• BurgerPunk [he/him, comrade/them]@hexbear.net
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    3
    ·
    edit-2
    10 months ago

    The quote that social democracy is objectively the moderate wing of fascism, doesn’t mean the same thing as saying social democrats are fascist. The quote acknowledges the subjective difference, the fact that social democrats view themselves differently. What the quote neans is that, despite this subjective difference, despite the intentions of social democrats, their efforts ultimately only serve to help and enable fascism, because it accepts capital and the liberal democratic framework.

    Repeating the quote now, today, is not the same thing as saying AOC is a fascist. You are misunderstanding the quote. And are further misunderstanding the history, and using a misunderstanding of that history to justify your misunderstanding of the quote

    I get that you care about optics on this site and think that it should be the same as irl organizing. I don’t agree with that, but if that’s your point, okay. I can accept that’s what you think and you care about it even if i don’t. But i want to point out how you are misinterpreting the quote. Not because i think Stalin is a “great man” or “infallible”, and not because I’m “contrarian,” but because i think the quote is right, and important for communists or peoole who want to be on an actual left to understand. If you want our optics held to the same standard as irl organizing, then i insist we hold our education to the same standard. Because if we’re organizing, it should be with people that are capable of understanding this quote - otherwise we’ll end up organized with the kind of people this quote refers to who will betray and destroy any real left efforts

    • 420blazeit69 [he/him]@hexbear.net
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      edit-2
      10 months ago

      Calling someone a moderate fascists is calling them a fascist the same way calling someone a moderate Democrat is calling them a Democrat. We don’t make any real distinction when we add “moderate” (“if the time ever comes understand she’ll advocate the same insane violence against us that the fascists will”), people don’t hear a distinction, and it’s ridiculous to try and retroactively try and create some thin theoretical difference when this is pointed out.

      The only reason people (sometimes) add the “moderate” modifier is they’re memeing about a Stalin quote they haven’t actually interrogated, and it seems most people haven’t even read:

      Social-Democracy is objectively the moderate wing of fascism… They are not antipodes, they are twins. Fascism is an informal political bloc of these two chief organisations; a bloc, which arose in the circumstances of the post-war crisis of imperialism, and which is intended for combating the proletarian revolution.

      We can’t say “if you sit down at a table with fascists you’re a fascist” all day then pretend “moderate fascist, fascism’s twin” means “not fascist.”

      think that it should be the same as irl organizing

      I never said anything like this. I said this place is useful for moving people left, and that it will be less useful for that if we get so up our own online asses that we can’t tell when we’re saying crank shit that doesn’t even have a good theoretical basis.

      • BurgerPunk [he/him, comrade/them]@hexbear.net
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        edit-2
        10 months ago

        Social-Democracy is objectively the moderate wing of fascism… They are not antipodes, they are twins. Fascism is an informal political bloc of these two chief organisations; a bloc, which arose in the circumstances of the post-war crisis of imperialism, and which is intended for combating the proletarian revolution.

        Even with the full quote you still misunderstand it. I’m not sure how you can look at that and not see hiw what i just told you is correct.

        We can’t say “if you sit down at a table with fascists you’re a fascist” all day then pretend “moderate fascist, fascism’s twin” means “not fascist.”

        They are “Twins” because they were “born” at the same time from the same material conditions. He’s not using twin to mean “identical.” They aren’t identical, but they both exist to serve capital and defebd it from proletarian revolution. That’s why social democracy is “objectively tge moderate wing if fascism.” This is not saying “AOC us a fascist” its not even saying “AOC is a moderate fascist.” Its saying that social democracy serves the same purpose. Conflating it with the “sit down with fascists…” saying is just you running with your misinterpretation and justifing yourself.

        it’s ridiculous to try and retroactively try and create some thin theoretical difference when this is pointed out.

        I’m not doing anything retroactively. I’m just telling you what Stalin meant when he wrote it, and what we mean when we say it. Once again you’re misinterpreting it and calling us cranks based on your misinterpretation

        I never said anything like this. I said this place is useful for moving people left, and that it will be less useful for that if we get so up our own online asses that we can’t tell when we’re saying crank shit that doesn’t even have a good theoretical basis.

        This isn’t crank shit. Your misinterpretation definitely is though. And you’ve been corrected on this multiple times it sounds like, and you really want to die on this hill over some kind of optics argument that we’re “cranks” when the crank opinion your argueing against is just your own misinterpretation.

        I’m sorry if you think the niche communist internst forum is “too online” if we read Stalin, understand him, and quote him about things he was correct about.

        • 420blazeit69 [he/him]@hexbear.net
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          10 months ago

          I’m just telling you what Stalin meant when he wrote it

          You aren’t a mind reader and you aren’t some authority on the subject. We are both reading the same 100-year-old text and coming to different conclusions. I am not misinterpreting, you are not correcting, and the condescension is obnoxious.

          My point from the beginning is that when people hear “XYZ is a moderate fascist,” they interpret that to mean “XYZ is basically a fascist, even if this person thinks some other fascist is worse.” No amount of quoting Stalin and claiming to know What He Truly Meant will change that this is what people hear.

          • BurgerPunk [he/him, comrade/them]@hexbear.net
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            2
            ·
            edit-2
            10 months ago

            Okay, you’re not engaging in anything approaching good faith on this issue with me or anyone else here.

            We are both reading the same 100-year-old text and coming to different conclusions.

            Except your conclusion is a willful misunderstanding. I am correcting, because you are wrong. I’m not condescending. I’m talking to like an adult and an equal. Its okay to be wrong about something. Ive been generous by using the term misinterpretation because the text is so clear its not even open fir interpretation. I’ve gone out of my way to not be condescending despite your choice to mischaracterise the incredibly blatant text. your inability to engage in good faith is not only obnoxious but tedious.

            My point from the beginning is that when people hear “XYZ is a moderate fascist,” they interpret that to mean “XYZ is basically a fascist, even if this person thinks some other fascist is worse.” No amount of quoting Stalin and claiming to know What He Truly Meant will change that this is what people hear.

            I’m not presenting what I’m saying as “What he truly meant” as some sort of divination. I’m basically just repeating what the literal text said because it makes its point extremely clearly. That’s why I’m even telling you your misunderstanding it and saying that I’m correcting you because its such a clear statement that its not even open to interpretation. Its not cryptic in the slightest, yet you choose to argue over it, and need to paint it like I’m divining its intent like a religious text to prove your point. Bad faith bullshit on your part, and for no reason.

            Yeah, your point is just some dumb optics shit that has nothing to do with the quote. But we’re all just cranks who are too online to see the truth lol.

            I’m not talking with you anymore about this, because this is pointless and tedious. We’re all just “too online” and you’re the one true leftist. Congratulations

            • 420blazeit69 [he/him]@hexbear.net
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              1
              ·
              10 months ago

              I’m talking to [you] like an adult and an equal.

              Lmao if you spoke to a stranger like this – “you keep misinterpreting this,” “you’ve now been corrected a few times,” – they’d either walk away or tell you to fuck off.

              your point is just some dumb optics shit

              Another sign of engaging in good faith – “your point is dumb shit, why can’t we talk about my point instead”!

              Tell me more, O Master of Discourse!