Mastodawn

In a world of Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, be like Zohran Mamdani and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

@Strandjunker as an outside observer it is hard to not consider them as a state sponsored "acceptable radicalism", which is basically not even criticizing what matters, or not having any effective influence on the policy ... I don't know about AOC, but Mamdani certainly looks like made for that role.

Jeremy Kahn Jun 29

@solomon_schloosser

Things are so far shifted to the right in the US that "establishment radical" ideas (by European standards) are subject to attack from even the so-called "left" party establishment

In the US two party system, there can be no movement except to the right

one big exception here is the ranked voting system that let Mamdani (center left*, young, popular) run out front of Cuomo (center right* & corrupt, but not openly fascist)

*by European standards

@trochee @Strandjunker From my perspective: the "right" in the US celebrated absolute immunity, which makes them monarchists, so out of any democratic spectrum, and Mr Mamdani has zero relevant experience in administrating metropolises which makes him incompetent, not "left". I am not really sure there is much to celebrate in a clueless person being elected to any office, anywhere in the world; Recent years they are becoming ever more! That's a horrific trend.

Jeremy Kahn Jun 29

@solomon_schloosser
So, elect the corrupt machine politicians because " the trains will run on time "?

Seems like we've tried that before

@trochee @Strandjunker if you are asking me to give you advice on a particular election, not my job; but if you mean it as a metaphor: elections are not the bed-rock of democracy, or good governance, or anything like that; The are just a tool, with an extremely limited scope of influence. I would recommend starting with newspapers, information, freedom of speech, supporting thinkers, authors ... in other words people changing themselves will change the government for the better ...

@solomon_schloosser @trochee @Strandjunker
Exactly right and not enough Americans will hear and understand it.
There's a reason all of these things have been under attack from the Right for,, almost a century now, geez!

@trochee @Strandjunker also to be clear, my comment was another way of saying: the United States is ever more becoming a monarchy, and while the republicans might be those who openly advocate for that, the Democrats are a silent or reluctant accomplice. Hence, I rather don't see taking any these individuals as a role-model, unless one wishes to give up political rights and autonomy which are human rights to a minority - regardless of how elected ...

In a world of Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries, Zohran Mamdani and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez be like Nestor Mahkno, Emiliano Zapata, Maria Nikiforova, and Emma Goldman.

𝗖 𝗔 𝗧 Jun 30

In a world of a bunch of politicians and dead political activists, be original.
@LevZadov @Strandjunker

@Radical_EgoCom @Strandjunker

How do you suggest we do that? Be specific. Thanks in advance.

𝗖 𝗔 𝗧 Jun 30

Just don't try to be like other people, as if it already wasn't obvious what I meant. That's as specific as it gets.
@LevZadov @Strandjunker

@Radical_EgoCom @Strandjunker

That's *very* bad advice. The past is to be learned from, not lived in. But it *is* to be learned from. Ignorance is *not* bliss, it's a death trap.

“To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always a child. For what is the worth of human life, unless it is woven into the life of our ancestors by the records of history?” -- Marcus Tullius Cicero

𝗖 𝗔 𝗧 Jun 30

Did I say a single thing about not learning from the past? No, I didn't. All I said is that people should try and not be like other people and should instead be original. I have no idea how you interpreted "be original" into "don't learn from the past."
@LevZadov @Strandjunker

@Radical_EgoCom @Strandjunker

I never said a thing about not being original. I suggested being like certain people from the past. In this day and age, being like those particular people *is* being original. Most people only try to be like each other, i.e., like the people they see on TV and the Internet.

You objected. Why would you do that? Do you actually *prefer* that we only learn from the people around us and on our screens? Why?

𝗖 𝗔 𝗧 Jun 30

Being like someone else, whether they're from the past or present, is not being original, so you were recommending that people not be original, and for the last time, I never said people shouldn't learn from the past. All I suggested is that people should be original and not try to be like other people, whether from the past or present, not that they shouldn't learn from others.
@LevZadov @Strandjunker

@Radical_EgoCom @Strandjunker

No, I did not. Don't put words in my mouth. It's rude. It's dishonest. It's very bad form.

In this day and age, in this society, being like honorable, woke, revolutionaries *is* original. Being like the people around us is old fashioned and obsolete. Trying to make up who you are purely from scratch is not only counter-revolutionary, counter-productive, it's and *exactly* what our oppressors most want us to try.

𝗖 𝗔 𝗧 Jun 30

You were the one putting words into my mouth by suggesting that I was saying that people shouldn't learn from the past when I never said that, so you're in no position to start falsely accusing me of the same thing. People being exactly like other people who are different from the status quo is still then being unoriginal; the people they're copying being different from most people doesn't make it not being original; they're still copying their personality, i.e., being unoriginal. 1/2
@LevZadov

𝗖 𝗔 𝗧 Jun 30

And you must have memory loss so I'll say this again: I'm not saying people shouldn't learn from the past or make up who they are from scratch, only that when they're doing so they should try to be original instead of just copying people exactly. 2/2
@LevZadov

@Radical_EgoCom

I never said, "Follow them exactly." For example, try not to get hung, imprisoned or deported, but don't sit down and shut up just because talking about politics is what originally got all those people hung, imprisoned and deported.

@Radical_EgoCom

Copy their successes, not their failures. Don't try to reinvent the wheel.

Green Hombre Jun 29

@Strandjunker And don't take AIPAC money!

Jackie 🍉🏳️‍⚧️☭Jun 29

@Strandjunker In a world of AOCs, be a Rosa Luxemburg.

JamesLundblad Jun 29

@Strandjunker AOC is already 35.

spiegelmama Jun 30

@JamesLundblad
Old enough to be president, you mean? I'd vote for her.

okanogen VerminEnemyFromWithin Jun 29

@Strandjunker
This Mamdani? The guy parroting "#GenocideJoe" crap when our entire democray was on the line?
Not even Ilhan Omar did that.
https://www.cityandstateny.com/politics/2024/03/ceasefire-politics-have-gone-mainstream-fractures-have-emerged-democratic-party/395009/

As ceasefire politics have gone mainstream, fractures have emerged in the Democratic Party

Five months into Israel’s invasion of Gaza, a growing number of politicians have demanded a ceasefire.

City & State NY

@Okanogen @Strandjunker Yeah man, people demanding an end to genocide are just the absolute WORST. 🙄

Susan Ville Jun 30

@Strandjunker I prefer to be like myself.

𝗖 𝗔 𝗧 Jun 30

Stop looking up to these politicians like they're our saviors. No politician will save the working class. The working class's power resides not in this or that politician, but in their collective power as a class. We are our own saviors. Change will not come from above; it will come from below from us.
@Strandjunker
#strike #unions #union #strikes #workersrights #socialism #communism #capitalism #anarchism #anarchy #marxism #anticapitalism #revolution #classwar #politics