this post was submitted on 07 Jul 2026
110 points (93.7% liked)
memes
23855 readers
294 users here now
dank memes
Rules:
-
All posts must be memes and follow a general meme setup.
-
No unedited webcomics.
-
Someone saying something funny or cringe on twitter/tumblr/reddit/etc. is not a meme. Post that stuff in /c/slop
-
Va*sh posting is haram and will be removed.
-
Follow the code of conduct.
-
Tag OC at the end of your title and we'll probably pin it for a while if we see it.
-
Recent reposts might be removed.
-
No anti-natalism memes. See: Eco-fascism Primer
founded 5 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
This is idealism i.e. by being exposed to Bernie's ideas some people were able to move on to socialist ideas
That isn't what happened. Bernie is an effect, not a cause. Bernie's popularity came from the worsening material conditions, he didn't just hype people with his good ideas and conjure his own popularity up from nothing. Material conditions are now even worse, so now people are moving on to actual socialism. If the so-called """overton window""" can be said to exist at all then it is moved by the underlying material conditions, not by ideas.
Privation alone isn't enough to awaken political consciousness, though. That's why you need a vanguard party, and that's why political education is such a big part of socialist praxis. Like obviously Bernie isn't in any way a Marxist-Leninist or even a socialist, but his messaging was closer to the truth than the ruling class propaganda that tells poor people the reason they're poor is because of capital gains taxes/welfare queens/business regulations/immigrants.
But again, this is why Bernie and Hasan are so bad. They take a historic moment defined by worsening material conditions, and instead of using it to raise class consciousness, they direct people towards the democratic party.
They are an impediment to socialism, not a benefit.
Oh, just to be clear, I didn't mean it as an endorsement of Bernie and Hasan, though in hindsight I can see how it came off that way. I was pushing back against what I saw as vulgar materialism in queermunist's comment.
His messaging was so misleading that we're still dealing with the fallout 10 years later trying to deal with the radlibs with Marx in their names endorsing Nazi Democrats. Clearly the education was botched.
Yeah, that's a much better point.