GenZedong
Oh Hi, I did not see you there, how are you doing? Well I supose your here for the tradition of our group, the weekly discussion thread. Please make yourself at home, I have some drinks in the fridge if you need anything, and enjoy this weekly discussion thread. • [Matrix homeserver and space](https://lemmygrad.ml/post/1294067)\   ◦ [Theory discussion group on Matrix](https://lemmygrad.ml/post/1293864)\ • Find theory on [ProleWiki](https://en.prolewiki.org/wiki/ProleWiki:Library), [marxists.org](https://marxists.org), [Anna's Archive](https://annas-archive.org), [libgen](https://libgen.is)
One of the members of the GenZedong Matrix space recently created a communist Akkoma instance at [spectreofcommunism.boo](https://spectreofcommunism.boo/)! ## What is Akkoma? Akkoma is like Mastodon but lighter and faster. It's an open source microblogging platform where you can post "microposts". It's kind of similar to Twitter, but actually good :3 Like Lemmy, Akkoma is federated, meaning you can interact with people on other servers regardless of which server you've signed up on (similar to how you can see Hexbear users on Lemmygrad). Akkoma federates with all fediverse platforms, including Lemmy, so you can actually also interact with Akkoma users from Lemmygrad, and vice-versa! ## How do I join? 1. Go to https://spectreofcommunism.boo 2. Click on Register 3. Fill in your account info and then answer the [vetting questions](https://spectreofcommunism.boo/notice/AfUPn9Osj9fVWADl3I) in the "Reason to register" field 4. Wait for your account to be approved
## What is Matrix? `Matrix ≈ Discord - tracking + end-to-end encryption (by default)` Matrix is a protocol for real-time communication (text, audio, and video) implemented by various applications ("clients") -- the official one is [Element](https://element.io/download) for Linux, macOS, Windows, Android, and iOS), but there are many others, e.g. those listed [here](https://matrix.org/clients). It's also federated, like Lemmy. To use a Matrix client, you need to make a Matrix account at one of the Matrix *homeservers* (similar to how you can make an account on lemmygrad.ml or lemmy.ml but still access both of them). We have our own Matrix homeserver at `genzedong.xyz`, and you don't need an email address to register an account there. ## How do I join the space? (If you already have a Matrix account, skip to step 3) 1. Download a Matrix client (e.g. [Element](https://element.io/download)) on your device. 2. Create an account in the client. You can select `genzedong.xyz` as your homeserver here; if you choose the default `matrix.org`, you'll need to enter an email address. If it doesn't work on your client, try using [Element Web](https://app.element.io) for registration. 3. Log in. 4. Read the rules in `#rules:genzedong.xyz` and the vetting questions in `#vetting-questions:genzedong.xyz`, and then answer the questions in `#vetting-answers:genzedong.xyz` (don't worry, it shouldn't take long). ## What is the space? A collection of rooms (equivalent to Discord channels) focused on various topics. The space is intended for Marxists-Leninists, although baby leftists may also be accepted depending on their vetting answers.
Primarily for those who don't already have a discussion group, but anyone interested in Marxist-Leninist theory is welcome 👍 It won't require intensive reading/listening; it should be doable for anyone who works or studies full time, and we usually have discussions at the end of every other week. We're currently following a study plan from China, but we can add recommended texts (decided by vote). At the time of writing we're reading "Wage Labour and Capital" but I'm not going to remember to update this post You can join the group at `#reading-group:genzedong.xyz` (an encrypted room) through the GenZedong Matrix space (see [this post](https://lemmygrad.ml/post/1294067)). **On /c/genzhou@lemmygrad.ml there'll also be a pinned post for the current text, for those who don't want to join the Matrix space.**
I know they have issues with their ideologies but the poster looks cool! The text reads, 希望をあなたと共に; 日本共産党; Change裹金政治 Which roughly translates to, ‘Hope together with you; Nihon Kyōsantō; Change the gold-wrapped politics’. (The last line is likely a reference to the financial scandals of the current ruling Liberal Democratic Party)
I went on reddit for some reason recently and got into an argument with a Maoist. I soon revealed I had not done sufficient investigation and was mostly just curious for them to justify their differences in ideology. I repeated a trite talking point that “PPW is not universal” that I have heard many times and listed the vague arguments against its universality which I had heard. I was recommended [this book](https://drive.google.com/drive/mobile/folders/1znrgnda9w22YA0DicgAOP6BccjdKvVjr?pli=1) amongst other things. I read it in its entirety. It’s a theoretical debate for 2019. It opens with a Filipino communist arguing against universality, and that section left me confused. Then a Nordic guy rebuts him and had me thinking Gonzalo may have been right. Another guy comes at him with all the arguments I have heard before, sounding condescending, but rightfully so. I was pretty much convinced but wanted to keep an open mind to why the Maoists liked this. Then a new theory group finishes out with a strong sounding argument for the PCP position. This question requires further investigation for me to develop an “all sided” perspective, and I can’t vouch for Gonzalo, but I don’t have reason to trust Bad Empanada or any rando on the internet. I must go through more source material when my ADHD compels me. What I have taken away from the reading is the Protracted People’s War can and should probably be applied in varied situations. It is essentially years of guerrilla warfare against the capitalist state until victory is won over the exploiters. There is no other kind of successful revolution. Our strategy in the west is shit – trying to slowly protest and accumulate support. You cannot win war without practice, and no revolution happens overnight. We will not be ready if a revolutionary situation were to happen tomorrow. The Bolsheviks illegally fought their ruling class for years. European parties were most successful when forced to militarize by fascism, but stupidly disarmed. PPW does not mean surrounded the cities by the country side. PPW is the universal Marxist element (in the works of Mao), but particularities of every situation must be studied. The IRA fought the British using urban warfare and were relatively successful before right opportunism led to compromise. More advanced theory could help a new BLA or Weathermen be successful in the US. Our ruling class is going and fascist militias are ramping up violence no matter what and we need a more systematic approach than little SRA chapters or whatever. No, I’m not going to call myself a Maoist or whatever. There are shitty Maoists and Gonzalo did bad stuff, but the same is true of every leftist group. What matters is what works in practice, and legalist accumulationism is not working. We need to maintain ruthless criticism of all that exists and do investigations instead of resorting to dogma. Everyone has a different perspective, and we all need to realize we won’t convince everyone, so we should keep criticizing and refining. We should not seek “leftist unity” for the sake of tailing the least common denominator. We should seek the best methods (using Marxist analysis) and get people to join us in what works. No, I don’t understand all this or have all the answers, but I recommend people check out the essays. Criticize them too, as a matter of fact.
China will not save us. The global proletariat must rise up. NOWHERE did I say I oppose China. I just thought this was an interesting video. Watch the fucking thing before hating and yelling about ultras.
if you know you know and if not I will tell you when there's confirmation. until then business as usual. edit: Leader of Hamas Politburo Yahya Sinwar, resistant fighter all his life, was martyred on October 17 while fighting IOF on the frontlines in Rafah, Gaza, AK-47 in his hand. This has been confirmed by the PFLP on al-Mayadeen and so the moratorium is lifted.
www.therevolutionreport.org
I know we definitely don't agree with this group on certain subjects but i think this was still important to share. This is what happens to anyone who poses a real threat to the imperialist narrative and by extension to the hegemony. Anyone who still thinks that the US has any sort of free speech or is in any way more "democratic" than the supposed "authoritarian regimes" that the imperialist media attacks and demonizes is deeply delusional. What it also shows is that most of those purportedly "leftist" channels and all those "communist" twitch streamers (with far larger audiences than these anti-imperialist channels that have been getting shut down as of late) who have not been the target of such attacks and are still allowed to operate do so precisely because they pose no threat to the system of capitalism; they do so because they are compatible with imperialism. They exist to serve as sheepdogs to reign in those with nascent leftist sentiments before they develop a real anti-imperialist consciousness and bring them back in line with political positions acceptable to the ruling class, whether this is in the form of convincing them to vote for one party of genocide over the other, or whether it's by giving them "leftist" sounding reasons to not stand in solidarity with those forces currently most actively fighting against the empire. *"Dear comrades,* *Over the past couple months, you may have noticed a significant downturn in our video content output and a complete drop-off in our previously weekly live-streams. I intend to explain the reasons for TheRevolutionReport’s lack of presence, which truly are of colossal domestic and international importance, as well as the conclusions I have been forced to come to as a result of their accompanying developments.* *In early September, the US Justice and Treasury Departments launched a new array of sanctions against the Russian media outlet RT, a company at which I am employed, as most of you are aware. Both government organs have combined these sanctions with criminal charges against a number of RT employees, which carry a penalty of up to 20 years in prison. Moreover, the Treasury Department’s report on the new sanctions appear to forbid even associating with RT in any official capacity on American soil.* *According to FBI Director Christopher Wray, RT was conducting “covert attempts” to “sow division and trick Americans into unwittingly consuming foreign propaganda [which] represents attacks on our democracy.” Wray claims that $10 million of RT money was funneled into a Tennessee company that failed to register as a foreign agent and committed the heinous crime of making videos containing, “commentary on events and issues in the U.S., such as immigration, inflation, and other topics related to domestic and foreign policy.” Shockingly, Wray even admits that the videos in question were not actually Russian propaganda, qualifying his accusations by acknowledging that “the views expressed in the videos are not uniform.”* *Nevertheless, these new measures amounted to the beginning of a wave of FBI terror against anyone associated with RT within the United States.* *Several days after these new sanctions were imposed, the FBI burst into a Florida woman’s home early in the morning, seized some of her property, interrogated her for 5 hours, and beat her. Her crime? She worked as a producer for RT.* *For former UN-weapons inspector and long-time RT contributor Scott Ritter, these sanctions were the straw that broke the camel’s back. He was forced to publicly sever ties with the media outlet, following years of harassment from US authorities.* *These events even ran parallel to the trial of a number of activists from the socialist Black Nationalist Uhuru group, in which they were found guilty of apparently, “conspiring to act as foreign agents,” after they had cooperated with Russians on a UN petition. They could face up to 5 years in prison.* *As for myself, I was in the United States when all this began, having returned to the land of my birth to care for my cancer-ridden mother. All of the sudden, TheRevolutionReport’s TikTok account was deleted alongside those of RT and Sputnik, following FBI pressure on the social media giant. A fleet of random vehicles appeared in front of my house overnight. When I called the township for an explanation, I was told my new friends started showing up because of construction work that made a neighboring parking lot inaccessible to them – something that had never happened throughout my entire childhood living at that address.* *About a week after this campaign of FBI terror, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced at a State Department press conference that RT was, “a fully fledged member of the intelligence apparatus and operation of the Russian government.”* *At that point, after days of trying brush off the severity of this situation and a subsequently sobering conversation with my lawyer, I decided it was time to leave the country.* *The highest organs of state-power clearly have no problem arbitrarily enforcing vague laws against individuals unable to defend themselves in the US legal system. After all, those indicted could be accused of further violating sanctions if they were to challenge their prosecutors, using money and legal support from their already sanctioned employer in American courts.* *It goes without saying that this renewed campaign against “Russian propaganda,” more aptly described as another war on freedom of speech, is obviously politically motivated. In part, the liberal-dominated state-apparatus will have a convenient scapegoat if Donald Trump emerges victorious from the fast approaching US presidential election. But the terror people like myself are now facing likely has far more to do with a candid admission from the US State Department than anything else.* *At a press conference addressing these newly imposed sanctions, James Rubin, coordinator of the department’s Global Engagement Center, which is an agency essentially charged with telling people what they should believe, declared that, “the broad scope and reach of RT...[is] one of the reasons why so much of the world has not been as fully supportive of Ukraine as you would think they would be.” The writing is on the wall – Vladimir Zelensky’s clique in Kiev is holding on by a thread for which American and European taxpayers are footing the bill.* *EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrel estimates Kiev could hold out for a mere two weeks without Western support at this point. Bloomberg is reporting that Vladimir Zelensky’s administration is beginning to consider territorial concessions behind closed doors. Media reports suggest the DPRK will soon enter the conflict on Russia’s side.* *All this is clearly driving those governments most invested in Ukraine into desperation; and when the state becomes desperate, it employs terror and repression.* *Therefore, based on the politicized nature of the US government’s decision making and my recent experiences described in this letter, I believe that TheRevolutionReport has been incorrectly flagged by US authorities as a covert Russian influence operation.* *Although TheRevolutionReport Information Collective has received no support whatsoever from sanctioned entities or anyone other than our loyal paid-subscribers, I have no faith in the US Justice system’s capabilities to protect me, or anyone else for that matter, from the intrigues of the FBI and US State Department.* *And so, with the safety of those in the US who have helped out over the years and my own in mind, it is with a heavy heart that I must declare this media project to have reached its conclusion.* [...] **I can only hope that Americans will one day realize that constitutional amendments about freedom of speech, freedom of the press, etc., do not present, and have never presented, any obstacle to state repression against political opponents in the United States. Those who know our country’s history know this – and those who are now living with the consequences of this reality know it even better.**"
https://www.rt.com/news/605764-us-media-trust-drops/ > Only 31% of Americans say they have confidence that the press reports news fairly and accurately > For the third consecutive year, the number of Americans who claim to completely distrust the media remained higher than those who trust it. The new poll, however, demonstrated a slight drop, with 36% of respondents expressing complete distrust versus 39% in 2023. > A large gap remains between Republicans and Democrats, with only 12% of the former expressing trust in media reporting against 54% of the latter. However, the partisan gap has actually been narrowing in the last couple of years. According to data aggregated by Gallup, in 2022, for instance, some 70% of Democrats expressed confidence in the media. We must continue our efforts to educate the masses, increasing numbers of Democrats are becoming aware of the propaganda because of the water carrying for the zionist genocide of the Palestinian people.
criticalresist.substack.com
This one was supposed to come out tomorrow because I already published an essay Sunday, but I must have messed up somewhere. Anyway since we're talking about Korea a lot with the hostilities ramping up around the DMZ I think it's very timely that you get to read this piece ASAP!
[Proxitok](https://github.com/pablouser1/ProxiTok) makes it possible to view Tiktok links in a privacy-respecting client. For example, take this video: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZIJW68vcC/ We can redirect it to a Proxitok instance (from [this list](https://github.com/pablouser1/ProxiTok/wiki/Public-instances), for example), and we get this: https://proxitok.pabloferreiro.es/redirect/search?term=https://vm.tiktok.com/ZIJW68vcC/&type=url The necessary code for this bot action would be: ``` [[reply]] regex = '((?:https://)?(?:vm|www)\.tiktok\.com/[\w\d?@&=%/-]*)' msg = ''' #(len(matches) == 1 ? "A Tiktok link was" : "Tiktok links were") detected in your #(type). Here are links to the same #(len(matches) == 1 ? "video" : "videos") on Proxitok, which is a Tiktok frontend that protects your privacy: #for(i, match in matches): #if(len(matches) > 1):Link #(i+1):#!if - [proxitok.pabloferreiro.es](https://proxitok.pabloferreiro.es/redirect/search?term=#(match[1])&type=url) - [proxitok.pussthecat.org](https://proxitok.pussthecat.org/redirect/search?term=#(match[1])&type=url) - [proxitok.privacydev.net](https://proxitok.privacydev.net/redirect/search?term=#(match[1])&type=url) #!for ''' ``` E: Wasn't really sure where to post this so I defaulted to here 😅 Also I haven't tested it, but I checked it on regex101 and it's correct
They "threatened" with a rent strike (illegal in Spain) Source and more pictures: https://loquesomos.org/derecho-a-la-vivienda-2/
Yesterday I made two posts regarding the Belgian municipality elections. They mainly focussed on Antwerp, my city, and the result that we got there (20.2% of the votes). I felt a little disappointed yesterday because of weeks of talks of possibly becoming the biggest party but after a good night's sleep I feel really proud of managing such a grow and becoming the second largest party. As a true Antwerpenaar I also need to remind myself of other places in Belgium existing (Belgians will understand this joke) and today the rest of the results are known. I want to highlight some of the other noteworthy results we managed to get. In Antwerp we also have, as the only municipality in Belgium, elections in our city's district. Last elections we manage to get a really good position in Borgerhout and we even got to govern the past few years together with the socdems. As a reward for the things we achieved, we are now the BIGGEST party in the district. In the district of Hoboken we also managed to become the second biggest party. In Brussels and its' municipalities we also get really good scores. We keep growing in Molenbeek, Jette, Saint-Gilles, Forest, Anderlecht, Ixelles, Brussels City and Schaarbeek. In Molenbeek, Saint-Gilles and Forest we even managed to get over 20% of the votes. We are able to govern there if other parties want to. In Wallonia we also keep growing in the big cities of Namur, Charleroi and Liège. In the cities of Herstal and Seraing we even manage to get 30% and 26% of the votes. In places like Saint-Nicolas and La Louvière we also get 20% and 19,2%. In the city of Moeskroen we got over 20% of the votes, which is noteworthy not only because of the score, but also because it was the first time ever competing in the municipalities there. All in all we keep growing at a really great pace. We have chances to govern in several municipalities and district. My opinions on electoral politics aside we can be really proud of the results we got. It will give us chances to keep growing and the show what we are capable of.
I saw it mentioned here but can't find any sources: https://www.rbth.com/history/330877-5-cia-operations-against-soviets
Let me know in the comments below (Please don't make me pay for Twitter that one was a joke) Next article to come out is probably the one about Korea since it's very close to being finished. After that I'll have 35 drafts left.
It truly and overwhelmingly is something a white boy Maoist could've written. Many of their other articles are also heavy, *heavy* stinkers. Often dogmatic even, with this one reeking of chauvinism. Here's an example: > "W przypadku zwycięstwa Hamasu mamy skrajnie reakcyjny, teokratyczny kalifat zbudowany na zasadzie średniowiecznego szariatu, w którym prawa kobiet porównywalne są z prawami zwierząt domowych." "In the case of a Hamas victory, we have a reactionary, theocratic califate built on the rules of medieval sharia, where the rights of women are comparable to the rights of livestock" ::: spoiler spoiler "Zwierzęta domowe" could either mean pets or livestock. I didn't know which to choose exactly but I presume they meant livestock. ::: I don't feel like translating the rest of this "both sides baaaaad!!!" nonsense, not to mention the idealistic bullshit sprinkled within. Use deepl if you want to bear this cognito hazard any further. Nonetheless, "the institute" has been a major source of disappointment for me. They don't give me good hopes, seeing as many of their older articles praised "chairman" Gonzalo, to *only recently* have them purged. Call me a sectarian but when someone calls themselves a Maoist near me I get sceptical, thanks to all the bad shit I've read that they wrote. Even outside of the stuff published by "the institute". They remind me of "Orthodox Marxists" and "Left Communists", an intellectual sect worthy of little attention.
Please don't take this question the wrong way, I am just trying to learn and get the opinions of more people on this subject. I find it interesting.
orinocotribune.com
It touches on India, China, and Palestine. And I think it is well worth a read.
I usually don't post sectarianism. I feel kinda bad, but this is funny.
Welcome again to everybody. Make yourself at home. In the time-honoured tradition of our group, here is the weekly discussion thread. ● [Matrix homeserver and space](https://lemmygrad.ml/post/1294067)\   ● [Theory discussion group on Matrix](https://lemmygrad.ml/post/1293864)\ ● Find theory on [ProleWiki](https://en.prolewiki.org/wiki/ProleWiki:Library), [marxists.org](https://marxists.org), [Anna's Archive](https://annas-archive.org), [libgen](https://libgen.is)
Capitalism provides the fuel for climate change by providing us fuel instead of solar energy or hydropower or even nuclear (controversial, that last part, I know)..
cross-posted from: https://lemmygrad.ml/post/5865085 > Love this discussion!
The WHO has recently declared Smartphones a public health problem. It's interesting that the real problem here seems to be addictive and abusive algorithms deployed by social media and gaming companies but that's not mentioned because those are where the capitalists make their money and it's forbidden to interfere with their profit generation or point that out. Instead they paint it as this vague addiction of which social media is depicted as merely a small part but the real problem is the hardware, the Smartphones and too much use and access to them. And the real issue is people are distracted at work (and school) and productivity is suffering.  And the solution is bans on use of smartphones at schools and crackdowns on use at work because we can't have the proles enjoying the addictive treats we've made to distract them from their horrible lives while they're supposed to be earning us money, those are for while they're taking 2 hours in their commute to get to work or for while they're at home too exhausted to cook or get up off the couch. Just an interesting observation I had. I will be the opposite of shocked when they try and make smartphone lockers at work a thing or implement AI in cameras that detects smartphone usage outside of breaks and applies penalties.
https://x.com/alexaigor/status/1841173848957333553 https://x.com/albersantin/status/1838587646282473868 When Lukashenko asked "What place does Marxism-Leninism occupy in this book on modern political economy?" when reviewing a new book for university students. He got the reply "first and most important" Back in October 2022, Lukashenko met Dugin and described his trouble in creating a new ideology: https://m.eng.belta.by/president/view/lukashenko-talks-about-formation-of-state-ideas-153969-2022/ “It got me to look at your views and recall the philosophy I studied – the Marx-Lenin philosophy. Well, it's been some time. It turns out we have not created anything better than that. They say that Marxism-Leninism is bad. Be that as it may but we haven't created anything better than that. And it was an entire system of views. We don't have it these days,”
Because I never understood the difference quite well enough.