mub comments on Tankie and PROUD, come @ me lemmy liberals

[–] mub@lemmy.ml 1 point 8 months ago (2 children)

I know I am badly informed about the way things are done in a functional Communist state, like China, and my views are entirely coloured by my western up bringing. I'm over 50yo so I have a lot of cultural assumptions to overcome. That said I struggle with the idea that communism can function without very strict controls and closed door bureaucracy. I guess I prefer to KNOW I'm being lied to by the media and my government, rather than only suspect it but not be able to talk about it.

Regards my desire for individual freedoms, this is not about consumerism. I'm a simplistic guy, I'm not dreaming of the shop-till-you-drop life, or a mansion with 50 cars. I'm talking about my ability to go places and say things without fear that I will be arrested for sharing my views. There will always be consequences for our actions, and if what we say directly results in destruction, pain, or death that is a good thing, but I won't be silenced just to keep the peace.

I'll say it again. We are in challenging times with hyper conservatism ruining everyone's day, but I'm hopeful.

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[–] QinShiHuangsShlong@lemmy.ml 3 points 8 months ago (1 child)

Look I understand a lot of where you're coming from given your background, however:

Basically everything you “know” about politics and political economy is seemingly somewhere between wildly exaggerated and outright fairytale, and you don’t yet grasp the scale or sophistication of the narrative control you’re actually living under.

You say you prefer to know you’re being lied to, but in the West you usually don’t. That’s the point. Through ownership, framing, omission, and repetition, discourse is managed in the boardroom long before anything reaches you. I already linked you Inventing Reality by Michael Parenti for a reason: every story shown or not shown, every angle chosen, exists to shape what feels “normal” or “thinkable.” That ideological hegemony is deeper and more effective than the cartoon version of censorship projected onto China and socialist states in general.

Your second paragraph still rests on the same misunderstanding, communism isn’t about silencing people to “keep the peace,” it’s about suppressing reactionary and bourgeois forces so they can’t sabotage collective development as they have repeatedly proven themselves to do historically as their class interest is diametrically opposed to the interests of the masses.

Finally, this rise of conservatism(fascism) you’re talking about isn’t some temporary cultural mood swing, it’s capitalism in decay. When imperialism can’t externalize crisis anymore, its violence turns inward. That’s why you’re feeling it now. The teeth of empire always come home eventually. If you’re serious about understanding any of this, you need to move past liberal intuitions and actually study political economy. Hope without analysis just leaves you disarmed. You really should read the books/articles I linked in the last reply.

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[–] mub@lemmy.ml 3 points 8 months ago

I like your reply. It is generally constructive and reasonable, and shows an understanding of the many sides in this discussion.

Your last paragraph articulates a feeling I hear shared across my friends and colleagues, that Western life is imploding and has been for a long time.