• Muad'Dibber@lemmygrad.ml
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    1 year ago

    Most of the US “left” is ready to join the US army at this point. And that includes anarchists and socdems.

  • Shrike502@lemmygrad.ml
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    1 year ago

    What kind of “Russian activists” did they invite? The ones who stood with “I’m ashamed to be Russian” banners? Navalny simps?

    • knfrmity@lemmygrad.ml
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      1 year ago

      According to the summary it’s Ilya Budraitskis. I’m not familiar with the name, but a quick search shows that he writes regularly for OpenDemocracy affiliated projects. To be completely honest I’m not surprised an outlet like DemocracyNow has someone like that on.

      • PolandIsAStateOfMind@lemmygrad.ml
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        1 year ago

        Ilya Budraitskis

        Honorary westolefto, he constantly uses terms like “antiauthoritarianism”, “stalinism” and “third position” with all seriousness.

        Imagine writing shit like this about the Yeltsin putsch and bragging it ffs:

        At the same time, some anarchists and socialists decided to take a third position, equally critical of both sides of the conflict, and created a medical brigade that provided first aid to the wounded.

      • utkonos@lemmygrad.ml
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        1 year ago

        Ilya Budraitskis

        Well, he’s known trotskist with 20+ years in politics. Actually, i’ve met him in personal a few times over the years. The first time was back in 2002 on some united left demonstration. I wanted to make friends with one charming girl who somehow was member of his trot wankers organisation so together with my friend we’ve reached their stand at demo. There we’ve meet Ilya who tried to convince us to join his bunch of loosers (as far as i remember it was Socialist Resistance, Russian section of CWI). Sadly for him we were too fueled with beer and Soviet revanchism so we started to mock him with stupid pubertat jokes like offering the donation of icepick.

        • SovereignState@lemmygrad.ml
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          1 year ago

          Sadly for him we were too fueled with beer and Soviet revanchism so we started to mock him with stupid pubertat jokes like offering the donation of icepick.

          simply one of the best things I’ve ever read

    • supersolid_snake@lemmygrad.ml
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      1 year ago

      There are always tons of compradors to choose from, from any country. They can get them to say what they like and hide it behind a token for inclusivity and accuse you of not giving agency to a people or whatever ivy league poli sci bullshit they came up with.

  • lemmyseizethemeans@lemmygrad.ml
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    1 year ago

    Aaron Mate, who used to actually work for Democracy Now, spitting truth. It’s too bad DN pivoted to the libs. Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez are amazing people, really wonderful and critical journalists, but they kinda slipped as they got older I think.

  • Rafidhi [her/هي]@lemmygrad.ml
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    1 year ago

    Amer Jubran Arab Palestinian political prisoner wrote an article about American Left and this.

    "At this point, it is a waste of time to discuss the perfidy of the US government. It is established beyond doubt that Bush, like presidents before him, represents the interests of a prosperous war industry. What is worth researching, though, is the methods by which the US managed to achieve its vast criminal empire. Such research needs not focus on the well-known economic and military machinery and its political consequences, but rather on the unconventional and secret strategies employed by the US to encircle and strangle its prospective targets. These strategies include client regimes, large-scale media propaganda, and co-opting opponents of the system. One such opponent is the United States “antiwar movement.” As one administration after another wages war with impunity, culminating with Bush ignoring 10 million antiwar protesters on February 15, 2003, any hope one might have that this movement could bring change has become wishful thinking. In order to bring the US war machine to a halt, insights are needed into why the antiwar movement has not been effective. This must include an examination of the leadership, culture, theoretical and practical goals, mission, and strategies of the movement as it stands today. During the Vietnam era, the US government spent a great deal of resources on researching the movement and its impact. It responded to the movement with imprisonment, harassment, and assassination of leaders. An entire system of social rewards was developed to buy people off. The government’s most effective strategy, however, was its choosing to contain the opposition rather than attempt to eradicate it. It was by this means that a “loyal opposition” was created - an opposition which the government could manipulate and control, allowing it enough power to reach a large segment of the population, and to disseminate a message of change, but withholding the power necessary for such change to be in any way implemented. In the Vietnam era many realized the government could not be trusted. The pretense of a democracy in which two parties struggled against each other to keep the USA honest would no longer work. Elite planners understood that non-governmental organizations could do what the Democrats had formerly done. That is, they could push for reform of policies set by Republicans, and their free expression of political frustration could be promoted and used as a sign of a healthy, confident democracy. Such organizations could thus continue work vital to the government’s longevity, absorbing the opposition in the name of reform, and the Democrats and Republicans could more openly merge forces. After thirty years under this system the movement has established its right to freedom of expression, and not much else. The focus has changed from demands for changes in government policy to just having the right to express those demands. Unlike the 60’s, when antiwar protesters were attacked by dogs, sticks, and water hoses, protesters today are accompanied by police motorcades. The government issues rally permits, marching permits, sound permits, and vending permits. Some consider it a victory just to obtain a permit to protest. This reflects how demoralized the antiwar movement has become. Of course, once a protest is permitted, it will then be subjected to massive police supervision, as we have all seen.

    "

    • KiG V2@lemmygrad.ml
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      1 year ago

      I encourage people who like dark fiction to watch Black Mirror Season 1 Episode 2, I feel like it perfectly captures this in metaphor. Sadly the show became exactly what it criticized over time.

  • Frogmanfromlake [none/use name]@hexbear.net
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    1 year ago

    NATO left is all like this. You’ll hear the same dumb shit from people residing in NATO or NATO friendly countries like Australia. They’ll use all the leftist talking points and give soapbox speeches about labor revolution and the evils of capitalism. Until you mention foreign threats. Then they run to the nearest recruitment office to become cannon fodder.

    • DamarcusArt@lemmygrad.ml
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      1 year ago

      It’s saddening to see someone claim to be “left” and agree with you on almost everything socialist…until you mention foreign countries and they start to say things that would’ve been regular statements coming out of a frothing at the mouth imperialist a century ago.

      • supersolid_snake@lemmygrad.ml
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        1 year ago

        Bread at home, bombs abroad. They agree on things that would benefit them like healthcare, education, food, shelter, clothing. But they realize an easy way to get fascists to agree to these demands domestically is imperialism. And even then, they won’t get those things.

    • Kultronx@lemmygrad.ml
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      1 year ago

      TBH I don’t really see any of these fake champagne warmonger leftists running to join the war, they won’t lift a finger as they are generally cowards. It seems like only right-wing larper doofuses actually joining the war and then running scared.