Petite Bourgeoisie begin to side against the working class when they are being proletarianized. They have been hit hard by increasing monopolization and large businesses that can outcompete and raise the barrier to entry, and are attempting to turn the clock back. Marx’s analysis of class dynamics is extremely useful for understanding the modern world. Speaking of, I can link an intro guide to theory if anyone wants one.

I’ll address what you said in a moment, but I really do think you should read theory. If nihilism is overtaking you, in my opinion that means you have likely not properly analyzed our conditions, nor how to fix them. I keep an “introduction to Marxist theory” reading list I can link if you want.

First, no Communist is “Utopian.” Utopianism refers to the strategy of trying to figure out the right formula and directly create it, rather than analyzing existing structures and where they are headed. Communists analyze Capitalism and advocate for Socialism because Capitalism creates the conditions for Socicalism naturally, over time, by forming monopolies that can be folded into the public sector and centrally planned.

Secondly, you are making a critical misunderstanding of Communism. Communism is fully publicly owned and centrally planned. This is the entire purpose of public ownership, once you have public ownership you can plan things centrally, along democratic lines.

Thirdly, human values and thinking is guided by their social relations and material conditions. In Capitalism, a highly individualistic system filled with competition, these values are expressed at greater levels among Capital Owners. However, as it centralizes, the working class becomes more associated, and communal values are expressed at greater levels. This process has been reflected throughout all of history, from the tight-knit family structure of Feudalism to the modern era, the Mode of Production has formed the Base of society, and influenced the laws, culture, art, and so forth forming the Superstructure that reinforces the base, in a cycle that continues to evolve over time as one Mode of Production slowly leads to the next.

As per your “Democratic Socialism,” you are describing “Social Democracy.” There is nothing Socialist about what you described, a Capitalist state with large safety nets is Capitalist regardless. As such, you retain the inherent unsustainability of Capitalism and the further rising disparity it contains, until it is eventually overthrown and Socialism is achieved.

Regarding people’s receptions to ideas, this gets back to the Base and Superstructure argument. As the Base shifts over time, people become accepting of new ideas and values. Focusing on literacy and organizing are the best ways to increase social awareness of systemic issues, and figuring out how to solve them.

I maintain that you should read theory. I can offer a reading list, or answer any questions you might have. I don’t think it’s fair for you to denounce Communism as impossible if you haven’t engaged with the literature enough to fully understand what it even is, or how Communists want to achieve it and why they believe it not only to be possible, but necessary.

Hell yea! Crosscode is super fun if you want a suggestion!

What do you think fascism is, out of curiosity? I’m not an Anarchist, but I do think you are making a mistake in thinking fascism is some hard ideology that necessarily includes limiting access to internet. The reality of fascism is that it is a self-defense mechanism of decaying Capitalism, deployed against rising Leftist movements.

I highly recommend reading at least the first chapter of Blackshirts and Reds, where Dr. Michael Parenti analyzes how, where, why, and when fascism rises, and who it serves.

First, I want to point out a few things.

1. Third Party voters, ie the Greens and PSL, swung 0 elections. This is a hard truth to look at for Democrats, ultimately it is unlikely that the genocide in Palestine made a large difference in the Harris campaign.

2. I would not consider Bernie or AOC to be “far left,” they are moderated by European standards. If you mean within the US government, then that makes more sense, but the US is an outlier globally with how right-wing it is on average, so that bit confused me.

To answer your question about Palestinian liberation, it began when Palestine was first being colonized, back in the early 20th century. Leftists all over have historically supported Palestinian Liberation this entire time, it is only as salient of an issue now because we can watch it on Social Media.

A book titled The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine, documenting the genocide in Palestine since the mid 20th century in detail, came out in 2006. This has radicalized a lot of the western left in the modern era, but this is by no means the first time.

The Marxist-Leninist group Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine was formed in 1967, and was supported by the USSR. Incidentally, they called for a boycott of the Democrats and Republicans in the 2024 General Election (link to a translation from Arabic). They have been calling for a secular, single democratic Palestinian state to be occupied by former-Israelis and Palestinians alike, with full equality between them. This has been elaborated on in their 1969 book Strategy for the Liberation of Palestine.

Even then, the PFLP is just one group in Palestine, Palestinians and Leftists abroad have opposed it since the beginning. Albert Einstein wrote a letter to the New York Times in 1948 warning of fascist elements within the newly created state of Israel, and their treatment of Palestinian villiagers.

The fundamental difference that you are seeing is that the far-left has always opposed the Palestinian genocide, be they Communists, Anarchists, even moderates like Social Democrats. The US government, however, has strong economic ties to Israel, as they help assert power in the region, which allows the US to cement the Petro-Dollar as the global main currency. This means that within the US government, politicians are incentivized to minimize the appearance of genocide.

Free Palestine has been a movement for a century, it is only a more salient issue because the genocide has escalated in the last year and it is in full-view on social media.

Communists must be punished for overthrowing the fascist slaver regime that brought immense profits to the Imperialists, of course!

First of all, I absolutely agree that the Democrats are a right-wing party, and the center-right European Social Democracies generally have higher living standards for most people than in America. However, I believe you have overlooked what I believe are critical factors, and you can correct me if I’m wrong here:

1. The Social Safety Nets in these Social Democracies are shrinking in most cases

2. Most of the Value consumed in these Social Democracies, the grear, vast majority, comes from countries in the Global South paid far less than the Value created for the Global North, meaning they depend on Imperialism

3. Disparity continues to rise as Capitalism continues to centralize into fewer and fewer larger and larger Monopolist syndicates, the trend is still towards instability

The reason they haven’t “turned to Communism” is because they have never wanted to, they have been fundamentaly structured around Capitalism as the dominant Mode of Production and rely on Imperialism to subsidize their cost of living.

The reason America is different is because it is the global Hegemonic power. The “World Police.” Why is it that the US outspends the rest of the world on the military? So it can project soft power all around the world, securing unequal trade deals with the wealthy Capitalist classes in the Global South. The world trades in US dollars, which the US fights to maintain because it profits from that. This internally causes hyper-disparity between the wealthy and the poor in America.

Finally, I want to ask why you say Communism is an “unattainable utopia.” Marxists have thus far been proven correct in their thesis that markets trend towards centralization through competition over time, and that as firms get larger they begin to develop infrastructure for their own internalized planning. The concept of a fully publicly owned, centrally planned economy is built up by Capitalism itself. That’s without speaking to the fact that there are already Socialist states working towards said goal of full public ownership and central planning.

Why do you say the answer is a “middle ground?” What does this look like?

It doesn’t have to be a gun, learning proper self-defense is important for everyone. However, guns are a useful self-defense tool. Marx was a big advocate for organizing and being able to protect each other.

Under no pretext should arms and ammunition be surrendered; any attempt to disarm the workers must be frustrated, by force if necessary.

Captain AnCap continues to be a clown.

Thanks, I appreciate the kind words! This is a difficult time for many people, but I firmly believe in revolutionary optimism. We can overcome our struggles, with proper theory and proper practice.

You don’t have to be a Marxist to notice it, but his writings and the writings of Marxists that succeed him are critical for putting everything into context.

Correct, your sentiment is a common one. Marxism is regularly vindicated because it remains correct, try as progressives might to avoid its conclusions that revolution is necessary.

I put together a little list that I think will be helpful for others, because little about what I do personally is going to change. A mini What is to be Done? of sorts.

1. Get organized. Join a Leftist org, find solidarity with fellow comrades, and protect each other. The Dems will not save you, it is up to the Workers to protect themselves. The Party for Socialism and Liberation and Freedom Road Socialist Organization both organize year round, every year, because the battle for progress is a constant struggle, not a single election. See if there is a chapter near you, or start one! Or, see if there’s an org you like more near you and join it, the point is that organizing is the best thing any leftist can do.

2. Read theory. A good primer is Blackshirts and Reds. It will help contextualize what fascism is, what causes it, and how to stop it. I can offer a good introductory reading list for Marxism if you’d like, but this is a good starting point.

3. Aggressively combat white supremacy, misogyny, queerphobia, and other attacks on marginalized communities. Cede no ground.

4. Be more industrious, and self-sufficient. Take up gardening, home repair, tinkering. It is through practice that you elevate your problem-solving capabilities. Not only will you improve your skill at one subject, but your general problem-solving muscles get strengthened as well. Theory guides practice, which sharpens theory to be reapplied to better practice.

5. Learn self-defense. Get armed, if practical. Be ready to protect yourself and others. The Democrats will not save us, we must save each other.

6. Be persistent. If you feel like a single water driplet against a mountain, think of the Grand Canyon. Oh, how our efforts pile up! With consistency, every rock, boulder, even mountain, can be drilled through with nothing but steady and persistent water droplets.

Usually how this goes.

This has been the rallying call from progressives for decades, they keep sliding right. At what point do we have to consider that entryism into the Dems just doesn’t work? The party structure is designed to entrench establishment figures that are great at fundraising from wealthy Capitalists.

I told you, both the orgs I listed don’t organize on social media. Keep being performative and launching a 3 person protracted war from the mountains against your local Wal-Mart, I guess. Actual leftists have learned from successful revolutionaries that organizing must be done public-facing, with secure internal communication.

You said you are keeping a MAGA hat to protect yourself, you aren’t unclear about your intentions to do nothing. You say you want to organize, but you refuse to organize. It’s all performative nonsense.

Again, I have explicitly stated that voting will not prevent fascism, we must organize against it, and you are pretending I am advocating for voting, rather than organizing. You have no idea what you are talking about.

Yes, Leftists were targeted first. That means we need to stick together and organize, not simply accept defeat and going along with the fascism.

I don’t know who you think you’re talking to, but I have posted what I believe others need to do in several other places. I’ll post it below. I argue for getting strapped and organizing for revolution, because voting doesn’t help shit. You’re arguing for hiding and watching queer people, women, and POC getting thrown into the meatgrinder while you coast on privledge.

Here’s what the Leftists were doing: actively fighting Hitler, hence why the Communists were the first to be killed off in Nazi Germany.

Despair is typical of those who do not understand the causes of evil, see no way out, and are incapable of struggle.

-Vladimir Lenin

There is hope! It isn’t easy, it isn’t fun, but if we can know our circumstances, we can know our way out of them, and if we know our way out, we can get out.

1. Get organized. Join a Leftist org, find solidarity with fellow comrades, and protect each other. The Dems will not save you, it is up to the Workers to protect themselves. The Party for Socialism and Liberation and Freedom Road Socialist Organization both organize year round, every year, because the battle for progress is a constant struggle, not a single election. See if there is a chapter near you, or start one! Or, see if there’s an org you like more near you and join it, the point is that organizing is the best thing any leftist can do.

2. Read theory. A good primer is Blackshirts and Reds. It will help contextualize what fascism is, what causes it, and how to stop it. I can offer a good introductory reading list regarding Marxism if you’d like, but this is a good starting point.

3. Aggressively combat white supremacy, misogyny, queerphobia, and other attacks on marginalized communities. Cede no ground.

4. Be more industrious, and self-sufficient. Take up gardening, home repair, tinkering. It is through practice that you elevate your problem-solving capabilities. Not only will you improve your skill at one subject, but your general problem-solving muscles get strengthened as well. Theory guides practice, which sharpens theory to be reapplied to better practice.

5. Learn self-defense. Get armed, if practical. Be ready to protect yourself and others. The Democrats will not save us, we must save each other.

6. Be persistent. If you feel like a single water driplet against a mountain, think of the Grand Canyon. Oh, how our efforts pile up! With consistency, every rock, boulder, even mountain, can be drilled through with nothing but steady and persistent water droplets.

This is an utterly contradictory stance to hold. If we do not organize, and can only do so in person, then that means you will NOT have the largest strike in US history. You can’t have your cake and eat it too.

Secondly, these orgs have internal organization networks, they don’t communicate or organize on Social Media beyond recruiting.

Thirdly, it is wildly privledged to sacrifice people as a white man just because you will not personally be effected, even going to the length of signaling support for Trump. This directly harms queer people, POC, women, and more, and they will not organize with you if you are willing to watch them get attacked. Cede no ground, use your privledge to protect others, not watch them suffer.

You desparately need to read theory and get organized, just like I called for.

A spectre is haunting the United States 👻