this post was submitted on 13 Jun 2026
30 points (81.2% liked)
The Deprogram
1958 readers
137 users here now
"As revolutionaries, we don't have the right to say that we're tired of explaining. We must never stop explaining. We also know that when the people understand, they cannot but follow us. In any case, we, the people, have no enemies when it comes to peoples. Our only enemies are the imperialist regimes and organizations." Thomas Sankara, 1985
International Anti-Capitalist podcast run by an American, a Slav and an Arab.
Rules:
- No capitalist apologia / anti-communism.
- No bigotry - including racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, or xenophobia.
- Be respectful. This is a safe space where all comrades should feel welcome; this includes a warning against uncritical sectarianism.
- No porn or sexually explicit content (even if marked NSFW).
- No right-deviationists (patsocs, nazbols, Strasserists, Duginists, etc).
- Use c/mutual_aid for mutual aid requests.
Resources:
founded 3 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
"Look at how connected I am to the people!"
The phrase "Epstein class" is a step closer to class consciousness, not a step away from it. If you tell people there's a bipartisan class of people who are above the law and so wealthy/connected that they control many of the biggest levers of power, they will now know what you're talking about and largely agree. That's a huge break from the standard drivel about "we have an imperfect democracy but it's broadly controlled by the people."
Yknow, it really is posts like this that start to grind my gears. Just because you are a communist doesn't mean you're seperate from the people. It doesn't make you an enlightened god that singlehandedly determines the fates of millions, and certainly does not make you infallible [not all of these apply to the post above, they're general grievances].
There's also been a lot of doomerism lately. I get why, certainly. But goddammit, compare the world today to the world of 40 years ago, or even 20 years ago. Would everyone here have maintained their belief through the collapse of the USSR, reform and opening up, the arduous march, etc.
Shouldn't the gulf war have sparked class consciousness? Shouldn't Russia and the rest of the eastern bloc rebelled and reestablished communism? Certainly. But they did not. And yet, here we are. If you want to wallow, then wallow. But being bitter doesn't inherently mean something is medicine, it just means it is bitter
I feel you. Venting is understandable, but we need to not confuse venting with doing an analysis. And doing a grounded analysis often requires investigating. But investigating can take time and energy and study that may be largely thankless to do and you might get told you're wrong even if you do. Still, it is something I will beat the drum about on the regular because it matters so much. Sometimes I slack on it myself and slip into poorly supported speculation. But the reality is that in times when what I'm saying is backed by investigation, it is night and day the confidence and sharpness I have on the given subject.
And if this way of putting it doesn't move people at all, consider that having what you say be well backed by investigation is probably going to be more persuasive when convincing others. Somebody hearing "this is what colonialism did to people in the Congo in specific detail" is probably going to stick with them more than hearing a general "colonialism exploited people in other countries." Somebody hearing "here is the documented way these two events are connected and how various factions reacted to them" (a good example of this I can recall is Blowback podcast's series on Korea) is probably going to stick with them more than hearing "this event [fuzzy line to] this event and then now we are here."
This goes the same way in the positive. Being able to drop facts on somebody about AES advances in rights, literacy, quality of life. And then you can drop the framework on them as needed too. "Well why did x happen this way?" "Because [revolutionary theory worldview]."
I think it's fairly normal to have lapses of hope. It seems important to acknowledge it, feel it, admit our feelings do/not have rational bases, and not stay stuck in them.
https://thumbs.dreamstime.com/z/magician-tarot-card-major-arcana-rider-waite-smith-magician-tarot-card-major-arcana-rider-waite-smith-deck-white-225943744.jpg
The magician has necessary tools of the tarot and knows how/when to utilize them and how/when to refrain. The sword speaks to thoughts/words (other meanings, this is basic). The wand speaks to passion. The cups to emotions. Pentacles to tangible material, the slowest form to manifest (in the beginning was the Word [or concept]).
Feelings aren't bad, even if irrational. They are a natural part of being human, and we either deal with our feelings or they deal with us. We have to confront them to deal with them, acknowledge them to confront them, and feel them to acknowledge them.
The minor arcana begins with ace, the seed, the vague, nebulous concept. Doesn't mean jack if undeveloped, and that's fine. Each number also has a meaning, too much to get into for this purpose. Moving to the court cards, the pages represent a child like understanding, perhaps a particularly precocious child, perhaps one that struggles. Knights carry a message/mission, to self or others. Queen internalizes the message. King has mastered the message and can apply to internals and externals. The Empress embodies the Queen of every suit, the feminine principle, attraction, reception, fertility. The emperor embodies the king of every suit, masculine principle, giver, the go getter, protector. We all have masculine and feminine qualities. Here I'm talking like the male/female ends of connectors (yes it's archaic, there is no strictly masculine or feminine in perfection, rather more like a positive and negative charge). The divine union is the marriage of the two principles. That's why the creator is also the destroyer. G-d gives and takes away. The big bang, entropy, collapse, begin again. We begin a new journey as the fool (and incidentally this is why Parcival the fool, pure of heart, succeeded in his quest), with all the pitfalls, booby traps, and wheels of fortune (karma, sowing and reaping, wild twists of fate).
This is why the Watchers weren't destroyed, only bound until judgement, ha-Satan can freely come and go from Earth to Heaven (manifestation to idea and vice-versa), why "As above, so below," and why what we picture in our heads isn't necessarily exactly the same in materiality. It's also the meaning of the keys to the Kingdom (bound in heaven, bound on Earth, loosed in heaven, loosed on Earth), and why, when we confront our demons, they not only work for us, rather than against us, but also become our holy guardian angels. There are similar stories the world over. Eve/Lilith, Satan Michael, Lucifer/Raphael (maybe, it's late, I'm fading), etc, Father tetragrammaton, mother Sophia, child Yeshuah. It's also why the tetragrammaton makes more sense as "I am becoming what I am becoming," rather than "I am what I am." Kali/Shiva, Oshun/Ogün, Odin/Freya. And don't hurt me, Muslim siblings, but why, if my vague understanding approximates the idea, jinn can be "good/bad." We're not meant to take everything so literally.
Eta: https://blog.world-mysteries.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/vitruvian_man_mixed.jpg pic related 😉