Karl Marx, born on this day in 1818, was a foundational political theorist and journalist associated with the philosophy of Marxism.

Among Marx’s best-known texts are the “The Communist Manifesto” and the three-volume “Das Kapital”, in which he set out to define and explain the behavior of the capitalist mode of production.

Marx’s political and philosophical thought have had enormous influence on subsequent intellectual, economic and political history, and his name has been used as an adjective, a noun, and a school of social theory.

Marx’s critical theories about society, economics and politics - collectively understood as Marxism - hold that human societies develop through class conflict. In capitalism, this manifests itself in the conflict between the ruling classes (known as the bourgeoisie) that control the means of production, and the working classes (known as the proletariat) that enable these means by selling their labor power in return for wages.

Employing a critical approach known as historical materialism, Marx concluded that, like previous socio-economic systems, capitalism produced internal tensions which would lead to its self-destruction and replacement by a new system known as socialism.

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Links To Resources (Aid and Theory):

Aid:

Theory:

  • ClimateStalin [they/them, he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
    27·
    12 days ago

    When people say “You can’t be putting your hope on China to save us, we have to save ourselves” I get the point but honestly it sounds naive to me. Which is ironic since they think I’m naive.

    Like, I saw someone say we need an “American Che” and like, that’d be cool but that’s not where we are.

    This is 1939 Germany. We don’t need an American Che, we need a Mexican Stalin and a Chinese FDR. Did the German resistance do good and important work? Of course they did. But did they stop the Nazis? No, the Nazis were only stopped by military intervention from outside forces.

    Genuinely I see very little hope for a positive future in North America that doesn’t involve being militarily occupied. I hope I’m wrong.

  • CrawlMarks [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
    23·
    10 days ago

    I was discussing mental health with a friend and I came up with an out there theory that is regionally very specific but I think it has some utility value. This only applies to the the southern California region specifically.

    For socal residents going to Disneyland is a form of bdsm. I have specifically noticed a trend with submissive partners I have known that they like going to Disneyland. Where the experience there is being forced to wait, then being restrained, then being subjected to extreme sensations.

    I guess any place where you live that has season passes to amusement parks can develop a similar practice of self bdsm. I think that I am onto something here.

    There is an intersection of mental health, ritual activity, flow state, and submission, this idea is circling around and I am not sure how to synthizie it. There is something here about the politics of pleasure but I am not sure what to read more about to be able to crystallize it.

  • ClathrateG [none/use name]@hexbear.netEnglish
    21·
    15 days ago

    God, obviously since the lulzsec bust their hasn’t been a ‘legit’ anonymous anarchist hacking group, and is just used by libs/feds etc for whatever

    but seriously an American flag Fawkes mask now?? the anarchist hackers are now patriots for the evil empire 🙄 surely even those who still bought into anonymous still being a thing should realise it’s co-opted by now

  • LanyrdSkynrd [comrade/them, any]@hexbear.netEnglish
    21·
    15 days ago

    I deliver groceries for Walmart Spark, and last night I took one last order because it was going towards my house. I had so many problems with shopping for it, and then I get to my car and load the address and the delivery note says, “Bring inside house”.

    I’ve had this note before and it’s always some asshole who wants to treat me like their butler because they paid $10 for delivery. It’s a huge time waste compared to leaving it on the stoop. “Put the milk in the fridge and put this here, and that there”. I’m not even supposed to go inside, but when I tell them that I get, “Everyone else does it” and arguing ends up taking more time than just doing it.

    Anyway, I get there and it’s the sweetest little old lady named Doris. She was leaning on her walker, waiting at the door for me. She just got back from visiting her kids out of state and didn’t have any food in the house. Brought her food in and talked to her for a few minutes.

    It kind of made me sad because she shouldn’t be living alone. I don’t know the situation, though. Maybe her kids have tried to get her to move in with them and she doesn’t want to.

  • GeneralSwitch2Boycott [none/use name]@hexbear.netEnglish
    20·
    14 days ago

    Having to speak in coded language about basically every topic is starting to get really mentally burdensome. Marxism is great for becoming a moral agent and being conscious of yourself and the world, but it’s extremely lonely when you can see what the problem someone has and can’t guide them to the truth because they’ll either ignore you, misunderstand the point or superficially pretend to understand it, or attack you in some form.