policies, and regulations, although state monopolies in sectors such as banking and petroleum remained. The private sector grew remarkably, accounting for as much as 70 percent of China's gross domestic product by 2005. From 1978 until 2013, unprecedented growth occurred, with the economy increasing by 9.5% a year. The conservative Hu–Wen Administration (of Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao) regulated and controlled the economy more heavily after 2005, reversing some reforms. +The Communist Party authorities began economic reforms introducing market principles in 1978 and carried them out in two stages. The first stage, in the late 1970's and early 1980's, involved the de-collectivization of agriculture, the opening up of the country to foreign investment, and permission for entrepreneurs to start businesses. However, most industry remained state-owned. The second stage of reform, in the late 1980's and 1990's, involved the privatization and contracting out of much state-owned industry and the lifting of price controls, protectionist policies, and regulations, although state monopolies in sectors such as banking and petroleum remained. The private sector grew remarkably, accounting for as much as 70 percent of China's gross domestic product by 2005. From 1978 until 2013, unprecedented growth occurred, with the economy increasing by 9.5% a year. The conservative Hu–Wen Administration (of Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao) regulated and controlled the economy more heavily after 2005, reversing some reforms. +China's economic growth since the reform has been very rapid, exceeding the East Asian Tigers. Economists estimate China's GDP growth from 1978 to 2013 at between 9.5% to around 11.5% a year. Since the beginning of Deng Xiaoping's reforms, China's GDP has risen tenfold. The increase in total factor productivity (TFP) was the most important factor, with productivity accounting for 40.1% of the GDP increase, compared with a decline of 13.2% for the period 1957 to 1978—the height of Maoist policies. For the period 1978–2005, Chinese GDP per-capita increased from 2.7% to 15.7% of U.S. GDP per capita, and from 53.7% to 188.5% of Indian GDP per-capita. Per-capita incomes grew at 6.6% a year. Average wages rose sixfold between 1978 and 2005, while absolute poverty declined from 41% of the population to 5% from 1978 to 2001. Some scholars believed that China's economic growth has been understated, due to large sectors of the economy not being counted. -China's economic growth since the reform has been very rapid, exceeding the East Asian Tigers. Economists estimate China's GDP growth from 1978 to 2013 at between 9.5% to around 11.5% a year. Since the beginning of Deng Xiaoping's reforms, China's GDP has risen tenfold. The increase in total factor productivity (TFP) was the most important factor, with productivity accounting for 40.1% of the GDP increase, compared with a decline of 13.2% for the period 1957 to 1978—the height of Maoist policies. For the period 1978–2005, Chinese GDP per-capita increased from 2.7% to 15.7% of U.S. GDP per capita, and from 53.7% to 188.5% of Indian GDP per-capita. Per-capita incomes grew at 6.6% a year. Average wages rose sixfold between 1978 and 2005, while absolute poverty declined from 41% of the population to 5% from 1978 to 2001. Some scholars believed that China's economic growth has been understated, due to large sectors of the economy not being counted. - - -[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese\_economic\_reform](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_economic_reform) +[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_economic_reform](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_economic_reform) ## Supercoopers answer ->China's Drastic Decrease in Poverty is a Result of the Increase in Free Market Capitalist Policies +> China's Drastic Decrease in Poverty is a Result of the Increase in Free Market Capitalist Policies Yet another classic capitalist trope based on overly simplistic analysis and quote-mining of Wikipedia, let's debunk it. @@ -32,67 +30,67 @@ This argument is as follows: Let's start with the first point. While it is obviously true that China has introduced markets and privatization since Mao's death, this doesn't tell the full story. I would argue that their economy more or less resembles that of Lenin's NEP or Mao's New Democracy, but no-one in their right mind would say that the USSR in the 1920s or the PRC in the 1950s were capitalist countries just because they had a market, which has been stressed by socialist leaders from Deng to Fidel Castro. ->*So while China has introduced elements of capitalism in the 40 years since the start of ‘reform and opening up’, these do not constitute a negation of socialism, any more than they did in the New Democracy period in the 1950s, or under the New Economic Policy in the Soviet Union in the 1920s.* -> ->*A socialist state run in the interests of the working class and its allies can certainly incorporate market mechanisms, as long as these operate under the guidance of the state and introduce some benefit for working people, and as long as capital is not allowed to become politically dominant. Deng Xiaoping – the political leader most closely associated with China’s economic reform – insisted that markets and socialism were not mutually exclusive: “It is wrong to assert that there is only a capitalist market economy. Why can’t it be developed under socialism? A market economy is not a synonym for capitalism.” “If markets serve socialism they are socialist; if they serve capitalism they are capitalist.”* -> ->*"I think China is a socialist country, and Vietnam is a socialist nation as well. And they insist that they have introduced all the necessary reforms in order to motivate national development and to continue seeking the objectives of socialism. There are no fully pure regimes or systems. In Cuba, for instance, we have many forms of private property… Practically all Cubans own their own home and, what is more, we welcome foreign investment. But that does not mean that Cuba has stopped being socialist."* +> _So while China has introduced elements of capitalism in the 40 years since the start of ‘reform and opening up’, these do not constitute a negation of socialism, any more than they did in the New Democracy period in the 1950s, or under the New Economic Policy in the Soviet Union in the 1920s._ +> +> _A socialist state run in the interests of the working class and its allies can certainly incorporate market mechanisms, as long as these operate under the guidance of the state and introduce some benefit for working people, and as long as capital is not allowed to become politically dominant. Deng Xiaoping – the political leader most closely associated with China’s economic reform – insisted that markets and socialism were not mutually exclusive: “It is wrong to assert that there is only a capitalist market economy. Why can’t it be developed under socialism? A market economy is not a synonym for capitalism.” “If markets serve socialism they are socialist; if they serve capitalism they are capitalist.”_ +> +> _"I think China is a socialist country, and Vietnam is a socialist nation as well. And they insist that they have introduced all the necessary reforms in order to motivate national development and to continue seeking the objectives of socialism. There are no fully pure regimes or systems. In Cuba, for instance, we have many forms of private property… Practically all Cubans own their own home and, what is more, we welcome foreign investment. But that does not mean that Cuba has stopped being socialist."_ For one, it is incorrect to say that Deng de-collectivized agriculture as you suggest, a better way of describing it would be re-organization, whereby the large communes were broken up into smaller cooperatives and village enterprises controlled by local governments. This view is shared by liberal economist Peter Nolan, who is widely regarded as a leading authority on China. ->*China’s land was never privatized, although collectivization was mainly rolled back. It remains owned and managed at the village level. Peter Nolan observes: “Public ownership of land was a powerful countervailing force to the social inequality which inevitably accompanied elements of the market reform.” De-collectivization “was not followed by the establishment of private property rights. Because the Chinese Communist Party wished to prevent the emergence of a landlord class, it did not permit the purchase and sale of farmland… The village community remained the owner, controlling the terms on which land was contracted out and operated by peasant households. It endeavored to ensure that farm households had equal access to farmland… The massively dominant form was distribution of land contracts on a locally equal per capita basis.” Even the town and village enterprises (TVEs), which became the standard-bearers of economic reform in the 1980s and which came to employ as many as 135 million people in the mid-1990s, were collectives. Nolan considers that they “resembled national state-owned enterprises, with the ‘state’ being the local community, each of which typically owned multiple establishments.”* +> _China’s land was never privatized, although collectivization was mainly rolled back. It remains owned and managed at the village level. Peter Nolan observes: “Public ownership of land was a powerful countervailing force to the social inequality which inevitably accompanied elements of the market reform.” De-collectivization “was not followed by the establishment of private property rights. Because the Chinese Communist Party wished to prevent the emergence of a landlord class, it did not permit the purchase and sale of farmland… The village community remained the owner, controlling the terms on which land was contracted out and operated by peasant households. It endeavored to ensure that farm households had equal access to farmland… The massively dominant form was distribution of land contracts on a locally equal per capita basis.” Even the town and village enterprises (TVEs), which became the standard-bearers of economic reform in the 1980s and which came to employ as many as 135 million people in the mid-1990s, were collectives. Nolan considers that they “resembled national state-owned enterprises, with the ‘state’ being the local community, each of which typically owned multiple establishments.”_ In addition, the fact remains that the base of socialist production established under Mao is still completely intact, and is the leading force in China's industrial development. What this means in concrete terms is that the most strategic sectors of the Chinese economy (the "commanding heights") are entirely dominated by state-owned enterprises (SOEs), which are subordinated to the Communist Party (CCP) and the Five-Year Plan. The genuine privatization that did occur, particularly in the Special Economic Zones (SEZs), mostly applies to small enterprises, and was done in order to strengthen the hegemony of the socialist sector, delegating secondary tasks in order to reduce the strain on the state planning agencies. This is all according to British academics John Ross and Martin Jacques. ->*There has been very little in the way of actual privatization, in terms of transferring ownership of state enterprises into the hands of private capital; indeed, the state sector is several times bigger than it was in 1978, when the reforms were launched. Rather, private enterprise was allowed to develop alongside the state sector, and has grown at an even faster rate than the state sector (bear in mind that it started from a very low base). John Ross argues that China has grown “not by destroying its state sector but by altering the relations between the monopoly and non-monopoly sectors – rapidly expanding the latter.” Similarly, Martin Jacques explains that, “rather than root-and-branch privatization, the Chinese government has sought to make the numerous state-owned enterprises that remain as efficient and competitive as possible. As a result, the top 150 state-owned firms, far from being lame ducks, have instead become enormously profitable, their aggregate profits reaching $150 billion in 2007… Unlike in Japan or Korea, where privately owned firms overwhelmingly predominate, most of China’s best-performing companies are to be found in the state sector.”* +> _There has been very little in the way of actual privatization, in terms of transferring ownership of state enterprises into the hands of private capital; indeed, the state sector is several times bigger than it was in 1978, when the reforms were launched. Rather, private enterprise was allowed to develop alongside the state sector, and has grown at an even faster rate than the state sector (bear in mind that it started from a very low base). John Ross argues that China has grown “not by destroying its state sector but by altering the relations between the monopoly and non-monopoly sectors – rapidly expanding the latter.” Similarly, Martin Jacques explains that, “rather than root-and-branch privatization, the Chinese government has sought to make the numerous state-owned enterprises that remain as efficient and competitive as possible. As a result, the top 150 state-owned firms, far from being lame ducks, have instead become enormously profitable, their aggregate profits reaching $150 billion in 2007… Unlike in Japan or Korea, where privately owned firms overwhelmingly predominate, most of China’s best-performing companies are to be found in the state sector.”_ China analyst Jeff J Brown also talks about this at length, the following is an excerpt from an interview about his book "China Rising: Capitalist Roads, Socialist Destinations". ->*"The greatest misunderstanding about China is that when Deng Xiaoping came out with his reform, everybody thinks that China became a capitalist country. Only part of the economy was turned over to capitalist practices, the vast bulk of the Chinese economy is still very much Communist. Let me explain why, first off China has no private real estate, every square inch of this country is owned by the state, people are not buying land, they're buying long-term leases up to 70 years, this has a powerful impact on keeping people from amassing tremendous wealth. Secondly, the economy, all the big heavyweight industries are all state-owned. They only allow maximum 30% ownership by non-state owners, and they have very strict stock concentration laws that prevent anybody from amassing more than a tiny percentage. That's the bulk of the economy, the rest of it is the small business entrepreneurial sector that is almost all privately owned. What the Chinese do is they turn these consumer goods, these high volume, low margin industries over to the people and let them fight it out, helping keep prices and inflation down. With the government owning all the land and the huge industrial sectors, it is still very very Communist. The other thing that makes it Communist is they still have the Five-Year Plan, just like Lenin set out. The reason why China is kicking the butt off of Europe and North America is because the government has already planned to have X number of products. This is why the mixed model of a predominately government-owned economy mixed with a vibrant lower economy in the private hands is working wonders."* +> _"The greatest misunderstanding about China is that when Deng Xiaoping came out with his reform, everybody thinks that China became a capitalist country. Only part of the economy was turned over to capitalist practices, the vast bulk of the Chinese economy is still very much Communist. Let me explain why, first off China has no private real estate, every square inch of this country is owned by the state, people are not buying land, they're buying long-term leases up to 70 years, this has a powerful impact on keeping people from amassing tremendous wealth. Secondly, the economy, all the big heavyweight industries are all state-owned. They only allow maximum 30% ownership by non-state owners, and they have very strict stock concentration laws that prevent anybody from amassing more than a tiny percentage. That's the bulk of the economy, the rest of it is the small business entrepreneurial sector that is almost all privately owned. What the Chinese do is they turn these consumer goods, these high volume, low margin industries over to the people and let them fight it out, helping keep prices and inflation down. With the government owning all the land and the huge industrial sectors, it is still very very Communist. The other thing that makes it Communist is they still have the Five-Year Plan, just like Lenin set out. The reason why China is kicking the butt off of Europe and North America is because the government has already planned to have X number of products. This is why the mixed model of a predominately government-owned economy mixed with a vibrant lower economy in the private hands is working wonders."_ Regardless of whether or not you think this "mixed model" constitutes a form of socialism, the fact remains that there is a very meaningful difference between China and the western world that makes it impossible for the former to be considered a free market capitalist country. Chinese entrepreneur Eric Li summarized it quite well in John Pilger's documentary "The Coming War on China". ->*"China is a vibrant market economy, but it is not a capitalist country, here's why. There is no way that a group of billionaires could control the Politburo as billionaires control American policy making. So in China you have a vibrant market economy but capital does not rise above political authority, capital does not have enshrined rights. In America the interests of capital and capital itself has risen above the nation, political authority cannot check the power of capital, and that's why America is a capitalist country but China is not."* +> _"China is a vibrant market economy, but it is not a capitalist country, here's why. There is no way that a group of billionaires could control the Politburo as billionaires control American policy making. So in China you have a vibrant market economy but capital does not rise above political authority, capital does not have enshrined rights. In America the interests of capital and capital itself has risen above the nation, political authority cannot check the power of capital, and that's why America is a capitalist country but China is not."_ To give you a basic idea of how much control the party and state exert over the economy, here are some facts. ->*The SASAC (China’s State Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, which answers directly to the State Council) has a state monopoly in every important industry sector — here are a few: aerospace, airlines, aluminum, architecture & design, automotive, aviation, banking, chemicals, coal, cotton, electronics, engineering, forestry, heavy equipment, gold, grain,heavy machinery,* *intelligence services, iron, materials, metallurgy, mining, non-ferrous metals, nuclear energy, ocean shipping, oil, pharmaceuticals, postal services, rail, salt, science and technology research, ship building, silk, steel, telecoms, travel, utilities. Not only do they own all of these critical strategic sectors — out of the twenty largest companies in China,* *all twenty of them are controlled by the SASAC, or by local governments* *(with the exception of Noble Group, which is based in Hong Kong). This evidently puts the PRC government in the same position as the USSR in the twenties with the New Economic Policy, where the state retained control over the heights of industry. The key difference between the two is that although the USSR from 1921–1928 had no comprehensive system of economic planning, the Chinese government has been using Five-Year Plans ever since 1953. Another difference is that the Soviet state had nowhere near this amount of leverage. Combined with modern information technology and an extremely pervasive technical infrastructure, this ultimately puts the CPC in a much, much stronger position than the CPSU when it comes to entering into the advanced stage of socialism, and in the end, towards the realization of world communism.* +> _The SASAC (China’s State Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, which answers directly to the State Council) has a state monopoly in every important industry sector — here are a few: aerospace, airlines, aluminum, architecture & design, automotive, aviation, banking, chemicals, coal, cotton, electronics, engineering, forestry, heavy equipment, gold, grain,heavy machinery,_ _intelligence services, iron, materials, metallurgy, mining, non-ferrous metals, nuclear energy, ocean shipping, oil, pharmaceuticals, postal services, rail, salt, science and technology research, ship building, silk, steel, telecoms, travel, utilities. Not only do they own all of these critical strategic sectors — out of the twenty largest companies in China,_ _all twenty of them are controlled by the SASAC, or by local governments_ _(with the exception of Noble Group, which is based in Hong Kong). This evidently puts the PRC government in the same position as the USSR in the twenties with the New Economic Policy, where the state retained control over the heights of industry. The key difference between the two is that although the USSR from 1921–1928 had no comprehensive system of economic planning, the Chinese government has been using Five-Year Plans ever since 1953. Another difference is that the Soviet state had nowhere near this amount of leverage. Combined with modern information technology and an extremely pervasive technical infrastructure, this ultimately puts the CPC in a much, much stronger position than the CPSU when it comes to entering into the advanced stage of socialism, and in the end, towards the realization of world communism._ This translates to the socialist sector (SOEs and co-ops) comprising 40-50% of the Chinese economy (meaning that China has the third highest public quota in the world after North Korea and Cuba), with the state-capitalist sector (enterprises officially owned by national-capitalists but de facto controlled by the CCP or local councils) comprising a further 20-30% and the rest consisting of small businesses and petite-bourgeois ownership (like in the NEP). For more information regarding the statistical breakdown of the Chinese economy, I highly recommend reading these two posts. -[https://www.reddit.com/r/communism/comments/5ku8dz/china\_as\_a\_socialist\_marxistleninist\_state\_a/](https://www.reddit.com/r/communism/comments/5ku8dz/china_as_a_socialist_marxistleninist_state_a/) +[https://www.reddit.com/r/communism/comments/5ku8dz/china_as_a_socialist_marxistleninist_state_a/](https://www.reddit.com/r/communism/comments/5ku8dz/china_as_a_socialist_marxistleninist_state_a/) -[https://www.reddit.com/r/communism/comments/5vkthe/is\_china\_socialist\_my\_response\_to\_antichina\_claims/?st=JKI6PBRL&sh=7cb43a02](https://www.reddit.com/r/communism/comments/5vkthe/is_china_socialist_my_response_to_antichina_claims/?st=JKI6PBRL&sh=7cb43a02) +[https://www.reddit.com/r/communism/comments/5vkthe/is_china_socialist_my_response_to_antichina_claims/?st=JKI6PBRL&sh=7cb43a02](https://www.reddit.com/r/communism/comments/5vkthe/is_china_socialist_my_response_to_antichina_claims/?st=JKI6PBRL&sh=7cb43a02) In particular, I'd like to draw your attention to the following anecdote, a stark contrast between China and the west. ->*If the US government nationalized the 1000 largest manufacturing companies, they would have approximately the same control over the American economy as the Chinese state has over the Chinese economy. If in addition, the US state owned all the biggest banks and financial institutions (and almost only lent money to state companies), and a large slice of the service and building industries, not to mention all the land which farmers till, and introduced a five-year plan, almost nobody would deny that a planned economy had been introduced in the USA.* +> _If the US government nationalized the 1000 largest manufacturing companies, they would have approximately the same control over the American economy as the Chinese state has over the Chinese economy. If in addition, the US state owned all the biggest banks and financial institutions (and almost only lent money to state companies), and a large slice of the service and building industries, not to mention all the land which farmers till, and introduced a five-year plan, almost nobody would deny that a planned economy had been introduced in the USA._ Now all of this is well and good, but after all socialism is not just when the government does stuff, and there are many social democracies in Western Europe with strong public sectors as well (albeit nowhere near to the same degree as China). Does it therefore follow that China is no more socialist than Norway? Of course not, and the most obvious reason why is that China's political system has not changed one bit since Mao first promulgated the PRC constitution in 1953, with the Communist Party still in complete control to this day. By definition, the Chinese state is still a proletarian dictatorship, not a bourgeois democracy. I could go into a deeper analysis of the CCP's class character, but it's not really relevant in this purely economical discussion. However, in order for this whole argument to work it is still necessary to prove that state-owned enterprises in China do not operate according to the law of value, otherwise it cannot be considered a form of socialist production. I'll begin by quoting an anecdote from professional journalist Caleb Maupin. ->*"In China they declared the new laws regarding electric cars, the government went to all the auto manufacturers in China, and it said to them that 1 out of every 10 cars that you produce must be an electric car, and next year that's gonna be 2 out of every 10 cars, and pretty soon it's gonna be 3 out of every 10 cars. Now the article about China's new energy vehicle regulations that was in The Wall Street Journal, the first sentence of it they said that by sheer force of will China has created the world's largest electric car market, and that's the reality, the government went to these car manufacturers, said this is what you're going to do, and they did it. This is starting to get to the essence of the difference between socialism and capitalism, in capitalism the government works for the corporations, and that's how it is over here, they would never make such car rules here, the automakers would never stand for it, the big oil companies would never tolerate it, but in China, instead of the government being controlled by the corporations, the corporations are controlled by the government, and that's a big difference."* +> _"In China they declared the new laws regarding electric cars, the government went to all the auto manufacturers in China, and it said to them that 1 out of every 10 cars that you produce must be an electric car, and next year that's gonna be 2 out of every 10 cars, and pretty soon it's gonna be 3 out of every 10 cars. Now the article about China's new energy vehicle regulations that was in The Wall Street Journal, the first sentence of it they said that by sheer force of will China has created the world's largest electric car market, and that's the reality, the government went to these car manufacturers, said this is what you're going to do, and they did it. This is starting to get to the essence of the difference between socialism and capitalism, in capitalism the government works for the corporations, and that's how it is over here, they would never make such car rules here, the automakers would never stand for it, the big oil companies would never tolerate it, but in China, instead of the government being controlled by the corporations, the corporations are controlled by the government, and that's a big difference."_ We can assume from this example that Chinese enterprises do not follow the profit motive or the "invisible hand", but rather operate according to the production targets of the Five-Year Plan, and routinely make unprofitable investments for the long-term benefit of the people, which is especially apparent when looking at their environmental policy. ->*The question of environmental conservation is instructive. A capitalist state has very limited freedom of action on this issue, due to the short-term needs of expanding capital (for example, oil companies wield significant influence within US policy circles). A comprehensive strategy of environmental protection requires a huge investment: a production of use values that may not have corresponding exchange values; that is, production for people, not profit. In China, the government has a clear mandate to lead just such a strategy (even though there is a tension between development and conservation, both of which are essential for the Chinese people). Over the last few years, China has quickly become the global leader in environmental protection, planning to “spend at least $360 billion on clean energy projects and create 13 million new renewable energy jobs by 2020”. At the same time as investing heavily in alternative energy sources such as solar, wind, and hydropower, it is divesting from coal, cancelling the construction of 104 new coal plants last year. The government has even set up an environmental police force to ensure compliance with green policy. China’s forest coverage has increased from around 18 percent in 2007 to 21.7 percent, with targets of 23 percent by 2020 and 26 percent by 2035. On clean energy, “the United States is actually playing catch-up to China… China has taken an undisputed leadership”. On pollution, “the results suggest that China’s fight against pollution has already laid the foundation for extraordinary gains in life expectancy.” These ambitious plans can be devised and carried out precisely because of the location of political power in the Chinese working class.* +> _The question of environmental conservation is instructive. A capitalist state has very limited freedom of action on this issue, due to the short-term needs of expanding capital (for example, oil companies wield significant influence within US policy circles). A comprehensive strategy of environmental protection requires a huge investment: a production of use values that may not have corresponding exchange values; that is, production for people, not profit. In China, the government has a clear mandate to lead just such a strategy (even though there is a tension between development and conservation, both of which are essential for the Chinese people). Over the last few years, China has quickly become the global leader in environmental protection, planning to “spend at least $360 billion on clean energy projects and create 13 million new renewable energy jobs by 2020”. At the same time as investing heavily in alternative energy sources such as solar, wind, and hydropower, it is divesting from coal, cancelling the construction of 104 new coal plants last year. The government has even set up an environmental police force to ensure compliance with green policy. China’s forest coverage has increased from around 18 percent in 2007 to 21.7 percent, with targets of 23 percent by 2020 and 26 percent by 2035. On clean energy, “the United States is actually playing catch-up to China… China has taken an undisputed leadership”. On pollution, “the results suggest that China’s fight against pollution has already laid the foundation for extraordinary gains in life expectancy.” These ambitious plans can be devised and carried out precisely because of the location of political power in the Chinese working class._ The socialist nature of China's economy can also be demonstrated using examples from their neighbor Vietnam, who have an almost identical system of "market socialism". The following explanation was provided by a Vietnamese comrade. ->*Also, if you want to see concretely how Vietnam is not capitalist, there's a case study of how the law of value is not the regulator of production in the socialist sector of the economy:* -> ->"*Without the government’s incentives, Vietnam’s first oil refinery of Dung Quat would have had losses of VND27,600 billion (over US$1 billion) since 2010, when it began operating. In 2008, the Binh Son Refinery Co., Ltd (BSR) was established with 100% investment of the Vietnam Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam), with the aim to operate the production and business activities of the Dung Quat oil refinery. On May 30, 2010, Dung Quat officially transitioned to commercial operation. With huge investment and special preferential policies, Dung Quat refinery has had losses since it began commercial operation in 2010. In a report submitted to the government in mid-2015, PetroVietnam revealed the huge losses of the plant since its operation. In 2010, the refinery incurred losses of nearly VND3,200 billion, in 2011 nearly VND4,800 billion, in 2012 over VND6,400 billion, in 2013 over VND6,000 billion and in 2014 VND7,136 billion. Its total losses since 2010 is up to VND27,600 billion (equivalent to US$1.2 billion). However, thanks to the preferential policy which allows the refinery to retain import taxes, its losses fell to VND1,300-VND3,000 billion in 2011 and 2012, before earning profits of nearly VND3,000 billion in 2013, thanks to keeping the import taxes of up to VND8,856 billion. In 2014, this refinery also retained nearly VND7,200 billion of import taxes but due to the strong fall of crude oil prices, it had to extract VND1,900 billion to the provision fund so its profit was estimated at nearly VND150 billion. Thus, despite the special incentives, the refinery still had losses of VND1,048 billion since its opening. Dung Quat also enjoys corporate income tax rate of only 10% in 30 years, including full tax exemption within the first five years and 50% of tax reduction in the next nine years. PetroVietnam has the* *responsibility to identify, approve and grant additional charter capital for Dung Quat in accordance with current law*. Accordingly, *PetroVietnam uses sources from oil and gas profits to grant additional charter capital for Binh Son Refinery Co., Ltd.* *In June 2015, PetroVietnam asked the Government to extend the incentives for Dung Quat Refinery until 2027. If it is approved, the incentive policy for Dung Quat will last up to 17 years."* -> ->*It goes without saying that this refinery is a success story. It plays an important part in Vietnam's shift from exporting crude oil (which is a primary commodity) to capital intensive petroleum production. Aside from that, it improved Vietnam's energy security, as the country gradually lessens its dependence on oil imports. It also made it to the top 10 green plants of 2018 in Vietnam. Considering that Vietnam is relatively underdeveloped, all of these achievements are only possible because the state sector ultimately operates outside of the capitalist logic of profitability. In other words, state investments overcome the law of value rather than obeying it. Heavy industry is subsidized until it is sufficiently developed, environmental standards are enforced regardless of profitability. The parent corporation is required to sustain investments if they serve the long term goal of developing the productive forces, no matter how large the losses are. This should remind people of what Stalin said in the "Economic Problems of Socialism in the USSR":* -> ->"*Totally incorrect, too, is the assertion that under our present economic system, in the first phase of development of communist society, the law of value regulates the "proportions" of labour distributed among the various branches of production. If this were true, it would be incomprehensible why our light industries, which are the most profitable, are not being developed to the utmost, and why preference is given to our heavy industries, which are often less profitable, and sometimes altogether unprofitable. If this were true, it would be incomprehensible why a number of our heavy industry plants which are still unprofitable and where the labour of the worker does not yield the "proper returns", are not closed down, and why new light industry plants, which would certainly be profitable and where the labour of the workers might yield "big returns", are not opened. If this were true, it would be incomprehensible why workers are not transferred from plants that are less profitable, but very necessary to our national economy, to plants which are more profitable - in accordance with the law of value, which supposedly regulates the "proportions" of labour distributed among the branches of production."* -> ->*We can apply this to our case study here. If this were left to the private sector, there would've been no petroleum production, as implied in the first article:* -> ->"*Especially for petrol, Dung Quat holds an advantage compared to imported products, because it can retain 7% of import tax. Inadequacy of production capacity and efficiency of Dung Quat Refinery is more apparent when it is compared with other refineries in the region like those in Singapore, as these plants have to import crude oil, pay taxes and high shipping costs. The products of this refinery are in stock because they cannot compete with imports, leading to a risk of closure can be "urgent" as the President of Binh Son Refinery Co., Ltd Nguyen Hoai Giang said."* -> ->*We don't even have to speculate, this is exactly what happened. A few years ago, state corporations, when given enough autonomy, began to invest in real estate and finance instead of focusing on their role in the commanding heights of the economy. Of course, this was eventually banned. Imagine how much worse things could have gotten if Vietnam actually turned capitalist.* +> _Also, if you want to see concretely how Vietnam is not capitalist, there's a case study of how the law of value is not the regulator of production in the socialist sector of the economy:_ +> +> "_Without the government’s incentives, Vietnam’s first oil refinery of Dung Quat would have had losses of VND27,600 billion (over US$1 billion) since 2010, when it began operating. In 2008, the Binh Son Refinery Co., Ltd (BSR) was established with 100% investment of the Vietnam Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam), with the aim to operate the production and business activities of the Dung Quat oil refinery. On May 30, 2010, Dung Quat officially transitioned to commercial operation. With huge investment and special preferential policies, Dung Quat refinery has had losses since it began commercial operation in 2010. In a report submitted to the government in mid-2015, PetroVietnam revealed the huge losses of the plant since its operation. In 2010, the refinery incurred losses of nearly VND3,200 billion, in 2011 nearly VND4,800 billion, in 2012 over VND6,400 billion, in 2013 over VND6,000 billion and in 2014 VND7,136 billion. Its total losses since 2010 is up to VND27,600 billion (equivalent to US$1.2 billion). However, thanks to the preferential policy which allows the refinery to retain import taxes, its losses fell to VND1,300-VND3,000 billion in 2011 and 2012, before earning profits of nearly VND3,000 billion in 2013, thanks to keeping the import taxes of up to VND8,856 billion. In 2014, this refinery also retained nearly VND7,200 billion of import taxes but due to the strong fall of crude oil prices, it had to extract VND1,900 billion to the provision fund so its profit was estimated at nearly VND150 billion. Thus, despite the special incentives, the refinery still had losses of VND1,048 billion since its opening. Dung Quat also enjoys corporate income tax rate of only 10% in 30 years, including full tax exemption within the first five years and 50% of tax reduction in the next nine years. PetroVietnam has the_ _responsibility to identify, approve and grant additional charter capital for Dung Quat in accordance with current law_. Accordingly, _PetroVietnam uses sources from oil and gas profits to grant additional charter capital for Binh Son Refinery Co., Ltd._ _In June 2015, PetroVietnam asked the Government to extend the incentives for Dung Quat Refinery until 2027. If it is approved, the incentive policy for Dung Quat will last up to 17 years."_ +> +> _It goes without saying that this refinery is a success story. It plays an important part in Vietnam's shift from exporting crude oil (which is a primary commodity) to capital intensive petroleum production. Aside from that, it improved Vietnam's energy security, as the country gradually lessens its dependence on oil imports. It also made it to the top 10 green plants of 2018 in Vietnam. Considering that Vietnam is relatively underdeveloped, all of these achievements are only possible because the state sector ultimately operates outside of the capitalist logic of profitability. In other words, state investments overcome the law of value rather than obeying it. Heavy industry is subsidized until it is sufficiently developed, environmental standards are enforced regardless of profitability. The parent corporation is required to sustain investments if they serve the long term goal of developing the productive forces, no matter how large the losses are. This should remind people of what Stalin said in the "Economic Problems of Socialism in the USSR":_ +> +> "_Totally incorrect, too, is the assertion that under our present economic system, in the first phase of development of communist society, the law of value regulates the "proportions" of labour distributed among the various branches of production. If this were true, it would be incomprehensible why our light industries, which are the most profitable, are not being developed to the utmost, and why preference is given to our heavy industries, which are often less profitable, and sometimes altogether unprofitable. If this were true, it would be incomprehensible why a number of our heavy industry plants which are still unprofitable and where the labour of the worker does not yield the "proper returns", are not closed down, and why new light industry plants, which would certainly be profitable and where the labour of the workers might yield "big returns", are not opened. If this were true, it would be incomprehensible why workers are not transferred from plants that are less profitable, but very necessary to our national economy, to plants which are more profitable - in accordance with the law of value, which supposedly regulates the "proportions" of labour distributed among the branches of production."_ +> +> _We can apply this to our case study here. If this were left to the private sector, there would've been no petroleum production, as implied in the first article:_ +> +> "_Especially for petrol, Dung Quat holds an advantage compared to imported products, because it can retain 7% of import tax. Inadequacy of production capacity and efficiency of Dung Quat Refinery is more apparent when it is compared with other refineries in the region like those in Singapore, as these plants have to import crude oil, pay taxes and high shipping costs. The products of this refinery are in stock because they cannot compete with imports, leading to a risk of closure can be "urgent" as the President of Binh Son Refinery Co., Ltd Nguyen Hoai Giang said."_ +> +> _We don't even have to speculate, this is exactly what happened. A few years ago, state corporations, when given enough autonomy, began to invest in real estate and finance instead of focusing on their role in the commanding heights of the economy. Of course, this was eventually banned. Imagine how much worse things could have gotten if Vietnam actually turned capitalist._ Some have also suggested that China's socialist character can be demonstrated through the aspects of "worker control" in Chinese enterprises, which is considered by many to be a prerequisite for socialism. @@ -112,23 +110,23 @@ OK, moving on to the second point. It is obviously true that China's economy too Furthermore, the immediate negative consequences of Deng's reforms are often ignored, as it contradicts the western narrative. These include disunity, inequality, inflation, unemployment, corruption, worker exploitation, environmental degradation etc, all of which caused waves of social discontent at the time. Historian Jonathan Spence and Sinologist Immanuel Hsu both emphasize this in their acclaimed books, "The Search for Modern China" and "The Rise of Modern China" respectively (unfortunately I do not have links for these but I highly recommend reading them nonetheless). Of course, none of this is to deny that the reforms were a net improvement for the Chinese people, but it's still worth addressing, especially considering that literally none of these problems persisted under Mao. What's also often ignored is the groundbreaking achievements of the Mao era, which are perfectly summarized by Godfree Roberts in his book "China 2020: Everything You Know is Wrong". ->*When Mao stepped onto the world stage in 1945, Russia had taken Mongolia and a piece of Xinjiang, Japan occupied three northern provinces, Britain had taken Hong Kong, Portugal Macau, France pieces of Shanghai, Germany Tsingtao, the U.S. shared their immunities and the nation was convulsed by civil war. China was agrarian, backward, feudalistic, ignorant and violent. Of its four hundred million people, fifty million were drug addicts, eighty percent could neither read nor write and their life expectancy was thirty-five years. The Japanese had killed twenty million and General Chiang Kai-Shek complained that, of every thousand youths he recruited, barely a hundred survived the march to their training base. Women’s feet were bound, peasants paid seventy percent of their produce in rent, desperate mothers sold their children in exchange for food and poor people sold themselves, preferring slavery to starvation. U.S. Ambassador John Leighton Stuart reported that, during his second year there, ten million people starved to death in three provinces. When he stepped down in 1974 the invaders, bandits and warlords were gone, the population had doubled, literacy was 84 percent, wealth disparity had disappeared, electricity reached poor areas, infrastructure was restored, the economy had grown 500 percent, drug addiction was a memory, women were liberated, girls were educated, crime was rare, everyone had food and shelter, life expectancy was sixty-seven and, by several key social and demographic indicators, China compared favorably with middle income countries whose per capita GDP was five times greater. Despite a brutal U.S. blockade on food, finance and technology, and without incurring debt, Mao grew China’s economy by an average of 7.3 percent annually, compared to America’s postwar boom years’ 3.7 percent. When he died, China was manufacturing jet planes, heavy tractors, ocean-going ships, nuclear weapons and long-range ballistic missiles. As economist Y. Y. Kueh observed: “This sharp rise in industry’s share of China’s national income is a rare historical phenomenon. For example, during the first four or five decades of their drive to modern industrialization, the industrial share rose by only 11 percent in Britain (1801-41) and 22 percent in Japan”. His documented accomplishments are, as Professor Fairbanks says, almost unbelievable. He: doubled China’s population from 542 million to 956 million, doubled life expectancy, doubled caloric intake, quintupled GDP, quadrupled literacy, increased grain production three hundred percent, increased gross industrial output forty-fold, increased heavy industry ninety-fold, increased rail lineage 266 percent, increased passenger train traffic from 102,970,000 passengers to 814,910,000, increased rail freight tonnage two thousand percent, increased the road network one thousand percent, increased steel production from zero to thirty-five MMT/year, increased industry’s contribution to China’s net material product from twenty-three percent to fifty-four percent. But, from Mao’s point of view, that was a sideshow. By the time he retired, he had reunited, reimagined, reformed and revitalized the largest, oldest civilization on earth, modernized it after a century of failed modernizations and ended thousands of years of famines.* +> _When Mao stepped onto the world stage in 1945, Russia had taken Mongolia and a piece of Xinjiang, Japan occupied three northern provinces, Britain had taken Hong Kong, Portugal Macau, France pieces of Shanghai, Germany Tsingtao, the U.S. shared their immunities and the nation was convulsed by civil war. China was agrarian, backward, feudalistic, ignorant and violent. Of its four hundred million people, fifty million were drug addicts, eighty percent could neither read nor write and their life expectancy was thirty-five years. The Japanese had killed twenty million and General Chiang Kai-Shek complained that, of every thousand youths he recruited, barely a hundred survived the march to their training base. Women’s feet were bound, peasants paid seventy percent of their produce in rent, desperate mothers sold their children in exchange for food and poor people sold themselves, preferring slavery to starvation. U.S. Ambassador John Leighton Stuart reported that, during his second year there, ten million people starved to death in three provinces. When he stepped down in 1974 the invaders, bandits and warlords were gone, the population had doubled, literacy was 84 percent, wealth disparity had disappeared, electricity reached poor areas, infrastructure was restored, the economy had grown 500 percent, drug addiction was a memory, women were liberated, girls were educated, crime was rare, everyone had food and shelter, life expectancy was sixty-seven and, by several key social and demographic indicators, China compared favorably with middle income countries whose per capita GDP was five times greater. Despite a brutal U.S. blockade on food, finance and technology, and without incurring debt, Mao grew China’s economy by an average of 7.3 percent annually, compared to America’s postwar boom years’ 3.7 percent. When he died, China was manufacturing jet planes, heavy tractors, ocean-going ships, nuclear weapons and long-range ballistic missiles. As economist Y. Y. Kueh observed: “This sharp rise in industry’s share of China’s national income is a rare historical phenomenon. For example, during the first four or five decades of their drive to modern industrialization, the industrial share rose by only 11 percent in Britain (1801-41) and 22 percent in Japan”. His documented accomplishments are, as Professor Fairbanks says, almost unbelievable. He: doubled China’s population from 542 million to 956 million, doubled life expectancy, doubled caloric intake, quintupled GDP, quadrupled literacy, increased grain production three hundred percent, increased gross industrial output forty-fold, increased heavy industry ninety-fold, increased rail lineage 266 percent, increased passenger train traffic from 102,970,000 passengers to 814,910,000, increased rail freight tonnage two thousand percent, increased the road network one thousand percent, increased steel production from zero to thirty-five MMT/year, increased industry’s contribution to China’s net material product from twenty-three percent to fifty-four percent. But, from Mao’s point of view, that was a sideshow. By the time he retired, he had reunited, reimagined, reformed and revitalized the largest, oldest civilization on earth, modernized it after a century of failed modernizations and ended thousands of years of famines._ Moreover, it is interesting to note that despite the aforementioned flaws of GDP measurements, growth rates under Mao still compare quite favorably to those after his death, even mainstream economists admit this much. ->*With the Chinese economy slowing and the stock market bubble bursting, debate is raging inside and outside the country over how to ensure the world’s most populous nation remains the biggest driver of global growth. Probably the only thing all sides can agree is that a return to the collectivist totalitarianism of Maoist economics would be a bad idea. But according to research by a group of prominent economists, Chinese policymakers should probably not be too quick to rule that out. In a paper, the four economists — from the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, Princeton, Yale and Sciences Po in Paris — have examined productivity and growth rates in China at the height of the Maoist period and extrapolated those to predict how the country would grow between now and 2050 had it returned to those policies. They concluded that the abolition of the private sector in China and the return to a command economy would yield an annual average gross domestic product growth rate of 4 to 5 per cent between now and 2050. That was only about a percentage point less than the average growth rate they predict China will achieve if it continues with market-based reforms that began in the late 1970s and are credited with lifting hundreds of millions out of poverty in only a few decades. “Our model is essentially an accounting exercise that allows us to uncover the key factors of growth in China during and after the Mao era,” said Aleh Tsyvinski, a professor of economics at Yale and co-author of the report. “The main point of our findings is that, contrary to common misconceptions, productivity growth under Mao, particularly in the non-agricultural sector, was actually pretty good.”* +> _With the Chinese economy slowing and the stock market bubble bursting, debate is raging inside and outside the country over how to ensure the world’s most populous nation remains the biggest driver of global growth. Probably the only thing all sides can agree is that a return to the collectivist totalitarianism of Maoist economics would be a bad idea. But according to research by a group of prominent economists, Chinese policymakers should probably not be too quick to rule that out. In a paper, the four economists — from the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, Princeton, Yale and Sciences Po in Paris — have examined productivity and growth rates in China at the height of the Maoist period and extrapolated those to predict how the country would grow between now and 2050 had it returned to those policies. They concluded that the abolition of the private sector in China and the return to a command economy would yield an annual average gross domestic product growth rate of 4 to 5 per cent between now and 2050. That was only about a percentage point less than the average growth rate they predict China will achieve if it continues with market-based reforms that began in the late 1970s and are credited with lifting hundreds of millions out of poverty in only a few decades. “Our model is essentially an accounting exercise that allows us to uncover the key factors of growth in China during and after the Mao era,” said Aleh Tsyvinski, a professor of economics at Yale and co-author of the report. “The main point of our findings is that, contrary to common misconceptions, productivity growth under Mao, particularly in the non-agricultural sector, was actually pretty good.”_ Again, none of this is to deny that Deng's reforms were necessary and a net improvement for China, but it's equally important to see the other side. Additionally, it's also important to recognize that the Chinese economic miracle under Deng and afterwards, as impressive as it is, only succeeded due to the immense progress in development undertaken by Mao, from which the country could build off. This included the elimination of warlordism, imperialist subjugation, feudalistic traditions, drug epidemics and starvation, as well as the unprecedented expansion of healthcare and education, as outlined above. Most importantly however, the Mao era also established the industrial base necessary for modernization. Deng himself acknowledged the achievements of his predecessor when he said that Mao was "70% good and 30% bad" (an assessment I tend to agree with). Even liberal historian Erza Vogel, another leading authority on China, admits this much in his utterly mainstream book "Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China". ->"*By the time Deng came to power, Mao had already unified the country, built a strong ruling structure, and introduced modern industry —advantages that Deng could build on."* +> "_By the time Deng came to power, Mao had already unified the country, built a strong ruling structure, and introduced modern industry —advantages that Deng could build on."_ As established earlier with the example of Vietnam, developing heavy industry is vital for third-world countries to escape perpetual poverty and dependence by shifting away from the export of raw materials, and this is exactly what Mao did with the first and second Five-Year Plans, which in turn meant that they could be competitive in the global market when Deng opened up the country to international trade and foreign investment. ->*Even according to figures released by the Deng Xiaoping regime, industrial production increased by 11.2% per year from 1952-1976 (by 10% a year during the alleged catastrophe of the Cultural Revolution). In 1952 industry was 36% of gross value of national output in China. By 1975 industry was 72% and agriculture was 28%. It is quite obvious that Mao’s supposedly disastrous socialist economic policies paved the way for the rapid (but inegalitarian and unbalanced) economic development of the post-Mao era. There is a good argument to suggest that the policies of the Great Leap Forward actually did much to sustain China’s overall economic growth, after an initial period of disruption. At the end of the 1950s, it was clear that China was going to have to develop using its own resources and without being able to use a large amount of machinery and technological know-how imported from the Soviet Union. In the late 1950s China and the USSR were heading for a schism. Partly, this was the ideological fall-out that occurred following the death of Stalin. There had been many differences between Stalin and Mao. Among other things, Mao believed that Stalin mistrusted the peasants and over-emphasized the development of heavy industry. However, Mao believed that Khrushchev was using his denunciation of Stalinism as a cover for the progressive ditching of socialist ideology and practice in the USSR. Also the split was due to the tendency of Khrushchev to try and impose the Soviet Union’s own ways of doing things on its allies. Khrushchev acted not in the spirit of socialist internationalism but rather in the spirit of treating economically less developed nations like client states. For a country like China, that had fought so bitterly for its freedom from foreign domination, such a relationship could never have been acceptable. Mao could not have sold it to his people, even if he had wanted to. In 1960 the conflict between the two nations came to a head. The Soviets had been providing a great deal of assistance for China’s industrialization program. In 1960, all Soviet technical advisers left the country. They took with them the blueprints of the various industrial plants they had been planning to build. Mao made clear that, from the start, the policies of the Great Leap Forward were about China developing a more independent economic policy. China’s alternative to reliance on the USSR was a program for developing agriculture alongside the development of industry. In so doing, Mao wanted to use the resources that China could muster in abundance-labour and popular enthusiasm. The use of these resources would make up for the lack of capital and advanced technology. Although problems and reversals occurred in the Great Leap Forward, it is fair to say that it had a very important role in the ongoing development of agriculture. Measures such as water conservancy and irrigation allowed for sustained increases in agricultural production, once the period of bad harvests was over. They also helped the countryside to deal with the problem of drought. Flood defenses were also developed. Terracing helped gradually increase the amount of cultivated area.* *Industrial development was carried out under the slogan of “walking on two legs.” This meant the development of small and medium scale rural industry alongside the development of heavy industry. As well as the steel furnaces, many other workshops and factories were opened in the countryside. The idea was that rural industry would meet the needs of the local population. Rural workshops supported efforts by the communes to modernize agricultural work methods. Rural workshops were very effective in providing the communes with fertilizer, tools, other agricultural equipment and cement (needed for water conservation schemes).* *Compared to the rigid, centralized economic system that tended to prevail in the Soviet Union, the Great Leap Forward was a supreme act of lateral thinking. Normally, cement and fertilizer, for example, would be produced in large factories in urban areas away from the rural areas that needed them. In a poor country there would be the problem of obtaining the capital and machinery necessary to produce industrial products such as these, using the most modern technique. An infrastructure linking the cities to the towns would then be needed to transport such products once they were made. This in itself would involve vast expense. As a result of problems like these, development in many poorer countries is either very slow or does not occur at all. Rural industry established during the Great Leap Forward used labour-intensive rather than capital-intensive methods. As they were serving local needs, they were not dependent on the development of an expensive nation-wide infrastructure of road and rail to transport the finished goods. In fact the supposedly wild, chaotic policies of the Great Leap Forward meshed together quite well, after the problems of the first few years. Local cement production allowed water conservancy schemes to be undertaken. Greater irrigation made it possible to spread more fertilizer. This fertilizer was, in turn, provided by the local factories. Greater agricultural productivity would free up more agricultural labour for the industrial manufacturing sector, facilitating the overall development of the country. This approach is often cited as an example of Mao’s economic illiteracy (what about the division of labour and the gains from regional specialization etc). However, it was right for China as the positive effects of Mao’s policies in terms of human welfare and economic development show. Agriculture and small scale rural industry were not the only sector to grow during China’s socialist period. Heavy industry grew a great deal in this period too. Developments such as the establishment of the Taching oil field during the Great Leap Forward provided a great boost to the development of heavy industry. A massive oil field was developed in China. This was developed after 1960 using indigenous techniques, rather than Soviet or western techniques. (Specifically the workers used pressure from below to help extract the oil. They did not rely on constructing a multitude of derricks, as is the usual practice in oil fields). The arguments about production figures belie the fact that the Great Leap Forward was at least as much about changing the way of thinking of the Chinese people as it was about industrial production. The so-called “backyard steel furnaces,” where peasants tried to produce steel in small rural foundries, became infamous for the low quality of the steel they produced. But they were as much about training the peasants in the ways of industrial production as they were about generating steel for China’s industry. It’s worth remembering that the “leaps” Mao used to talk about the most were not leaps in the quantities of goods being produced but leaps in people’s consciousness and understanding. Mistakes were made and many must have been demoralized when they realized that some of the results of the Leap had been disappointing. But the success of the Chinese economy in years to come shows that not all its lessons were wasted.* +> _Even according to figures released by the Deng Xiaoping regime, industrial production increased by 11.2% per year from 1952-1976 (by 10% a year during the alleged catastrophe of the Cultural Revolution). In 1952 industry was 36% of gross value of national output in China. By 1975 industry was 72% and agriculture was 28%. It is quite obvious that Mao’s supposedly disastrous socialist economic policies paved the way for the rapid (but inegalitarian and unbalanced) economic development of the post-Mao era. There is a good argument to suggest that the policies of the Great Leap Forward actually did much to sustain China’s overall economic growth, after an initial period of disruption. At the end of the 1950s, it was clear that China was going to have to develop using its own resources and without being able to use a large amount of machinery and technological know-how imported from the Soviet Union. In the late 1950s China and the USSR were heading for a schism. Partly, this was the ideological fall-out that occurred following the death of Stalin. There had been many differences between Stalin and Mao. Among other things, Mao believed that Stalin mistrusted the peasants and over-emphasized the development of heavy industry. However, Mao believed that Khrushchev was using his denunciation of Stalinism as a cover for the progressive ditching of socialist ideology and practice in the USSR. Also the split was due to the tendency of Khrushchev to try and impose the Soviet Union’s own ways of doing things on its allies. Khrushchev acted not in the spirit of socialist internationalism but rather in the spirit of treating economically less developed nations like client states. For a country like China, that had fought so bitterly for its freedom from foreign domination, such a relationship could never have been acceptable. Mao could not have sold it to his people, even if he had wanted to. In 1960 the conflict between the two nations came to a head. The Soviets had been providing a great deal of assistance for China’s industrialization program. In 1960, all Soviet technical advisers left the country. They took with them the blueprints of the various industrial plants they had been planning to build. Mao made clear that, from the start, the policies of the Great Leap Forward were about China developing a more independent economic policy. China’s alternative to reliance on the USSR was a program for developing agriculture alongside the development of industry. In so doing, Mao wanted to use the resources that China could muster in abundance-labour and popular enthusiasm. The use of these resources would make up for the lack of capital and advanced technology. Although problems and reversals occurred in the Great Leap Forward, it is fair to say that it had a very important role in the ongoing development of agriculture. Measures such as water conservancy and irrigation allowed for sustained increases in agricultural production, once the period of bad harvests was over. They also helped the countryside to deal with the problem of drought. Flood defenses were also developed. Terracing helped gradually increase the amount of cultivated area._ _Industrial development was carried out under the slogan of “walking on two legs.” This meant the development of small and medium scale rural industry alongside the development of heavy industry. As well as the steel furnaces, many other workshops and factories were opened in the countryside. The idea was that rural industry would meet the needs of the local population. Rural workshops supported efforts by the communes to modernize agricultural work methods. Rural workshops were very effective in providing the communes with fertilizer, tools, other agricultural equipment and cement (needed for water conservation schemes)._ _Compared to the rigid, centralized economic system that tended to prevail in the Soviet Union, the Great Leap Forward was a supreme act of lateral thinking. Normally, cement and fertilizer, for example, would be produced in large factories in urban areas away from the rural areas that needed them. In a poor country there would be the problem of obtaining the capital and machinery necessary to produce industrial products such as these, using the most modern technique. An infrastructure linking the cities to the towns would then be needed to transport such products once they were made. This in itself would involve vast expense. As a result of problems like these, development in many poorer countries is either very slow or does not occur at all. Rural industry established during the Great Leap Forward used labour-intensive rather than capital-intensive methods. As they were serving local needs, they were not dependent on the development of an expensive nation-wide infrastructure of road and rail to transport the finished goods. In fact the supposedly wild, chaotic policies of the Great Leap Forward meshed together quite well, after the problems of the first few years. Local cement production allowed water conservancy schemes to be undertaken. Greater irrigation made it possible to spread more fertilizer. This fertilizer was, in turn, provided by the local factories. Greater agricultural productivity would free up more agricultural labour for the industrial manufacturing sector, facilitating the overall development of the country. This approach is often cited as an example of Mao’s economic illiteracy (what about the division of labour and the gains from regional specialization etc). However, it was right for China as the positive effects of Mao’s policies in terms of human welfare and economic development show. Agriculture and small scale rural industry were not the only sector to grow during China’s socialist period. Heavy industry grew a great deal in this period too. Developments such as the establishment of the Taching oil field during the Great Leap Forward provided a great boost to the development of heavy industry. A massive oil field was developed in China. This was developed after 1960 using indigenous techniques, rather than Soviet or western techniques. (Specifically the workers used pressure from below to help extract the oil. They did not rely on constructing a multitude of derricks, as is the usual practice in oil fields). The arguments about production figures belie the fact that the Great Leap Forward was at least as much about changing the way of thinking of the Chinese people as it was about industrial production. The so-called “backyard steel furnaces,” where peasants tried to produce steel in small rural foundries, became infamous for the low quality of the steel they produced. But they were as much about training the peasants in the ways of industrial production as they were about generating steel for China’s industry. It’s worth remembering that the “leaps” Mao used to talk about the most were not leaps in the quantities of goods being produced but leaps in people’s consciousness and understanding. Mistakes were made and many must have been demoralized when they realized that some of the results of the Leap had been disappointing. But the success of the Chinese economy in years to come shows that not all its lessons were wasted._ In other words, China's remarkable economic growth and ascendancy in the global arena could not have happened without this initial policy of state investment and protectionism, which is a point stressed to no end by South Korean economist Ha-Joon Chang in his book "Bad Samaritans: The Myth of Free Trade and the Secret History of Capitalism". He also points out that third-world countries which don't follow this path, and instead use the free market methods imposed on them by the IMF, become stuck in a perpetual cycle of poverty and dependence as a result. -[https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1032019.Bad\_Samaritans](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1032019.Bad_Samaritans) +[https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1032019.Bad_Samaritans](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1032019.Bad_Samaritans) As for your final point, that the success of Deng's market reforms is a testament to the superiority of capitalism in the reduction of poverty, the simple answer to this is that correlation does not imply causation. That is, there are multiple other contributing factors coinciding with the market reforms that you are ignoring for this argument to work, the most important one being China's access to the outside world. We are talking about a country that has literally never been self-sufficient in food, energy or industry (autarky has been one of the CCP's central development goals ever since the PRC was established), so naturally trade plays an enormous part in their economic growth, which these days is mostly export-oriented. This is a crucial point because China was subjected to an embargo by the west as early as 1951, and then by the Soviets in 1960, so it really isn't a surprise that their economy stagnated amidst complete isolation, and it would've happened regardless of which system they were using. Indeed, closer examination of the PRC's (and Vietnam's) growth rates over time shows quite clearly that their improvements have coincided with not being isolated, more so than any other factor. For example, the fastest period of growth in China's history was not during the modern era, but actually in the decade preceding the Sino-Soviet Split, when Mao adopted the Stalinist model with the USSR as an economic partner and GDP increased by 15-20% per annum. @@ -144,65 +142,65 @@ This also means it is incorrect to attribute stagnation in Maoist China to defic So why did Deng even pursue market reforms? Well the main reason was to end the country's isolation, because the CCP understood full well that the west (more specifically, the IMF, the WTO and the World Bank) would not lift their embargo unless China accepted privatization (which you'd know if you read Ha-Joon Chang), hence why the Special Economic Zones were created to accumulate capital via foreign investment. Deng's justification for this within the framework of communism was to develop the productive forces necessary for an advanced socialist society, and pretty quickly China went from being completely cut off to having their economy centered around trade. This is an advantage that Mao didn't have for reasons outside his control, so it's clear that China's growth has relatively little to do with the economic system. The following explanation is provided by China specialist Jenny Clegg. ->*China’s opening up to foreign investment and its integration into global markets is often presented by some leftists as prima facie evidence of its having become a capitalist country. Jenny Clegg points out that China’s joining of the World Trade Organisation in 2001 was seen as “the outcome of a gradual process of capitalist restoration – a final step in sweeping away the last obstacle in the way of China’s transition from socialism.” Clegg goes on to explain that WTO membership had nothing to do with capitalist restoration, and everything to do with developing China’s productive forces, strengthening its geopolitical position, and thereby building a better life for its people. China joined the WTO in order to able to “insert itself into the global production chains linking East Asia to the US and other markets, thus making itself indispensable as a production base for the world economy. This would make it far more difficult for the United States to impose a new Cold War isolation.” Further, China’s integration in the world economy has allowed it to be a part of “the unprecedented global technological revolution, offering a short cut for the country to accelerate its industrial transformation and upgrade its economic structure.” The opportunity to rapidly learn from the advanced capitalist countries’ developments in science and technology was the principal reason for ‘opening up’. Blockaded by the western countries after the revolution, and then cut off from Soviet support as a result of the Sino-Soviet split, China in 1978 was still relatively backward from a technological point of view, in spite of having made some great advances and having developed a standard of living for its people that was far ahead of other countries at a similar level of development. Deals with foreign investors were drawn up such that foreign companies trying to expand their capital in China were compelled to share skills and technology, and operate under Chinese regulation. “Foreign investment was regulated to make it compatible with state development planning. Technology transfer and other performance requirements ― conditions attached to foreign investment to make sure that the host country gets some benefit from foreign investment, such as the use of locally produced inputs, or the hiring of local managers ― were common and are still an issue of contention with the United States today.”* +> _China’s opening up to foreign investment and its integration into global markets is often presented by some leftists as prima facie evidence of its having become a capitalist country. Jenny Clegg points out that China’s joining of the World Trade Organisation in 2001 was seen as “the outcome of a gradual process of capitalist restoration – a final step in sweeping away the last obstacle in the way of China’s transition from socialism.” Clegg goes on to explain that WTO membership had nothing to do with capitalist restoration, and everything to do with developing China’s productive forces, strengthening its geopolitical position, and thereby building a better life for its people. China joined the WTO in order to able to “insert itself into the global production chains linking East Asia to the US and other markets, thus making itself indispensable as a production base for the world economy. This would make it far more difficult for the United States to impose a new Cold War isolation.” Further, China’s integration in the world economy has allowed it to be a part of “the unprecedented global technological revolution, offering a short cut for the country to accelerate its industrial transformation and upgrade its economic structure.” The opportunity to rapidly learn from the advanced capitalist countries’ developments in science and technology was the principal reason for ‘opening up’. Blockaded by the western countries after the revolution, and then cut off from Soviet support as a result of the Sino-Soviet split, China in 1978 was still relatively backward from a technological point of view, in spite of having made some great advances and having developed a standard of living for its people that was far ahead of other countries at a similar level of development. Deals with foreign investors were drawn up such that foreign companies trying to expand their capital in China were compelled to share skills and technology, and operate under Chinese regulation. “Foreign investment was regulated to make it compatible with state development planning. Technology transfer and other performance requirements ― conditions attached to foreign investment to make sure that the host country gets some benefit from foreign investment, such as the use of locally produced inputs, or the hiring of local managers ― were common and are still an issue of contention with the United States today.”_ Another important reason for the post-Mao economic boom was Smithian growth, a phenomenon whereby undeveloped economies suddenly take off after the barriers of entry into urban markets disappear and large rural populations begin flooding into the cities and towns. This is exactly why Britain, North America and the Soviet Union experienced their economic booms as soon as their respective periods of urbanization and industrialization began. In China's case, their revolution was instigated entirely by the peasantry, mainly due to the historical circumstances of Mao's forces being confined to the countryside during the Chinese Civil War, meaning that the CCP had a distinctly rural character which was further intensified in the aftermath of the Sino-Soviet Split. Consequentially, the government pursued an anti-urban policy during the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution which prevented Smithian growth and was not reversed until Deng took over. ->"*Universities had been basically closed down for almost a decade. Educated youth had been forcibly sent to the countryside and it was becoming harder to make them stay. Yet in the cities there were no jobs for them, nor for the tens of millions of peasants wanting to migrate there. Further, the people who were already living in the cities, fearing for their jobs, were not ready to welcome newcomers."* +> "_Universities had been basically closed down for almost a decade. Educated youth had been forcibly sent to the countryside and it was becoming harder to make them stay. Yet in the cities there were no jobs for them, nor for the tens of millions of peasants wanting to migrate there. Further, the people who were already living in the cities, fearing for their jobs, were not ready to welcome newcomers."_ This is crucial because it shows that Deng's successes, relative to Mao's failures, had more to do with political ideology than markets vs planning, especially considering the high rates of growth China had when they pursued urbanization with a planned economy akin to the Soviet model. In addition, economies also tend to take off when new technology begins to be transferred into domestic production, which was convenient for Deng as China was suddenly given free access to innovations from the western world, basically giving them a fast-track towards modernization like the "Asian Tigers", another privilege not afforded to Mao. This also explains why the aforementioned economists predicted that China would continue to achieve high growth rates even if they returned to a fully collectivized system. ->"*In 1978, Deng did not have a clear blueprint about how to bring wealth to the people and power to the country; instead, as he confessed, repeating a widely used saying—he “groped for the stepping stones as he crossed the river.” But he did have a framework for thinking about how to proceed. He would open the country wide to science, technology, and management systems, and to new ideas from anywhere in the world, regardless of the country’s political system."* -> ->"*In 1978, because of the Soviet Union’s aggressive behaviour following the American withdrawal from Vietnam, Western countries were receptive to helping China loosen its ties with the Soviet Union. With the global expansion of trade that followed, China had access to new markets and advanced technologies—Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Singapore—and nearby examples for how latecomers to the international scene could modernize quickly."* +> "_In 1978, Deng did not have a clear blueprint about how to bring wealth to the people and power to the country; instead, as he confessed, repeating a widely used saying—he “groped for the stepping stones as he crossed the river.” But he did have a framework for thinking about how to proceed. He would open the country wide to science, technology, and management systems, and to new ideas from anywhere in the world, regardless of the country’s political system."_ +> +> "_In 1978, because of the Soviet Union’s aggressive behaviour following the American withdrawal from Vietnam, Western countries were receptive to helping China loosen its ties with the Soviet Union. With the global expansion of trade that followed, China had access to new markets and advanced technologies—Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Singapore—and nearby examples for how latecomers to the international scene could modernize quickly."_ Finally, in addition to China not being a free market capitalist economy (as I've already established), it is also a fact that their economic miracle would not have happened in a free market capitalist economy, full stop. Rather, their success is attributable to the country's socialist legacy, on top of the reasons already mentioned, so using China as an example of a liberal success story is utterly delusional. Marxian economics professor Richard Woolf offers a simple explanation as to why China's economy has grown so much. ->*"China's rate of growth is stunning, the only other country to have a story like that was the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Why did these two "communist" countries have economic growth so much faster than Western Europe, North America or even Japan? The answer is obvious, the number-one cause? This is a government-organized economy, they do not leave questions of investment, economic growth, building infrastructure, developing universities and technologies, they don't leave that to the market, and they don't leave it to private enterprises, they make it a priority of the whole society organized and mobilized by the government, which is why this kind of economic system has been as attractive as it has always been for poor countries who want to overcome their poverty in a short amount of time."* +> _"China's rate of growth is stunning, the only other country to have a story like that was the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Why did these two "communist" countries have economic growth so much faster than Western Europe, North America or even Japan? The answer is obvious, the number-one cause? This is a government-organized economy, they do not leave questions of investment, economic growth, building infrastructure, developing universities and technologies, they don't leave that to the market, and they don't leave it to private enterprises, they make it a priority of the whole society organized and mobilized by the government, which is why this kind of economic system has been as attractive as it has always been for poor countries who want to overcome their poverty in a short amount of time."_ This draws a lot of parallels with the contentions of Ha-Joon Chang, particularly the part about government-organized systems being the most effective at overcoming poverty for developing nations. There are plenty of examples other than China to back this up as well, such as South Korea, who despite often being considered a bastion of free market capitalism did not progress significantly until the state took over the heavy industry sector and adopted Five-Year Plans. Similarly, we saw with the previous example of Vietnam that they were only able to develop heavy industry and all the benefits that came with it due to the non-capitalist features of their state-owned enterprises, hence their ascendancy would not have been possible with a free market. Indeed, this fact can also be displayed through the sheer uniqueness of China's expansion, which is literally unprecedented in modern history as Richard Woolf mentioned. In fact, between 1988 and 2008, absolute levels of poverty increased in every region of the world except China, where poverty decreases were so huge (400 million people) that they singlehandedly reversed the entire global trend. This is why it's so disingenuous of libertarians when they point to poverty reduction statistics as a testament to the free market, ignoring that almost 90% of those alleviated people come from China and Vietnam alone while capitalist countries (rich and poor alike) have remained stagnant by comparison. -[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRWt85Xq\_OU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRWt85Xq_OU) +[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRWt85Xq_OU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRWt85Xq_OU) The point I'm trying to make here is that capitalism has proven unable to repeat the successes of these socialist countries, and what better way to demonstrate that than by comparing China with its equally large capitalist neighbor India, let's see what Martin Jacques has to say. ->*Comparing China’s GDP with that of India, Martin Jacques finds that in 1950 – a year after the founding of the PRC and three years after Indian independence – “the per capita income of India was around 40 per cent greater than that of China; by 1978 they were roughly on a par. By 1999, China’s was not far short of twice that of India’s and by 2009 it was over three and a half times as great.” Another decade or so later and China’s per capita GDP is around 4.5 times that of India.* -> ->*Child malnutrition is becoming a thing of the past. According to the World Food Programme, between 1990 and 2010, the number of underweight children under the age of five fell by 74 percent and rates of stunting dropped by 70 percent. “Better nutrition has significantly improved the health and quality of life of Chinese children… China alone accounts for almost two thirds of the total reduction in the number of undernourished people in developing regions since 1990.” This story can usefully be compared with India, where child malnutrition is still, tragically, endemic.* +> _Comparing China’s GDP with that of India, Martin Jacques finds that in 1950 – a year after the founding of the PRC and three years after Indian independence – “the per capita income of India was around 40 per cent greater than that of China; by 1978 they were roughly on a par. By 1999, China’s was not far short of twice that of India’s and by 2009 it was over three and a half times as great.” Another decade or so later and China’s per capita GDP is around 4.5 times that of India._ +> +> _Child malnutrition is becoming a thing of the past. According to the World Food Programme, between 1990 and 2010, the number of underweight children under the age of five fell by 74 percent and rates of stunting dropped by 70 percent. “Better nutrition has significantly improved the health and quality of life of Chinese children… China alone accounts for almost two thirds of the total reduction in the number of undernourished people in developing regions since 1990.” This story can usefully be compared with India, where child malnutrition is still, tragically, endemic._ Similarly, the quality of life in Vietnam can be usefully compared with capitalist countries of similar economic development, particularly their neighbors in Southeast Asia, as Australian journalist Michael Karadjis observes. ->*"Vietnam is a “low income” country (US$430 per capita GDP), but its educational and health indicators are on par with, or better than, “middle income” countries such as Thailand ($2000 GDP per capita), China and the Philippines, and far above those of similarly poor countries, such as Bangladesh, Pakistan, Kenya and Tanzania."* +> _"Vietnam is a “low income” country (US$430 per capita GDP), but its educational and health indicators are on par with, or better than, “middle income” countries such as Thailand ($2000 GDP per capita), China and the Philippines, and far above those of similarly poor countries, such as Bangladesh, Pakistan, Kenya and Tanzania."_ So why is Vietnam doing better than their capitalist counterparts? This can be explained by their socialist policies, designed to keep the economy ultimately under the control of the Communist Party and protect the lower classes from the worst excesses of free market imperialist exploitation prevalent in the Global South. ->*To put it simple, Vietnam had to adopt elements of market capitalism in order to build the necessary economic infrastructure to advance Vietnam’s capability to produce wealth/capital. The Communist Party of Vietnam, does this through allowing markets to exist in Vietnam, under strict state supervision or through state owned enterprises (SOE’s) in certain key industries such as telecommunications, energy, and banking (currently there are approximately 2,000 SOE’s where the state controls a majority interest, and 781 SOE’s where the state controls 100 percent. However, Vietnam does not publish a full list of SOE’s). The socialist-oriented market economy allows private capital to flourish only to the degree in which it positively contributes to the economic development of the whole country and serves the greater class interests of the working class. Within this system, the vast majority of businesses and companies are not independent of the government and are instead dominated by the workers state. It is also worth mentioning that, Vietnam is currently building a universal healthcare system. At the end of 2014, approximately 71.6% of the population had health insurance. Currently, the Vietnamese government subsidizes 80% of hospital fees for the poor and near-poor, as well as 100% for poor people and ethnic minorities living in disadvantaged areas, and 30% for workers who have average living conditions. The Vietnamese capitalist class does not receive government subsidies for healthcare. Some other points to consider are that there is a system of price-controls in place for certain products and services such as medicine, milk, rice, formula, and airline tickets, and perhaps most importantly, all land is collectively owned and managed by the Vietnamese state. If an individual wishes to “purchase” land from the state, they are only able to lease it. Property rights in Vietnam are considered some of the poorest by capitalists standards, with right-wing groups such as the Heritage Foundation classifying Vietnam as “mostly unfree” in terms of economic freedom. Price controls have also remained a powerful force in the Vietnamese economy, especially in the area of agriculture, particularly rice production. In a country where 75% of the daily caloric intake comes from rice, price controls on the rice industry remain essential to providing equitable access to rice and other goods. The role of price controls in Vietnam has also taken a different path from other socialist leaning states such as Venezuela. For example, the Vietnamese state has set price controls on the sale of rice within Vietnam at below global market values, however the export price of rice is not controlled, only the quantity of rice being exported is. This has remarkably resulted in a market equilibrium for the sale of rice in and from Vietnam, and as such, Vietnam has not experienced the shortages that other market economies often experience due to price controls (see Venezuela). In this circumstance, we can see how the Vietnamese government has centrally planned and regulated the market economy, while retaining the benefits of the market and avoiding its disadvantages. Through the introduction of markets into Vietnam, economic inequalities inevitably emerged and as such, the gap between the rich and the poor in Vietnam is substantial. This contradiction within the socialist-oriented market economy is significant, and Marxists should acknowledge this and criticize it, however it is also important to recognize that many of the Doi Moi reforms were enacted out of economic necessity in order for the survival of socialism in Vietnam. The Doi Moi reforms were also able to dramatically decrease poverty in Vietnam by more than 40% within a period of ten years, and today, the poverty rate in Vietnam is an estimated 8.4% with an unemployment rate of 2.2%.* +> _To put it simple, Vietnam had to adopt elements of market capitalism in order to build the necessary economic infrastructure to advance Vietnam’s capability to produce wealth/capital. The Communist Party of Vietnam, does this through allowing markets to exist in Vietnam, under strict state supervision or through state owned enterprises (SOE’s) in certain key industries such as telecommunications, energy, and banking (currently there are approximately 2,000 SOE’s where the state controls a majority interest, and 781 SOE’s where the state controls 100 percent. However, Vietnam does not publish a full list of SOE’s). The socialist-oriented market economy allows private capital to flourish only to the degree in which it positively contributes to the economic development of the whole country and serves the greater class interests of the working class. Within this system, the vast majority of businesses and companies are not independent of the government and are instead dominated by the workers state. It is also worth mentioning that, Vietnam is currently building a universal healthcare system. At the end of 2014, approximately 71.6% of the population had health insurance. Currently, the Vietnamese government subsidizes 80% of hospital fees for the poor and near-poor, as well as 100% for poor people and ethnic minorities living in disadvantaged areas, and 30% for workers who have average living conditions. The Vietnamese capitalist class does not receive government subsidies for healthcare. Some other points to consider are that there is a system of price-controls in place for certain products and services such as medicine, milk, rice, formula, and airline tickets, and perhaps most importantly, all land is collectively owned and managed by the Vietnamese state. If an individual wishes to “purchase” land from the state, they are only able to lease it. Property rights in Vietnam are considered some of the poorest by capitalists standards, with right-wing groups such as the Heritage Foundation classifying Vietnam as “mostly unfree” in terms of economic freedom. Price controls have also remained a powerful force in the Vietnamese economy, especially in the area of agriculture, particularly rice production. In a country where 75% of the daily caloric intake comes from rice, price controls on the rice industry remain essential to providing equitable access to rice and other goods. The role of price controls in Vietnam has also taken a different path from other socialist leaning states such as Venezuela. For example, the Vietnamese state has set price controls on the sale of rice within Vietnam at below global market values, however the export price of rice is not controlled, only the quantity of rice being exported is. This has remarkably resulted in a market equilibrium for the sale of rice in and from Vietnam, and as such, Vietnam has not experienced the shortages that other market economies often experience due to price controls (see Venezuela). In this circumstance, we can see how the Vietnamese government has centrally planned and regulated the market economy, while retaining the benefits of the market and avoiding its disadvantages. Through the introduction of markets into Vietnam, economic inequalities inevitably emerged and as such, the gap between the rich and the poor in Vietnam is substantial. This contradiction within the socialist-oriented market economy is significant, and Marxists should acknowledge this and criticize it, however it is also important to recognize that many of the Doi Moi reforms were enacted out of economic necessity in order for the survival of socialism in Vietnam. The Doi Moi reforms were also able to dramatically decrease poverty in Vietnam by more than 40% within a period of ten years, and today, the poverty rate in Vietnam is an estimated 8.4% with an unemployment rate of 2.2%._ For a more detailed summary of Vietnam's socialist policies, specifically regarding how the state helps reduce poverty in the countryside, see this post by the aforementioned Vietnamese comrade. -[https://www.reddit.com/r/communism101/comments/ai6ypn/vietnam/eelyweo?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x](https://www.reddit.com/r/communism101/comments/ai6ypn/vietnam/eelyweo?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x) +[https://www.reddit.com/r/communism101/comments/ai6ypn/vietnam/eelyweo?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x](https://www.reddit.com/r/communism101/comments/ai6ypn/vietnam/eelyweo?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x) We can demonstrate why the economic booms in China and Vietnam could not have been repeated under free market capitalism by contrasting the reforms of Deng Xiaoping with the "shock therapy" undertaken by Gorbachev and Yeltsin in Russia, which involved the complete privatization of the economy and the disempowering of the Communist Party. Peter Nolan and Martin Jacques agree, despite themselves not being communists. ->*Ironically, market reforms would almost certainly have failed were they not carried out under the tight control of the government and had they not existed within the context of a planned economy. Indeed this is one reason that China’s reforms were so successful and the Soviet/Russian reforms failed. Peter Nolan, who is by no means a cheerleader for centrally-planned economies, writes: “The comparison of the experience of China and Russia’s reforms confirms that, at certain junctures and in certain countries, effective planning is a necessary condition of economic success.” Nolan points out that the Chinese state took the lead in conducting large-scale experiments and analysing the results; protecting domestic industry from the sudden appearance of foreign goods; supporting the growth of the state-owned enterprises to a level where they could become competitive in the global marketplace; investing in social and economic infrastructure (transport, healthcare, education, transport, power generation); and coordinating the different parts of the reform programme. Left to the market and an emerging class of entrepreneurs, none of this would have happened.* -> ->*In 1978, China’s GDP was around a quarter that of the USSR; by the time the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, China’s GDP was around half that of the USSR. Today, China’s GDP is nine times greater than Russia’s.* +> _Ironically, market reforms would almost certainly have failed were they not carried out under the tight control of the government and had they not existed within the context of a planned economy. Indeed this is one reason that China’s reforms were so successful and the Soviet/Russian reforms failed. Peter Nolan, who is by no means a cheerleader for centrally-planned economies, writes: “The comparison of the experience of China and Russia’s reforms confirms that, at certain junctures and in certain countries, effective planning is a necessary condition of economic success.” Nolan points out that the Chinese state took the lead in conducting large-scale experiments and analysing the results; protecting domestic industry from the sudden appearance of foreign goods; supporting the growth of the state-owned enterprises to a level where they could become competitive in the global marketplace; investing in social and economic infrastructure (transport, healthcare, education, transport, power generation); and coordinating the different parts of the reform programme. Left to the market and an emerging class of entrepreneurs, none of this would have happened._ +> +> _In 1978, China’s GDP was around a quarter that of the USSR; by the time the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, China’s GDP was around half that of the USSR. Today, China’s GDP is nine times greater than Russia’s._ Additionally, although liberals often speculate that China's remarkable growth could still have been observed within a free market "democracy", Erza Vogel disagrees citing, among other things, the failure of China's pro-western capitalist leaders (Kuomintang Nationalists) prior to the establishment of the People's Republic in eliminating the country's poverty and subjugation at the hands of foreign imperialist powers, leading him to assert that the leadership of the Communist Party was essential in facilitating China's development. ->*"He was aware that the new dynamos of Asia—Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore—were growing faster than any countries ever had. But Deng realized he could not simply import an entire system from abroad, for no alien system could fit the unique needs of China—which had a rich cultural heritage but was also huge, diverse, and poor. He realized what some free-market economists did not, that one could not solve problems simply by opening markets; one had to build institutions gradually."* -> ->*"To provide order during this rebuilding, he believed there was only one organization that could manage the process—the Communist Party."* -> ->*"Some Westerners were so impressed with Deng’s directness and pragmatism that they mistakenly thought he was a capitalist at heart and that he would lead China toward a Western-style democracy. He was always ready to learn, but in the end he believed he knew better than they what was good for China and it was not capitalism and Western-style democracy."* -> ->*"When Deng ascended to power in 1978, he had many advantages that his predecessors lacked. In the mid-nineteenth century, few people had understood how deeply the new technology and developments along the coast were challenging the Chinese system. In the last years of the empire, the reformers had little idea of the institutional developments required to implement progressive new ideas. At the time of Yuan Shikai and Sun Yat-sen, there was no unified army and no governmental structure capable of uniting contenders for power. And after coming to power, Mao, who had no foreign experience, could not receive help from the West due to the Cold War."* -> ->*"Yet all the favourable conditions that China enjoyed in 1978 would have been insufficient to transform the huge, chaotic civilization into a modern nation without a strong and able leader who could hold the country together while providing strategic direction. Deng was far better prepared for such a role than Yuan Shikai, Sun Yat-sen, Chiang Kai-shek, or Mao Zedong had been. It was he who would finally realize the mission that others had tried for almost two centuries to achieve, of finding a path that would make China rich and powerful."* -> ->*"While Deng was studying in Moscow, the Soviet Union had not yet built its socialist structure. The Soviet Union was still under the National Economic Policy (NEP). Under the NEP, independent farmers, small businesspeople, and even larger businesses were encouraged to prosper while the socialist economy was beginning to develop heavy industry. Foreigners, too, were invited to invest in the Soviet Union. Deng believed, as did others at that time, that such an economic structure—whereby private enterprise was allowed and foreign investment was encouraged, all under Communist Party leadership—promoted faster economic growth than could be achieved in capitalist economies. The fundamentals of the NEP, a market economy under Communist leadership, were similar to those of the economic policies that Deng would carry out when he was in charge of China’s Southwest Bureau in 1949–1952 and those that he would reintroduce in the 1980s."* -> ->*"Having been in Moscow in 1956 when Khrushchev denounced Stalin, Deng was fully aware that Khrushchev’s emotional attack had devastated the Soviet Communist Party and all those who had worked with Stalin. Although the Chinese press was filled with criticisms of Deng that portrayed him as China’s Khrushchev, long before he was sent to Jiangxi Deng had already decided that he would not be China’s Khrushchev."* +> _"He was aware that the new dynamos of Asia—Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore—were growing faster than any countries ever had. But Deng realized he could not simply import an entire system from abroad, for no alien system could fit the unique needs of China—which had a rich cultural heritage but was also huge, diverse, and poor. He realized what some free-market economists did not, that one could not solve problems simply by opening markets; one had to build institutions gradually."_ +> +> _"To provide order during this rebuilding, he believed there was only one organization that could manage the process—the Communist Party."_ +> +> _"Some Westerners were so impressed with Deng’s directness and pragmatism that they mistakenly thought he was a capitalist at heart and that he would lead China toward a Western-style democracy. He was always ready to learn, but in the end he believed he knew better than they what was good for China and it was not capitalism and Western-style democracy."_ +> +> _"When Deng ascended to power in 1978, he had many advantages that his predecessors lacked. In the mid-nineteenth century, few people had understood how deeply the new technology and developments along the coast were challenging the Chinese system. In the last years of the empire, the reformers had little idea of the institutional developments required to implement progressive new ideas. At the time of Yuan Shikai and Sun Yat-sen, there was no unified army and no governmental structure capable of uniting contenders for power. And after coming to power, Mao, who had no foreign experience, could not receive help from the West due to the Cold War."_ +> +> _"Yet all the favourable conditions that China enjoyed in 1978 would have been insufficient to transform the huge, chaotic civilization into a modern nation without a strong and able leader who could hold the country together while providing strategic direction. Deng was far better prepared for such a role than Yuan Shikai, Sun Yat-sen, Chiang Kai-shek, or Mao Zedong had been. It was he who would finally realize the mission that others had tried for almost two centuries to achieve, of finding a path that would make China rich and powerful."_ +> +> _"While Deng was studying in Moscow, the Soviet Union had not yet built its socialist structure. The Soviet Union was still under the National Economic Policy (NEP). Under the NEP, independent farmers, small businesspeople, and even larger businesses were encouraged to prosper while the socialist economy was beginning to develop heavy industry. Foreigners, too, were invited to invest in the Soviet Union. Deng believed, as did others at that time, that such an economic structure—whereby private enterprise was allowed and foreign investment was encouraged, all under Communist Party leadership—promoted faster economic growth than could be achieved in capitalist economies. The fundamentals of the NEP, a market economy under Communist leadership, were similar to those of the economic policies that Deng would carry out when he was in charge of China’s Southwest Bureau in 1949–1952 and those that he would reintroduce in the 1980s."_ +> +> _"Having been in Moscow in 1956 when Khrushchev denounced Stalin, Deng was fully aware that Khrushchev’s emotional attack had devastated the Soviet Communist Party and all those who had worked with Stalin. Although the Chinese press was filled with criticisms of Deng that portrayed him as China’s Khrushchev, long before he was sent to Jiangxi Deng had already decided that he would not be China’s Khrushchev."_ **Sources of Quotes:** @@ -214,13 +212,13 @@ Additionally, although liberals often speculate that China's remarkable growth c [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Bzbi-M-AF8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Bzbi-M-AF8) -[https://www.reddit.com/r/communism/comments/a6zs4m/socialist\_vietnam\_now\_ranks\_no1\_in\_the\_world\_for/ebzefqn?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x](https://www.reddit.com/r/communism/comments/a6zs4m/socialist_vietnam_now_ranks_no1_in_the_world_for/ebzefqn?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x) +[https://www.reddit.com/r/communism/comments/a6zs4m/socialist_vietnam_now_ranks_no1_in_the_world_for/ebzefqn?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x](https://www.reddit.com/r/communism/comments/a6zs4m/socialist_vietnam_now_ranks_no1_in_the_world_for/ebzefqn?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x) [https://mronline.org/2017/10/18/mao-reconsidered/](https://mronline.org/2017/10/18/mao-reconsidered/) [https://www.ft.com/content/9d25d432-3be1-11e5-bbd1-b37bc06f590c](https://www.ft.com/content/9d25d432-3be1-11e5-bbd1-b37bc06f590c) -[http://www.gelora45.com/news/DengXiaoping\_TransformationOfChina\_Vogel.pdf](http://www.gelora45.com/news/DengXiaoping_TransformationOfChina_Vogel.pdf) +[http://www.gelora45.com/news/DengXiaoping_TransformationOfChina_Vogel.pdf](http://www.gelora45.com/news/DengXiaoping_TransformationOfChina_Vogel.pdf) [https://monthlyreview.org/commentary/did-mao-really-kill-millions-in-the-great-leap-forward/](https://monthlyreview.org/commentary/did-mao-really-kill-millions-in-the-great-leap-forward/) diff --git a/terminology_conversion.md b/terminology_conversion.md index 2f93d7f..0a61823 100644 --- a/terminology_conversion.md +++ b/terminology_conversion.md @@ -2,23 +2,19 @@ These are terms for agitating and radicalizing urban and rural wage-workers. Feel free to submit a pull-request to this file. -|Socialist|Urban Workers|Rural Workers| -|---|---|---| -|Socialism|Democracy in the workplace|Community self-ownership| -|Proletariat|Working Class|Working farmers| -|Ruling Class / Bourgeoisie|Top 1%|Rich / Lords / Bosses / Banks| -|Class struggle|Landlords vs Tenants|Feudal lords vs peasants / Rich vs Poor / Corporatization| -|Revolution|Armed overthrow|Community empowerment| -|Capital|Absentee Property|| -|Surplus value|Profit , IE `value added - wage paid`|Company take / Exploitation| -|Dialectical Materialism|Historical Evolution of Production|Changes in production| -|Bourgeois democracy|Democracy for the rich|| -|Dictatorship of the Bourgeoisie|Police state|| -|Dictatorship of the Proletariat|Worker control of society|Control over your community| -|Revolutionaries|Community Organizers|| -|Liberal|Individualist|Selfish smug aristocrats| -|Imperialism|Colonial exploitation|Bombing other workers| - - - - +| Socialist | Urban Workers | Rural Workers | +| ------------------------------- | ------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------- | +| Socialism | Democracy in the workplace | Community self-ownership | +| Proletariat | Working Class | Working farmers | +| Ruling Class / Bourgeoisie | Top 1% | Rich / Lords / Bosses / Banks | +| Class struggle | Landlords vs Tenants | Feudal lords vs peasants / Rich vs Poor / Corporatization | +| Revolution | Armed overthrow | Community empowerment | +| Capital | Absentee Property | | +| Surplus value | Profit , IE `value added - wage paid` | Company take / Exploitation | +| Dialectical Materialism | Historical Evolution of Production | Changes in production | +| Bourgeois democracy | Democracy for the rich | | +| Dictatorship of the Bourgeoisie | Police state | | +| Dictatorship of the Proletariat | Worker control of society | Control over your community | +| Revolutionaries | Community Organizers | | +| Liberal | Individualist | Selfish smug aristocrats | +| Imperialism | Colonial exploitation | Bombing other workers | diff --git a/toki_pona_guide.md b/toki_pona_guide.md index 14c2ed6..3a7166f 100644 --- a/toki_pona_guide.md +++ b/toki_pona_guide.md @@ -7,9 +7,9 @@ ## Vocabulary -- Download a client for the spaced-repetition software, [Anki](https://apps.ankiweb.net/). +- Download a client for the spaced-repetition software, [Anki](https://apps.ankiweb.net/). - [AnkiDroid for Android](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ichi2.anki) -- [Shared Deck of all the current popular words](https://ankiweb.net/shared/info/1075479788) (~137 words as of 2022, known as *pu + nimi ku suli*). +- [Shared Deck of all the current popular words](https://ankiweb.net/shared/info/1075479788) (~137 words as of 2022, known as _pu + nimi ku suli_). - [Shared Deck of all the phrases from jan Lentan's lessons.](https://ankiweb.net/shared/info/204928497) - You can find other shared decks [here](https://ankiweb.net/shared/decks/toki%20pona). @@ -21,4 +21,3 @@ - [ku - the toki pona dictionary](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0978292367/) - [pu - toki pona: the language of good (first book)](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0978292308) - diff --git a/us_hate_crimes.md b/us_hate_crimes.md index 1a77a22..3936403 100644 --- a/us_hate_crimes.md +++ b/us_hate_crimes.md @@ -1,6 +1,6 @@ # List of hate crimes in the US -*Definition: a prejudice-motivated crime which occurs when a perpetrator targets a victim because of his or her membership (or perceived membership) in a certain social group, usually by sex, ethnicity, disability, language, nationality, physical appearance, religion, gender identity or sexual orientation.* +_Definition: a prejudice-motivated crime which occurs when a perpetrator targets a victim because of his or her membership (or perceived membership) in a certain social group, usually by sex, ethnicity, disability, language, nationality, physical appearance, religion, gender identity or sexual orientation._ ### Notes @@ -14,25 +14,26 @@ ## Racially motivated - [A poll in 2019](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/one-third-of-americans-would-support-a-preemptive-nuclear-strike-on-north-korea-researchers-say/2019/06/25/25ed1314-9711-11e9-a027-c571fd3d394d_story.html) found that 1/3rd of US citizens support a pre-emptive nuclear strike against the DPRK. -- https://www.reddit.com/r/ChapoTrapHouse/comments/h8kpvq/two_black_men_have_been_found_hanged_in_public_in/ TODO +- https://www.reddit.com/r/ChapoTrapHouse/comments/h8kpvq/two_black_men_have_been_found_hanged_in_public_in/ TODO - According to hate crimes researcher Brian Levin, hate crimes in nine US metropolitan areas [have risen by 20%](http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/u-s-hate-crimes-20-percent-2016-fueled-election-campaign-n733306) in the years following Trump's election. [1](http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/u-s-hate-crimes-20-percent-2016-fueled-election-campaign-n733306) [2](https://theintercept.com/2018/10/27/here-is-a-list-of-far-right-attackers-trump-inspired-cesar-sayoc-wasnt-the-first-and-wont-be-the-last/) [3](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-41975573) [4](http://saalt.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Communities-on-Fire.pdf) - US citizens are [7 times more likely to be killed by a far-right extremist than a Muslim attacker.](https://thinkprogress.org/you-are-more-than-7-times-as-likely-to-be-killed-by-a-right-wing-extremist-than-by-muslim-terrorists-417f3c3461db/) + --- -- On Aug 4th, 2019, a man [killed 9 and injured another 26 in a mass shooting outside a Dayton Ohio nightclub.](https://ktla.com/2019/08/04/9-killed-at-least-26-injured-in-ohio-in-second-u-s-mass-shooting-within-24-hours/) 6 of those killed were black. +- On Aug 4th, 2019, a man [killed 9 and injured another 26 in a mass shooting outside a Dayton Ohio nightclub.](https://ktla.com/2019/08/04/9-killed-at-least-26-injured-in-ohio-in-second-u-s-mass-shooting-within-24-hours/) 6 of those killed were black. - On Aug 3rd, 2019, white supremacist Patrick Crusius killed [20 latinos in an El Paso Texas Wal-Mart](https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2019/08/03/el-paso-shooting-suspect-may-have-authored-manifesto-containing-white-nationalist-talking), and was taken alive. He left a four-page anti-immigrant manifesto containing standard "ethnic displacement" and "race mixing" white nationalist talking points, refers to immigrants as "invaders", and professes admiration for the New Zealand Christchurch mass shooting. His twitter includes a “BuildTheWall” hashtag, a photo using guns to spell out “Trump,” and posts from Paul Joseph Watson, a far-right Youtuber who works with Alex Jones at InfoWars. - On Oct 27, 2018, a white supremacist [shot and killed 11 people and wounded 7 more in a Synagogue in Pittsburgh PA, while morning shabbat services were being held.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittsburgh_synagogue_shooting). The shooter posted on the right-wing social network Gab, shortly before the attack that "HIAS (Hebrew immigrant aid society) likes to bring invaders in that kill our people. I can't sit by and watch my people get slaughtered. Screw your optics, I'm going in." He shouted "All Jews must die" as he carried out the attack. The shooting was the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in the United States in history. The intervening years between 2016 and 2018 saw rising indicators of antisemitism in American public life, including a 57% rise in antisemitic incidents in 2017 in context of rising hate crimes against other groups including Muslims and African Americans as reported by the FBI, a wave of vandalizations of hundreds of Jewish gravestones in Pennsylvania and Missouri, and a multiplication by 2 of antisemitic incidents on university campuses. [2](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-46002549) - On Oct 24, 2018, A white supremacist [killed two black people, Maurice Stallard, and Vickie Jones, while they were shopping at a Kroger in Jeffersontown Kentucky.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffersontown_Kroger_shooting) The shooter had earlier tried to enter the First Baptist Church of Jeffersontown, a predominantly black church, during a service but was unable to because the doors were locked. Between 10 to 15 minutes later, Bush entered the Kroger, shot Stallard inside, then Jones in the parking lot. He then exchanged gunfire with a bystander, who saw him shoot Jones. Another man said Bush told him, "Don't shoot me. I won't shoot you. Whites don't shoot whites" and then tried to flee. - In late October 2018, Trump supporter Cesar Sayoc Jr. (later nicknamed the magabomber), [mailed sixteen packages containing pipe bombs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_2018_United_States_mail_bombing_attempts#Suspect) to several critics of Donald Trump, including various Democratic Party politicians. Sayoc constructed the pipe bombs in his [van, covered with pro-trump and pro-pence stickers.](https://www.yahoo.com/news/pipe-bomb-suspect-apos-van-180951324.html) It was later found that Sayoc's Florida home was [foreclosed on by Trump's treasury secretary, Steve Mnuchin's, Bank](https://theintercept.com/2018/10/26/cesar-sayoc-foreclosure-steven-mnuchin/), during a period of foreclosures caused by the 2008 financial crisis. - In March 2018, a young conservative named Mark Conditt sent a [series of letter bombs in Austin Texas](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austin_serial_bombings), killing 2 people, and wounding 6 bystanders. The bombs appeared to target the east side of Austin, which predominantly consists of poorer, African-American and Latino residents. Austin police chief Brian Manley initially refused to classify Conditt as a terrorist, stating, "he does not at all mention anything about terrorism, nor does he mention anything about hate." After Conditt was discovered, he detonated a bomb in his vehicle, killing himself. [1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austin_serial_bombings) -- On February 14th, 2018, white supremacist Nikolas Cruz [shot up his highschool](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoneman_Douglas_High_School_shooting#Suspect) in Parkland Florida, killing 17 and wounding 15 more. Cruz [repeatedly espoused racist, homophobic and anti-Semitic views on social media](https://heavy.com/news/2018/02/nicolas-nikolas-nick-cruz-florida-school-shooter-gunman-instagram/), and displayed an obsession with violence and guns. He was openly hostile to the antifa movement, and muslims. According to *Republic of Florida* (a white nationalist militia) leader Jordan Jereb, Cruz trained with and receieved a rifle from another member in the group, and was caught on video training wearing his Trump MAGA hat. Cruz also posted a photo of himself on [Instagram wearing one of Trump’s signature red “Make America Great Again” hats](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/did-shooters-instagram-picture-maga-hat/), with an American flag-patterned bandana covering the bottom half of his face. Former classmates have confirmed that he also wore the red Trump hat to school. [1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoneman_Douglas_High_School_shooting#Suspect) -- On Jan 10th, 2018, [19-year-old Brandon Griesemer made 22 death threat phone calls to CNN's Atlanta headquarters:](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2018/01/23/michigan-man-accused-of-threatening-to-attack-cnn-identified-with-hitler-former-classmate-says/?utm_term=.2829a1ddec97) “Fake news. I’m coming to gun you all down,” he told a CNN operator. According to the Washington Post, a high school classmate of Griesemer described him as a Trump supporter who “came in after the election and was very happy.” The classmate, reported the Post, “compared Griesemer’s reaction to that of a fan whose team had won a big game.” +- On February 14th, 2018, white supremacist Nikolas Cruz [shot up his highschool](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoneman_Douglas_High_School_shooting#Suspect) in Parkland Florida, killing 17 and wounding 15 more. Cruz [repeatedly espoused racist, homophobic and anti-Semitic views on social media](https://heavy.com/news/2018/02/nicolas-nikolas-nick-cruz-florida-school-shooter-gunman-instagram/), and displayed an obsession with violence and guns. He was openly hostile to the antifa movement, and muslims. According to _Republic of Florida_ (a white nationalist militia) leader Jordan Jereb, Cruz trained with and receieved a rifle from another member in the group, and was caught on video training wearing his Trump MAGA hat. Cruz also posted a photo of himself on [Instagram wearing one of Trump’s signature red “Make America Great Again” hats](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/did-shooters-instagram-picture-maga-hat/), with an American flag-patterned bandana covering the bottom half of his face. Former classmates have confirmed that he also wore the red Trump hat to school. [1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoneman_Douglas_High_School_shooting#Suspect) +- On Jan 10th, 2018, [19-year-old Brandon Griesemer made 22 death threat phone calls to CNN's Atlanta headquarters:](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2018/01/23/michigan-man-accused-of-threatening-to-attack-cnn-identified-with-hitler-former-classmate-says/?utm_term=.2829a1ddec97) “Fake news. I’m coming to gun you all down,” he told a CNN operator. According to the Washington Post, a high school classmate of Griesemer described him as a Trump supporter who “came in after the election and was very happy.” The classmate, reported the Post, “compared Griesemer’s reaction to that of a fan whose team had won a big game.” - On October 20th, 2017, after a Richard Spencer rally in Gainesville FL, 3 white supremacists from Texas drove around in a pickup truck, shouting pro-hitler slogans, and then [opened fire on a crowd of protesters](https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/attempted-homicide-richard-spencer-speech-gainesville-florida_us_59ea766ae4b0958c468228ff). They drove off, and were arrested. One of them, in an interview with HuffPost, laid out the grievances that had brought him to town. "Basically, I’m just fed up with the fact that I’m cis-gendered, I’m a white male, and I lean right, towards the Republican side," wearing a pin of the 3rd SS Panzer Division Totenkopf of the Waffen-SS. "And I get demonized if I don’t accept certain things."[1](https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/attempted-homicide-richard-spencer-speech-gainesville-florida_us_59ea766ae4b0958c468228ff) - On August 14th, 2017, at the [Unite the Right rally](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unite_the_Right_rally) in Charlottesville VA, 20-year old Neo-nazi James Alex Fields Jr., [drove his car into a crowd of antifascist counterprotestors](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unite_the_Right_rally#Vehicular_attack_and_homicide), wounding 19, and killing Heather Heyer, a paralegal from Charlottesville. Heyer's mother said she wanted Heather's name to become "a rallying cry for justice and equality and fairness and compassion." [1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unite_the_Right_rally#Vehicular_attack_and_homicide) -- On August 12, 2017, [DeAndre Harris was assaulted by six white men in an attack](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assault_of_DeAndre_Harris) in a parking garage next to the police headquarters during the [Unite the Right rally](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unite_the_Right_rally) in [Charlottesville, Virginia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlottesville,_Virginia), United States. Images and video of the assault captured by photojournalist Zach Roberts went viral and became a symbol of the enmity underlying the protest. +- On August 12, 2017, [DeAndre Harris was assaulted by six white men in an attack](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assault_of_DeAndre_Harris) in a parking garage next to the police headquarters during the [Unite the Right rally](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unite_the_Right_rally) in [Charlottesville, Virginia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlottesville,_Virginia), United States. Images and video of the assault captured by photojournalist Zach Roberts went viral and became a symbol of the enmity underlying the protest. - On August 5, 2017, three members of a far-right militia [bombed the Dar Al-Farooq Islamic Center in Bloomington, Minnesota.](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/05/us/minnesota-mosque-explosion.html) McWhorter is alleged to have told an FBI agent that the attack was an attempt “to scare” Muslims “out of the country.” Luckily no one was killed. Back in 2017, one of the bombers, Hari, who owns a security company, [submitted a $10 billion proposal](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2018/03/14/he-wanted-to-build-trumps-border-wall-he-was-just-charged-in-the-bombing-of-a-minnesota-mosque/?utm_term=.f9c1d8da2fe1) to build Trump’s wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. “We would look at the wall as not just a physical barrier to immigration but also as a symbol of the American determination to defend our culture, our language, our heritage, from any outsiders,” Hari said. -- On July 14th, 2017, alt-right activist, anti-feminist, and former intern of Milo Yiannapoulous, Lane Davis, [murdered his father for calling him a nazi](https://www.thedailybeast.com/youtube-trumpkin-and-former-milo-intern-kills-his-own-dad-for-calling-him-a-nazi). -- On July 18, 2017, A NASA researcher of South Asian descent has her [car windshield shattered by a rock thrown through it by an assailant screaming “go back to your country!” She’s injured in the attack.](https://www.indiawest.com/news/global_indian/nasa-ames-researcher-targeted-in-apparent-hate-crime-in-central/article_a4692f40-6c23-11e7-bf61-df6e9cd0ff23.html) +- On July 14th, 2017, alt-right activist, anti-feminist, and former intern of Milo Yiannapoulous, Lane Davis, [murdered his father for calling him a nazi](https://www.thedailybeast.com/youtube-trumpkin-and-former-milo-intern-kills-his-own-dad-for-calling-him-a-nazi). +- On July 18, 2017, A NASA researcher of South Asian descent has her [car windshield shattered by a rock thrown through it by an assailant screaming “go back to your country!” She’s injured in the attack.](https://www.indiawest.com/news/global_indian/nasa-ames-researcher-targeted-in-apparent-hate-crime-in-central/article_a4692f40-6c23-11e7-bf61-df6e9cd0ff23.html) - On July 3, 2017, a transgender woman is [shot and killed](https://wset.com/news/local/weekend-shooting-of-transgender-woman-has-diversity-community-concerned) in Lynchburg, VA. - On June 18, 2017, two men in Sterling Virginia, [armed with baseball bats attack a group of Muslim teenagers, kidnapping a 17-year-old girl, who they beat to death, dumping her body in a pond.](https://jezebel.com/seventeen-year-old-muslim-girl-captured-and-beaten-to-d-1796213476?utm_campaign=socialflow_jezebel_facebook&utm_source=jezebel_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow) - On June 3, 2017, 38-year-old white supremacist Phillip Wade racially abuses a 57-year-old black man on an Oakley, CA. bus, then [pulls a knife and stabs the man to death while the man is walking away from the confrontation.](https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2017/07/23/from-jail-man-defends-fatal-stabbing-as-self-defense-after-use-of-racial-slur/) The victim is the third racialized person Wade has stabbed in the past six years and the second person he’s murdered. @@ -40,7 +41,7 @@ - On May 30th, 2017, [Anthony Robert Hammond attacked a black person](http://www.newsweek.com/anthony-hammond-hate-crime-us-clearlake-617485) with a machete causing serious injuries, while shouting racial slurs, in Clearlake CA. [1](http://www.newsweek.com/anthony-hammond-hate-crime-us-clearlake-617485) - On May 29th, 2017, Jimmy Kramer, a 20 year old Native American, [was run over during his birthday party](http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/young-father-run-down-killed-in-grays-harbor-county-campground-confrontation/) in Washington state by a man and woman in a large pickup truck who first circled the party yelling racial slurs and taunts at the group from inside the truck. Kramer died and his friend was hospitalized. [1](http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/young-father-run-down-killed-in-grays-harbor-county-campground-confrontation/) - On May 28th, 2017, White supremacist [Jeremy Joseph Christian stabbed and killed two men](http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/30/us/portland-train-teenager-stabbing-arraignment/) who defended a 16-year-old and her Muslim friend on a train in Portland OR. As he was brought into court, Christian yelled, "Get out if you don't like free speech," and, "You call it terrorism, I call it patriotism. You hear me? Die." 16 year old Destinee Mangum told reporters, "He told us to go back to Saudi Arabia and he told us we shouldn't be here, to get out of his country," Mangum told KPTV. "He was just telling us that we basically weren't anything and that we should just kill ourselves." Taliesin Myrddin Namkai-Meche, 23, of Portland, and Ricky John Best, 53, of Happy Valley, died defending them the two high-schoolers.[1](http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/30/us/portland-train-teenager-stabbing-arraignment/) -- On May 24, 2017, [A barrage of doxxing, rape threats, and death threats received by trans comic book artist Sophie Labelle forces her to cancel an appearance](https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2017/05/19/transgender-cartoonist-faces-vicious-online-attack-death-threats.html) and event at a Halifax book store, which also received bomb threats and threats of attacking the event. Labelle is forced into hiding. +- On May 24, 2017, [A barrage of doxxing, rape threats, and death threats received by trans comic book artist Sophie Labelle forces her to cancel an appearance](https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2017/05/19/transgender-cartoonist-faces-vicious-online-attack-death-threats.html) and event at a Halifax book store, which also received bomb threats and threats of attacking the event. Labelle is forced into hiding. - On May 21st, 2017, Sean Christopher Urbanski, a University of Maryland student and member of online alt-right facebook groups, [randomly stabbed to death Richard Collins III](http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/crime/bs-md-umd-stabbing-arrest-20170521-story.html) in College Park, MD, while he was waiting for an uber. [1](http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/crime/bs-md-umd-stabbing-arrest-20170521-story.html) - On May 17, 2017, a transgender woman is [shot and killed](https://www.yourcentralvalley.com/news/transgender-woman-shot-and-killed-in-southeast-fresno-identified/) in Fresno, CA. - On May 16, 2017, an arsonist [attempted to burn down the home of a black family in Albany, NY.](https://www.newyorkupstate.com/capital-region/2017/05/hate_crime_black_familys_garage_burned_racist_graffiti_found_on_upstate_ny_home.html). Madison, his wife and his five children rushed out of the house, and investigators found a swastika and a racist slur spray-painted on the home when they arrived. @@ -48,13 +49,13 @@ - On May 5, 2017, a gay man in south beach, [was beaten unconscious by two men](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/kenneth-wilcox-anti-gay-hate-crime_n_5911eb94e4b0a58297dfcb48?ncid=engmodushpmg00000003) who yelled, “All faggots need to die and we’re going to make sure they do”. - On April 30th, 2017, A [white man shot 7 black and latino people at a pool party in San Diego, CA, killing Monique Clark, a mother of three, allowing the white partygoers to leave.](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2017/05/01/police-8-shot-during-san-diego-pool-party-suspect-dead/101143266/) San Diego Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman said just one day after the shooting that there was "zero information" that race contributed to the attack. (Navy Lt. j.g. Lauren Chapman, one of the attendees of the party, said she felt "heartbreak" at the police's dismissal of this motive, which witnesses say was a major factor.) The shooting received such little immediate coverage that people took to social media to blast major networks and politicians for their lack of reporting, and terror context. - On April 21, 2017, a transgender woman is [shot and killed](https://www.local10.com/news/crime/miami-dade-detectives-investigate-transgender-womans-murder) in Miami Florida. -- On April 6, 2017, A Charlotte NC store is [set on fire by an arsonist](https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article143296274.html#storylink=cpy) who leaves a warning message for the shop owner that he “did not want any refugee business owners and that they would torture the owner if they did not leave and go back to where they came from,” according to police. It was signed “White America.” +- On April 6, 2017, A Charlotte NC store is [set on fire by an arsonist](https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article143296274.html#storylink=cpy) who leaves a warning message for the shop owner that he “did not want any refugee business owners and that they would torture the owner if they did not leave and go back to where they came from,” according to police. It was signed “White America.” - On March 24, 2017, a man in Minneapolis, Minnesota, [stabbed a Somali immigrant after yelling "I hate muslims!".](https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2017/03/28/cedar-riverside-knife-attack-kelvin-porter/) - On March 22, 2017, A transgender woman is [shot and killed](https://www.wbaltv.com/article/police-investigate-shooting-of-transgender-woman/9167687) in Baltimore, Maryland. -- On March 20, 2017, Timothy Caughman, a black 66-year-old man, was collecting cans for recycling in Manhattan, New York City when James Harris Jackson, a white 28-year-old, allegedly approached him and stabbed him [multiple times with a sword, killing him](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stabbing_of_Timothy_Caughman). Jackson subsequently turned himself in to police custody and confirmed that he traveled from Maryland to New York with the intention of killing black men in order to prevent white women from having interracial relationships with them.[1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stabbing_of_Timothy_Caughman) +- On March 20, 2017, Timothy Caughman, a black 66-year-old man, was collecting cans for recycling in Manhattan, New York City when James Harris Jackson, a white 28-year-old, allegedly approached him and stabbed him [multiple times with a sword, killing him](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stabbing_of_Timothy_Caughman). Jackson subsequently turned himself in to police custody and confirmed that he traveled from Maryland to New York with the intention of killing black men in order to prevent white women from having interracial relationships with them.[1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stabbing_of_Timothy_Caughman) - On March 12, 2017, [arsonists set fire to an Islamic center in Ypsilanti, Michigan.](http://www.arabamericannews.com/2017/03/12/fire-at-ypsilanti-mosque-possibly-a-hate-crime/) - On March 3, 2017, [A Sikh man is shot and injured in front of his Seattle house by a white man waring a mask, who yells at him to “go back to your country!”](https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/03/05/518637650/sikh-man-shot-outside-his-seattle-home-told-to-go-back-to-your-own-country) -- On March 1, 2017, a transgender woman is [stabbed to death](https://www.cnn.com/2017/03/02/us/new-orleans-transgender-homicides/index.html) in New Orleans, LA. +- On March 1, 2017, a transgender woman is [stabbed to death](https://www.cnn.com/2017/03/02/us/new-orleans-transgender-homicides/index.html) in New Orleans, LA. - On Feb 28, 2017 [arsonists set fire to a mosque in Toronto, Canada.](https://news.vice.com/en_ca/article/4349qw/fire-at-toronto-mosque-raises-concerns-over-spike-in-hate-crimes) - February 26, 2017, a transgender woman is [shot and killed](https://www.mic.com/articles/169646/new-orleans-transgender-woman-chyna-gibson-shot-and-killed#.162EYeiRi) in New Orleans, LA. - On Feb 22, 2017, white US navy veteran Adam Purington, [shot and killed 1 Indian man and wounded another](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_Olathe,_Kansas_shooting), whom he had mistaken for Iranians, at a restaurant in Olathe, Kansas. He yelled, "get out of my country" and "[terrorist](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrorist)" before firing. A third man, Ian Grillot, was wounded after he came to the two men's aid. [1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_Olathe,_Kansas_shooting) @@ -66,27 +67,30 @@ - On August 19, 2015, Scott Leader, 38, and his brother, Steve Leader, 30, [attacked a homeless man in Boston who they wrongly believed to be an undocumented immigrant.](https://www.cnn.com/2015/08/20/politics/donald-trump-immigration-boston-beating/) “Donald Trump was right,” they told police, after beating the man with a metal pipe and then urinating on him. “All these illegals need to be deported.” - On July 23rd, 2015, John Russell Houser, a far-right former bar owner, [shot and killed two people and injured nine others](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_Lafayette_shooting) before committing suicide in a Lafayette, LA movie theater which was playing Trainwreck, due to its feminist themes and characters, as well as its lead actor's Jewish background. Houser was said to have been a misogynist and praised the actions of Adolf Hitler on online message boards, as well has having a history of arson and domestic violence. [1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_Lafayette_shooting) - On June 17, 2015, [Dylann Roof](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dylann_Roof) was inspired by the “hate facts” posted on Daily Stormer and Council of Conservative Citizens to murder nine people at a black church in Charleston, South Carolina. [1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dylann_Roof) -- On Nov 28, 2014, [A gunman in Austin, Texas, tried to burn down the Mexican consulate and fired more than 100 rounds at city buildings](https://abcnews.go.com/US/suspected-shooter-injured-targeting-buildings-austin-texas/story?id=27229703) before dying of a bullet wound. +- On Nov 28, 2014, [A gunman in Austin, Texas, tried to burn down the Mexican consulate and fired more than 100 rounds at city buildings](https://abcnews.go.com/US/suspected-shooter-injured-targeting-buildings-austin-texas/story?id=27229703) before dying of a bullet wound. - On April 13, 2014, A 73 year old neo-nazi [shot and killed three people](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overland_Park_Jewish_Community_Center_shooting) in the overland park jewish community center, a jewish retirement community in Overland park, Kansas. The shooter fired at two males, 69-year-old Dr. William Lewis Corporon and his 14-year-old grandson, Reat Griffin Underwood, who were hit by gunfire as they pulled into the parking lot inside their car. Corporon died at the scene of a [shotgun](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shotgun) wound to the head, while Underwood died of handgun wounds at a hospital. [1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overland_Park_Jewish_Community_Center_shooting) - On August 5, 2012, a [massacre](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisconsin_Sikh_temple_shooting) took place at the [gurdwara](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gurdwara) ([Sikh](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikhism) temple) in [Oak Creek, Wisconsin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oak_Creek,_Wisconsin), where 40-year-old Wade Michael Page fatally shot six people and wounded four others. Page committed suicide by shooting himself in the head after he was shot in the stomach by a responding police officer. Page was a member of the [hammerskins](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammerskins), a white nationalist neo-nazi group. Apart from the shooter, all of the dead were members of the [Sikh](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikh) faith. [1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisconsin_Sikh_temple_shooting) -- In May 2012, members of the US national socialist movement, and white supremacists lead by [Craig Cobb](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craig_Cobb) attempted a takeover Leith, a tiny rural town in North Dakota. He published names, photos and addresses of town members and their families, invoking the first amendment when anyone opposed him. The town lived in perpetual fear until he was arrested for terrorizing them with firearms, which after a plea deal was struck that let him off the hook. The affair is shown in the documentary [Welcome to Leith (2015)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welcome_to_Leith). -- On Dec 6th, 2011, two members of the FEAR militia (Forever Enduring, Always Ready), consisting of soldiers stationed at Fort Stewart, Georgia, [killed two people in an attempt to prevent them from revealing their plans to the public.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FEAR_(terrorist_group)) These included bombing a dam and poison apple orchards in Washington State, sesettingt off explosives in Forsyth Park in Savannah, Georgia, and assassinating President Barack Obama. +- In May 2012, members of the US national socialist movement, and white supremacists lead by [Craig Cobb](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craig_Cobb) attempted a takeover Leith, a tiny rural town in North Dakota. He published names, photos and addresses of town members and their families, invoking the first amendment when anyone opposed him. The town lived in perpetual fear until he was arrested for terrorizing them with firearms, which after a plea deal was struck that let him off the hook. The affair is shown in the documentary [Welcome to Leith (2015)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welcome_to_Leith). +- On Dec 6th, 2011, two members of the FEAR militia (Forever Enduring, Always Ready), consisting of soldiers stationed at Fort Stewart, Georgia, [killed two people in an attempt to prevent them from revealing their plans to the public.]() These included bombing a dam and poison apple orchards in Washington State, sesettingt off explosives in Forsyth Park in Savannah, Georgia, and assassinating President Barack Obama. - In Oct 2011, [white supremacist david pederson killed 4 people](https://katu.com/news/local/white-supremacist-pleads-guilty-in-nw-killing-rampage) along the Oregon coast. - On June 10th, 2009, 89-year-old [white supremacist](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_supremacist) and holocaust denier [James Wenneker von Brunn](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_von_Brunn) entered the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. with a rifle and [killed a security guard.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Holocaust_Memorial_Museum_shooting) [1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Holocaust_Memorial_Museum_shooting) - On May 30, 2009, 3 members of the Arizona Minutemen (a right-wing nativist constitutionalist group) [broke in and murdered 29-year-old Raul Flores, Jr., and his daughter, 9-year-old Brisenia Ylianna Flores.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murders_of_Raul_and_Brisenia_Flores#Minutemen_American_Defense) -- On Jan 21st, 2009, self-proclaimed white supremacist [Keith Luke of Brockton murdered Selma Goncalves, 22, and Arlindo Goncalves, 72, and injured another.](http://www.tauntongazette.com/x776197967/GUILTY-Keith-Luke-convicted-of-2009-Brockton-murder-rampage) Luke confessed to police during a videotaped interview that he committed the crimes because he wanted to kill “non-whites.” +- On Jan 21st, 2009, self-proclaimed white supremacist [Keith Luke of Brockton murdered Selma Goncalves, 22, and Arlindo Goncalves, 72, and injured another.](http://www.tauntongazette.com/x776197967/GUILTY-Keith-Luke-convicted-of-2009-Brockton-murder-rampage) Luke confessed to police during a videotaped interview that he committed the crimes because he wanted to kill “non-whites.” - On July 4th weekend, 1999, Benjamin Smith, a member of the neo-nazi world church of the creator, [killed 3 people and wounded 10 more](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Nathaniel_Smith) in drive by shootings, then committed suicide. He targeted Jews, black people, and Asians. [1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Nathaniel_Smith) -- On June 18th, 1984, [Alan Berg](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Berg), A jewish talk show host was shot to death as he stepped out of his car into his driveway, by members of [The Order](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Order_\(white_supremacist_group\)), a white supremacist terrorist group. -- The [16th Street Baptist Church bombing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/16th_Street_Baptist_Church_bombing) was an act of white supremacist terrorism which occurred at the African American 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, on Sunday, September 15, 1963, when four members of the Ku Klux Klan planted at least 15 sticks of dynamite attached to a timing device beneath the steps located on the east side of the church. The explosion at the church killed four girls and injured 22 others. +- On June 18th, 1984, [Alan Berg](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Berg), A jewish talk show host was shot to death as he stepped out of his car into his driveway, by members of [The Order](), a white supremacist terrorist group. +- The [16th Street Baptist Church bombing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/16th_Street_Baptist_Church_bombing) was an act of white supremacist terrorism which occurred at the African American 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, on Sunday, September 15, 1963, when four members of the Ku Klux Klan planted at least 15 sticks of dynamite attached to a timing device beneath the steps located on the east side of the church. The explosion at the church killed four girls and injured 22 others. - The [Tulsa race riot](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulsa_race_riot), sometimes referred to as the Tulsa massacre, Tulsa pogrom,or Tulsa race riot of 1921, took place on May 31 and June 1, 1921, when a mob of white citizens attacked residents and businesses of the African-American community of Greenwood in Tulsa, Oklahoma.[1] This is considered one of the worst incidents of racial violence in the history of the United States.[11] The attack, carried out on the ground and by air, destroyed more than 35 blocks of the district, at the time the wealthiest black community in the U.S. -- The [East St. Louis riots](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_St._Louis_Race_Riots), or East St. Louis massacres, of late May and July 1-3, 1917 were an outbreak of labor- and race-related violence by whites that caused the death of 40-250 black people and approximately $400,000 (over $8 million, in 2017 US Dollars) in property damage. An estimated 6,000 black people were left homeless. The events took place in and near East St. Louis, Illinois, an industrial city on the east bank of the Mississippi River across from St. Louis, Missouri. The July 1917 riot was marked by white-led violence throughout the city. These events have been described as the worst case of labor-related violence in 20th-century American history, and among the worst race riots in U.S. history. +- The [East St. Louis riots](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_St._Louis_Race_Riots), or East St. Louis massacres, of late May and July 1-3, 1917 were an outbreak of labor- and race-related violence by whites that caused the death of 40-250 black people and approximately $400,000 (over $8 million, in 2017 US Dollars) in property damage. An estimated 6,000 black people were left homeless. The events took place in and near East St. Louis, Illinois, an industrial city on the east bank of the Mississippi River across from St. Louis, Missouri. The July 1917 riot was marked by white-led violence throughout the city. These events have been described as the worst case of labor-related violence in 20th-century American history, and among the worst race riots in U.S. history. ## Anti-Women -- Right wing extremists have [bombed at least 41 abortion clinics since 1977.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-abortion_violence#United_States) According to statistics gathered by the National Abortion Federation (NAF), an organization of abortion providers, since 1977 in the United States and Canada, there have been 17 attempted murders, 383 death threats, 153 incidents of assault or battery, 13 wounded, 100 butyric acid stink bomb attacks, 373 physical invasions, 41 bombings, 655 anthrax threats, and 3 kidnappings committed against abortion providers. Between 1997 and 1990 77 death threats were made with 250 made between 1991 and 1999. [2](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/11/29/us/30abortion-clinic-violence.html) [3](https://prochoice.org/education-and-advocacy/violence/violence-statistics-and-history/) + +- Right wing extremists have [bombed at least 41 abortion clinics since 1977.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-abortion_violence#United_States) According to statistics gathered by the National Abortion Federation (NAF), an organization of abortion providers, since 1977 in the United States and Canada, there have been 17 attempted murders, 383 death threats, 153 incidents of assault or battery, 13 wounded, 100 butyric acid stink bomb attacks, 373 physical invasions, 41 bombings, 655 anthrax threats, and 3 kidnappings committed against abortion providers. Between 1997 and 1990 77 death threats were made with 250 made between 1991 and 1999. [2](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/11/29/us/30abortion-clinic-violence.html) [3](https://prochoice.org/education-and-advocacy/violence/violence-statistics-and-history/) + --- + - On november 5th, 2018, An involuntary celibate (incel) / Far right misogynist [shot and killed two women at a yoga studio in Tallahasee Florida.](https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/davidmack/tallahassee-yoga-shooter-incel-far-right-misogyny-video) He railed against women, black people, and immigrants in a series of online videos and songs. He had a history of sexual assault on the FSU campus, but prosecutors had dropped charges in two of the cases. - On Nov 27, 2015, [Anti-Abortion Evangelical Robert Lewis Dear Jr. shot and killed 3 people, and injured another 9 at a Colorado Springs planned parenthood center.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorado_Springs_Planned_Parenthood_shooting) -- On May 31st, 2009, [George Tiller, a physician from Wichita, Kansas who was nationally known for being one of the few doctors in the United States to perform late-term abortions, was murdered by Scott Roeder, an anti-abortion extremist.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_George_Tiller) Tiller was killed during a Sunday morning service at his church, Reformation Lutheran Church, where he was serving as an usher. +- On May 31st, 2009, [George Tiller, a physician from Wichita, Kansas who was nationally known for being one of the few doctors in the United States to perform late-term abortions, was murdered by Scott Roeder, an anti-abortion extremist.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_George_Tiller) Tiller was killed during a Sunday morning service at his church, Reformation Lutheran Church, where he was serving as an usher. - On July 27, 2008, a politically motivated fatal shooting took place at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. Motivated by a desire to kill liberals and Democrats, [gunman Jim David Adkisson fired a shotgun at members of the congregation during a youth performance of a musical, killing two people and wounding seven others.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knoxville_Unitarian_Universalist_church_shooting) After his arrest, he said that he was motivated by hatred of Democrats, liberals, African Americans and homosexuals. - In late 2001, [white supremacist Mark Stroman shot and killed two convenience store clerks he believed to be Arab.](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/jul/21/texas-executes-911-revenge-killer) Before he was executed, he stated, "Even though I lay on this gurney, seconds away from my death, I am at total peace," he said. He called himself "still a proud American, Texas loud, Texas proud". "God bless America. God bless everyone,", he added. @@ -96,10 +100,8 @@ - On October 1st, 2017, 64-year-old Stephen Paddock opened fire on a crowd of concertgoers at the Route 91 Harvest music festival on the Las Vegas Strip in Nevada, [killing 58 people and injuring another 546](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_Las_Vegas_shooting), after firing more than 1,100 rounds from his suite on the 32nd floor of the nearby Mandalay Bay hotel. About an hour after Paddock fired his last shot into the crowd of 22,000, he was found dead in his room from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. His motive is unknown. The incident is the deadliest mass shooting committed by an individual in the United States.[1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_Las_Vegas_shooting) - [The Oklahoma City bombing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma_City_bombing) was a domestic terrorist truck bombing on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building[1] in downtown Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States on April 19, 1995. Perpetrated by Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, the bombing happened at 9:02am and killed at least 168 people,[2] injured more than 680 others, and destroyed one-third of the building.[3] The blast destroyed or damaged 324 other buildings within a 16-block radius, shattered glass in 258 nearby buildings, and destroyed or burned 86 cars, causing an estimated $652 million worth of damage. - ## Sources / Starting points - https://www.reddit.com/r/BlackPeopleTwitter/comments/9r45is/new_history_whats_dat/e8e1n6g/ - https://www.reddit.com/r/BlackPeopleTwitter/comments/9r45is/new_history_whats_dat/e8eo670/ - https://theintercept.com/2018/10/27/here-is-a-list-of-far-right-attackers-trump-inspired-cesar-sayoc-wasnt-the-first-and-wont-be-the-last/ - diff --git a/why_not_signal.md b/why_not_signal.md index 67cc925..d5e9800 100644 --- a/why_not_signal.md +++ b/why_not_signal.md @@ -5,36 +5,36 @@ - [Why not Signal?](#why-not-signal) - * [The Problem](#the-problem) - * [Enter Signal](#enter-signal) - * [What's wrong with Signal?](#whats-wrong-with-signal) - + [CIA Funding](#cia-funding) + - [The Problem](#the-problem) + - [Enter Signal](#enter-signal) + - [What's wrong with Signal?](#whats-wrong-with-signal) + - [CIA Funding](#cia-funding) - [CIA → RFA → OTF → Signal](#cia-%E2%86%92-rfa-%E2%86%92-otf-%E2%86%92-signal) - + [A Single, Centralized, US-based service](#a-single-centralized-us-based-service) + - [A Single, Centralized, US-based service](#a-single-centralized-us-based-service) - [National Security Letters (NSLs)](#national-security-letters-nsls) - + [Phone # Identifiers](#phone--identifiers) - + [Social network graphs](#social-network-graphs) - + [Abandonment of Open source](#abandonment-of-open-source) - + [Bundling a Cryptocurrency](#bundling-a-cryptocurrency) - + [Others](#others) - * [What makes a good messaging platform?](#what-makes-a-good-messaging-platform) - + [End-to-end encrypted](#end-to-end-encrypted) - + [Open Source](#open-source) - + [Self hosted](#self-hosted) - + [Federated](#federated) - + [No required linkable identifiers](#no-required-linkable-identifiers) - * [Bad Alternatives](#bad-alternatives) - * [Good Alternatives](#good-alternatives) - + [Matrix](#matrix) + - [Phone # Identifiers](#phone--identifiers) + - [Social network graphs](#social-network-graphs) + - [Abandonment of Open source](#abandonment-of-open-source) + - [Bundling a Cryptocurrency](#bundling-a-cryptocurrency) + - [Others](#others) + - [What makes a good messaging platform?](#what-makes-a-good-messaging-platform) + - [End-to-end encrypted](#end-to-end-encrypted) + - [Open Source](#open-source) + - [Self hosted](#self-hosted) + - [Federated](#federated) + - [No required linkable identifiers](#no-required-linkable-identifiers) + - [Bad Alternatives](#bad-alternatives) + - [Good Alternatives](#good-alternatives) + - [Matrix](#matrix) - [Caveats of federation: Metadata leaking](#caveats-of-federation-metadata-leaking) - + [XMPP](#xmpp) + - [XMPP](#xmpp) - [Caveats](#caveats) - + [Briar](#briar) + - [Briar](#briar) - [Caveats](#caveats-1) - + [Jitsi](#jitsi) - + [SimpleX](#simplex) + - [Jitsi](#jitsi) + - [SimpleX](#simplex) - [Caveats](#simplex-caveats) - * [Conclusions](#conclusions) + - [Conclusions](#conclusions) @@ -44,11 +44,11 @@ About me: While I'm no cryptography expert, I'm a software developer with 10+ ye ## The Problem -After the [global surveillance disclosures of 2013](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_surveillance_disclosures_(2013%E2%80%93present)), finding a secure messaging platform to replace text messages became an imperative for all activists. It was found that US, Canadian, UK, Australian, and New Zealand intelligence agencies (the ["Five Eyes"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Eyes)), along with US tech giants like Facebook, Apple, Google, and Microsoft, were collecting and forwarding email, text, voice, and video chats to governments, **without any warrant required.** +After the [global surveillance disclosures of 2013](), finding a secure messaging platform to replace text messages became an imperative for all activists. It was found that US, Canadian, UK, Australian, and New Zealand intelligence agencies (the ["Five Eyes"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Eyes)), along with US tech giants like Facebook, Apple, Google, and Microsoft, were collecting and forwarding email, text, voice, and video chats to governments, **without any warrant required.** -Western governments created a worldwide system of surveillance that *even their own citizens and allies* could seemingly not escape from. +Western governments created a worldwide system of surveillance that _even their own citizens and allies_ could seemingly not escape from. -It was also long known that communications within walled gardens like Facebook or Gmail were not secure, so many players around this time began to develop secure messaging alternatives. +It was also long known that communications within walled gardens like Facebook or Gmail were not secure, so many players around this time began to develop secure messaging alternatives. ## Enter Signal @@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ Until a few years ago, it was seen as an underdog, and the best secure alternati In January 2021, after WhatsApp, the most popular messaging app in the world, became acquired by Facebook, and announced its sharing of data with its new parent, [Signal became the top downloaded app in > 70 countries.](https://archive.is/NdCxm) -Signal's exploding popularity among messaging apps, has lead many activists to re-open signal's case, and consider why a "secure" yet popular platform has garnered little to no response from US government officials. +Signal's exploding popularity among messaging apps, has lead many activists to re-open signal's case, and consider why a "secure" yet popular platform has garnered little to no response from US government officials. As it turns out, the US government was (and possibly remains) itself a primary funder of Signal. @@ -80,35 +80,35 @@ The Radio Free agencies underwent a public re-branding in the early 1990s, but [ > > It was only after Radio Free Asia's transmitters were operating, according to sources familiar with the case, that the C.I.A. realized that there were almost no radio receivers in private hands in mainland China. An emergency plan was drawn up. Balloons, holding small radios tuned to Radio Free Asia's frequency, were lofted toward the mainland from the island of Taiwan, where the Chinese Nationalists had fled after the Communist takeover of the mainland in 1949. The plan was abandoned when the balloons were blown back to Taiwan across the Formosa Strait. -What Allen Weinstein, one of the founders of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), another US "human rights" regime change org said of his organization applies equally to the Open Technology fund: “A lot of what we do today was done covertly 25 years ago by the CIA.” +What Allen Weinstein, one of the founders of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), another US "human rights" regime change org said of his organization applies equally to the Open Technology fund: “A lot of what we do today was done covertly 25 years ago by the CIA.” -The fund is designated to: ["support open technologies and communities that increase free expression, circumvent censorship, and obstruct repressive surveillance as a way to promote human rights and open societies."](https://www.opentech.fund/about/values-principles/) +The fund is designated to: ["support open technologies and communities that increase free expression, circumvent censorship, and obstruct repressive surveillance as a way to promote human rights and open societies."](https://www.opentech.fund/about/values-principles/) One should question the commitment of a fund that dedicates itself to "obstructing surveillance", while being created by a government who runs the most **expansive surveillance system in world history**. And how the US might define the terms "human rights", and "open society" differently from those who know the US's history in those areas. Its a clear case of US government funding projects with the goal of either co-opting them, as in Signal's case, or absorbing them entirely; in essence, subverting the goals of privacy advocates and developers, by offering them the funding that no one else will provide: as long as they play ball with US interests. -Signal could very well be another Crypto AG-style [honeypot](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honeypot_(computing)): the Swiss company which provided secure communications services to ~120 governments throughout the 20th century, and was [secretly ran by the CIA and West German Intelligence.](https://archive.is/va2l7) +Signal could very well be another Crypto AG-style [honeypot](): the Swiss company which provided secure communications services to ~120 governments throughout the 20th century, and was [secretly ran by the CIA and West German Intelligence.](https://archive.is/va2l7) --- Signal's use luckily never caught on by the general public of China (or the Hong Kong Administrative region), whose government prefers autonomy, rather than letting US tech control its communication platforms, as most of the rest of the world naively allows. (For example, India's most popular social media apps, are Facebook and Youtube, meaning that US surveillance giants own and control the everyday communications of a country much larger than their own). Signal instead became used by US and western activists, and due to the contradictions of surveillance capitalism, also now its general populace. -However this is no case of [blowback](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blowback_(intelligence)), [Marlinspike's confused and useful idiot politics aside](https://lemmygrad.ml/pictrs/image/n9o9bNI6gp.jpg); Signal's other deficiencies mean that there are less impediments to US government surveillance over it than previously thought, and make its claims to being "secure", questionable. +However this is no case of [blowback](), [Marlinspike's confused and useful idiot politics aside](https://lemmygrad.ml/pictrs/image/n9o9bNI6gp.jpg); Signal's other deficiencies mean that there are less impediments to US government surveillance over it than previously thought, and make its claims to being "secure", questionable. As the above article states, after Yasha Levine wrote an article exposing Signal's funding sources, the [RFA tried to do damage control on Signal's behalf,](https://archive.is/Rz6Qa) in the hope that Signal would maintain good relations with its open source supporters, and remain a viable "privacy-oriented" alternative. Libby Liu, president of Radio Free Asia stated: -> Our primary interest is to make sure the extended OTF network and the Internet Freedom community are not spooked by the [Yasha Levine's] article (no pun intended). Fortunately all the major players in the community are together in Valencia this week - and report out from there indicates they remain comfortable with OTF/RFA. +> Our primary interest is to make sure the extended OTF network and the Internet Freedom community are not spooked by the [Yasha Levine's] article (no pun intended). Fortunately all the major players in the community are together in Valencia this week - and report out from there indicates they remain comfortable with OTF/RFA. Clearly the US government was interested in Signal's continued use and expansion. -The reason the US government hasn't tried to block or hinder Signal, *is because it's satisfied with the amount of information Signal can provide to it.* +The reason the US government hasn't tried to block or hinder Signal, _is because it's satisfied with the amount of information Signal can provide to it._ ### A Single, Centralized, US-based service #### National Security Letters (NSLs) -The US has an [interesting law](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_security_letter) that applies to *any US company* operating within its borders: it is **illegal to tell your users that the the US government has asked your company to spy on their behalf.** This is called a [key disclosure law](https://www.privacyguides.org/providers/#kdl), and the US's version of it, called [National Security Letters](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_security_letter), underwent an expansion with the PATRIOT act. +The US has an [interesting law](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_security_letter) that applies to _any US company_ operating within its borders: it is **illegal to tell your users that the the US government has asked your company to spy on their behalf.** This is called a [key disclosure law](https://www.privacyguides.org/providers/#kdl), and the US's version of it, called [National Security Letters](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_security_letter), underwent an expansion with the PATRIOT act. Companies that don't comply with this law, [such as Lavabit, are forced to shut themselves down in protest, in order to avoid prison time](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spW0q-g2BxU), or remain open, and funnel user communications to the US government. The Signal foundation is a US domiciled company, and must comply with this law. @@ -118,13 +118,13 @@ This means that all of Signal's data is centralized and controlled **by a single The centralization of Signal's data, means that it most likely has been issued an NSL letter, along with every other centralized messaging company domiciled in the US. While it's impossible for us to know for certain, its also illegal for the founders to disclose that. For a threat analysis, we should assume the worst, especially for such a popular app. -This could account for many Signal developers' characterization of [Marlinspike as being paranoid, and a control-freak](https://archive.is/NdCxm) when it comes to some of Signal's administration. Marlinspike could face real prison time if this information were *even accidentally* made public. +This could account for many Signal developers' characterization of [Marlinspike as being paranoid, and a control-freak](https://archive.is/NdCxm) when it comes to some of Signal's administration. Marlinspike could face real prison time if this information were _even accidentally_ made public. In a time where nearly all new messaging platforms are using the self-hosted+federation model, [Marlinspike came out staunchly in favor of centralization](https://signal.org/blog/the-ecosystem-is-moving/), and refused to consider federation when asked by the developers of Matrix, a federated messaging protocol, on the grounds that it would slow down feature development. [Their response is here](https://matrix.org/blog/2020/01/02/on-privacy-versus-freedom). Like many of Apple's adherents who were utterly convinced of Apple's commitment to privacy, and "felt" that privacy in their gut (until [evidence was made public showing the contrary long after the fact](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/06/us-tech-giants-nsa-data)), Signal adherents base their "trust" in Signal on completely unrelated factors, such as Signal's clean UI, or Marlinspike himself: factors which have nothing to do with privacy, and **aren't falsifiable or testable.** -The evidence for or against the "privacy" of centralized services is **always circumstantial**, because ultimately we can never know what code the server is *actually running*, or if it's been compromised by a malicious actor. The server is a black box we can't see into. +The evidence for or against the "privacy" of centralized services is **always circumstantial**, because ultimately we can never know what code the server is _actually running_, or if it's been compromised by a malicious actor. The server is a black box we can't see into. Self-hosted solutions on the other hand, have much harder reproducibility requirements to pass, because the people using and running them **know what code the server is running**: they can build it from scratch using the open source code (like a recipe). They **can** test the server to be sure of its security. As [Drew Devault said in his criticism of Signal](https://drewdevault.com/2018/08/08/Signal.html): **Truly secure systems don’t require trust**. @@ -132,17 +132,17 @@ Self-hosted solutions on the other hand, have much harder reproducibility requir If you were building a secure platform, and wanted to use an identifier, what would be the worst thing to use? **Phone numbers.** -Phone numbers in nearly every country, including the US, **are directly linked to your identity**: including your full name, social security number, and even current address. A simple reverse phone number lookup, *doable even by non law enforcement actors*, can reveal this information. +Phone numbers in nearly every country, including the US, **are directly linked to your identity**: including your full name, social security number, and even current address. A simple reverse phone number lookup, _doable even by non law enforcement actors_, can reveal this information. This is also why it's impossible for anonymous or Internet-only activists to use Signal: by giving others their phone number, they give away their full name and address. -[Privacy advocates stress that services need to minimize "linkability"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACI7zZGgi80): the less identifiers that link to your real identity, the better. Signal forgoes this requirement in favor of easy onboarding, and connecting to your existing contacts and message history. That might be acceptable for an Apple or Whatsapp, but shouldn't be for one marketing itself to activists as "secure". +[Privacy advocates stress that services need to minimize "linkability"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACI7zZGgi80): the less identifiers that link to your real identity, the better. Signal forgoes this requirement in favor of easy onboarding, and connecting to your existing contacts and message history. That might be acceptable for an Apple or Whatsapp, but shouldn't be for one marketing itself to activists as "secure". Signal also allows you to be discoverable via your phone number, without your consent. Law enforcement officials frequently add the phone numbers of suspects, or groups of suspects to their own signal app, and signal will happily tell them which of their suspects are using signal. ### Social network graphs -Signal's E2EE protocol means that, most likely, message _content_ between persons is secure. But third parties often care more about *metadata*, than actual content, since they don't have time to manually read through the messages anyway to construct meaning. +Signal's E2EE protocol means that, most likely, message _content_ between persons is secure. But third parties often care more about _metadata_, than actual content, since they don't have time to manually read through the messages anyway to construct meaning. Signals database, which we must assume is compromised due to its centralized and US domiciled nature, has a few important pieces of data; @@ -159,11 +159,11 @@ Some Signal advocates have pointed out that signal implements [sealed sender](ht ### Abandonment of Open source -While Signal's apps and server source code *purport* to be open source, in reality signal has been slow to update them. [In April 2021, signal outraged the open-source community by going a **whole year** without publishing their server code updates.](https://www.androidpolice.com/2021/04/06/it-looks-like-signal-isnt-as-open-source-as-you-thought-it-was-anymore/) After the outcry, signal *finally* updated their server code to appease the open source community, but it left a sour taste in everyone's mouths. +While Signal's apps and server source code _purport_ to be open source, in reality signal has been slow to update them. [In April 2021, signal outraged the open-source community by going a **whole year** without publishing their server code updates.](https://www.androidpolice.com/2021/04/06/it-looks-like-signal-isnt-as-open-source-as-you-thought-it-was-anymore/) After the outcry, signal _finally_ updated their server code to appease the open source community, but it left a sour taste in everyone's mouths. ### Bundling a Cryptocurrency -Recently, [Signal has been attempting to integrate a cryptocurrency called MobileCoin, into the app itself.](https://cointelegraph.com/news/signal-under-fire-over-mobilecoin-partnership) What a messaging platform has to do with an obscure cryptocurrency is a little vague; but there is probably some [money driving this](https://www.coindesk.com/tech/2021/04/09/signal-founder-may-have-been-more-than-a-tech-adviser-to-mobilecoin/). This "feature" [caused outrage among users.](https://www.reddit.com/r/signal/comments/mm8w44/i_shouldnt_have/) +Recently, [Signal has been attempting to integrate a cryptocurrency called MobileCoin, into the app itself.](https://cointelegraph.com/news/signal-under-fire-over-mobilecoin-partnership) What a messaging platform has to do with an obscure cryptocurrency is a little vague; but there is probably some [money driving this](https://www.coindesk.com/tech/2021/04/09/signal-founder-may-have-been-more-than-a-tech-adviser-to-mobilecoin/). This "feature" [caused outrage among users.](https://www.reddit.com/r/signal/comments/mm8w44/i_shouldnt_have/) ### Others @@ -181,7 +181,7 @@ The source code for both the server, and client applications should be out in th ### Self hosted -A messaging platform should be able to be run in an **entirely private manner**, controlled only by the person who has downloaded its software. That person should also be able to build the project from its original source code, ensuring that nothing nefarious was inserted. +A messaging platform should be able to be run in an **entirely private manner**, controlled only by the person who has downloaded its software. That person should also be able to build the project from its original source code, ensuring that nothing nefarious was inserted. Having full control over your data is extremely important, especially for activists who want to avoid malicious 3rd parties. @@ -197,7 +197,7 @@ The less identifiers a database has, such as your real name, email, and phone nu ## Bad Alternatives -The obvious offenders are those companies that have already signed up to the NSA's [PRISM](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PRISM_(surveillance_program)) program. Their applications include Facebook and its messenger, Whatsapp, Instagram, Skype, Microsoft teams, Gmail, Youtube, Apple messages, and cell carrier text and voice calling. +The obvious offenders are those companies that have already signed up to the NSA's [PRISM]() program. Their applications include Facebook and its messenger, Whatsapp, Instagram, Skype, Microsoft teams, Gmail, Youtube, Apple messages, and cell carrier text and voice calling. Other disqualified alternatives include US domiciled companies or those with centralized servers, including Signal, Discord, Slack, Zoom, Telegram, Threema, Snapchat, Viber, Line, Twitter, and Reddit. @@ -211,7 +211,7 @@ The platforms below are my recommendations, and this is by no means exhaustive. ### Matrix -[Matrix](https://matrix.org/) is a self-hostable, federated messaging platform, that within the past few years has come into maturity. Due to its open standard, multiple clients, support for large group chats, and encryption-first design, many are hailing it as the successor to email, and the future of secure communication. +[Matrix](https://matrix.org/) is a self-hostable, federated messaging platform, that within the past few years has come into maturity. Due to its open standard, multiple clients, support for large group chats, and encryption-first design, many are hailing it as the successor to email, and the future of secure communication. Its main client, [Element](https://element.io/), has a web app, and full-featured android and iOS apps. @@ -223,7 +223,7 @@ As a testament to its reliability and long-term support, Matrix is even being ad When using federation, Matrix's room states (containing a lot of Metadata) get replicated and stored indefinitely on every homeserver any user connects with or connects to. While this is a feature for enabling distributed chat rooms, it comes at a serious privacy cost. -To avoid this, you can either disable federation, or make sure that your users signed up with **no linkable identifiers** other than their user names. +To avoid this, you can either disable federation, or make sure that your users signed up with **no linkable identifiers** other than their user names. ### XMPP @@ -260,9 +260,8 @@ Briar is newer, and lacks too many features to be usable for large organizations ## Conclusions -I've outlined here why it's imperative that activist communities migrate away from Signal. We shouldn't be daunted by the inertia that seems to plague general adoption of new chat applications; if our organizations are disciplined enough, and care enough about secure communications, moving to them should be made a priority. +I've outlined here why it's imperative that activist communities migrate away from Signal. We shouldn't be daunted by the inertia that seems to plague general adoption of new chat applications; if our organizations are disciplined enough, and care enough about secure communications, moving to them should be made a priority. We must be adaptable and versatile: If in the future, new, more secure alternatives can be found, they should be investigated and considered as alternatives. We need to take control of our communications, and stop letting US tech companies handle it for us. - diff --git a/why_torrents_are_better.md b/why_torrents_are_better.md index 9bf45cb..9ebabaa 100644 --- a/why_torrents_are_better.md +++ b/why_torrents_are_better.md @@ -10,8 +10,8 @@ Instead of using plex or emby, consider using a dedicated torrent server, and to ## Amount of Content -- The content on streaming services are limited to what you *specifically* have downloaded. This can never match the hundreds of thousands of torrents being shared by people across the globe. Search sites like [Torrents.csv](https://torrents-csv.ml/) have often faster searching than self-hosted solutions (and you can self host the searching if you wish). -- Which is better, having a collection of *my music*, or having a collection of *all music*? +- The content on streaming services are limited to what you _specifically_ have downloaded. This can never match the hundreds of thousands of torrents being shared by people across the globe. Search sites like [Torrents.csv](https://torrents-csv.ml/) have often faster searching than self-hosted solutions (and you can self host the searching if you wish). +- Which is better, having a collection of _my music_, or having a collection of _all music_? ## Choice of media player @@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ Instead of using plex or emby, consider using a dedicated torrent server, and to ## Ease of use -- Streaming servers require you to set up a web server, often requiring you to learn nginx / apache, as well as follow various setup processes for the services themselves. This is understandable for some tech-oriented people, but what about a non-techie, who just likes music / movies? Why should they be required to learn these tools? +- Streaming servers require you to set up a web server, often requiring you to learn nginx / apache, as well as follow various setup processes for the services themselves. This is understandable for some tech-oriented people, but what about a non-techie, who just likes music / movies? Why should they be required to learn these tools? - Content should be available **for all**, regardless of technical skill, or ability. - Downloading a torrent, and enjoying the media, involves: - Clicking a download magnet link. Wait for it to finish. @@ -37,9 +37,8 @@ Instead of using plex or emby, consider using a dedicated torrent server, and to ## Caching / Saving / Streaming -- Many of us don't have data, or are often in areas where data is spotty. - - Its often a *feature* of services like plex to be able to save media locally, to avoid this problem. This is default with torrents. -- Torrent clients like qbittorrent and libretorrent for android let you *download files in sequential order*, IE stream, at the click of a button. +- Many of us don't have data, or are often in areas where data is spotty. + - Its often a _feature_ of services like plex to be able to save media locally, to avoid this problem. This is default with torrents. +- Torrent clients like qbittorrent and libretorrent for android let you _download files in sequential order_, IE stream, at the click of a button. - Services like [Torrents.csv](https://torrents-csv.ml) let you search for files within torrents, so you can easily download / stream individual songs. - Its your choice where things are downloaded to. You can have a desktop or server with a highly available torrent client, and/or a smartphone torrent client. - diff --git a/zak_cope_divided_favorites.md b/zak_cope_divided_favorites.md index 1c6b1fb..67ce880 100644 --- a/zak_cope_divided_favorites.md +++ b/zak_cope_divided_favorites.md @@ -2,21 +2,22 @@ ## Labour Aristocracy -The labour aristocracy is that section of the international working class whose privileged position in the lucrative job markets opened up by imperialism guarantees its receipt of wages approaching or exceeding the per capita value created by the working class as a whole. The class interests of the labour aristocracy are bound up with those of the capitalist class, such that if the latter is unable to accumulate superprofits then the super-wages of the labour aristocracy must be reduced. Today, the working class of the imperialist countries, what we may refer to as *metropolitan labour*, is entirely labour aristocratic. +The labour aristocracy is that section of the international working class whose privileged position in the lucrative job markets opened up by imperialism guarantees its receipt of wages approaching or exceeding the per capita value created by the working class as a whole. The class interests of the labour aristocracy are bound up with those of the capitalist class, such that if the latter is unable to accumulate superprofits then the super-wages of the labour aristocracy must be reduced. Today, the working class of the imperialist countries, what we may refer to as _metropolitan labour_, is entirely labour aristocratic. -The labour aristocracy provides the major vehicle for bourgeois ideological and political influence within the working class. For Lenin, "opportunism" in the labour movement is conditioned by the preponderance of two major economic factors, namely, either "vast colonial possessions or a monopolist position in world markets." These allow for ever-greater sections of the metropolitan working class to be granted super-wages so that it is not merely the *haute bourgeoisie* which subsists on profits. Thus, according to Lenin, it is not simply capitalists who benefit from imperialism: +The labour aristocracy provides the major vehicle for bourgeois ideological and political influence within the working class. For Lenin, "opportunism" in the labour movement is conditioned by the preponderance of two major economic factors, namely, either "vast colonial possessions or a monopolist position in world markets." These allow for ever-greater sections of the metropolitan working class to be granted super-wages so that it is not merely the _haute bourgeoisie_ which subsists on profits. Thus, according to Lenin, it is not simply capitalists who benefit from imperialism: -> The export of capital, one of the most essential economic bases of imperialism, still more completely isolates the rentiers from production and sets the seal of parasitism *on the whole country* that lives by exploiting the labour of several overseas countries and colonies. +> The export of capital, one of the most essential economic bases of imperialism, still more completely isolates the rentiers from production and sets the seal of parasitism _on the whole country_ that lives by exploiting the labour of several overseas countries and colonies. For Lenin, superprofits derived from imperialism allow the globally predominant bourgeoisie to pay inflated wages to sections of the (international) proletariat, who thus derive a material stake in preserving the capitalist system: > In all the civilised, advanced countries the bourgeoisie rob---either by colonial oppression or by financially extracting "gain" from formally independent weak countries---they rob a population many times larger than that of "their own" country. This is the economic factor that enables the imperialist bourgeoisie to obtain super-profits, part of which is used to bribe the top section of the proletariat and convert it into a reformist, opportunist petty bourgeoisie that fears revolution. -There are several pressing reasons why the *haute bourgeoisie* in command of the heights of the global capitalist economy pays its domestic working class super-wages, even where it is not forced to by militant trade-union struggle within the metropolis. -- *Economically*, the *embourgeoisement* of First World workers has provided oligopolies with the secure and thriving consumer markets necessary to capital's expanded reproduction. -- *Politically*, the stability of pro-imperialist polities with a working-class majority is of paramount concern to cautious investors and their representatives in government. -- *Militarily*, a pliant and/or quiescent workforce furnishes both the national chauvinist personnel required to enforce global hegemony and a secure base from which to launch the subjugation of Third World territories. -- Finally, *ideologically*, the lifestyles and cultural mores enjoyed by most First World workers signifies to the Third World not what benefits *imperialism* brings, but what capitalist industrial development and parliamentary democracy alone can achieve. +There are several pressing reasons why the _haute bourgeoisie_ in command of the heights of the global capitalist economy pays its domestic working class super-wages, even where it is not forced to by militant trade-union struggle within the metropolis. + +- _Economically_, the _embourgeoisement_ of First World workers has provided oligopolies with the secure and thriving consumer markets necessary to capital's expanded reproduction. +- _Politically_, the stability of pro-imperialist polities with a working-class majority is of paramount concern to cautious investors and their representatives in government. +- _Militarily_, a pliant and/or quiescent workforce furnishes both the national chauvinist personnel required to enforce global hegemony and a secure base from which to launch the subjugation of Third World territories. +- Finally, _ideologically_, the lifestyles and cultural mores enjoyed by most First World workers signifies to the Third World not what benefits _imperialism_ brings, but what capitalist industrial development and parliamentary democracy alone can achieve. In receiving a share of superprofits, a sometimes fraught alliance is forged between workers and capitalists in the advanced nations. As far back as 1919, the First Congress of the Communist International (COMINTERN) adopted a resolution, agreed on by all of the major leaders of the world Communist movement of the time, which read: @@ -24,27 +25,27 @@ In receiving a share of superprofits, a sometimes fraught alliance is forged bet Advocates of imperialism understood very early on that imperialism would and could provide substantial and socially pacifying benefits to the working classes in imperialist countries. Cecil Rhodes, arch-racist mining magnate, industrialist and founder of the white-settler state of Rhodesia, famously understood British democracy as equaling imperialism plus social reform: -> I was in the West End of London yesterday and attended a meeting of the unemployed. I listened to the wild speeches, which were just a cry for "bread!" "bread!" and on the way home I pondered over the scene and I became more than ever convinced of the importance of imperialism ... My cherished idea is a solution for the social problem, i.e., in order to save the inhabitants of the United Kingdom from a bloody civil war, we colonial statesmen must acquire new lands to settle the surplus population, to provide new markets for the goods produced in the factories and the mines. The Empire, as I have always said, is a bread and butter question. If you want to avoid civil war, you must become imperialists. +> I was in the West End of London yesterday and attended a meeting of the unemployed. I listened to the wild speeches, which were just a cry for "bread!" "bread!" and on the way home I pondered over the scene and I became more than ever convinced of the importance of imperialism ... My cherished idea is a solution for the social problem, i.e., in order to save the inhabitants of the United Kingdom from a bloody civil war, we colonial statesmen must acquire new lands to settle the surplus population, to provide new markets for the goods produced in the factories and the mines. The Empire, as I have always said, is a bread and butter question. If you want to avoid civil war, you must become imperialists. The late English historian Eric Hobsbawm usefully proposed that the labour aristocracy be defined in terms of the level and regularity of a worker's earnings; his degree of social security; his conditions of work, and the way he is treated by foremen and supervisors; his political and cultural relations with the social strata above and below; his general conditions of living; and his prospects of future advancement and those of his children. According to Hobsbawm, the labour aristocracy first developed in Britain between 1840 and 1890 where improved economic circumstances in the country made it possible for the ruling bourgeoisie to afford "significant concessions" to the working class---in particular, that section of the working class whose scarcity, skill, strategic position in key industries and organisational strength facilitated its political ascendancy. For Hobsbawm, the initial growth of the labour aristocracy is primarily related to the trade-union consciousness of skilled workers and their tendency towards organising according to trade rather than class. The distribution of imperialist superprofits to the metropolitan working class dissipates the cohesion of this earlier labour aristocracy since the entire working class becomes a "bribed" class. For Hobsbawm, labour aristocratic privilege in general depends upon the ability of its holders to maintain other workers in a structural position of subordination: > Only certain types of workers were in a position to make or keep their labour scarce enough, or valuable enough, to strike a good bargain. But the relatively favourable terms they got were, to a large extent, actually achieved at the expense of their less favoured colleagues; not merely at the expense of the rest of the world which British business dominated. -> +> > The majority of workers found themselves restricted from entry into the unions of the relatively prosperous workers so that, however militant in relation to their employers, the labour aristocracy was also set against the majority of the workers in securing its special labour market position. Yet this provision of higher wages to a section of the workforce rests on the bourgeoisie's ability to afford these wages---that is, upon the condition of monopoly control over superexploited labour-power. At the turn of the 20th century, the "new unionism" of Western Europe and the United States began to challenge the conservatism of the labour aristocracy and threatened the security of the capitalist system. As a means of countering this threat, more potential than actual, imperialist states began to incorporate wider swathes of core-nation workers into positions of power and privilege over the newly proletarianised workforce in the colonial and neocolonial countries by means of enfranchisement, the inculcation of jingoism and the guaranteed provision of rising living standards and working conditions. As it developed over the course of the last century, the labour aristocracy was first transformed from being a minority of skilled workers in key Imperial industries to a majority of imperialist country workers dependent on state patronage. From the First World War to the 1970s, social democratic politicians and trade-union bureaucrats were the reputable middlemen in the social partnership forged between oligopoly capital and metropolitan labour. Even as the Keynesian social contract was systematically dismantled under neoliberalism, the massive proletarianisation and superexploitation of Third World labour in the final decades of the last century provided that unprecedented standards of living and the widespread introduction of supervisory and circulatory occupations further insulated metropolitan labour from the intrinsic conflict between capital and labour. Nineteenth century restrictions imposed by labour aristocratic unions on membership for the mass of workers have today been entirely substituted for restrictions on immigration from the Third World which are national in scope and allow the maintenance of profound global wage differentials. -The development of the labour aristocracy should not be thought of as purely the result of the machinations of a ruling bourgeois strategy to maintain power. Imperialism is a particular stage in the development of capitalism relying upon the extraction of superprofits from large portions of humanity. The ability of monopoly capital to exploit labour is restricted in that its high organic composition sets limits to investment opportunities which only superexploitation can (temporarily) overcome. To maintain the influx of superprofits and, hence, overall profit rates, imperialism must ensure that the working class in the core nations of the capitalist world economy, where it constitutes the majority, does not attempt independently to reorganize production in its own interests. Through its representative political institutions, imperialism therefore aims to keep its "own" workers committed to the *status quo* whilst accumulating additional profits and enervating potential opposition by maintaining domestic division on the basis of gender, "race," religion, ethnicity and market opportunity (for example, by controlling access to cultural capital and selectively applying penal policy). +The development of the labour aristocracy should not be thought of as purely the result of the machinations of a ruling bourgeois strategy to maintain power. Imperialism is a particular stage in the development of capitalism relying upon the extraction of superprofits from large portions of humanity. The ability of monopoly capital to exploit labour is restricted in that its high organic composition sets limits to investment opportunities which only superexploitation can (temporarily) overcome. To maintain the influx of superprofits and, hence, overall profit rates, imperialism must ensure that the working class in the core nations of the capitalist world economy, where it constitutes the majority, does not attempt independently to reorganize production in its own interests. Through its representative political institutions, imperialism therefore aims to keep its "own" workers committed to the _status quo_ whilst accumulating additional profits and enervating potential opposition by maintaining domestic division on the basis of gender, "race," religion, ethnicity and market opportunity (for example, by controlling access to cultural capital and selectively applying penal policy). Yet the labour aristocracy is a kind of Golem. Induced by the imperialist bourgeoisie to protect its hegemony, as metropolitan labour's wealth and power has grown the labour aristocracy is increasingly unaccountable to its master. Within the system of imperialism, the labour aristocracy today sets economic and political limits to its repression in so far as challenging its interests necessitates either open conflict within the First World between workers and employers, or an equally coordinated but piecemeal assault on its most vulnerable, poorest and most oppressed sections. Invariably, the latter process occurs according to the ongoing historical legacy of capitalism's uneven global development. Accordingly, today's imperialist bourgeoisie attempting valiantly to staunch the flow of superprofits to its working-class junior partners whips up racism in the media, through laws and through the pronouncements of its political representatives for fear that it cannot afford the political infrastructure nor the loss of trade to less neoliberal rivals should it attempt head-on confrontation with the whole. By virtue of granting them a share in the enormous profits reaped from continual imperialist subjugation, the ruling class of the imperialist nations is able to keep its citizenry from striving to unite on a socialist basis with the superexploited nationalities. As the late US historian Bernard Semmel has correctly written, "The mere division of produce between capitalists and labourers is of very small moment when compared with the amount of produce to be divided." Greek Marxist economist, the late Arghiri Emmanuel expands upon this basic insight admirably: -> When ... the relative importance of the national exploitation from which a working class suffers through belonging to the proletariat diminishes continually as compared with that from which it benefits through belonging to a privileged nation, a moment comes when the aim of increasing the national income in absolute terms prevails over that of improving the relative share of one part of the nation over the other ... Thereafter a *de facto* united front of the workers and capitalists of the well-to-do countries, directed against the poor nations, co-exists with an internal trade-union struggle over the sharing of the loot. Under these conditions this trade-union struggle necessarily becomes more and more a sort of settlement of accounts between partners, and it is no accident that in the richest countries, such as the United States---with similar tendencies already apparent in the other big capitalist countries---militant trade-union struggle is degenerating first into trade unionism of the classic British type, then into corporatism, and finally into racketeering. +> When ... the relative importance of the national exploitation from which a working class suffers through belonging to the proletariat diminishes continually as compared with that from which it benefits through belonging to a privileged nation, a moment comes when the aim of increasing the national income in absolute terms prevails over that of improving the relative share of one part of the nation over the other ... Thereafter a _de facto_ united front of the workers and capitalists of the well-to-do countries, directed against the poor nations, co-exists with an internal trade-union struggle over the sharing of the loot. Under these conditions this trade-union struggle necessarily becomes more and more a sort of settlement of accounts between partners, and it is no accident that in the richest countries, such as the United States---with similar tendencies already apparent in the other big capitalist countries---militant trade-union struggle is degenerating first into trade unionism of the classic British type, then into corporatism, and finally into racketeering. -For Lenin, writing a century ago when this process was nowhere near its mature stage, imperialism was succeeding in creating a large proportion of "straw bosses" and labour aristocrats within the core-nation working class. "To a certain degree," he wrote, "the workers of the oppressor nations are partners of their own bourgeoisie in plundering the workers (and the mass of the population) of the oppressed nations. Politically, the difference is that, compared with the workers of the oppressed nations, they occupy a privileged position in many spheres of political life. Ideologically ... the difference is that they are taught, at school and in life, disdain and contempt for the workers of the oppressed nations." The great American scholar and progressive W.E.B. Du Bois put it even more succinctly: "the white workingman has been asked to share the spoils of exploiting 'c____ and n____'. It is no longer simply the merchant prince, or the aristocratic monopoly, or even the employing class that is exploiting the world: it is the nation; a new democratic nation composed of united capital and labor." +For Lenin, writing a century ago when this process was nowhere near its mature stage, imperialism was succeeding in creating a large proportion of "straw bosses" and labour aristocrats within the core-nation working class. "To a certain degree," he wrote, "the workers of the oppressor nations are partners of their own bourgeoisie in plundering the workers (and the mass of the population) of the oppressed nations. Politically, the difference is that, compared with the workers of the oppressed nations, they occupy a privileged position in many spheres of political life. Ideologically ... the difference is that they are taught, at school and in life, disdain and contempt for the workers of the oppressed nations." The great American scholar and progressive W.E.B. Du Bois put it even more succinctly: "the white workingman has been asked to share the spoils of exploiting 'c\_**\_ and n\_\_**'. It is no longer simply the merchant prince, or the aristocratic monopoly, or even the employing class that is exploiting the world: it is the nation; a new democratic nation composed of united capital and labor." With these definitions in mind, we can now begin our study of the labour aristocracy and its characteristic politics, both as developed historically and as existing today. @@ -67,7 +68,7 @@ In the late 19th century, the labour aristocracy consisted mainly in skilled and Compared to this "dark and vast" colonial and neocolonial working class, the white working class (the working class of imperialist nations bound by white supremacy) is prosperous indeed, a fact which ensured that social chauvinism readily incorporated racist doctrines. -The American working class was self-consciously and militantly "white" long before European workers organised around that putative identity. Indeed, not only did the racial category of "whiteness" have extra-European origins but, in the mid-late Victorian period, much of the European working class, particularly those in urban areas, was actively excluded from it. Although immigration of non-white groups proved the major catalyst for European workers' active deployment of a politicised white identity, the nature and availability of this identity is rooted in the racialised imperialist nationalism of the early 20th century. In that period there was a notable shift in emphasis from "whiteness as a bourgeois identity, connoting extraordinary qualities, to whiteness as a popularist identity connoting superiority, but also ordinariness, nation and community." Thus, from being marginal to the white identity in the 19th century, Europeans *en masse* came to adopt and adapt it in the 20th century as jingoistic state institutions conveyed racist consciousness to the working class. +The American working class was self-consciously and militantly "white" long before European workers organised around that putative identity. Indeed, not only did the racial category of "whiteness" have extra-European origins but, in the mid-late Victorian period, much of the European working class, particularly those in urban areas, was actively excluded from it. Although immigration of non-white groups proved the major catalyst for European workers' active deployment of a politicised white identity, the nature and availability of this identity is rooted in the racialised imperialist nationalism of the early 20th century. In that period there was a notable shift in emphasis from "whiteness as a bourgeois identity, connoting extraordinary qualities, to whiteness as a popularist identity connoting superiority, but also ordinariness, nation and community." Thus, from being marginal to the white identity in the 19th century, Europeans _en masse_ came to adopt and adapt it in the 20th century as jingoistic state institutions conveyed racist consciousness to the working class. In the era of imperialism, state intervention into the economy was combined with mass media enculturation and philanthropic and civic initiatives to guarantee working-class quiescence. The notion of a national community embracing decent working-class living standards and a popular sense of belonging was thereby considerably enhanced so that thoroughly racialised nationalist symbols and ideology could now be adopted and adapted for usage by the labour aristocracy. As social geographer Alastair Bonnett shows of the British case, "Welfare came wrapped in the Union Jack" and a white supremacist notion of nationality thus advanced as the ideological accompaniment of social democratic capitalism. @@ -79,7 +80,7 @@ In 1933, W.E.B. Du Bois characterized the split within the global working class > Thus the engineers and saving better-paid workers, form a new petty bourgeois class, whose interests are bound up with those of the capitalists and antagonistic to those of common labor. On the other hand, common labor in America and white Europe far from being motivated by any vision of revolt against capitalism, has been blinded by the American vision of the possibility of layer after layer of the workers escaping into the wealthy class and becoming managers and employers of labor[...]. -> The second influence on white labor both in America and Europe has been the fact that the extension of the world market by imperial expanding industry has established a worldwide new proletariat of colored workers, toiling under the worst conditions of 19th century capitalism, herded as slaves and serfs and furnishing by the lowest paid wage in modern history a mass of raw material for industry. With this largesse the capitalists have consolidated their economic power, nullified universal suffrage and bribed the white workers by high wages, visions of wealth and the opportunity to drive "n____." Soldiers and sailors from the white workers are used to keep "d____" in their "places" and white foremen and engineers have been established as irresponsible satraps in China and India, Africa and the West Indies, backed by the organized and centralized ownership of machines, raw materials, finished commodities and land monopoly over the whole world. +> The second influence on white labor both in America and Europe has been the fact that the extension of the world market by imperial expanding industry has established a worldwide new proletariat of colored workers, toiling under the worst conditions of 19th century capitalism, herded as slaves and serfs and furnishing by the lowest paid wage in modern history a mass of raw material for industry. With this largesse the capitalists have consolidated their economic power, nullified universal suffrage and bribed the white workers by high wages, visions of wealth and the opportunity to drive "n\_**\_." Soldiers and sailors from the white workers are used to keep "d\_\_**" in their "places" and white foremen and engineers have been established as irresponsible satraps in China and India, Africa and the West Indies, backed by the organized and centralized ownership of machines, raw materials, finished commodities and land monopoly over the whole world. ## ILO statistics @@ -89,11 +90,11 @@ If you make more than PPP $1.50 / hour, or ~$250 / month, then you are in the mi Also, remember that western finance capitalists aren't paying for southern labor in PPP dollars, they're paying unadjusted wages, so the surplus value extracted is **much** higher. Southern workers are working using highly mobile, 21st century capital equipment, while being paid wage levels from the 1800s. -Inflation-adjusted Average Wage Rates for male workers in 2007 | _ ---- | --- -Monthly wage for OECD workers | $2,378 -Monthly wage for non-OECD workers | $253 -Hourly wage for OECD workers | $17 -Hourly wage for non-OECD workers | $1.50 -Factoral Difference between OECD and non-OECD wages | 11 -Median Global Hourly wage | $9.25 +| Inflation-adjusted Average Wage Rates for male workers in 2007 | \_ | +| -------------------------------------------------------------- | ------ | +| Monthly wage for OECD workers | $2,378 | +| Monthly wage for non-OECD workers | $253 | +| Hourly wage for OECD workers | $17 | +| Hourly wage for non-OECD workers | $1.50 | +| Factoral Difference between OECD and non-OECD wages | 11 | +| Median Global Hourly wage | $9.25 |