Post AlAPnUtxOB6B0ysmpM by tkinias@historians.social
(DIR) More posts by tkinias@historians.social
(DIR) Post #Al9fdoJTlZgSQpGOLQ by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-08-20T10:10:26Z
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In American politics "communist" is used as an insult. A dirty word, an accusation that, should it stick to you, could get you blacklisted (basically no one will hire you or work with you)But, communism is so poorly understood I wonder if it has much meaning to the average voter.It's a word that evokes people in identical jumpers walking in lines, the old Soviet Union. Democrats are terrified of being called communist but does anyone under 40 even understand this argument?
(DIR) Post #Al9gBITWe5F7X9vjE0 by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-08-20T10:16:28Z
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One of my local papers owned by Richard Murdoch has the headline KAMLAUNISMHarris has proposed some modest social safety net programs for housing and prescription and this is COMMUNIST. So she must be a communist.The wayt this accusation used to work was that if someone was a communist it meant they'd never stop if they were in power and soon you'd have to put on the jumpsuit. (That's the scary part.)But does anyone buy this?
(DIR) Post #Al9gQiNCdiDwCOKB60 by hllizi@hespere.de
2024-08-20T10:19:15Z
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@futurebird I found it very funny when present-day Russia was labeled as communist.
(DIR) Post #Al9ggwkMxyVDPYtssC by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-08-20T10:22:10Z
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Part of the reason the right is jumping to such an extreme accusation is in response to the fascism they have faced. It's tempting to see these as two sides of the same coin, but I don't think that applies. There have been a lot of bits spilled on the definitions of fascism and what people are trying to say when we identify the exclusionary, mass deportation as fascists. It has taken years for "serious journalists" to agree-- With Harris we just have "Communism" from day one.
(DIR) Post #Al9h0HC7AQWiKX5xRY by inquiline@union.place
2024-08-20T10:25:38Z
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@futurebird Forgive me for what I'm going to link below, but I think the issue is a series of very weak/associational links, not anything to do with historical fact as we might understand it. In other words, something is lurking in the background that does work as othering: "bad", "something to do with mandatory redistribution demanded by Communists and also also Black people"But your basic proposition that it's unintelligible nonsense is also correcthttps://www.heritage.org/progressivism/commentary/marxist-critical-race-theory-seeps-us-courts
(DIR) Post #Al9h2C1bMHpCsO5k4u by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-08-20T10:26:00Z
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They aren't even bothering to ask "how will you pay for it?" or pretend moderate social welfare programs are "bad for business."We are just going right to the Communism.Child tax credits are literally communism. Which used to be a joke, but this is where the conversation has landed. I hope democrats will just ignore it and dismiss it without flinching. If someone called you a kangaroo would you spend time trying to prove you don't hop around?
(DIR) Post #Al9hjpPCokyBSuwHuy by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-08-20T10:33:56Z
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@inquiline Every sentence at that link is a WILD ride. I have never seen such nonsense in my life!
(DIR) Post #Al9iG8AwZCi0wifgH2 by inquiline@union.place
2024-08-20T10:39:44Z
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@futurebird Yeah. Marxism! Communism! Critical! Race! Theory! <tips over backwards in chair out of rage>Some people propagating this do understand the deep wells it's tapping, but most, I have to assume, have no idea. The whole thing is like an ouroboros dog whistle. I do find it amusing that if one were focus grouping a phrase to make Those People absolutely froth at the mouth, "Critical Race Theory" would perform very well. "Communism" is the cherry on top.
(DIR) Post #Al9ialR8IwcOVJ5AZs by Extra_Special_Carbon@mastodon.world
2024-08-20T10:43:28Z
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@futurebird This is about riling up the base, not about getting new voters. Elections aren’t won by getting new voters anymore, it’s all won by getting people out to vote.
(DIR) Post #Al9jHsKUYKYWKlX6pc by pandanus@mastodon.social
2024-08-20T10:51:16Z
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@futurebird I’m not sure that anyone outside of the US ever understood it’s potency there either.The fact that it’s still being trotted out *checks notes* 35 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall just speaks to a campaign run by people VERY set in their ways.
(DIR) Post #Al9jJvuMDdhq0mI2ro by Blinxeto@mastodon.social
2024-08-20T10:51:17Z
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@futurebird Speaking of “communist”, the only people engaging in kneeling and blowing “communist” dick are the #Republicans. Can’t seem to get enough of Putin’s Soviet peepee.
(DIR) Post #Al9kWnyn6lRp8m48FU by audunmb@todon.nl
2024-08-20T11:05:08Z
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@futurebird Fascists have always first and foremost been "against communism". The threat of communism was what brought the German establishment to go along with Hitler. It was what brought Franco to power in Spania. After WW2 the former nazis and collaborateur realigned in anti-communist groups. When anti-fascists in the 80s created "Rock against Racism", the nazis responded with "Rock against Communism". There are obviously valid criticisms of communism, but "anti-communism" only a thinly veiled cover for outright fascism and sometimes the raison d'etre for support for fascist politics.
(DIR) Post #Al9ndOUWZRN1yok4Om by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-08-20T11:39:57Z
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@inquiline Marxist Intersectional Gender-Fluid Urbanist Pro-Social Critical Race Communism
(DIR) Post #Al9smmLJlC0YKajKFs by tob@hachyderm.io
2024-08-20T12:37:42Z
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@futurebird That is a terrible headline. Kamala Harris' name seems immune to the casual (and stupid) mockery that is endemic from Trumpist Republicans. "Kamala" being difficult to combine with anything. "Harris" being too generic.
(DIR) Post #Al9urKRx5owvB98A6q by chris_radcliff@spaceup.city
2024-08-20T13:00:53Z
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@futurebird “Communist” was also the dog whistle that folks brought out in the Obama era to stand in for whatever racist term they were actually thinking. When they cry “communism” it’s often in response to a policy that’s “helping the wrong sort.” Baffled me for years.
(DIR) Post #AlA45VBYsFSk7HIUE4 by Nonya_Bidniss@mas.to
2024-08-20T14:44:23Z
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@futurebird They should completely ignore it and then pay for it by taxing billionaires and megacorps like we always should have been doing. Fix 40 years of shifting tax burdens onto the middle class while rich laugh about it.
(DIR) Post #AlAPVrz8pGnvOXtzf6 by inquiline@union.place
2024-08-20T18:44:18Z
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@futurebird 🤣 That would also be excellent, I'd pay to see it
(DIR) Post #AlAPnUtxOB6B0ysmpM by tkinias@historians.social
2024-08-20T18:47:35Z
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@futurebirdI feel like just reading that post has got me on a watch list.@inquiline
(DIR) Post #AlBSWoQe1nhrfurqqW by IngaLovinde@embracing.space
2024-08-21T06:52:51Z
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@futurebird "and soon you'd have to put on jumpsuit" like this?
(DIR) Post #AlBT0LDVCa8rlNni4G by IngaLovinde@embracing.space
2024-08-21T06:58:15Z
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@futurebird this makes Trump is the largest communist of them all, with all his tax cuts
(DIR) Post #AlBhEHAcRTjccqzV3o by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-08-21T09:37:39Z
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@IngaLovinde No, not the sexy jumpsuits, the communism ones.
(DIR) Post #AlBmv6O6uFGjPKXebI by IngaLovinde@embracing.space
2024-08-21T10:41:21Z
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@futurebird English is not my first language, but I grew up in USSR and post-USSR and have no idea what "communist jumpsuits" are...