The Israeli government has declared that all aid entering Gaza for distribution by the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) must be sourced from Israel only.
"New Israeli regulations mandate that all food items going into Gaza must be procured and packaged inside Israel, and we are abiding by that requirement."
The JNS report comes as multiple indicators suggest the Israeli economy is taking a hit as a result of its genocide in Gaza, on account of growing international isolation, lack of investment and consumer confidence as well as the high number of conscripts being called away from work to fight.
“The JNS report comes and multiple indicators suggest the Israeli economy is taking a hit as a result of its genocide in Gaza” - oH nO!! Not CONSEQUENCES!! 😲Consequences for a genocide!?!? How dare they!!
It's so they are providing aid but can limit it just enough that everyone is technically able to be fed but still starve. It's a way to look like they're doing something good but in reality are doing something extremely cruel.
I'd just like to interject for a moment. What you're referring to as Leninism, is in fact, Marxism-Leninism, or as I've recently taken to calling it, Marxism plus Leninism. Leninism is not an ideology unto itself, but rather another free component of a fully functioning Marxist ideology made useful by the 『Manifesto』 , 『Capital』 and vital ideology components comprising a full ideology.
Many communists run a modified version of the Marxism ideology every day, without realizing it. Through a peculiar turn of events, the version of Marxism which is widely used today is often called Leninism, and many of its users are not aware that it is basically the Marxism ideology, developed by Marx and Engels.
There really is a Leninism, and these people are using it, but it is just a part of the ideology they use. Leninism is the methodiology: a set of working methods for achieving the goal of communism. The methodiology is an essential part of an ideology, but useless by itself; it can only function in the context of a complete ideology. Leninism is normally used in combination with the Marxism ideology: the whole ideology is basically Marxism with Leninism added, or Marxism-Leninism. All the so-called Leninism distributions are really distributions of Marxism-Leninism!
This reads like the kind of output you get from those tiny 0.7B local LLM models that can run on a Chromebook but tend to get fixated on repeating the same phrases over and over
It's just a funny ML joke using the common GNU/Linux copypasta, I think it's actually really creative and funny for a communist meme, as someone who enjoys those.
It's the other way around, "Stalinist" is just slang for Marxist-Leninists used by those trying to invoke western fear of Stalin as slander against communists. Stalin synthesized Marxism-Leninism, but outside of some good advancement of the Marxist theory of the nation, Stalin's own contributions to Marxism-Leninism are extremely minimal, the vast majority is Marx, Engels, and Lenin.
Lenin's advances on Marxism are largely in analysis of imperialism, and practical revolutionary tactics such as democratic centralism, as well as to combat the revisionism of the second international. Trotskyists often try to call themselves "Leninists" to differentiate themselves from Marxism-Leninism, or "Marxist and Leninist," but their own theory diverges from Marx's.
Lenin's contributions are not diversions from Marxism, but additions and updates to follow the development of imperialism, which pushed the contradictions Marx thought would lead to revolution in Europe into the global south, and all the new questions that added.
It's time to read theory, comrades! As Lenin says, "Despair is typical of those who do not understand the causes of evil, see no way out, and are incapable of struggle." Reading theory helps us identify the core contradictions within modern society, analyze their trajectories, and gives us the tools to break free. Marxism-Leninism is broken into 3 major components, as noted by Lenin in his pamphlet The Three Sources and Three Component Parts of Marxism: | Audiobook
Dialectical and Historical Materialism
Critique of Capitalism along the lines of Marx's Law of Value
Advocacy for Revolutionary and Scientific Socialism
As such, I created the following list to take you from no knowledge whatsoever of Leftist theory, and leave you with a strong understanding of the critical fundamentals of Marxism-Leninism in an order that builds up as you read. Let's get started!
Section I: Getting Started
What the heck is Communism, anyways? For that matter, what is fascism?
Breaks down fascism and its mortal enemy, Communism, as well as their antagonistic relationship. Understanding what fascism is, where and when it rises, why it does so, and how to banish it forever is critical. Parenti also helps debunk common anti-Communist myths, from both the "left" and the right, in a quick-witted writing style. This is also an excellent time to watch the famous speech.
Section II: Historical and Dialectical Materialism
By far my favorite primer on Marxist philosophy. By understanding Dialectical and Historical Materialism first, you make it easier to understand the rest of Marxism-Leninism. Don't be intimidated!
Further reading on Dialectical and Historical Materialism, but crucially introduces the why of Scientific Socialism, explaining how Capitalism itself prepares the conditions for public ownership and planning by centralizing itself into monopolist syndicates. This is also where Engels talks about the failures of previous "Utopian" Socialists.
Section III: Political Economy
That's right, it's time for the Law of Value and a deep-dive into Imperialism. If we are to defeat Capitalism, we must learn it's mechanisms, tendencies, contradictions, and laws.
Best taken as a pair, these essays simplify the most important parts of the Law of Value. Marx is targetting those not trained in economics here, but you might want to keep a pen and some paper to follow along if you are a visual person.
Absolutely crucial and the most important work for understanding the modern era and its primary contradictions. Marxist-Leninists understand that Imperialism is the greatest contradiction in the modern era, which cascades downward into all manner of related contradictions. Knowing what dying Capitalism looks like, and how it behaves, means we can kill it.
Section IV: Revolutionary and Scientific Socialism
Can we defeat Capitalism at the ballot box? What about just defeating fascism? What about the role of the state?
If Marxists believed reforming Capitalist society was possible, we would be the first in line for it. Sadly, it isn't possible, which Luxemburg proves in this monumental writing.
Excellent refutation of revisionists and Social Democrats who think the State can be reformed, without needing to be replaced with one that is run by the workers, in their own interests.
Section V: Intersectionality and Solidarity
The revolution will not be fought by atomized individuals, but by an intersectional, international working class movement. Intersectionality is critical, because it allows different marginalized groups to work together in collective interest, unifying into a broad movement.
Critical reading on understanding misogyny, transphobia, enbyphobia, pluralphobia, and homophobia, as well as how to move beyond the base subject of "gender." Uses the foundations built up in the previous works to analyze gender theory from a Historical Materialist perspective.
De-colonialism is essential to Marxism. Without having a strong, de-colonial, internationalist stance, we have no path to victory nor a path to justice. Fanon analyzes Colonialism's dehumanizing effects, and lays out how to form a de-colonial movement, as well as its necessity.
Solidarity and intersectionality are the key to any social movement. When different social groups fight for liberation together along intersectional lines, the movements are emboldened and empowered ever-further.
Section VI: Putting it into Practice!
It's not enough to endlessly read, you must put theory to practice. That is how you can improve yourself and the movements you support. Touch grass!
Mao wrote simply and directly, targeting peasant soldiers during the Revolutionary War in China. This pair of essays equip the reader with the ability to apply the analytical tools of Dialectical Materialism to their every day practice, and better understand problems.
Congratulations, you completed your introductory reading course!
With your new understanding and knowledge of Marxism-Leninism, here is a mini What is to be Done? of your own to follow, and take with you as practical advice.
Get organized. Join a Leftist org, find solidarity with fellow comrades, and protect each other. The Dems will not save you, it is up to us to protect ourselves. The Party for Socialism and Liberation and Freedom Road Socialist Organization both organize year round, every year, because the battle for progress is a constant struggle, not a single election. See if there is a chapter near you, or start one! Or, see if there's an org you like more near you and join it.
Read theory. Don't think that you are done now! Just because you have the basics, doesn't mean you know more than you do. If you have not investigated a subject, don't speak on it! Don't speak nonsense, but listen!
Aggressively combat white supremacy, misogyny, queerphobia, and other attacks on marginalized communities. Cede no ground, let nobody be forgotten or left behind. There is strength in numbers, when one marginalized group is targeted, many more are sure to follow.
Be industrious, and self-sufficient. Take up gardening, home repair, tinkering. It is through practice that you elevate your problem-solving capabilities. Not only will you improve your skill at one subject, but your general problem-solving muscles get strengthened as well.
Learn self-defense. Get armed, if practical. Be ready to protect yourself and others. Liberals will not save us, we must save each other.
Be persistent. If you feel like a single water droplet against a mountain, think of canyons and valleys. Oh, how our efforts pile up! With consistency, every rock, boulder, even mountain, can be drilled through with nothing but steady and persistent water droplets.
"Everything under heaven is in utter chaos; the situation is excellent."
Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) is a national organization of revolutionaries fighting for socialism in the United States. Our home is in the working class.
My man Freezy E wrote the best introductory texts to Marxism which hold up to this day,a taxonomy of the family and how it's shaped by the mode of production and hardly anyone ever mentions him unless it's to acknowledge he bankrolled Marx.
Profitez des vidéos et de la musique que vous aimez, mettez en ligne des contenus originaux, et partagez-les avec vos amis, vos proches et le monde entier.
After a random amount of time plasma just crashes. No other graphical issues and I am not sure what is causing this. I am assuming some config somewhere copied over with my home folder? because i did a clean install for the lols. If anyone knows what I am doing wrong respectfully let me know. sorry for being stupid
1) What are your system specs? 2) How much times passes before it crashes? 3) Does this happen with a brand new user you e created and logged in as, or just this one user? 4) There are errors for core apps in those logs. Do Kontact and Discover actually launch?
Trump is set to host a UFC fight on the White House lawn next year, with Dana White confirming the event as part of the US's 250th independence celebrations.
This is already possible with kpatch, ksplice, etc. This new thing seems more like a hypervisor of sorts? Or maybe a next level docker where containers could package their own kernel?
In-memory kernel patching is complicated, AFAIK only select distributions support it, right? If kernel hotswap is successfully implemented this way, it should allow switching between arbitrary kernels at runtime without extra work or setup.
Of course, that's a pretty big "if", but a simple unified system sounds like a great thing. And of course there's more to this than swapping kernels.
Not necessarily, maybe the main kernel has to keep running so you won't be able to hot swap that (haven't read the thing yet). In any case we've had updates without reboot for a while for a while, but it's a pain to set up, there's even a song about it youtu.be/SYRlTISvjww
Profitez des vidéos et de la musique que vous aimez, mettez en ligne des contenus originaux, et partagez-les avec vos amis, vos proches et le monde entier.
That's kind of hilarious. At first we had VMs to run entirely separate operating systems. Then we had Containers to separate everything except the kernel. And now we might get separation for just the kernel.
Well, there's a separate technology stack for virtualization. So, it would be similar in effect, but the way you get there is different, and it's possible that it performs better or worse for certain scenarios.
Ok now i just need a wrapper for it so that k8s can load to the side loaded kernel as a virtual(?) node.
Crazy cool to think we can load procs on tuned kernels on demand like that. You could also have an container runtime spec for it if you wanted a kernel per pod kind of deployment (more niche to me though).
According to Cabello, the detainees confessed the shipment was part of a "false flag operation" designed to incriminate Venezuela in international drug trafficking and justify external aggression. "The four detainees are saying they work for the DEA," Cabello told state television, calling the alleged plan a "maneuver for destabilization."
Authorities said the boat originated in Colombia's Guajira region and was connected to a trafficking group called "Los Orientales," allegedly led by Gersio Parra Machado. Cabello argued that the operation demonstrated Venezuela's commitment to combating narcotics without resorting to lethal force. "We don't apply the death penalty," he said, drawing a contrast with U.S. military strikes on alleged drug vessels in the Caribbean.
According to the country's Interior Minister, the detainees confessed the shipment was part of a "false flag operation" designed to incriminate Venezuela in international drug trafficking
the americans want the venezuelan oil fields since they're the largest in the world; nobody stops the united states whenever it comes to oil and especially so with trump in charge.
See, I could see this a ploy agianst the U.S.A. but also I could 1000% see the U.S. doing a false flag op like this....it wouldn't nearly be the first time.
We'll have to wait a little bit and see if it becomes clear whos ploy this. Leaning towards a unhinged DEA op.
Profitez des vidéos et de la musique que vous aimez, mettez en ligne des contenus originaux, et partagez-les avec vos amis, vos proches et le monde entier.
That assumes a level of competence the administration hiring and directing these "operatives" has failed to show again and again, I honestly wouldn't be surprised if the agents in question are still teenagers.
Okay sure, they are a bunch of idiots, yes men, and fascists. I'm happy to agree on that.
But how would that even fit into the plans? They are currently just sinking drug ships and calling that a win, ignoring due process and international outcry like usual. They don't need a false flag bust for that strategy, nor does it make sense to assume they'd suddenly use a more complex plan than "lob rocket uga buga" which has so far been the cleverest they came up with in terms of foreign policy.
And then, assuming someone with some planing capability stuck around and actually came up with this international false flag drug smuggling operation for some indecipherable reason, why would they immediately after go back to brain-dead-mode and start sending a fresh-hire teenager to pose as a hardened Venezuelan smuggler?
I'm trying to set up some iptables rules in both Debian and Ubuntu, but I'm not sure how to make them persistent. As far as I understand the iptables package in the debian and Ubuntu repos is actually iptables-nft meaning I'm actually creating nftables rules, so I'm supposed to use iptables-nft-save to save them instead of using the normal method for iptables or nftables? But that command just seems to produce an output that doesn't match the syntax for iptables or nftables and the man page is not very helpful.
I'm also confused why Ubuntu does seem to have the /etc/iptables/rules.v4 and v6 files but Debian doesn't? Both seem to have /etc/nftables.conf as well but I'm not sure if that's even used (the Ubuntu machine has a bunch of iptables rules already defined which don't show up there but do show up in nft list ruleset)
This is another cut, among thousands. It's bad because we can see the motivation behind it. Free speech only for one team.
I don't want to be victim-blaming when I say expecting any big US corp to protect your privacy is futile. I know they want the reach of Insta and that's of course not a bad thing. But it's a threat considering who runs it. Another threat is editorializing the content. Don't put music on it, don't opine on the shamefulness of what the jackboots are doing, just post it. It's the best chance of this dying in the courts before the independence of the judiciary has completely gone. Constant dripping wears the stone and the MAGAs are pissing on it full force.
Another consideration must be at this point to host or mirror your content on servers outside the US. Countries that already didn't give an eff about the US or cooperating with its authorities. If you run your digital opposition on US-run/controlled infrastructure, you'll be shut down soon.
My name is Ehab, from northern Gaza. I have a family with four children — we have lost everything. Our home was destroyed, and I lost parts of my family: my sister and her children are among the dead and wounded. Now, we sleep on the streets, with no shelter and no safety.
The warplanes never leave the skies above us — we cannot sleep from the noise and fear. Tanks and raids are frighteningly close, and the gunboats fire from the sea. The situation is terrifying — the children cry from fear, and the elderly cannot endure the cold and hunger.
I have lost so much weight from hunger and this genocide. We have no source of income, no money to evacuate to the south where it may be safer. We desperately need funds to move my family to safety, and to buy food and medicine. You are our only hope.
Please, share this story and donate if you can. Every amount, no matter how small, can save us right now..
May God protect us and our families. From the depths of my heart, thank you to anyone who reaches out a hand to help. gofund.me/00439328
Bake them, freeze them, fire them from a gun or blast them into space: tardigrades can survive almost anything. Some experts think they might even survive right up until the Sun dies.
The US, of course. Hitler praised the US and the Nazis modeled parts of their economy and politics on strategies the US had already employed on indigenous peoples and black Statesians.
Incredibly, German nazis found some of the US laws to be too extreme:
Moyers: Bilbo said, “One drop of Negro blood placed in the veins of the purest Caucasian destroys the inventive genius of his mind and palsies his creative faculty.” Is it true that the Nazis thought the one-drop rule too extreme?
Whitman: They did indeed. They never proposed anything nearly as extreme as the one-drop rule. In fact the standard, the most far-reaching Nazi definitions of who counted as a Jew, matched the least far-reaching ones to be found in the American states.
Not only did Nazi lawyers reveal a deep interest in American race policies, the most radical of them were eager advocates of using American law as a model.
Yeah not a great look. Founded on genociding indeginous people. Nazis said "hey man nice shot!" and thats why Trump's playbook is degraded because its a simulacrum of a simulacrum. Anyway, yeah USA bad since birth. Anyone who thinks otherwise has only been shown the tiny specks of silver lining.
I was like half paying attention during our WW2 history lessons and the parallels between the USA today and the formation of Nazi Germany is clear as day. Whoever can't see it was probably fast asleep during each class.
There's people out there who genuinely only think it's ok to call something fascism or genocide retrospectively when it's achieved its goals.
We can't call it fascism yet because they aren't literally killing gay people in camps yet.
They won't believe it because it isn't an exact parallel replica of Nazi Germany because obviously. Everything is different, were 100 years in the future, it's a different country.
It's illegal to extrapolate what's going on and draw obvious parallels unless literally the exact same thing happens the same way.
Please, if you believe otherwise tell me I'm wrong
I like that quote that says "Something that we can learn from history books is that people can't learn from history books".
What we're seeing is people who do learn from history books being persecuted by those who don't because the latter are against knowledge, they love the ignorance (as in, ignoring the reality around them; in their minds, "don't see it = it doesn't exist").
That's why we're "seeing the future repeating the past" (to quote a verse from Cazuza's "O tempo não pára" song).
It’s going to be long and arduous. The US has such massive reach and influence that it’s going to take a long time before it topples. After that, we will probably be stuck in some Peter Thiel wet dream where he tells us Skynet was actually the protagonist and the Nazis had some good ideas.
If I understood u correctly,open xfce panel settings and find there module which is responsible for showing opened apps in properties of this module change grouping type.
xfce-panel -p/--preferences (missing in settings window)
Or
Right-click somewhere on a empty panel space > "panel" > "panel settings" (choose your panel if multiple) > tab "objects". Edit "window buttons" or whatever object you have there (each has their own settings dialog).
Normally, there should be a "properties" on right-click on the respective object for direct access. But that's missing in "window buttons".
Right, because drawing an allegory to the actions of the United States in the middle east as an example of doing something bad is the best way to praise the states
Right, and the oil is just a coincidence, that just so happened to be there. And the US invaded Iraq because of terrorists and nukes that weren't there, the oil was just a coincidence.
No, I'm pointing out your hypocrisy in recognizing that Iraqi nukes and the war on terror were largely overplayed to justify the invasion of the middle east for oil but not recognizing when Russia does the same shit in Ukraine. But it seems like you're the type to decide who to support based on a vague tribalist conception of "east vs west" rather than actually having any moral principles to rely on, so I apologize if my criticism of certain eastern and western actions simultaneously is too much for you to handle.
No you see it's okay when Ukraine conducts a literal campaign of derussification in a region they also keep bombarding, cultural genocide is only something the evil see see pee does
The Donbass region is largely ethnically Russian, and has been systematically oppressed by Kiev, including erasure of the Russian language, and outright massacres following the secession of Donetsk and Luhansk post-Euromaidan.
Additionally, the USSR never colonized Ukraine, neither did the Russian Federation. The Banderites that took over Ukraine in 2014 are far-right nationalists, and as such are useful for NATO.
First off, the donbas is not majority russian. While it has the largest group of Russians in the country it is still majority Ukrainian.
Second, the ICJ and international association of genocide scholars investigated Russia's claim of massacre and genocide and found them to be entirely baseless and fabricated to justify invasion.
Third, if this was about liberating the donbas, then Russia wouldn't have gone all the way to Kyiv at the beginning of the invasion. Even still Russia occupies far more than the donbas.
I swear the way some of yall rush to defend Russia. You guys realize it's not socialist anymore, right? That the country is ruled and controlled by capitalists? That capital interests like the oil in ukraine are what drive them?
I didn't say the Donbass was majority Russian, I said it's largely Russian, which is true. This is especially important considering it was added to Ukraine by the Soviet Union, and wasn't considered Ukrainian beforehand.
Secondly, the civil war between Kiev and the Donbass region has been widely recorded and reported on. The advent of the Russo-Ukrainian War put that into the background, so that the west can pretend history started in 2022, but that's false.
Third, the war is not about "liberating the Donbass region." It's about Russia securing the biggest land bridge into their territory, the Donbass region, and ensuring NATO neutrality. Demillitarizing Ukraine is a secondary goal for that second goal. Getting more territory than the Donbass region and destroying as much millitary equipment as possible ensures that Russia's stated goals are met, and improves their bargaining position.
This isn't a war of good vs evil, the world doesn't work in such Marvel terms. Russia has consistent and clear goals, it isn't some evil group of evildoers doing evil.
No, Marxists do not think Russia is still socialist. At the same time, it's abundantly clear that this isn't about oil, it's about defending against NATO encirclement. If it was about oil, then it's clear that losing customers by going to war would backfire, and that was clear before the war. There's no evidence that this is a war for extraction, despite what the pro-NATO crowd protests.
So are you saying that Russia is justifiably killing Ukrainian civilians, using rape as part of warfare, kidnapping Ukrainian children en masse and in general attacking civilian targets like hospitals, schools etc.?
Are we going to pretend Russia are the good guys in this scenario, and Ukraine is in the wrong for defending their borders? If this was only about the Donbass then why hasn’t Russia even attenpted to negotiate? Why take the kids? Why rape the townsfolk? Why start with invasion? And most importantly what the fuck are you smoking ’cos I’d like to have me some of that stuff too..
There isn't systemic kidnapping. When children are left behind, they are given food and a place to stay, and many are returned when they can be.
There is not systemic rape. Rape is occuring on both sides, unfortunately, but it isn't a systemic strategy.
Civilian deaths have been relatively low overall, actually, compared to other conventional wars, though both sides have begun targetting energy infrastructure directly, and Ukraine's army is more willing to break the geneva conventions (such as the unmarked van drone attack earlier this year).
Will look at sources later, will amend stance if necessary but first and foremost: why are you as a communista (an ideology I admire and respect even if I’m not exactly a ”fellow traveller”) alignig yourself with Russia? ”Enemy of my enemy is my friend” kind of thing
This is one of the more complex issues hotly debated among communists these days, but 2 years into the SMO the overall stance among Marxist-Leninist and ML-adjacent orgs is pro-SMO. A few of the following reasons can help paint a better picture:
NATO provoked the war as a means to weaken Russia, and open up its capital markets for foreign plunder, similar to the late 90s. What NATO wants is to use Ukraine as an expendable battering ram so that Russia is economically backed into a corner, and must allow western imperialists into their country.
Russia is currently a major trading partner with socialist countries like Cuba, the PRC, and DPRK. It is in the interests of socialists worldwide that Russia not fall to become a western puppet, because trade has dramatically improved conditions in Cuba, the DPRK, and has allowed China to become more independent from the west.
Communism is more popular than ever in Russia. 3 decades on from the dissolution of the USSR, the KPRF is seeing a dramatic upswing in support, as is general soviet nostalgia. Even right-wing nationalists like Putin make references to Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin, etc to try to take advantage of rising support for transitioning to socialism. The nationalist bourgeoisie in charge of Russia are walking a thin line right now, a line they could be forced off of in the future. This is heightening because of trade and increased ties with socialist countries and student exchanges, such as between Cuba, the DPRK, and PRC.
Russia is a right-wing dictatorship of capital, but it isn't imperialist in the Marxist sense. It is forced into alignment with the global south against the global north, and as a consequence it is one of the most likely countries on the planet to have a socialist revolution in the next decade. The SMO protects them against NATO expansion, and the west has sabotaged peace talks in order to keep the war going.
There's also this resource compilation on GenZhou you can check if you want to take a deep dive on the communist perspective of the Russo-Ukrainian War, I kept everything extremely brief.
It's time to read theory, comrades! As Lenin says, "Despair is typical of those who do not understand the causes of evil, see no way out, and are incapable of struggle." Reading theory helps us identify the core contradictions within modern society, analyze their trajectories, and gives us the tools to break free. Marxism-Leninism is broken into 3 major components, as noted by Lenin in his pamphlet The Three Sources and Three Component Parts of Marxism: | Audiobook
Dialectical and Historical Materialism
Critique of Capitalism along the lines of Marx's Law of Value
Advocacy for Revolutionary and Scientific Socialism
As such, I created the following list to take you from no knowledge whatsoever of Leftist theory, and leave you with a strong understanding of the critical fundamentals of Marxism-Leninism in an order that builds up as you read. Let's get started!
Section I: Getting Started
What the heck is Communism, anyways? For that matter, what is fascism?
Breaks down fascism and its mortal enemy, Communism, as well as their antagonistic relationship. Understanding what fascism is, where and when it rises, why it does so, and how to banish it forever is critical. Parenti also helps debunk common anti-Communist myths, from both the "left" and the right, in a quick-witted writing style. This is also an excellent time to watch the famous speech.
Section II: Historical and Dialectical Materialism
By far my favorite primer on Marxist philosophy. By understanding Dialectical and Historical Materialism first, you make it easier to understand the rest of Marxism-Leninism. Don't be intimidated!
Further reading on Dialectical and Historical Materialism, but crucially introduces the why of Scientific Socialism, explaining how Capitalism itself prepares the conditions for public ownership and planning by centralizing itself into monopolist syndicates. This is also where Engels talks about the failures of previous "Utopian" Socialists.
Section III: Political Economy
That's right, it's time for the Law of Value and a deep-dive into Imperialism. If we are to defeat Capitalism, we must learn it's mechanisms, tendencies, contradictions, and laws.
Best taken as a pair, these essays simplify the most important parts of the Law of Value. Marx is targetting those not trained in economics here, but you might want to keep a pen and some paper to follow along if you are a visual person.
Absolutely crucial and the most important work for understanding the modern era and its primary contradictions. Marxist-Leninists understand that Imperialism is the greatest contradiction in the modern era, which cascades downward into all manner of related contradictions. Knowing what dying Capitalism looks like, and how it behaves, means we can kill it.
Section IV: Revolutionary and Scientific Socialism
Can we defeat Capitalism at the ballot box? What about just defeating fascism? What about the role of the state?
If Marxists believed reforming Capitalist society was possible, we would be the first in line for it. Sadly, it isn't possible, which Luxemburg proves in this monumental writing.
Excellent refutation of revisionists and Social Democrats who think the State can be reformed, without needing to be replaced with one that is run by the workers, in their own interests.
Section V: Intersectionality and Solidarity
The revolution will not be fought by atomized individuals, but by an intersectional, international working class movement. Intersectionality is critical, because it allows different marginalized groups to work together in collective interest, unifying into a broad movement.
Critical reading on understanding misogyny, transphobia, enbyphobia, pluralphobia, and homophobia, as well as how to move beyond the base subject of "gender." Uses the foundations built up in the previous works to analyze gender theory from a Historical Materialist perspective.
De-colonialism is essential to Marxism. Without having a strong, de-colonial, internationalist stance, we have no path to victory nor a path to justice. Fanon analyzes Colonialism's dehumanizing effects, and lays out how to form a de-colonial movement, as well as its necessity.
Solidarity and intersectionality are the key to any social movement. When different social groups fight for liberation together along intersectional lines, the movements are emboldened and empowered ever-further.
Section VI: Putting it into Practice!
It's not enough to endlessly read, you must put theory to practice. That is how you can improve yourself and the movements you support. Touch grass!
Mao wrote simply and directly, targeting peasant soldiers during the Revolutionary War in China. This pair of essays equip the reader with the ability to apply the analytical tools of Dialectical Materialism to their every day practice, and better understand problems.
Congratulations, you completed your introductory reading course!
With your new understanding and knowledge of Marxism-Leninism, here is a mini What is to be Done? of your own to follow, and take with you as practical advice.
Get organized. Join a Leftist org, find solidarity with fellow comrades, and protect each other. The Dems will not save you, it is up to us to protect ourselves. The Party for Socialism and Liberation and Freedom Road Socialist Organization both organize year round, every year, because the battle for progress is a constant struggle, not a single election. See if there is a chapter near you, or start one! Or, see if there's an org you like more near you and join it.
Read theory. Don't think that you are done now! Just because you have the basics, doesn't mean you know more than you do. If you have not investigated a subject, don't speak on it! Don't speak nonsense, but listen!
Aggressively combat white supremacy, misogyny, queerphobia, and other attacks on marginalized communities. Cede no ground, let nobody be forgotten or left behind. There is strength in numbers, when one marginalized group is targeted, many more are sure to follow.
Be industrious, and self-sufficient. Take up gardening, home repair, tinkering. It is through practice that you elevate your problem-solving capabilities. Not only will you improve your skill at one subject, but your general problem-solving muscles get strengthened as well.
Learn self-defense. Get armed, if practical. Be ready to protect yourself and others. Liberals will not save us, we must save each other.
Be persistent. If you feel like a single water droplet against a mountain, think of canyons and valleys. Oh, how our efforts pile up! With consistency, every rock, boulder, even mountain, can be drilled through with nothing but steady and persistent water droplets.
"Everything under heaven is in utter chaos; the situation is excellent."
Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) is a national organization of revolutionaries fighting for socialism in the United States. Our home is in the working class.
Despite any possible differences of opinion we might have I honestly do appreciate your responses when you had. All the right in the world to tell me to fuck off.
For context: Living next to Russia and my country having historical ties to Russia means that I am ”genetically” oppised to anything coming out of the Putin regime
I'm used to it, haha. This account is mostly for agitprop, I try my best to demystify communism and communist stances, clear up misconceptions about theory, etc. In my experience, those who shittalk communists will get shit thrown back at them anyways on the fediverse, so it's far more useful of me to try to brush any rudeness off and still answer genuinely. I've gained more than a few comrades that way!
As for your individual circumstance, I totally understand that living in a state where the cultural context around political issues can color your perspective. I'm a Statesian, living in the US Empire, so that impacts what internal misconceptions I've had to overcome as well. Hegemony is one of the more interesting topics in communist thought, perhaps most developed by Gramsci.
My advice is to try to see where the information you are getting is coming from. Is it the working class, the politicians, capitalists, etc? Working class organizations, be they communist parties or even labor unions, will generally have a much better understanding of current events without being clouded by imperialist propaganda (though some unions are more compromised than others).
China has established the world's largest ecological and environmental monitoring network during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), an official with the Ministry of Ecology and Environment said at a press conference on Friday.
Wtf, you fucking retard. You could look for that info if you were interested. But your not, youre just looking for attention
Its like Palestine what's happening there?
The fact you haven't cared till now and think your gonna start asking "questions" like you haven't failed as a human being already is pathetic
How about you swipe on your phone and find out if Ukrainians are nazis. You are the kind that believes geopolitical memes on a whim so my hope is low for you but fuck it why not, you fucking 🤡
ACKTSHUALLY THO the Irish potato famine was socialism actually. Because see the British were trying to save the Irish FROM socialism, so they HAD to take all the crops. Because, ummm, if they let the Irish keep the crops that they grew, WHICH WERE FOR THE BRITISH, then that was socialism.
Also the Irish did it to themselves they were just too lazy to work. The British were starving too. Because see the famine. And it started in Kansas. JUST LIKE THE SPANISH FLU. So anyway now we have a free and capitalism Ireland like baby Irish Jesus intended.
I was under the assumption that the potato famine was caused solely due to crop disease. Do you have sources for the brits stealing their crops? Not doubting it, just want more info.
This meme reads as a criticism of capitalism and common anti-communist rhetoric. It doesn't do any apologia for authoritarians, which is what usually sets off the "libs"
Critism of capitalism and defense of communism is authoritarian to liberals though. After all, to them private property ownership is a human right and not allowing it is an authoritarian impingement on their freedom.
Depends on how you critique the CPC, for what reasons. If they are from a position entrenched in liberal viewpoints and US state department lines on China, then it's fair to say they are liberal. However, there are legitimate ways to critique China from the left. They are slow to adopt widespread LGBTQIA+ rights, for example, and while this is improving, I'd personally like it to be going much faster. Saying the CPC is doing organ harvesting is not legitimate critique.
That's true, but there's also more than a few people around here who will insist they aren't liberals and then when you find out their actual politics they're just New Deal style liberalism
Aaahhh the Yankees with their oversimplifications of complicated subjects. Communism good, mmmmm, yummiiiee, nothing bad about it, cannot do anything wrong, because it's all so simple.
Things like these aren't that simple and any time you claim it is, you're wrong
The meme is criticizing the fact that defenders of capitalism and/or haters of communism are often hypocritical in their argumentation. I would argue this meme isn't even strictly pro-communist. Also yankees hate communism more than anyone lol
The 1930s famine wasn't forced, though. It was a combination of adverse weather conditions leading to lower crop yields, wealthy farmers called kulaks killing their livestock and burning their crops to "resist collectivization," and some degree of mismanagement. It's important to recognize that pre-1930s, Eastern Europe had regular famines as well, and that following collectivization the 1930s famine was the last famine outside of World War II (when the Nazis took Ukraine, the USSR's breadbasket).
Churchill intentionally caused and extended the Bengal Famine, he hated Indians:
I hate Indians. They are a beastly people with a beastly religion. The famine was their own fault for breeding like rabbits.
The Politburo was kept in the dark about how bad the famine was getting:
From: Archive of the President of the Russian Federation. Fond 3, Record Series 40, File 80, Page 58.
Excerpt from the protocol number of the meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist party (Bolsheviks) “Regarding Measures to Prevent Failure to Sow in Ukraine, March 16th, 1932.
The Political Bureau believes that shortage of seed grain in Ukraine is many times worse than what was described in comrade Kosior’s telegram; therefore, the Political Bureau recommends the Central Committee of the Communist party of Ukraine to take all measures within its reach to prevent the threat of failing to sow [field crops] in Ukraine.
Signed: Secretary of the Central Committee – J. STALIN
Letter to Joseph Stalin from Stanislaw Kosior, 1st secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine regarding the course and the perspectives of the sowing campaign in Ukraine, April 26th, 1932. >
There are also isolated cases of starvation, and even whole villages [starving]; however, this is only the result of bungling on the local level, deviations [from the party line], especially in regard of kolkhozes. All rumours about “famine” in Ukraine must be unconditionally rejected. The crucial help that was provided for Ukraine will give us the opportunity to eradicate all such outbreaks [of starvation].
Letter from Joseph Stalin to Stanislaw Kosior, 1st secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine, April 26th, 1932.
Comrade Kosior!
You must read attached summaries. Judging by this information, it looks like the Soviet authority has ceased to exist in some areas of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. Can this be true? Is the situation invillages in Ukraine this bad? Where are the operatives of the OGPU [Joint Main Political Directorate], what are they doing?
Could you verify this information and inform the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist party about taken measures.
Sincerely, J. Stalin
Further, quotas were lowered once the Politburo became aware of the extent of famine:
The low 1932 harvest worsened severe food shortages already widespread in the Soviet Union at least since 1931 and, despite sharply reduced grain exports, made famine likely if not inevitable in 1933.
The official 1932 figures do not unambiguously support the genocide interpretation... the 1932 grain procurement quota, and the amount of grain actually collected, were both much smaller than those of any other year in the 1930s. The Central Committee lowered the planned procurement quota in a 6 May 1932 decree... [which] actually reduced the procurement plan 30 percent. Subsequent decrees also reduced the procurement quotas for most other agricultural products...
Proponents of the genocide argument, however, have minimized or even misconstrued this decree. Mace, for example, describes it as "largely bogus" and ignores not only the extent to which it lowered the procurement quotas but also the fact that even the lowered plan was not fulfilled. Conquest does not mention the decree's reduction of procurement quotas and asserts Ukrainian officials' appeals led to the reduction of the Ukrainian grain procurement quota at the Third All-Ukraine Party Conference in July 1932. In fact that conference confirmed the quota set in the 6 May Decree.
Not communism is bad, it's bad an asshole in the gov, calling it communism without beeing it, but an fascism. It's like North Corea, called an communist system, but it isn't its an fascist dictatorship, with an asshole lider, not the people which gov. This certainly is a bad system, but not worse as capitalism, Its when the extreme right took with the extreme left, than its always deadly for the people. Currently a real communism don't exist in the worl, because any intention to form it was sabotaged and corrupted by the capitalist elite, they all are more ore less bloody dictatorships.
Define communism and fascism. And read an actual political book instead of the shit that they literally teach you when you're a preteen (animal farm/1984), they teach it to you then cuz ur too young to handle the real shit, but now you can.
This is wrong, plainly. Fascism is a thoroughly capitalist ideology, no existing socialist state can be classified as fascist. The idea that socialism was simply sabotaged by "elites" ignores the material reality that socialism brought tremendous democratization, decreased disparity, and massive improvements in life metrics for the working class wherever it has been implemented. This is just centrist meandering more than anything.
As a side-note, Animal Farm is chiefly about how much Orwell despises the working class and believes them to be beyond stupid and incapable of governing themselves, destined to be taken advantage of no matter the system. Read A Critical Read of Animal Farm for more on this, Orwell was a homophobic, anti-semetic anti-communist fed that reported on suspected communists to British intelligence.
Let us broach a polemical subject. The British author George Orwell is very well known for works such as Animal Farm, Nineteen Eighty-Four, and his book about the Spanish Civil War, Homage to Catalonia.
Same as Ireland right?, is it really a gotcha moment to say capitalism doesn't work because sometimes it is installed under an authoritarian system, even though more so socialism is installed under a authoritarian system vast majority of the time
All states are "authoritarian," the difference is which class is the ruling class. In capitalism, that's the capitalist class, but in socialism, it's the working class. The state is simply the instrument by which the ruling class in any given society resolves class conflicts in favor of the ruling class. That's why in socialist countries, metrics for the working class have skyrocketed, but they largely stagnate or decay in capitalism.
No modern or past socialist country has had the working class as there ruling class, there has always been an elite class, this is simply not true Cuba and North Korea are instant examples that come to mind, and there are countless more
All states are authoritarian too a degree, there is nuance here and not everything is black and white
Every socialist state has had the working class as the ruling class, that"s part of the definition of socialism. The state is not a class itself.
Secondly, the degree to which a state exerts its authority depends on the circumstances it's in. Nazi Germany and modern Germany both have the same capacity for weilding authority, but the Nazis came to power during economic crisis, and killed the workers that were organizing in order to prevent socialism from spreading. Modern Germany isn't any less authoritarian, it just doesn't need to exert the same degree of authority. It will eventually, most likely.
Don't forget the bison skull mountain in the US. They exterminated the bison population for no other reason than to starve the Indigenous peoples into submission.
"If your hunter gatherer lifestyle is so great why are you starving after we deliberately starved you?"
About famine, how far off is the US from it? If their farmers are failing as bad as they say they are, coupled with droughts in various other farming areas around the world, and if Russia is still bombing agriculture in the Ukraine, are we in store for shortages any time soon?
Heusinger was accused of involvement in the 20 July plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler, but was cleared by the People's Court. Heusinger was later appointed head of the military cartography office when the war ended.
There were many attempts to assassinate Hitler during the third reich and most plots originated from within the upper command. This should not be seen as attempts to end fascism and stop the war by killing Hitler. These were attempts to usurp Hitler in order to gain his position and, from the perspective of the plotters, provide more reliable leadership so that the war could be won. Heusinger plotting to kill Hitler is not an implication that he had renounced Nazism nor does it absolve him of his many crimes against humanity. No one like this should ever have even been considered for another position of power in any capacity. Imo, he should have been shot and the fact that he wasn't is a weakness of liberalism
No. It was built by western states and diplomats. It did however let some Nazis in to the command structure primarily because they had experience fighting the soviets. Both sides of the cold war started recruiting nazis around the 1950s which is why you start seeing tons of books from famous nazi generals about how they absolutely could've beaten the soviets. It was more or less a grift to get paperclipped to America or given an advisor position in a NATO country. The soviets also did this a ton too, the nazis in the warsaw pact just didn't need to sell books to get recruited.
It is a disgrace, though it comes to mind that Marjorie Taylor Green does say this kind of thing about Jews with little consequence. She recently called Ben Shapiro an invader over the rumor he might take over TP USA.
A disturbingly large enough portion of Americans seem fine with the Christian fascism that's been fermenting in our country for a while now.
4 peoples recount to the press the time they were stranded on a small uninhabited island. 3 of them talk about how hard the 4th made it for them because he would eat almost everything that they fished, hunted and harvested by himself and leave only leftovers for the 3 and didn't fish, hunt or harvest anything himself.
An economist cut them off and says that, actually, the 4th did them a favor because he generated almost all the demand for fish, meat and fruits and without him they wouldn't have had a job on the island.
Three men survive a plane crash on a remote island and start thinking about how to escape. The first says, ‘I’m a carpenter, I’ll build us a boat.’ The second says, ‘I’m a fisherman, I’ll catch fish to feed us.’ The third says, ‘I’m an economist, let’s assume we have a ship.’
Anyone pushing their views is propaganda. Propaganda isn't always a bad thing, propaganda can be good, like antifascist or pro-communist propaganda, or it can be bad, like fascist propaganda.
Pretty sure manipulating people is bad. States entrap resources, populations, and say this is ours and this is how you have to be. Governments the world over are mostly bad. Especially the powerful countries. Ml can downvote me if they want. But if the east or west were either so good our world wouldnt be a shit hole filled with war. Its pretty obvious. The capitalists need to not exist anymore, the emirates need to give up their monarchies, and Russia needs to let go of Putin. There could be peace. People with power just love power more.
This is just idealism, though. Power isn't a self-driving end, profit is what's important in capitalism, and is why socialist economies achieve better metrics even with lower resources. What you're doing right now is "propaganda," in that you're trying to convince me (or others) of your views.
It was just called thoughts before governments weaponized it. A government or state, like a corporation, will always act in its own best interest. Which is why they should not exist. We will continue to be inundated with propaganda and divided until they are abolished.
No, propaganda is just the intentional dispertion of information to spread views you align with. Non-government groups do propaganda all the time. Secondly, governments are only extensions of a class, they aren't an independent entity, and as such are thoroughly enmeshed and dependent on the mode of production.
Whatever you define them as they are hierarchal structures used to secure wealth and resources from the main bulk of the populace. Hierarchies cannot exist in a truly equal system.
Also, gotta make sure they form implicitly around the most narcissistic individuals without any means of oversight or recall. jofreeman.com/joreen/tyranny.h…
Fantastic essay, even have it in my reading list. Really helps nail down why formalizing groups actually helps with transparency, it's like casting a spotlight.
They aren't used to secure wealth and resources from the working class, they are extensions of the ruling class in society. In socialism, that's the working class, and the state oppresses the bourgeoisie and defends from outside attack. There's also administration, which is a necessary hierarchy even in anarchist systems, as production at a large scale requires managers, just like battlefields need footsoldiers, tacticians, and strategians.
Anarchist systems do not require hierarchy. Even if they require some management that can be easily achieved without creating a hierarchy. This has been fun. Thanks ML Brigade. And they are used that way, hence the state of the world with the minority ruling and having all, the wealthy "elites".
Yet again, "These gentlemen think that when they have changed the names of things they have changed the things themselves."
Y'all have had the better part of two centuries to read On Authority, it ain't even that long. Management without hierarchy jfc, whatever sort of structure you think that entails I can guarantee you'd have called the exact same structure totalitarian or some such childish name when it was actually attempted in a socialist state.
Freetown Christiania or the Free Republic of Christania or Christiania is a former squat turned intentional community run by anarchists in Copenhagen, Denmark that...
That's a thought terminating response. What I actually call nonsense is claiming things that are directly at odds with what we observe in the real world to be true. The question anarchists never seem to ask themselves is why hierarchies form in the first place, and what problem they solve. There's a reason why in over a century of anarchist theory, no large scale or long lived applications of these ideas exist in the real world.
Hierarchies play a structural purpose facilitating scaling of organization. These are cognitive and organizational tools that enable large groups to coordinate effectively. It's a form of abstraction, providing mental shortcuts that enable us to engage with complex systems at a meaningful level of detail, without being overwhelmed by their inner workings. Our ability to abstract is what allows us to manage the near infinite complexity of the world.
We don’t perceive people as trillions of individual molecules. Instead, we view them as individuals with intentions, ideas, and actions. Doing so allows us to focus our attention on relevant interactions rather than microscopic details. In fact, focusing on a manageable level of detail also governs our self-perception as well. Our minds don't concern themselves with the granular operation of our organs, digestion, blood flow, or muscle contractions within our bodies. The decision to pick up a cup is processed at the level of intent, not the orchestration of muscular movements required to accomplish the task.
Similarly, using a phone app for internet browsing involves operating at an abstract level, interacting with website addresses and content, rather than the complexities of phone hardware, software execution, or network protocols. This abstraction allows us to utilize sophisticated tools effectively by focusing on the relevant layer of interaction.
The same principle applies to groups of people trying to accomplish a shared task. A team working on a shared goal can be viewed as a single unit. Outsiders don’t need to know every internal decision or workflow. They only need to understand the group's inputs and outputs in order to engage with it effectively. This abstraction is enabled through delegation where groups nominate representatives to interface with other groups, and these representatives can then form higher-level teams of their own. These nested layers allow organizations to scale without requiring everyone to grasp every detail of every project.
Hierarchies naturally arise in systems that necessitate both specialized labor and complex coordination. We can see an example of this when we examine the multifaceted operations within a manufacturing plant. Instead of each worker individually constructing an entire product, the workflow is partitioned into distinct sets of responsibilities.
The production of any product involves a series of key roles. Design engineers initiate the process by conceptualizing and blueprinting the product, detailing specifications for each component. Material handlers then take over, procuring and transporting the necessary raw materials to various workstations. On the assembly line, teams of workers are responsible for producing individual parts and their assembly into the final product. Simultaneously, specialized technicians maintain the machinery for continuous operation. Quality control inspectors ensure standards are met by examining finished goods at various stages. Supervisors play a crucial role in overseeing specific sections of the production line, ensuring adherence to schedules and acting as communication nodes for their teams, addressing immediate issues. Ultimately, production managers coordinate the entire flow of work across departments, optimizing resource allocation and ensuring that all production stages align with overall targets.
A hierarchical structure, with its clear division of labor and defined lines of authority, maximizes efficiency by allowing individuals to develop deep expertise in their specific roles while establishing clear channels for communication and accountability across the entire production process. The partitioning of work arises out of strategic necessity for managing the complexity inherent in large-scale manufacturing. As a direct consequence of this inherent demand for both focused expertise and effective collaboration, a selection pressure emerges that favors the hierarchical organizational model. The example of the advantages observed in structured production environments are not unique to manufacturing. Hierarchies are a common feature across diverse industries, political structures, and pretty much every type of endeavor where large numbers of people with different types of skills need to collaborate to achieve common goals.
Conversely, the limitations of horizontal structures become apparent when considering communication overhead. In a flat organization, every decision requires consensus among all members. Meetings grow unproductive as more people join, and time is inevitably wasted on debates irrelevant to most participants. Specialists spend hours explaining context to non-experts, making any meaningful progress impossible. Countless studies show that large groups of people struggle to function horizontally. Complex tasks, like coordinating a national healthcare system or a general strike, demand roles and delegation. Hierarchies streamline communication by compartmentalizing responsibilities where engineers can focus on technical problems, organizers on logistics, and representatives on inter-group coordination.
The same need for managing complexity through structured roles extends to the realm of political organization. A party acts as a hierarchical abstraction layer. It synthesizes grassroots input into actionable policies, balancing decision making with accountability through feedback from below. Centralizing expertise allows for efficient use of resources necessary for effective action. The division of labor afforded by hierarchies allows movements to manage complexity, specialize labor, and act decisively. Meanwhile, flat structures limit organizing potential to small, disconnected groups that cannot meaningfully challenge existing power structures which are themselves hierarchical.
Anarchists tend to argue that hierarchy necessarily leads to oppression, but this conflates hierarchy as a structural tool with the way this tool is applied under capitalism. The actual problem lies with lack of accountability of those at the top of the hierarchy to those at the bottom within power structures that serve private profit rather than collective needs.
Management and administration is usually referred to by anarchists as justifiable hierarchy, because pretending management isn't a form of heirarchy is fringe among anarchists, in my experience. Secondly, states are not used that way in socialist systems.
From my experience designated people share information but they have no authority to make decisions. Also from my experience every state is infected with capitalism.
How do you intend on defending against a NATO invasion without a hierarchically-organised military? Similarly, how do you intend on resisting NATO espionage and sabotage?
You never have anything to say that means anything. My number 1 troll. Cowbee could convince the world of what they believe which is cool. You would come along and ruin it afterwards.
And you treat Cowbee with compete disrespect, wasting his time without actually taking in anything hes saying. Seeing that, why the fuck would not just call you a fuck head.
A government or state, like a corporation, will always act in its own best interest.
I can't think of any human structure, or any person, who doesn't tend to act in their own perceived best interest. The issue is when self interest contradicts mutual interest.
Self-interest is an important concept in understanding why capitalist corporations are consistently antisocial and why most states act against their citizens, but self-interest isn't a reason in itself.
It was just called thoughts before governments weaponized it.
Government propaganda definitely predates the modern English language. e.g. Roman Empire
These type of motherfuckers have no problem with the self help guru scams or redpill influencers selling courses people into believing lies but they always draw the line at a communist telling a centrist, "Fascism is bad actually and diversity is good for everybody."
A problem is that rhetoric is dismissed out of hand simply because it's agreed with by a US enemy state actor, even when it doesn't originate from a state at all.
Too many liberals follow the axiom "if Russia believes X, then X must be false" and don't even bother to examine the veracity of X.
Oh this was some time ago, you can find it in the modlog of my lemm.ee account. I think it was lemmy.flatworld but not too sure.
Its so funny too, because even if they believe they are peddling fake news for propaganda purposes, like some radio free x site, do they believe the reporting on their own state policies is fake??
I am working toward reduction of heirarchy and increased worker control of the means of production. I have an agenda to inform as many people I know about anarchy as possible. This is probably propoganda, maybe. I do not have all the answers. We can do better than the current system.
Does propoganda require a state? I think we can push an anarchist agena a state. Talk to neighbors and coworkers. Meet them where they are without the alienating lingo. The "RusSian PrOpogAnDa" reaction typically is the result of a bad sales pitch.
Conflating organization with heirarchy implies those at the top of a heirarchy do work that produces value. Organization can require delegation, but any delegation should be instantly recallable by the workers. Heirarchy however places a manager over workers.
Instead of bringing the entire team, the team can ask John to talk to the propulsion team about how strong the fuselage needs to be for successful liftoff and reentry. The team trusts John has the expertise to get correct specifictions. If John messes up, the team can go talk to the other team directly.
By contrast, a manager with a MBA has no idea about making rockets. The manager has to loop workers into the project. The manager uses the worker like a tool to communicate with other teams. The manager gets paid better than the workers. The workers cannot remove the manager for poor performance. That is the job of the managers boss.
I recall watching an interview with Jacques Baud, who was a colonel in Swiss intelligence, and he pointed out that Russian propaganda works in support of material reality where western propaganda tries to invent a whole alternate reality.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has calculated that the World Bank’s preferential loans to Ukraine over the past three years have amounted to “tens of times” more than the institution lent out to all of Africa combined over the same period.
Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the Russian armed forces’ General Staff, earlier said that Russian troops are advancing across all front lines in the special military operation zone.
I'm frustrated. I'm a long time fan of Motorola. Their phones have been pretty simple and easy to remove junk apps. Recently I got an update that forced perplexity on my phone.
Consider if you truly need root on your device because its more of a risk then a benefit in most cases these days. Most features that used to require root no longer do or have more secure alternatives
Another consideration is that while you can buy a phone with grapheneos preinstalled, it's much better if you take the time to do the web install yourself because anyone selling preinstalled phones could potentially be a honeypot.
Pixels don't include bloat other than google, installing grapheneos is a simple and easy process you can do from your browser, unfortunately that's about the only truely secure option available currently any other devices (ie fairphone) will be a trade off of less/slower security updates and/or lack of ability to relock the bootloader.
Have a CMF1 from Murena for few months now, pretty happy with it. 350EUR with unlocked bootloader and rooted, used it as daily driver since day one. Transition from iOS was surprisingly painless.
Brand new Murena CMF Phone 1. Privacy combined with unbeatable value. The Murena CMF Phone 1 combines great specs and privacy with low cost. Powered by /e/OS operating system, this phone protects you at all times against constant data collection.
Less expensive than I expected, but no headphone jack, no SD slot, comes with /e/OS.
In the end any mobile phone is inherently privacy invasive because of tracking by the cellular carrier, and the unending security bugs in the software. It's hard to do much about this.
no headphone jack, no SD slot, comes with /e/OS. * I personally didn't need jack but I understand it might be problematic for some. If you create music for example you might not want the latency but for that I have a dedicated PBG-1 (OSHW grove box) which does have jack. FWIW there are USB-jack adapters. * it has an SD slot, I have a .5To inside * comes with /e/OS was the point for me. I wanted a deGoogle Android without any tinkering. If you don't want that though you can buy straight from CMF but I don't know with what ROM they will ship.
In the end any mobile phone is inherently privacy invasive because of tracking by the cellular carrier, and the unending security bugs in the software. It’s hard to do much about this.
if you don't trust cellular carriers you can setup your own network, e.g. crowdsupply.com/ukama/ukama but... yeah that's a bit demanding and obviously nobody else will connect to it. You can use eSIM but still have to trust the resulting carrier. You can rely on WiFi only but same, trust the ISP or encrypt everything you can, have your own VPN elsewhere and hope you can go through deep pack inspection
on bugs in software... but I like crowdsupply.com/sutajio-kosagi… is exploring the idea, pragmatically, of verifying the whole stack, hardware included, but it doesn't go to mobile packed. One could consider this with simpler modem equivalent, e.g. LoraWAN, but with the obvious bandwidth limitation. None of that removes bugs but if the entire stack is verifiable at least it's about genuine bug, not backdoors.
That’s what OnePlus, Nothing, and FairPhone are supposed to be about.
For privacy, I like my iPhone, but I can’t really recommend them anymore. Even with “Apple Intelligence” the keyboard is hilariously terrible. It gets a few things right and I’m wondering more and more if the ecosystem is worth it. But throwing money at Google somehow seems worse.
OnePlus originally had really nice enthusiast features and support for the CyanogenMod ROM. Now it's just another manufacturer of corporate-safe glass-and-metal slabs while the soul of CyanogenMod lives on in LineageOS.
Carl Pei left OnePlus and put together Nothing. Nothing is a bit closer to what OnePlus was supposed to be, but they still leave much to be desired. They went all the way to implement a detachable back on the CMF phone, but the battery is still sealed inside. Absolutely no advantage compared to manufacturers like Google in terms of the third-party ROM experience.
FairPhone is the best of the bunch, but their priorities don't necessarily match those of the community (i.e. security concerns, loss of audio jack and USB 3.0 on the FP6)
You noted on the phone hardware but not the software so I'll comment on that. Recently OnePlus has announced as of Android 16 that they will restrict bootloader unlocking to only those who fill out an application.
Nothing Phone 3 and all prior Nothing phone bootloader are still unlockable to this day with no call to restrict it. I would know, I have a Nothing Phone 3 running Shizuku and am waiting for Google to move Play Integrity off of its Kanban board so I can root again. Their forums have a strong development presence and as far as I'm concerned this is the one of the last good holdouts on this new restriction standard.
Pixel was the de facto standard for unlocked bootloaders. However, Google is the core of the "registered developers only" movement for their phones, killing sideloading and removing Pixel images from the development models in AOSP. I no longer support new Pixels (certain used ones are still good, don't get the 6 series though they are BAD).
I don’t have one, but I think they are overpriced for the specs you get.
Their goal is sustainability, but the outdated specs means I’d probably upgrade more frequently than I would with an iPhone where I can upgrade less often.
Shift and Volla are closer than Nothing, I'd say. OnePlus, like you said in another comment, belongs nowhere near that list anymore.
But I have a feeling privacy and security minded folks are going to be moving more towards Linux phones (I know Android uses a Linux kernel) over the next few years, as Android continues to get locked down, and cater to government surveillance.
I want to believe Apple has my privacy in mind like they say because I want to believe they’re a computer company first and not an information services company and all that… and it would make me feel better about my iPhone 16 Pro Max having such lousy software running on it… but also because going back to Android seems scary. No good privacy options. Nova is basically dead. Google is going after sideloading. Google is going hard with AI. The Pixel camera straight up hallucinates detail. And yet if I needed a new phone right now it probably would be a Galaxy S25, but I can’t say for sure it wouldn’t be an iPhone 17.
It's probably not a good idea to believe that. Even if they do fight for you behind closed doors, which I doubt, they will still have to bow to large governments for the sake of their shareholders. That's the world we live in right now.
I'm on Graphene on a Pixel 8 right now, but I really don't trust the overall direction that Google is pulling AOSP, nor the closed security chip in Pixel phones. I'm trying to decide if I want to stick with AOSP with a non-Pixel device, or give some form of non-Android Linux phone a shot. The Jolla C2 is looking intriguing, but getting one in the US isn't the easiest thing. I've also considered a Shiftphone 8.1 and Fairphone 6, but I'd want to run Calyx, and the future is murky. The Shiftphone is also tricky to get in the US, as is Volla which comes with an AOSP OS without Google services.
Very unorthadox suggestion, but those Vollaphones can come with Ubuntu Touch pre-installed. Best UI experience I had with a phone was an Ubuntu Touch. Pinephones also come with a Linux phone distro.
Do you need root? It's a big security risk, for multiple reasons.
You can always just get a used pixel (no further money to Google), and install a custom ROM that allows your bootloader to relock after installation. I personally prefer Graphene for this, but I believe Lineage also allows you to do so. They both have no bloat from the start, and GOS has sandboxed Google Play and Lineage has the ability to use microG iirc.
GOS can be installed via chromium based browsers, even from another phone. Security wise, there's nothing more secure at the moment.
Android is not designed the same way as a desktop operating system. For example, Android is designed to sandbox all applications and never require kernel level access. This means that if one app is malicious, as long as you haven't granted it extra permissions, it's much more difficult for it to affect any other apps. If you root, you're breaking that level of defense. Android simply wasn't designed for users to need or regularly use root, whereas Linux was built from the ground up with that expectation.
Root also makes applying security patches a challenge. Android doesn't have a standard package manager like desktop Linux. This means that users with rooted phones are less inclined to go through the pain of updating. I haven't rooted in a long while, but I can confirm that when I did root, I tended to avoid it for far too long. Anyway, the way Android's incremental OTA updates work is by comparing partition hashes. When rooted, this hash gets changed and you can no longer install OTA updates.
Further, root on Android can (and as far as I recall, does) affect verified boot, meaning if you want verified boot, every time you reboot you lose root. Android verified boot detects changes to system partition and either doesn't boot or reverts the changes. If you turn off verified boot, you cannot know if your system has been modified in a malicious way.
Put a slightly different way, Android's security model is entirely different than the security model of something like Linux. Linux expects you to need sudo/root for certain tasks, and other protections are built around that. Android does not expect you to ever need root, so it's not a consideration in its security design.
By rooting, you're not just bypassing manufacturer restrictions, you're bypassing Android's security design entirely. It's much more secure to just install a debloated, degoogled OS that can do verified boot.
Now, if mobile Linux ever takes off, then I'm sure it would be more like a desktop distro and less like Android.
In short, it's simply because Pixel currently has the most hardware level security features of any Android phone (on top of bootloader unlocking), for now. The Graphene team is allegedly in talks with an OEM to produce a phone specifically designed for it, which may be just as or even more secure. Time will tell.
I feel the need to mention that I'm not trying to shill for Graphene and especially not Google. Depending on your threat model and goal, Lineage or similar might be just fine for you. I just don't think there's anything more secure than GOS at the moment, and if that is important to you, along with minimizing bloat, it's a great choice. I do highly recommend avoiding root and instead just get something that you can unlock the bootloader for, and then install a degoogled ROM. Just make sure you don't accidentally buy a permanently locked phone, make sure it says unlocked somewhere in the listing.
I'm sure its in the link the other comment provided, but I'll call out that you not only can unlock your bootloader to install your OS but you can relock it so nothing can install anything afterwards.
So if your phone is ever not in your possession you can be sure that nobody installed anything. Also keeps your phone safe from malware (at root level).
None, probably. Refer to Bootloader Unlock Wall of Shame instead to check which companies do not restrict bootloader unlocking. See here for a list of devices where the bootloader can be locked with custom AVB Keys.
All those rooted concerns are true for desktop Linux / MacOS, and they still ship with sudo. If I can't rm -rf the root partition then its not really my device.
Android does not have the same security model as desktop Linux. I made a comment about this above (which you probably can't see due to .world being defederated with who I replied to), but if you don't want to go to my comment history, it's summed up as three or so main issues.
Rooting breaks OTA updates since it modifies your partition hash, meaning rooted users tend to leave security holes open way too long. Android does not have a package manager for you to be able to update these issues individually.
Android does not expect users to have root access, so they do not even consider it in the design. Android sandboxes apps, and apps can only generally have permissions that you grant, with no direct access to the kernel. However, rooting adds an entirely new attack surface for which there are no protections whatsoever. Desktop Linux, on the other hand, does expect users to need root level access from time to time. That's what sudo is for, but you should not confuse this with switching your user entirely to root and doing everything as root. There's a reason that's not recommended on Linux: it's dangerous. The same thing applies to Android. On top of that, Linux has other tools and protections designed to make running as sudoer safer, and Android has none.
Finally, it breaks your ability to use proper verified boot. If your system partions silently get malware installed, there's generally no way for a user with a rooted phone to notice. Verified boot protects against this, but because rooting (along with whatever else you're running as root) changes your partition hashes, it will either stop booting or revert your changes.
If mobile Linux ever takes off, it will likely be very similar to desktop Linux and be designed with root in mind.
Good guess about the federating problem. Thats a good reminder for me to change instances (was on lemm.ee before it died, .world was my backup).
OTA, While a fair point, again is a technical problem. Desktop systems get timely OTA updates. Its perfectly possible for rooted Android to get security updates that are on-par with rooted (e.g. basically any) Linux systems. The hash can be done on the incoming update instead (integrity hash) instead of on the system.
Linux has other tools and protections.
If there are protections they're at the system level (not app space). Which means the ROM provider could/should add those same protections as Linux instead of saying "you dont need root, stop asking".
AFAIK there are, unfortunately, basically no protections on Linux. Sudo can be trivially shimmed (add malicious exe to PATH) without even having sudo permissions, then the next time user inputs sudo an attacker would have their password. Its bad that its so easy, but its a double standard to say Linux is fine but an (up to date) Android with root is vulnerable.
OTA, as of right now, needs to hash the device to prevent system corruption. I don't think it's a very simple problem to solve, or surely there would be a ROM out there that does fix it with root. A better fix would be a package manager, but that's not going to happen with AOSP.
Regarding #1, it's fundamental to AOSP, and not any particular ROM. Similar to the OTA issue above. It's not just graphene (which, technically, you can root fyi, but I really would not do so, as again it defeats the purpose of running a verified boot secured phone).
#2 is debatable, because it's also highly dependent on the distro and configuration. As an example, immutable distros (which are actually closer to Android than non-immutable distros) make it so sudo/root isn't needed very often, if at all. Fedora CoreOS, for example, can run package updates on a schedule without user intervention, use rootless containers, and do verified boot. It can be deployed from a single file and validate itself after the fact, meaning a user would never be prompted for a password at any point. Obviously that's not a 1:1 because it isn't made for PC usage, but other distros based on Fedora Silverblue and the like can be more secure than standard Linux for similar reasons. Everything is generally sandboxed (flatpaks and containers) and root is rarely, if ever, required.
That being said, if you're not concerned, there isn't anything stopping you aside from your phone's manufacturer, which I'm sure you're aware of. I'm fine just knowing that I could do it, and much prefer the security benefits of verified boot and proper sandboxing above all else. I don't trust Google to properly patch zero days related to rooted phones, let alone patch the ones that affected non rooted devices.
Immutable OS's like nix and fedora silverblue still have sudo, they can still rm -rf /. If they can do it and maintain security, then Android can too.
I agree both the OTA and safe way of doing superuser requests could be heavy technical work. My bigger point is people who manage ROM's shouldn't demonize having full control of devices we own. Root can be done safely. Its not an inherent security risk, its just a technical problem waiting for a technical solution. "Just accept you dont need it" is not an acceptable response IMO.
Wait, what? Like there are no protections on PATH and you're saying that sudo can be hijacked and replaced with simething that does the same thing but with a keylogger.
Yeah try it. It is concerningly easy. Write a program that edits the users bashrc/zshrc. Have it append a line that adds something to the front of the path, and have it shim sudo. You can even have it forward the password to the real sudo.
Instead of waiting for the user to open another shell, you can also open a subshell. (E.g. your malicious program never returns/exits, it just appears to exit by opening a subshell with the modified path)
Aaaaaand, now I want to check the source code of all git repos before doing a git clone. Damn. Yeah, Ill test it out. Thanks for the heads up. Now I know why it's so dumb to run yay as root.
Touching the system partition isn't the only thing one would do with root. And if the ROM ships su in the ROM, there's no problem of being out of sync with upstream or even not passing boot verification.
It does open up an attack surface against the app that provides the UI to gate root access. But that has to be considered against the "availability" arm of the security triad.
Regarding the system partion and verified boot, it's the fact that it isn't the only thing one would do with root that breaks verified boot. You totally could package su in the ROM and ship it, but if a user installs something else to the system with it, it is very likely that the verified boot hash would change, unless I'm missing something.
What bothers me a bit more is, the OS could address a lot of what Graphene is talking about: there should be a builtin OS level "no overlays, no accessibility, allowed when superuser reqested, must use builtin OS controlled keyboard to input password". I'm not saying the graphene team needs to do more work; their contributions are incredible. But they shouldn't claim that having full control over a device you own is inherently a security flaw. Its a technical problem that can be resolved with ROM development.
Great value my ass, I can barely get a used pixel 8a for 300€ in the EU. Redmi 4x from 2017 costed 160€ new and had all the features of phones at the time (except NFC). I'm still considering a pixel just for GrapheneOS, just because it's that good compared to LOS on the Redmi I use.
With this question asked, I'd like to build on it and ask what options exists outside the realm of google given their recent bullshit.
For those who know, tell me about the pine phone, fair phone, anything else like this.
When google fucks shit up in the near future, I would very much like to hold on to the ability to side-load apps using obtainium and f-droid indefinitely. Are the pine phone/ fair phone reasonable for this? What pros and cons am I looking at?
Amid the latest US threats and provocations against Venezuela, the country's parliament has greenlit a new comprehensive cooperation agreement with Russia.
👈 Like this
throwing less shit into waterways
nebulous "ocean cleanup"
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