Cowbee [he/they]

Actually, this town has more than enough room for the two of us

He/him or they/them, doesn’t matter too much

Marxist-Leninist ☭

Interested in Marxism-Leninism, but don’t know where to start? Check out my “Read Theory, Darn it!” introductory reading list!

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Joined 1 year ago
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Cake day: December 31st, 2023

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  • Even the harshest critics of the DPRK acknowledge that it has universal healthcare, housing, pretty much no unemployment (if any), and at this point, food. The Arduous March is over. That doesn’t mean the DPRK is a magical paradise or anything, but that’s in a state that was bombed into oblivion and was the target of genocide. If the US adopted more DPRK economic policies, then it would indeed see the improvements Yogthos listed.

    I don’t really think you’re owning anyone here, it’s just coming across as you jumping to insults when you’ve been confronted with an alternate viewpoint instead of trying to do any research or understanding. You just jump to “Marxism bad, Marxists unintelligent.”











  • My point was about the USSR being democratic, which is historically true. They held elections, decided economic decisions collectively, and extended democracy not just from the realm of deciding which bourgeois politician or party represents you to the economic and political sectors governing policy and direction. A simple “they weren’t dude” doesn’t disprove historical fact.

    Unless, of course, your parameters for deciding if something is democratic or not is decided by vibes, there’s really no reason to call it undemocratic. As an overall measure of material functions of democracy, the USSR was more democratic than the major powers of the allies and axis during World War II. They certainly had flaws with their democracy, hence the inclusion on my part of Zhenli’s essay, but these flaws weren’t because they had the “wrong recipe,” but because democracy is a material structure that needs to be built.

    As for the “tankie” jab, I’m not going to apologize for being a Marxist. I agree that they were the most important force in World War II, but I disagree with your characterization of their democracy, hence why I offered sources for you or onlookers to read into to learn more. The opening of the Soviet Archives has only affirmed these primary sources as accurate, and the Zhenli essay helps us reframe how we think about building democratic structures in general.


  • Cowbee [he/they]@lemmy.mltoWorld News@lemmy.mlDirect hit in Tel Aviv
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    8 days ago

    Iran is a flawed state, certainly, but if Israel succeeds then they will succeed in killing far more women and queer people than the Iranian state could ever hope to execute, along with cisgender folk, liberals, etc. This is pinkwashing. As a queer person myself, this type of rhetoric is just Imperialist apologia, the path to queer liberation of Iranians would be dramatically pushed backwards if Israel succeeds in destroying Iran.

    Further, yes, Iran is necessary to stop the genocide in Palestine at this moment. When Western countries are all condemning Iran and backing Israel, it is the Global South that backs Iran. Gazans are cheering, Yemeni people are watching the bombings of Tel Aviv on the big screen. Israel has been the single greatest obstacle in queer liberation in the Middle East as the fomenter of chaos, genocide, and destabilization.

    Why is it that queer liberation happens in some countries, and not others? When does it happen? Social progress is a product of economic development and liberation of the Working Class. Bombing Iran and creating a failed state would result in thousands of deaths of queer Iranians, children, and many more.

    Do some self-crit. You’re caping for Israel and advocating for the country doing the most to oppose genocide to collapse.


  • Cowbee [he/they]@lemmy.mltoWorld News@lemmy.mlDirect hit in Tel Aviv
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    8 days ago

    What would that look like? Trying to help Israel destroy Iran, allowing the US and Israel to sweep in and commit genocide against them like the US did with Iraq? The Iranian state is what currently stands between the people and utter devastation, even if that state is flawed, without it the people of Iran have no destiny to speak of. If revolution comes to Iran, it should be on Iranian terms, not on westerners whose regimes benefit from Israeli aggression against Iran.


  • A low bar it may be, but as you said in the beginning, a toppled Iran would end up like a toppled Iraq - utterly devastated and all of the flaws that existed pre-Iraq War seem like beauty marks after the genocidal US invasion.

    People need to chart their own destiny, free from terrorization backed by the US Empire. Without that pressure, social movements in Iran have more room to breathe without fearing rocket-fire from Israel.