Welcome again to everybody! Make yourself at home. Sit down in that sweat-stained bean bag chair over there. In the time-honoured tradition of our group, here is our weekly discussion thread!

We have our own Matrix homeserver at https://genzedong.org; you can make an account with any Matrix client (e.g. Element). We have a GenZedong Matrix room (see the sidebar for more information), although it’s not very active at the moment, and there’s also a general Lemmygrad Matrix room at #internationale:genzedong.org.

Discord

Short reading list for new MLs here. To find theory (and other books), you can use z-lib, libgen, or Sci-Hub (for scientific articles). If an article is unavailable, try the Wayback Machine.

  • Water Bowl Slime
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    191 year ago

    Whoa I didn’t know Lemmygrad allowed nippleposting 😳😳

  • DankZedong A
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    191 year ago

    So in the book I’m reading, ‘Billionaires to the guillotine’, the author went to Basque Country to see how it went from one of the poorest and most criminal regions in Spain in the 70s to one of the richest and most equal regions in all of Europe. It did so by refusing to accept neoliberalism and privatization and by forming co-ops. There are around 3000 co-ops in the country at the moment and it was interesting to see how they operate.

    The author rightfully discusses some criticism of the co-ops, mainly the large ones like Mondragón, as they need to operate within a capitalist world and therefore need to adapt some capitalist mindset. But it was still interesting to see how a small region could give a middle finger to capitalism by forming lukewarm socialist companies. I think examples like this will be very useful in discussing with libs.

  • DankZedong A
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    171 year ago

    There is a big amount of whacko pseudoscience bullshit in the vegan community and I hate it. I don’t want your hand picked magical mountain salt that can cute cancer and deliver world peace, I just don’t want to hurt animals mate.

    • 小莱卡
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      81 year ago

      Kinda interesting how that stuff happens everywhere. Like here in mexico alternative medicine and witchcraft(?) are incredibly popular especially in rural areas, one would think its because their lack of education but then you see people from wealthy backgrounds all over the world into astrology.

      • DankZedong A
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        111 year ago

        Yup. Amsterdam has a lot of well educated leftist people being very anti vax for example. I’ve read some shit a while ago about how, sometimes, the higher up the education ladder you get, the more sensitive you get for that shit despite you being able to do your own research. Actually, doing their own research may be the thing that gets them there.

        Must add that my comment wasn’t meant to bash traditional medicine of, for example, indigenous people. Especially since I’ve done a lot of reading on that kind of stuff lol. But be realistic please. Some obscure salt or oils will probably not save you from cancer.

        • 小莱卡
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          71 year ago

          Its very hit or miss, without much scientifical proof id think that the effectiveness comes mostly from a placebo effect. But then again i remember having this strong concoction, from a friend at college that came from a very rural background, that instantly cured my flu lol.

          • DankZedong A
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            81 year ago

            Yeah some people have these sort of gifts I guess. My grandma had a sister that would draw a cross with her finger on any wart you had and it would be gone the next day. I was never able to explain that, but it worked, every single time. Very bizarre. I will never rule out some old wisdom.

    • @CannotSleep420
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      51 year ago

      I have an uncle that makes a living practicing alternative medicine. Shit like shakes and accupuncture. I’m pretty sure he doesn’t have a medical degree or anything, but people still see him for various ailments.

      • 小莱卡
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        51 year ago

        Alternative medicine businesses are incredibly lucrative, i am the landlord off a small shop and these dudes be riding the latest and most deluxe versions of trucks in the market lol. The suppliers for these businesses are mostly people from the “sierra” ( mountains ) that are incredibly isolated and thus get paid nearly nothing for their labor.

  • Lenin enjoyer🏳️‍⚧️
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    16
    edit-2
    1 year ago

    just got back from vacation, resetting my sleep schedule, currently 2AM, passed out at like 4PM. (picture from said vacation)

      • Arsen6331 ☭
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        81 year ago

        I think the single link replies don’t take too much space, but for multi-link ones, this is probably a good idea.

    • @redtea
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      81 year ago

      I saw your update. Nice to see this developing!

    • @nour
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      41 year ago

      If it’s not too much work, could you make it convert the links in posts as well as comments? I occassionally post YouTube links, and it would be nice if the Invidious links for it were provided automatically.

      (Personally I use a redirection add-on that redirects to my preferred Invidious instance whenever I click on a YouTube link, but it can sure be helpful when I’m on another device where I haven’t had the time to set it up yet.)

  • DankZedong A
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    edit-2
    1 year ago

    My city’s airport will start to offer four direct flights to London a week. London is a 45 minuten flight, or a two hour train ride. This is the same city to currently ban old cars from the city centre and in a few years will ban all non-electrical vehicles. These measures, like always, mainly effect the poor people and the fines are huge.

    Wankers.

  • @Darkerseid
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    151 year ago

    the libs are seething because a game called atomic heart based in soviet era is doing really well.

    • @lil_tank
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      101 year ago

      Most importantly the studio is Russian. If they were western it would have been just like the Netflix’s Chernobyl series

      • @Shrike502
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        91 year ago

        Plenty of Russian studios still developing games for the west. Owlcat is currently making a Warhammer RPG

  • ☭CommieWolf☆
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    141 year ago

    Since I moved back in with my family, I’ve had to deal with something I haven’t had to for a very long time. My parents are hardcore reactionaries and we don’t agree on anything, and for the first time in 5 years I have to interact with them on a daily basis.

    It’s really disheartening that since I’ve been gone they’ve only gotten worse, and its very frustrating that every time I try to speak with them about any of their views I get shut out. Do any of you comrades know how to deal with family that are worryingly right wing in their views?

    • 小莱卡
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      121 year ago

      Exactly the same thing happened to me, i just stopped talking about politics with them and started hiding my power level in order to keep my mental health. In my case there is simply no way to change their mind, both come from extremely reactionary families (extremely catholic and inherited a lot of land), they’re not prone to read, watch tv 24/7 and just have eaten propaganda for more than half a century especially talking to my dad is like talking to a brick wall lol, at this point i just laugh internally about the stupid shit they say when having lunch and stuff and just try to look like a complete ignorant of the subject its just better for my mental health. Also they’re old and alienated from actual working class people so it really doesn’t matter what they think and say.

      • ☭CommieWolf☆
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        111 year ago

        What’s especially unfortunate is that my father has a significant following both online and in the local community for his political views, and he actively promotes his vile ideology to thousands of his followers regularly. If they kept their harmful views to themselves that’s one thing, its something far more disappointing and concerning when they actively go around preaching it.

        • 小莱卡
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          91 year ago

          Eh that is unfortunate but don’t put much thought on it since im sure his following is mostly other old people like him, they’re just frustated about life it’s kind of their way to cope which is very sad but don’t torture yourself about it. You’re the perfect example that his rhetoric is nonsense since you’ve been fed those views since you were born.

    • That’s rough. The only advice I can give is to avoid talking about politics with them; for your own mental health, I would strongly recommend against trying to convince them, especially not while you have to live with them.

      • ☭CommieWolf☆
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        101 year ago

        This was my thinking too, but still its difficult to cope with, knowing that people you care about have such views. But they’re at a certain age now that I feel that they can never change. I do try and guide the younger ones who are more open to listening., Hopefully I can rub off some decent ideas on them after they’ve had to listen to the nonsense from the older generation.

  • @Mzuark
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    111 year ago

    I got hit by a NAFO brigade on Twitter today and I noticed a few things

    • They will attack you over almost nothing, all I did was call out their spamming
    • All attempts to talk things out is hit with immediate gaslighting
    • I was referred too as “demon” for some reason. Demon. Over a difference of opinion. I guess that’s the dehumanizatiom coming into play.

    My takeaway: These people are not only disingenuous, they’re also insane zealots.

  • DankZedong A
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    111 year ago

    Youth and drug related violence is reaching some peaks in my city and I and other social workers really don’t know what to do anymore. The daughter of someone I know and her friend were attacked by some gang who were out to break their arms and back. They kept hitting and stomping on their arms and backs and they were filming it as well. The girl and her friend were complete innocent bypassers for them. Her friend had to be taken by a trauma ambulance because they suspected her back was broken, but luckily it wasn’t. The girl is having serious issues with her arm at the moment. Apparently the gang was some well known local drillrap group. And it’s day after day with attacks, bombings, shooting, violence. Social workers don’t know what to do anymore after years of budget cuts. End of rant.

    • @Shrike502
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      51 year ago

      So that gang is just commiting random acts of violence for the sake of it?

      • DankZedong A
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        51 year ago

        It’s a thing in drillrap circles where you need to prove yourself by getting point through acts of violence.

  • @frippa@lemmy.ml
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    fedilink
    91 year ago

    I know this is a petty 1st world thing but as it applies to the small, it also applies to the big, I’m seeing waaaay less offers, coupons, vouchers, discounts. The falling rate of profit must be falling really bad

    • @Shrike502
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      91 year ago

      Is it really a first world thing? I’ve seen enough elderly shop exclusively for discounts because they cannot afford food otherwise

  • 小莱卡
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    91 year ago

    Kinda ridiculous that i can order a custom keycap from China to Mexico for less than a dollar (5 mxn literally, less than fcking candies) with no shipping cost. This should not be possible

    • @Darkerseid
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      41 year ago

      what are those keycaps? are you building custom keyboards?

  • @Abraman
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    91 year ago

    I cant wait until the “feature posts sitewide” feature from hexbear comes here so this thread can be mega active

  • 陈卫华是我的英雄
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    81 year ago

    Average reddit comment be like “The horrors of communism are on full display as the Zhinas Gommnist Party forces innocent kids to study basic precalculus to prepare them for life. On the other hand, in America, the glorious land of the free, only 70% of high school seniors graduate because the others fail school and no one can find Afghanistan on the map despite the US government spending decades and trillions of dollars there to replace the Taliban with the Taliban. Anyway, Ukraine has now killed 13456798765 trillion RuZZian soldiers and the Endsieg is totally very near right now, Zeitenwende #2456872 will turn the tide with nonexistent Western wunderwaffen, Slobber Zucchini!”