34 years ago today, the #SovietUnion officially ceased to exist. December 26, 1991
Apologies to #tankies (not really) but it was a very good thing
Not liking the #Soviet Union has nothing to do with loving #capitalism or loving the #West, it's about despising #imperialism
Anyone who has a problem with my sentiment:
Talk to someone who lived in #EasternEurope or under the Soviet umbrella
We must defeat #plutocracy in the West
The Soviet way is not the way
Happy #SovietUnionCollapseDay
This entry was edited (2 days ago)
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Fou
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩 • • •Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩
in reply to Fou • • •you can dislike the usa and the ussr/ russia at the same time
in fact, you should
disliking one doesn't mean you have to automatically like the other, and that attitude is a very absurd approach to understanding or talking about our world
i'm not disagreeing with you, i'm expanding on your comment, because unfortunately there are a lot of people with this "rah rah your team versus my team" attitude out there
the only real conflict in the world is the powers that be vs the people
Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩 reshared this.
Fou
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩 • • •There has never been, and I fear there never will be, a political system that prioritises people above all else.
Political systems are human constructs and, as such, are imperfect and subject to human influence.
Therefore, in theory, poor people are always called upon to choose the lesser evil, while rich people are called upon to choose the most favourable option.
Asbestos
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩 • • •Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩 reshared this.
RustyRing
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩 • • •@foufoutos
Those of us who remember the Cold War are well-familiar with this principle, and the idea of the Third Way, or Non-Alignment, in which other nations can elect to remain outside the US/USSR football game and tighten relations with each other.
Epistomai
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩 • • •Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩 reshared this.
xs4me2
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩 • • •GhostOnTheHalfShell
in reply to xs4me2 • • •@xs4me2
The reason why Soviet blocks ran to NATO was because of the aggression of Russia.
The obnoxious trope that Russia became aggressive because the West broke promise is blind by the fact that NATO is now expanding because of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Countries like George, which is the one that sticks in my mind, feel especially this way. Others might be constrained by autocracy within their country or that they don’t have any cards to play
Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩
in reply to GhostOnTheHalfShell • • •@GhostOnTheHalfShell @xs4me2
It's a stupid lie for people brainwashed by Rossiya-1 living in Ryazan
The absurdity is morons in the West buying into it, from the troll accounts who have found the hilarity of such Western morons on social media who hear and believe with zero thought
xs4me2
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩 • • •@GhostOnTheHalfShell
Indeed, and seemingly also from the opportunistic grifting Trump dynasty, the Trump administration, their cronies and the oligarchs that got them elected.
xs4me2
in reply to GhostOnTheHalfShell • • •Indeed, because people want to live in freedom and not under the thumb of a suppressive regime.
Democracy is a threat to dictators like Putin.
Pino Carafa
in reply to xs4me2 • • •xs4me2
in reply to Pino Carafa • • •Exactly...
karamazov1879
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩 • • •Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩
in reply to karamazov1879 • • •GhostOnTheHalfShell
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩 • • •The best insight into politics that I picked up over this year was from a YouTube channel / podcast called “ what is politics?”
He reduces left and right to explicit behavior.
The left is distinguished by a government that confers equality social, political and in economic decision-making. Equality and prosperity are inseparable
The right wing is distinguished by a government that confers evermore decision-making power to wealth. They ask you to compromise freedom and prosperity
GhostOnTheHalfShell
in reply to GhostOnTheHalfShell • • •Anyone who tells you that you need to compromise between freedom and prosperity, which is something the Germans and Stalin, and every other autocrat offers, are rightwing by definition
Only those who demand and demonstrate equality in decision-making are left-wing
Therefore, all of us should be asking of politicians or anyone else what is my decision-making power here, where what power do I have in this process?
If somebody says we’ll bring you jobs. They are offering you bait
Crystal_Fish_Caves
in reply to GhostOnTheHalfShell • • •GhostOnTheHalfShell
in reply to Crystal_Fish_Caves • • •Yes, one simply has to open any book on history.
Christmas Lights
in reply to GhostOnTheHalfShell • • •How does that framework explain the social right and social left?
@benroyce
Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩
in reply to Christmas Lights • • •what is the "social right"?
dimwits who say trans people don't deserve rights, for example?
these are merely morons and bigots used by agendas that rob them, but they don't care, because their ignorant hate is more important to them
Christmas Lights
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩 • • •@GhostOnTheHalfShell
Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩
in reply to Christmas Lights • • •are you talking about my reference to trans rights?
then that is the simple fact trans people deserve their basic human rights everyone deserves
i only used it as an example because the "social right," the bigots and morons that they are, don't want that, and then they are used by plutocrat agendas because that's an easy aspect of their stupidity and hate to pander to
so this "social right" you refer to is nothing but loser zombies used for agendas
Christmas Lights
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩 • • •What about the social left?
@GhostOnTheHalfShell
Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩
in reply to Christmas Lights • • •@light @GhostOnTheHalfShell
why are you asking me to defend your terms?
i am rejecting your terms
Christmas Lights
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩 • • •I'm not sure what you are saying exactly.
I was asking @GhostOnTheHalfShell how the social spectrum is defined in the left-right framework he describes. And you butted in with a point. But I'm not sure what that point is exactly. That the social spectrum isn't real? Or what?
Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩
in reply to Christmas Lights • • •@light @GhostOnTheHalfShell
🤣
so hello and welcome to mastodon
you *mentioned me* in your reply to ghost
the only one butting in here with a lame "just asking questions" shtick is you, and you don't even understand how mastodon works
try again someday, with better understanding next time, of how mastodon works and the topics you're injecting yourself into
Christmas Lights
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩 • • •I am fully aware of how the *fediverse* (NOT "Mastodon") works.
Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩
in reply to Christmas Lights • • •@light
unread
uninterested
you're a bigot and a moron
GhostOnTheHalfShell
in reply to Christmas Lights • • •@light
The point of the definition I am using is one categorizes people by their behavior:
A left-wing person is egalitarian. They do not tolerate one or a few dictating to the many.
Right wing person defines who is subordinate to whom.
I would hope I would not have to explain that the Republican Party is by every measure right wing. But the Democratic Party (leadership) is also right wing, because they sit atop a hierarchy of fundraising and political patronage.
..
GhostOnTheHalfShell
in reply to GhostOnTheHalfShell • • •@light
The standard corporate business structure of CEOs and managers dictating to the rank and file what to do, when to do it and how long to do it and how much they’re going to get compensated for is right wing because by definition this is a dominance hierarchy.
A worker co-op would be the example of the opposite, but even here you would have to look at the actual political dynamics.
Christmas Lights
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩 • • •Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩
in reply to Christmas Lights • • •"which basic human rights are trans people being denied?"
what the fuck?
i'm glad you just woke up from your coma
now i kindly ask that you pay attention to the news on issues you are injecting commentary into, that you don't even seem to understand
Christmas Lights
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩 • • •I don't pay that much attention to the news because it's mostly just doom and gloom that I can't change.
So tell me, know-it-all, what human rights are trans people being denied?
There's the attempt to take guns away from them in the states. But that postdates the introduction of the "#TransRightsAreHumanRights" slogan by many years.
No one has the right to dictate how other people think, including how they define "man" and "woman". So that's not it.
Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩
in reply to Christmas Lights • • •then it's very simple:
if you don't give a fuck enough to understand what you inject your "just asking questions" troll line into, then shut the fuck up
'No one has the right to dictate how other people think, including how they define "man" and "woman"'
yup
saw you coming a mile away
🖕
fuck you, bigot
Christmas Lights
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩 • • •Fuck you, tyrant.
Captain Button
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩 • • •The other day Youtube offered me the opening theme for "Neon Genesis Evangelion" only redone for the USSR.
Don't ask me why.
lin11c
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩 • • •Diane 🏳️⚧️🏳️🌈
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩 • • •ꙮ 𝄃𝄁𝄂𝄀𝄀𝄁𝄃🇫🇯🇱🇨🇱🇧
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩 • • •Barbara Sliwinska
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩 • • •(polish here, first 15yrs of life under socialism in poland, until the time of round table)
Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩
in reply to Barbara Sliwinska • • •Barbara Sliwinska
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩 • • •Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩
in reply to Barbara Sliwinska • • •Gutmensch.
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩 • • •Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩
in reply to Gutmensch. • • •the soviet union, and now russia, is the last vast european colonial empire in the world. it is no different than the others were, and is not special merely because it is contiguous on land
it is the same as the british empire, spanish empire, etc
those are dead
but the russian empire is still murdering for expansion, it's acting like the year is 1825 instead of 2025
this doesn't mean we excuse other malicious actors today
but it also doesn't mean we make excuses for russia
Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩 reshared this.
Gutmensch.
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩 • • •Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩
in reply to Gutmensch. • • •@impooortant
yes, there were and are many empires all over the world, today and in the past
since many people focus on the negative effects of the history of european imperialism, i limited my scope on purpose to draw a contrast between how the traditional focus of ire is on the other european powers, but somehow russia seems to get treated differently. i am not sure why. so yes, i am limiting my scope on purpose to draw attention to that discrepancy
Gutmensch.
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩 • • •Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩
in reply to Gutmensch. • • •i dislike all isms
capitalism, communism, socialism, anarchism, libertarianism, etc, etc
people put hope in magic ideas solving all problems, and those ideas always fail in the usual ways to abuse of power
i am utterly unimpressed with isms. i simply wish people cared enough to simply right wrongs
we just need more people to fucking care
which is not demonstrated with constructing castles in the sky
Gutmensch.
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩 • • •Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩
in reply to Gutmensch. • • •@impooortant
then for both of us, we are only foolish dreamers in another way
for flags and isms will be with us still for some time, unfortunately
Truls
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩 • • •Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩
in reply to Truls • • •@truls46
i have no argument with you
*unless* criticism of russia means an immediate shift to criticism of the usa
i don't think you are doing that, i am merely noting that some do
the principled approach is to condemn russia. and condemn the usa. both
and we must beware those who wish to limit criticism of russia, or the usa, by changing the topic
Truls
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩 • • •"the principled approach is to condemn russia. and condemn the usa. both" - yes, that's what I wanted to say.
There is no difference between Putin and the convicted felon in the White House.
Ilka 🌐
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩 • • •@impooortant
Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩
in reply to Ilka 🌐 • • •@Ilka4You @impooortant
yes i said "dead"
i should have said "mostly dead"
Ilka 🌐
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩 • • •mantis
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩 • • •The Western critique of the USSR and its conflation with Russian Imperialism is naïve at best. The Soviet socialist experiment is neither like today's nor Tsarist Russia. The soviet experiment has transformed that region holistically. Both culturally and economically, Soviet Republics (along with Warsaw Pact countries) have seen great development in industry & science. It should be, for a bit of fairness, worthy of interest to understand how the Soviet republics (and Russia specifically) which had almost 0 colonies outside of Europe were able to rival European and North American powers after suffering the many losses of the World Wars. Not to mention the successes of feminism and the economic empowerment of women in those regions that served to inspire 2nd-wave feminism.
Practice, however, remains the sole criterion of truth, and the truth is that we no longer have the Soviet Union. It had stagnated and collapsed for many reasons. It is rightfully dumbfounded to ignore its successes and its dynamics with the American-led empire. In theory, we can and should criticiz
... show moreThe Western critique of the USSR and its conflation with Russian Imperialism is naïve at best. The Soviet socialist experiment is neither like today's nor Tsarist Russia. The soviet experiment has transformed that region holistically. Both culturally and economically, Soviet Republics (along with Warsaw Pact countries) have seen great development in industry & science. It should be, for a bit of fairness, worthy of interest to understand how the Soviet republics (and Russia specifically) which had almost 0 colonies outside of Europe were able to rival European and North American powers after suffering the many losses of the World Wars. Not to mention the successes of feminism and the economic empowerment of women in those regions that served to inspire 2nd-wave feminism.
Practice, however, remains the sole criterion of truth, and the truth is that we no longer have the Soviet Union. It had stagnated and collapsed for many reasons. It is rightfully dumbfounded to ignore its successes and its dynamics with the American-led empire. In theory, we can and should criticize both in hopes of improving both. In practice, we have to make critical alliances with one side over the other when interests are at extreme odds. Hating both, in such geopolitical climates, is contrarian at best, but far from practicable in the modest sense.
#marxism #Soviet_Union #capitalism #socialism #leninism #communism
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Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩
in reply to mantis • • •@mantis
"Hating both, in such geopolitical climates, is contrarian at best"
😂
"i hate the usa so i love russia automatically"
or
"i hate russia so i love the usa automatically"
that's edgelord braindead contrarianism
being critical of both is not
and the nazis built the autobahn. does anyone defend nazism on that basis?
no. but it's the same "advancement" basis you hilariously use to defend the obscenity that was the USSR
it's dead. as that brutal imperialist monster should be
mantis
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩 • • •>and the nazis built the autobahn. does anyone defend nazism on that basis?
Yes. The right-wing does, many libertarians like Mises critique the Nazi ideology for its atrocities against the European Jews but acknowledge its necessity to preserve European civilization. [1] The only reason such an argument is not adopted by the popular is because of the defeat of Nazi Germany by the Soviets in a war the Nazis had started. He who controls the present controls the past.
I am sure you can critique both and I can see very well that you do, but that's the most you can do as an individual. So long as you don't name a precise way forward without the current superpowers, you are doomed to repeat the mistakes of the Polish Armia Krajowa in WWII. Otherwise, an alliance with the West is against Russia, and an alliance with Russia is against the West. The only successful example of non-interventionism sofar is China, a much more successful socialist experiment that learnt from Soviet mistakes.
[1]: mises.org/mises-daily/foundati…
The Foundations of Liberal Policy
Ludwig von Mises (Mises Institute)Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩
in reply to mantis • • •mises is for libertarian morons
your argument is it's ok to defend nazis because libertarian morons try to defend nazis on "necessity to preserve European civilization" racist fascist bullshit?
😂
and have you ever heard of this you fuckwit?:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molotov%…
the nazis and the ussr started wwii *together, on the same side*
so what are you?
a libertarian moron? or a vatnik troll?
fuck off, you ignorant lying shitstain
1939 neutrality pact between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union
Contributors to Wikimedia projects (Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.)mantis
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩 • • •Again, horseshoe theory has been widely discredited. The Nazis and Bolsheviks were ideological nemeses, in theory and practice. A couple of pages in Mein Kampf should get you there.
The Molotov-Ribbentrop was the last pact of the WWII allies with Nazi Germany. [1] The Western empires and later allies of the Soviets had multiple pacts with the Nazis. [1] The West refused collective security with the USSR against the Nazis and had invaded the Soviets during their Bolshevik revolution. [2] German, French, British, and American troops were on Soviet territories [3]. Read about the Munich Agreement and the Anti-Comintern pact. It was always and is always gonna be one the side over the other, the West was always pragmatic in pursuing its own self-interests and so will Russia.
and P.S.: insults won't get you anywhere.
[1]: stanislavs.org/the-complete-li…
[2]: researchgate.net/publication/3…
[3]: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allied_i…
1918 military Operation
Contributors to Wikimedia projects (Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.)Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩
in reply to mantis • • •you pathetic lying ignorant
wwii was *started* by the ussr and nazi germany, according to their imperialist plan, in their pact, to invade poland together
any other moronic bullshit you want to try to sell today you fuckin vatnik idiot for anyone to laugh at?
and i'm not insulting you
you are a pathetic, lying, ignorant. objectively so
mantis
in reply to mantis • • •Modern societies are not driven by the sense of doing the right thing. Morality & politics are like water & oil, they only mix when the right conditions are met. All societies, modern and ancient alike, have required some sort of governing and planning with their increasing complexities. So, "disliking all isms" basically means you dislike the state of affairs but don't know what to do.
#marxism #socialism #capitalism
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Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩
in reply to mantis • • •@mantis
what the fuck is this in reference to?
Angelina
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩 • • •Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩
in reply to Angelina • • •@Angelina
i see they excluded belarus, russia, and kazakhstan (any others?)
turkmenistan indeed