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The ship thing comes from On Authority:
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If I'm on a boat in the middle of nowhere then I'm probably gonna work on the behalf of the person who knows most about what they're talking about.
Well, an anarchist got killed at an ICE facility. We've got a thread on it, but it seems like the news is adamant he was trying to blow up a facility's propane tank when police scanners seem to tell a different tale.
I've read a copy of his alleged manifesto. The Bandcamp linked in it definitely seems to be his.
I feel bummed because this is being spun as, at best, a misguided attempt that, had it succeeded, would have killed the detainees inside. Rumors are he actually managed to take out some transports.
I've read a copy of his alleged manifesto. The Bandcamp linked in it definitely seems to be his.
I feel bummed because this is being spun as, at best, a misguided attempt that, had it succeeded, would have killed the detainees inside. Rumors are he actually managed to take out some transports.
And this is why people on this site who keep talking about raiding the camps are just stirring the pot with nothing substantial to add.
If you try and go to the camps, they WILL kill you.
Well, the thing is... Will absolutely knew that. He sent all his friends goodbye letters, he says as much in his (again, potential, though highly probable) manifesto.
Will went alone, and he knew that, going alone, he was going to his death. I suspect his goal wasn't just to blow up some GEO transports, if you catch my drift. See my frustration with the Area 51 meme.
That racism thread.
Haven't seen so much "Nativism and BiOtRuThS bUt LeFtIsT" in one spot in at least a few months.
Haven't seen so much "Nativism and BiOtRuThS bUt LeFtIsT" in one spot in at least a few months.
Which one? And what's Biotruths? Evo psych?
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She should go back to where she came from. uh...
*Wiki's*
The very foreign and exotic and far away land that is totally not America that is called Puerto Rico and...
*squints*
the Bronx.
*Wiki's*
The very foreign and exotic and far away land that is totally not America that is called Puerto Rico and...
*squints*
the Bronx.
The idea that there are inherent traits, behaviors, beliefs, etc in race and sex has made a comeback in late 2010's discourse. You always knew it was part of the Right Wing political ideology but at one point they at least gave way to libertarian "all men are created equal" posturing. But it's (not really) surprising to see it so popular in bourgeois Left-of-Capital ideological circles as well.
Okay, my socialist roses. I've determined that our reading session should end on the 25th of July. The book isn't that long, and by then we can discuss it and move on to something more structured and orderly.
I actually have some topics I'd like to discuss but I'd rather we do the book's topics first.
Try not to get banned in the meantime 🙃
I actually have some topics I'd like to discuss but I'd rather we do the book's topics first.
Try not to get banned in the meantime 🙃
What are your thoughts on Restorative Justice?
Recently I've seen takes fly about locking people in jail here on Era, around a day ago. And it's...telling. When literally a few days ago people were tripping over themselves to say Era is left-leaning.
I'd argue that Era is left leaning the way the USA is left leaning. Which is to say, kinda liberal-ish (neoliberal with sprinkles of leftism and blotches of right-wing conservative?)
Recently I've seen takes fly about locking people in jail here on Era, around a day ago. And it's...telling. When literally a few days ago people were tripping over themselves to say Era is left-leaning.
I'd argue that Era is left leaning the way the USA is left leaning. Which is to say, kinda liberal-ish (neoliberal with sprinkles of leftism and blotches of right-wing conservative?)
I believe in restorative justice as being the only kind of justice humans are qualified to mete out. At the end of the day, I don't believe anybody is beyond redemption and even if people are too dangerous or hurt to be reintegrated into society, they should at least be given life and the dignity necessary to, like... find it within themselves to have a genuine remorse for their actions. Making people sorry they got caught is not the same thing as making people regret their actions.
I think your take on Era is about right. At the end of the day, the thread about Will van Spronsen is good proof that here, just like anywhere else, a sizeable chunk of the population is just in favor of the status quo and the thin veneers we place up over injustice, more than they are in favor of any actual substantive policy movement.
I think your take on Era is about right. At the end of the day, the thread about Will van Spronsen is good proof that here, just like anywhere else, a sizeable chunk of the population is just in favor of the status quo and the thin veneers we place up over injustice, more than they are in favor of any actual substantive policy movement.
The "ERA is left leaning" thing comes up more when someone says "this is surprisingly regressive for a supposedly left leaning board", in my experience. ERA's reputation as "left-leaning" is far more real than its actual positions.
Some people go as far as to call this board "center right", which makes sense on a global scale but not in an Americentric one. In the world of gaming, ERA is "left to far left". In America, ERA is "center to center left". Among world cultures, ERA is somewhere between "center left and center right".
But yeah as far as American culture goes there's a lot of "let's punish those criminals, rule of law, rah rah rah." It's hard to avoid this mindset. A lot of people simply think that, once you break the law, you lose certain human rights. Which is why most Americans would be up in arms about our prison system looking more like Scandinavia's, conservatives and liberals both. The idea that crime shouldn't be met with proportionate (or even disproportionate) punishment escapes a lot of people.
Some people go as far as to call this board "center right", which makes sense on a global scale but not in an Americentric one. In the world of gaming, ERA is "left to far left". In America, ERA is "center to center left". Among world cultures, ERA is somewhere between "center left and center right".
But yeah as far as American culture goes there's a lot of "let's punish those criminals, rule of law, rah rah rah." It's hard to avoid this mindset. A lot of people simply think that, once you break the law, you lose certain human rights. Which is why most Americans would be up in arms about our prison system looking more like Scandinavia's, conservatives and liberals both. The idea that crime shouldn't be met with proportionate (or even disproportionate) punishment escapes a lot of people.
The forum post said "No, ERA. You are the centrists"
And then ERA advocated for capital punishment.
I've got some half baked about why Era has such a hard on punitive justice... some kinda combination of postmodern culture + new atheism (which still lingers around here despite so many of its founders being assholes.)
Like, there's no God or Hell, so we gotta punish them now before it's too late.
Well the answer to that would also be the answer to "why do Americans have such a hard on for punitive justice". ERA merely reflects the American zeitgeist and people here are, on average, bog standard liberals with bog standard liberal ideas about capitalism (good) and justice (punitive).
Also punitive justice was invented by Protestants I think, so the New Atheism explanation doesn't work. People were vicious way before gamers rose up from the primordial soup. The more incisive is why would people who ostensibly believe in Hell choose to recreate Hell on Earth to punish wrongdoers?
Also punitive justice was invented by Protestants I think, so the New Atheism explanation doesn't work. People were vicious way before gamers rose up from the primordial soup. The more incisive is why would people who ostensibly believe in Hell choose to recreate Hell on Earth to punish wrongdoers?
The 100k earner thread and the enamored relationship with places like Amazon, plus the hard stances against restorative justice are kind of THE places we can point to as kind of "receipts".
There's also the tons of threads on women and LGBTQ issues that have outright had to be locked because they're dumpster fires.
So, is Era left? Maybe the correct thing to say is "they try to be." Which is better than a lot of the current gaming zeitgeist.
There's also the tons of threads on women and LGBTQ issues that have outright had to be locked because they're dumpster fires.
So, is Era left? Maybe the correct thing to say is "they try to be." Which is better than a lot of the current gaming zeitgeist.
Do you think this might be why so much of Era seems to be so obsessed with cancel culture and creating lists of of persona non grata?
I was watching Peter Coffin's video "the outrage" and a lot of what he was describing REALLY reminded me of the social dynamics on Era.
And Capitan Pelosi demands the deck chairs be arranged just right... what's that about a facism and climate iceberg? Let's compromise with it. But first... these fucking deck chairs are all wrong!
I think this goes back to the Onion article I posted. Liberal zeitgeist looks for "wrong" and "right" opinions, "accepted" and "cancelled" people. It is an attempt to shortcut the issue of justice. Rather than asking uncomfortable questions about the state of society, the hard work of introspection and questioning the status quo, people would rather have a list of "approved" opinions to have and people to like.
Alternative theory. If I understand Marx's "commodity fetishism" correctly, that people mediate their interpersonal relationships through commodity under capitalism, withholding commodity exchange from someone can be seen as a form of self-created justice. If justice can't be found in the legal system at least you can deny someone your dollar. This is the "consume your way into justice" mindset.
Although I can't say I'm a fan of getting mad over everything, it does seem to be the result of a society where people overwhelmingly feel beset on all sides by injustice (perceived or real) but are unable to correct it. So, once again, it goes back to material conditions. The internet provides the fodder for "outrage" and companies profit from it, consumers are kept in an exhaustive media cycle of click, ragetweet, virality, repeat. Nothing actually changes for anyone because the system doesn't accept change, it does like to profit off of strongly held opinions though.
Reminds me of corporations trying to profit off of woke ad campaigns.
Another perspective is, a lot of people believe deeply in democratic capitalism. The fact that it produces awful outcomes, to a true believer, seems to be people messing up a good thing rather than people making the obvious choice that the system allows them and it creates conditions that contradict liberal ideas about "fairness" and "equality". So then it's more reassuring to think some people are messing up the system rather than the system messing up people. I'm watching that Peter Coffin video right now so I'm sort of coming up with new ideas as I go.
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I'd contend that either cancel culture -doesn't- work, or at the very least that it's effects are overstated.
Is Sugiyama cancelled? Nope. He still owns like half the Japanese music industry or something.
Is Hashino from the Persona series cancelled? Considering how people gush about the persona games...I'm gonna go with no.
Was James Gunn cancelled? No. In fact, he ultimately weathered the controversy and is now doing fine (arguably better).
Was Kevin Hart cancelled? No. He's still doing his comedy and he's still in the Jumanji movie.
Were James Charles or Tati Westbrook cancelled? No. They GAINED promotion from their scuffle and continue to rake millions from their make-up brands.
What about Jeffrey Star? Nope. Despite racist commentary and being messy, they still thrive and are probably the most prominent MUA in YouTube.
Is Ariana Grande cancelled? Despite going from white to brown, she's still one of the highest paid artists in the music industry.
Is Kylie Jenner cancelled? No. Despite being a culture vulture and selling snake oil, she's the most popular Instagram model in existence.
Is Kanye West cancelled? No. Despite being a trump supporter and doing tons of questionable sexist things, he's still thriving.
Is Kim Kardashian cancelled? No. Even though her career has been a trajectory of manipulating young girls into an unhealthy lifestyle, she's still extremely successful.
Is Nicki Minaj cancelled? Nah. Even if she's with a convicted sex offender, people are still streaming her music.
Is Pewdiepie cancelled? Do I even need to do this one?
Is Hashino from the Persona series cancelled? Considering how people gush about the persona games...I'm gonna go with no.
Was James Gunn cancelled? No. In fact, he ultimately weathered the controversy and is now doing fine (arguably better).
Was Kevin Hart cancelled? No. He's still doing his comedy and he's still in the Jumanji movie.
Were James Charles or Tati Westbrook cancelled? No. They GAINED promotion from their scuffle and continue to rake millions from their make-up brands.
What about Jeffrey Star? Nope. Despite racist commentary and being messy, they still thrive and are probably the most prominent MUA in YouTube.
Is Ariana Grande cancelled? Despite going from white to brown, she's still one of the highest paid artists in the music industry.
Is Kylie Jenner cancelled? No. Despite being a culture vulture and selling snake oil, she's the most popular Instagram model in existence.
Is Kanye West cancelled? No. Despite being a trump supporter and doing tons of questionable sexist things, he's still thriving.
Is Kim Kardashian cancelled? No. Even though her career has been a trajectory of manipulating young girls into an unhealthy lifestyle, she's still extremely successful.
Is Nicki Minaj cancelled? Nah. Even if she's with a convicted sex offender, people are still streaming her music.
Is Pewdiepie cancelled? Do I even need to do this one?
Anarchist Catalonia had some examples, I believe. I think Rojava does as well but that's a different deal due to the whole "war" business.
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I think that's an area more usually delved into by anarchists, since Marxists kind of punt off how things work under communism and focus more on the dictatorship of the proletariat. These might be some helpful starting points:
Y'all are absolutely terrified of this dude and being identified like him. Why?
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There's plenty to criticize about Lenin but I'd say overall the socialists of Era are pretty positive on him, so I'm not sure who that's directed to.
Well, back when I got Marxist-Leninist on that dumb political thingy, someone was like "omg no" and then everyone else was like "yeah..."
And then they said, "you don't want to be a Marxist-Leninist".
So I'm like...okay. But why is that so naughty?
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Ah, I see.
The issue is that Marxism-Leninism was the official ideology of the Soviet Union enshrined by Stalin. Many would argue that it is neither Marxism (an analytical method) or Leninism (a strategic method for capturing and holding state power) but a bastardization of the two meant to solidify Stalin's position, and later the entrenched power of the Soviet nomenklatura.
The defining features of Marxism-Leninism are a single party state under a planned command economy, with the party bureaucracy in control.
In other words, ML = "tankie". Even though there are divisions between types of Marxist-Leninists (Stalinists, Hoxhaists, Maoists, etc.) they share the same underpinning authoritarian streak.