cross-posted from: https://hexbear.net/post/604441

Bonus points for implying Parenti is one too.

Another one:

Summarises it better than I could. I used to watch him, along with other content creators, but it’s been a while so don’t remember exact examples. The above hits the nail on the head when it comes to the overarching issue.

The fact Hakim promotes Parenti, if I remember correctly, is one sign of his liberalism. The fact he runs a sub like r/TheDeprogram which is one in a long line of western petit bourgeois leftist meme subs (succeeding MoreTankieChapo and GenZedong) and the fact many of his podcast’s followers there are Dengists is another sign of his liberalism.

The fact he has a (fairly successful) YouTube channel where he makes relatively short, relatively shallow, “snappy” videos, as well as a podcast, is a clear sign of the petit bourgeois nature of the commodity production (“content creation”) he’s engaged in. And I think the fact he has a fairly successful Patreon from which he funds his own survival + the continuation of his petit bourgeois commodity production pretty much by definition makes him a fairly successful petit bourgeois. And the fact it is his political propaganda which directly affords him this class status is problematic to say the least.

E: Please keep in mind that me as well as many others are deriving this stuff from personal as well as collectively experiences and observations. I’m not just randomly thinking oh he’s petit bourgeois so fuck him. I personally spent years consuming leftist content on YouTube and the like and did not learn shit about the philosophy and theory of Marxism or the history of communism. I had a very superficial understanding of things despite spending years watching this stuff and it showed when I started engaging with the sub we’re on right now since people here actually have a more in depth understanding of Marxism. I’ve basically had to start over which is what I’m doing now, I’ve tried to put away all I think I know and started studying Marxist texts, starting from the basics, a few months ago. This is my own personal experience but if you talk to other people here you’ll find it’s not unique at all. Leftist content is legitimately not a good way to learn Marxism, at best if it somehow manages to be devoid of liberalism it’s just an entertaining thing to do in your free time, but even then there’s so little leftist content that is actually revolutionary, exactly for the reasons I described above, that leftist content creators work within the framework and by the rules of petit bourgeois production in the industry of content creation. They are by default driven to produce content that will appeal to western petit bourgeoisie and labor aristocrats since those are the people who consume things like YouTube and podcasts the most. If your concern is to just consume leftist whatever then okay, keep watching it. But if you want to become a Marxist and an actual communist, i.e. the vanguard of the global proletariat, you’ll have to do better than that.

  • QueerCommie
    6·
    1 year ago

    They sound exactly like stereotypes of what patsocs think we decolonial Marxists are. What’s their group called?

    • toomanyjoints69
      8·
      1 year ago

      They were in the DSA for a while but they all left when they wouldnt expell someone they didnt like. They have an unnamed club. They tried to join and dominate a mutual aid group i had, but they left when they couldnt persuade everyone to kick me out for being a racist. Their unofficial leader had a habit of making herself cry and then her friends dogpiling you because how dare you bully her.

      I was interested in their ideas before they attacked me, but the act of asking questions such as “where would white people go?” made them think i was a klansman. They would not explain their ideas amd amy question put them in full debate mode.

      I actually feel like my ideas were very much in transition at the time and that had they just been friendlier id have developed different politics. Not complaining, since i obviously like my ideas, but it is something ive noticed about myself.

      They currently share photoshopped pictures of me on social media accusing me of being a nazi for working at a coal mine and destroying the environment.

      • QueerCommie
        4·
        1 year ago

        Yikes, that sounds like wrecker shit. In terms of “where would the white people go” it’s a relatively easy question to answer if you don’t act combative about it. How do they expect to carry out any of their goals if they’re gonna be this sectarian?

        • toomanyjoints69
          2·
          1 year ago

          I read that and I have the following questions -

          • If white people are not mass deported or made into serfs, and it refers more to reparations, actual equality in city planning and other areas, and affirmitive action, then how is that different than how normal communist goverments did things?
          • If it is not different, then what is the advantage of framing it that way?
          • Why are the terms so deliberatley divisive and offensive to white people when as far as I can read they really don’t need to be because they aren’t that threatening.
          • Why are there so many irl people who actually do act like right wing caricatures? There are other ideologies that have this problem, such as black nationalism. It is interesting to me when black nationalists talk about the Nation of Islam and how it is not the same thing, so that is why I ask you. In fairness, there are people with my opinions that act like caricatures, but in my mind I think I understand why they act that way. People have understood my ideas more when they realize I am not a uniform collecting trust fund baby and that I do actually work a “working class” job and lifestyle.
          • I have thought of the concept of a settler as a named group of people interesting, because it does describe USA, South Africa, and other places well. In your opinion, what are the advantages to this classification other than just being accurate? While being accurate is obviously a good goal in and of itself, what are the tangible benefits.
          • How do these benefits outweigh Communism framed in more dumb language especially considering the similarities and the intense negative fearful reaction both the terminology and certain wreckers bring?
          • How would you respond to someone who told you that they have never met an Indian in their life and don’t want to frame the entire nation around a tiny minority? If your response is hostile, then you are hostile to most regular people. I imagine that this means your response would not be hostile because activism has probably taught both of us that this style of hostility is not productive. This dismissive reply represents how I imagine the “everyman” in my rural part of the country would respond even if he liked you. Because he liked you, he would tell you this with the expectation that you would have a good answer. Without sarcasm, I imagine that answering this is one of the major talking points of your ideology. For example, a very common question I might have to answer from a working class person is “What if I like my landlord and don’t want to be in charge?” It’s important that I have a good answer for that which isn’t just calling them a bootlicker.

          I chose the bullet point format to be consise not confrontational. This is designed to save you from reading a novel and save me from writing one being careful with language that would come more natural in spoken form.

          • QueerCommie
            1·
            1 year ago

            Honestly, I suggest making a whole new post. I can answer some of these questions, but I’m not prepared to answer all of them. Link back to this post and the one I sent. @ some of the people who answered questions before. I’m sure others are wondering the same things, and others can give better answers there. I’ll give the answers I can there, so that others can give me feedback too.