I don't know if this is an ultra leftist take or just a regular leftist take but I keep hearing how only changing material conditions will bring about social change in the US. But then why the heck are we even bothering to read theory and talk about it with people?

Another take is that communists should be supporting countries that the west is most profiting from via imperialism, and help those countries fight back against imperialism, which would lead to changing conditions in the west. And like okay, I guess we can do that but not everyone can just go travel and be a professional revolutionary, so again, are communists in the states supposed to be doing something or patiently waiting?

What's your best take on this?

[–] zedcell@lemmygrad.ml 5 points 1 day ago

You reading theory and telling it to other people is changing material conditions. That's dialectics baby.

[–] redchert@lemmygrad.ml 4 points 1 day ago

patiently waiting? Americans are literally getting poorer with each day. The "patiently waiting time" should have been spent establishing infrastructure for a vanguard party aka organizing, creating an alternative cultural pole/media, independent financing, safehouses, making connections with important power nodes (aka infrastructure), finding the audience (its not whole food leftists in urban areas)

But instead energy was wasted scolding, watching breadtubers and coping that the THIS "socialist" (socdem) will tots make the democrats into a vanguard party. We are still not over this. And there is an increasingly large population of alienated and angry americans looking for answers and none is there to galvanize them into a succinct revolutionary movement because the american left are idealists and utopians at best. Hell they were shocked and devastated about contra points turning out to be reactionary or "let people enjoy things" when "purist" rained on their mamdani parade - described by some as the result of "marxism planted in the hearts of americans" are you for real?

[–] materialanalysis1938@lemmygrad.ml 31 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (2 children)

So many Americans are hopelessly nihilistic. I’m truly in awe of how many people I know who completely understand that they’re being robbed by the rich and that life under this system fucking sucks but won’t consider the possibility of changing it.

[–] huf@hexbear.net 15 points 2 days ago

what can you do against the divine right of pedophiles to rob you blind?

[–] tacosanonymous@mander.xyz 15 points 2 days ago (1 children)

When indoctrination starts at birth, it makes sense. They literally cannot imagine any other way.

[–] ButtigiegMineralMap@lemmygrad.ml 13 points 2 days ago (2 children)

I never used to question the fact that we would say the pledge of allegiance everyday at school, but when I learned that basically nobody else does that, I was stupefied.

[–] Onewhoexists@lemmygrad.ml 7 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

As a Brit, I was stupefied when I (only recently) learned that you guys in the USA had to do that in school.

[–] ButtigiegMineralMap@lemmygrad.ml 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I was one of the few lame dorks that actually stood and said the pledge deep into HS, in my experience most people slowly stopped giving a fuck around beginning of HS, rightly so

[–] Onewhoexists@lemmygrad.ml 2 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

What made you stop? The fact that literally no one else was doing it?

[–] Malkhodr@lemmygrad.ml 1 points 16 hours ago

Different person here but I can give my own reason.

I stopped at the start of middle school. I was sorta just edgy while also hating he US military. More so to be a contrarian against my peers and specific adults, but that chip on my shoulder did come from me facing Islamaphobia growing up.

From there, becuase I was a stubborn little asshole (well I'm still pretty stubborn, but hopefully more reasonable) I would do it to spite people who asked me to do it or if I understood what it meant.

I don't think there was anything more annoying go my teenage self then somebody telling me:

"Just because the pledge/the national anthem/other 'patriotic' thing symbolizes something you see as bad doesn't mean others think those things have the same meaning. So you should do them out of respect for others."

Maybe my neurodivergent ass just doesn't get it, but that statement/sentiment infuriated me growing up, and I always found it insulting my intelligence. I came to be a leftist largely out of spite, contrararinism, and a longing to find flocks of other black sheep. I'm glad I started reading and enhanced my ideology into something actually coherent rather than stew in hatred and diverge into a more bitter person. A lot of those things still fuel some of my resolve, but I'm not guided by it like before. Ironically it was through materialism that I think I began to understand empathy.

Apologies for rambling but I didn't know how to finish my thoughts and just let myself ramble for the sake of it.

[–] materialanalysis1938@lemmygrad.ml 6 points 2 days ago (1 children)

We also stand for the National Anthem at fucking everything.

[–] ButtigiegMineralMap@lemmygrad.ml 3 points 1 day ago

As an American, I absolutely believe we should change the national anthem to “Take Me Out To The Ballgame”, more people know the lyrics, it relates more to the American experience than the actual anthem and it’s more catchy. I can’t see any other suggestions that fit this criteria more

[–] anarchoilluminati@hexbear.net 23 points 2 days ago

I have decided your proposed solution doesn't seem practical, especially since the issue is an existential emergency and requires immediate resolution!! As a result of you not providing a simple solution, I will continue to do nothing different. I will let everyone know how unreasonable you are.