A newb in need of some help.

[Red Monkey]

Hello all!

I'm Red Monkey. I'm female, 25, and from Kentucky. I practice Tae Kwon Do and make a lot of my own clothes. I'm also not very skilled with computers and in that regard I'll be asking for some help in just a moment.

Politically, I'm a proponent of songun and juche, the current guiding ideologies of North Korea. I find North Korea to have the most advanced revolution in the history of the world. As such, I expect to be highly unpopular even here, but in self-reliance, I'll press on. ;):D

Okay so on to my technical questions for anyone who might know the answers or be able to help me:

1) I'd like to have an avatar, but have no idea how to re-size pictures so they'll fit right. I had something in mind as my avi, but don't know how to properly re-size it. Can someone help me out?

2) I'd like to, at whatever point it's deemed I've established enough posts or other credentials that may be required to do so, start one of these user groups I see listed of my own as a domain for myself and any of my comrades here who might also support what I sometimes call militant juche (i.e. songun and juche). First of all, at what point would it be possible to do so? What sort of credentials are required of one to start such a group? And how would one go about doing so once those requirements have been met?

I appreciate any help anyone can offer me in these areas and greatly look forward to engaging discussions and debates! :)

[革命者]

Hi Red Kentucky! Welcome.

What makes North Korea's the most advanced revolution, according to you?


Scotty

[Rjevan]

Hi, welcome! :)
That part with the most advanced revolution also puzzles me...
Anyway, to answer your questions:
1.) Just decide for a picture, go to your User CP>Settings&Options>Edit Avatar and then place the webaddress at option 1 or upload it with option 2 if you have saved it on your PC. The size doesn't matter, your ava will be automatically re-sized to fit the board requirements.
2.) I am not sure, I guess something about 25 posts or so are needed, but not sure... I am also not sure what our guideline is on Jucheists generally and Jucheist groups...

[Raúl Duke]

umm...
hi...
:blink:
This will be interesting...for a while.

[Q]

Politically, I'm a proponent of songun and juche, the current guiding ideologies of North Korea. I find North Korea to have the most advanced revolution in the history of the world. As such, I expect to be highly unpopular even here, but in self-reliance, I'll press on. ;):D
You have a good sense of humor, I give you that :)

On the avatar Rjevan has said all that is needed really. On your "personal domain", we also have a blogging feature on the board, perhaps you want to use that?

Welcome.

[Red Monkey]

Originally posted by Rjevan:
1.) Just decide for a picture, go to your User CP>Settings&Options>Edit Avatar and then place the webaddress at option 1 or upload it with option 2 if you have saved it on your PC. The size doesn't matter, your ava will be automatically re-sized to fit the board requirements.
2.) I am not sure, I guess something about 25 posts or so are needed, but not sure... I am also not sure what our guideline is on Jucheists generally and Jucheist groups...1) Thanks so much for your help! Some of the pics I was looking at were apparently too large to re-size, but I found a couple ones I liked that worked. I now have an avatar and a profile picture. :thumbup:

2) Okay. Maybe I can ask a mod or an admin or something after I have 25 posts then. Anyhow..."guideline on Jucheists generally and Jucheist groups"? Are you serious? Given this message board's title, Revolutionary Left, I thought it was open to the whole of, you know, the revolutionary left. Am I going to get banned or treated as a second-class member or something just because I'm not a Marxist or an anarchist?


Originally posted by Q:
On your "personal domain", we also have a blogging feature on the board, perhaps you want to use that?So I've noticed! I might use that occasionally. :cool:


Originally posted by 革命者:
What makes North Korea's the most advanced revolution, according to you?
Originally posted by Rjevan:
That part with the most advanced revolution also puzzles me...I could speak of a lot of examples here, but I especially refer to the songun ideology itself. Now there's I think a lot of confusion here in the West as to what songun means (in no small part due to extensive disinformation in the prevailing media), so I'll try to briefly sum it up:

The military first ideology is often mistaken for the rule of the military over the people. Instead, it's the rule of the military as the people. It's the idea of making the revolutionary military synonymous with the people, the state, and the communist party, at first essentially but ultimately literally. Ultimately it aims that there will no more distinction between civilian and military member, for the two things will become one and the same. They already are essentially one and the same at this point.

The idea has been described in the country's media as "one in which the People's Army serves as the main force of revolution and in which the unity of the army and the people helps to safeguard as well as build socialism". Thus we see that there is both a defensive component and an offensive component to it in revolutionary terms: it both "helps to safeguard [defensive] as well as build [offensive] socialism". On the one side, more and more people are joining the military, while the masses more broadly have taken up and are continuing to more fully take up the revolutionary mentality of the military. On the other side, the military is taking on more and more civilian tasks, becoming ever more fully involved in productive work. From both sides, the people and their military are being ever more reconciled to one-another. In the offensive sense, we can obviously see the tremendous significance! The military is, after all, the main armed branch of the state. And the people are becoming ever more fully synonymous with that armed branch of the state -- the main enforcement branch -- and thus are ever more fully taking their lives into their own hands! They are becoming much more fully masters of society! Thus this constitutes the most enormous and furthest revolutionary advancement yet seen in the world! (Some people argue that all this effort on building a strong people's military defers resources away from the people, and while that's to some degree true and an unfortunate necessity to deter invasion and counterrevolution at present, it's also worth adding that, as just pointed out, not all that military spending goes to armaments: much of it goes to providing economic services. More will go toward those latter ends as this reconciliation process continues.) It also serves a very effective defensive purpose: it ensures that if the enemy should attack, that enemy will be confronting not just a specialized group, but the entire people of North Korea (or at least the vast majority)! It's an excellent deterrent and the only thing preventing a U.S. invasion. In both of these ways, songun is a new and brilliant innovation! This is a huge part of what Kim Jong Il has brought to communist theory and for which he deserves to be credited and respected.

In 1997, the U.S. government came out with a political forecast predicting the collapse of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. But the country has regrouped and become both politically and military powerful since then. Now the Western newspapers all speak of how it's impossible to challenge the DPRK militarily or ideologically on its home turf and they now forecast that its socialist system will remain in place for the "foreseeable" future. That's not backsliding! Even economically speaking, North Korea is much better off today than it was 15 years ago and is now strengthening, not compromising, its socialist system. There is no country on Earth today with a more fully socialist economy than North Korea and there has never been a more fully revolutionized society in the history of the world.

[Lord Testicles]

http://knowyourmeme.com/i/6933/original/Massimo.jpg?1248857551

Welcome to Revleft. I'm sure your time here will be interesting.

[red cat]

Welcome to Revleft. :)

What is your geup ?

[Red Monkey]

2nd degree black.

[Raúl Duke]

Even economically speaking, North Korea is much better off today than it was 15 years ago and is now strengthening, not compromising, its socialist system. There is no country on Earth today with a more fully socialist economy than North Korea and there has never been a more fully revolutionized society in the history of the world.

Umm...I heard there was (for a time) recently these free economic zones where South Korean capitalist ventures set up factories in North Korea...

Also, what about Cuba?

[Chambered Word]

2) Okay. Maybe I can ask a mod or an admin or something after I have 25 posts then. Anyhow..."guideline on Jucheists generally and Jucheist groups"? Are you serious? Given this message board's title, Revolutionary Left, I thought it was open to the whole of, you know, the revolutionary left. Am I going to get banned or treated as a second-class member or something just because I'm not a Marxist or an anarchist?


Sure, why not.

[Q]

2) Okay. Maybe I can ask a mod or an admin or something after I have 25 posts then. Anyhow..."guideline on Jucheists generally and Jucheist groups"? Are you serious? Given this message board's title, Revolutionary Left, I thought it was open to the whole of, you know, the revolutionary left. Am I going to get banned or treated as a second-class member or something just because I'm not a Marxist or an anarchist?
We actually restrict Maoists Third-Worldists like those of MSH because of their utter reactionary and stupid views, despite that they consider themselves part of the revolutionary left. Juche people are tolerated though.

[Sasha]

We actually restrict Maoists Third-Worldists like those of MSH because of their utter reactionary and stupid views, despite that they consider themselves part of the revolutionary left. Juche people are tolerated though.


although most juchist get them self restricted in no time after all because it seems that homofobia and sexism seem to come standard with juche sympathy.

[Chambered Word]

We actually restrict Maoists Third-Worldists like those of MSH because of their utter reactionary and stupid views, despite that they consider themselves part of the revolutionary left. Juche people are tolerated though.

Songun is a militarist ideology, it should be considered reactionary IMO. :thumbdown:

[Red Monkey]

Finally back! Okay, anyhow, to respond...


Originally posted by psycho:
although most juchist get them self restricted in no time after all because it seems that homofobia and sexism seem to come standard with juche sympathy.I don't tend to think of myself as sexist against myself (female).


Originally posted by Comrade Lewis:
Songun is a militarist ideology, it should be considered reactionary IMO. :thumbdown:Not all militarisms are reactionary in my view. It depends on what kind of military we're talking about. Are we talking about an imperialist military -- one existing around the goals of conquest and plunder? Are we talking about a reactionary military like the Islamic Revolutionary Guards in Iran -- existing around the goal of enforcing religious dictates? Or are we talking about a people's military -- one existing around the goals of revolutionizing society, defending the revolution, becoming synonymous with society, and progressing things forward toward a communist society? The latter goals aren't reactionary.


Originally posted by Raúl Duke:
Umm...I heard there was (for a time) recently these free economic zones where South Korean capitalist ventures set up factories in North Korea...Free trade is almost non-existent in North Korea. A couple small special zones exist: one to promote North-South reunification through joint work projects and the other to promote tourism. But that's all. The most significant economic reforms along capitalistic lines that have taken place were countrywide policy changes regarding the legality of some small-scale farmers' markets in 2002. That legalization was really a recognition of reality and aimed at getting a situation of rampant "black market" trading under control. And it was largely successful. By 2004, it had been swept out of the cities. This was, in other words, a semi-NEP-style measure aimed at preventing the severance of ties between the cities and the countryside.

Recently, by contrast, they've begun re-strengthening their socialist system in the area of economy by substantially devaluing their currency. That may not sound intuitive, but it's true. There is a set limit on the amount of won (North Korea's currency) that people are allowed to possess, so this qualitatively narrows the gap between the minimum and the maximum income in effect (effectively raising the minimum and reducing the maximum). It's a major curb on the basis of the underground economy's existence.


Also, what about Cuba?Cuba, coming from a Marxist position, is not as self-reliant. The socialist aspect of their economy isn't as strong and, in many respects, is being compromised further under Raul. Even the Heritage Foundation agrees. :lol:

[Sasha]

I don't tend to think of myself as sexist against myself (female).


whats you view on abortion?

[#FF0000]

Uh hey now let's not badger new members like that.

Anyway, Welcome!

[Red Monkey]

Originally posted by psycho:
whats you view on abortion?

I'm unequivocally pro-choice.

[Sasha]

welcome :lol:

[Chambered Word]

Not all militarisms are reactionary in my view. It depends on what kind of military we're talking about. Are we talking about an imperialist military -- one existing around the goals of conquest and plunder? Are we talking about a reactionary military like the Islamic Revolutionary Guards in Iran -- existing around the goal of enforcing religious dictates? Or are we talking about a people's military -- one existing around the goals of revolutionizing society, defending the revolution, becoming synonymous with society, and progressing things forward toward a communist society? The latter goals aren't reactionary.


I think it's reactionary to put the military before the workers, especially when there would be no military if the workers did not produce wealth. It completely goes against everything socialism stands for.

[LOLseph Stalin]

Welcome. The Dear Leader, Kim Jong-Il will appreciate your presense here! ;)

[Red Monkey]

That strikes me as a pretty dogmatic perspective, InsertNameHere (referring to your first comments on songun). Without political power, what has the proletariat? Maintaining that political power is one of the central purposes of the military first perspective. And, as I've pointed out, it's also about taking the revolution forward, reconciling the labor division between civilian work and national defense. The proletariat retains political power, but becomes the leading arm of the military, rather than the military being understood as the leading arm of the party as per Leninism. The truth is that without communist militarism the Democratic People's Republic of Korea probably wouldn't exist today. It's therefore clearly a theoretical innovation in the interests of the proletariat. Militancy scares some people, I understand, but we need to get over dogmatism.

[Chambered Word]

That strikes me as a pretty dogmatic perspective, InsertNameHere (referring to your first comments on songun). Without political power, what has the proletariat? Maintaining that political power is one of the central purposes of the military first perspective.

Maybe the proletariat would have some political power in North Korea instead of being dictated to by Kim Jong-Il?


And, as I've pointed out, it's also about taking the revolution forward, reconciling the labor division between civilian work and national defense.

And by placing the military in a class of its own you are creating a division. Not that the DPRK was ever one class, or classless.


The proletariat retains political power, but becomes the leading arm of the military, rather than the military being understood as the leading arm of the party as per Leninism.

I've never understood the military to be the 'leading arm of the party' in Leninism. I'm pretty sure the professional revolutionaries and militant workers are the leaders. The proletariat does not currently hold political power in the DPRK.


The truth is that without communist militarism the Democratic People's Republic of Korea probably wouldn't exist today. It's therefore clearly a theoretical innovation in the interests of the proletariat. Militancy scares some people, I understand, but we need to get over dogmatism.

There's nothing dogmatic or emotional about the workers' right to organize themselves, as opposed to being ruled by a military dictatorship. Hell, if Burma gave people free education you would call it socialist. :rolleyes:

[I Can Has Communism]

Welcome. Though you'll find some sane people here to debate with, most are left liberals, so beware.:)

[btpound]

Hello Red Monkey, welcome to Rev Left. Questions though.

First, isn't this idea of "songun" sort of inherit in maoism? Isn't this something Mao talks about in the "People's Army" and the "People's War"? This you can not take revolution by coup deta, and that the army should be comprised of workers and not an armed body separate from the people?

And how do they achieve that by the way? Do they elect all their officers with no one making more than the average worker? Are the soldiers picked from the working class, and if so how long is their tour? I mean, Khrushchev was working class at one point, but unless you cycle through your soldiers regularity, they take on new class interests. Do the soldiers work part time? How much do they make?

[Red Monkey]

Well I've finally completed my first blog entry (which, for me, is an accomplishment in itself :blushing:), so now I'll respond to what's been raised here recently.


Originally posted by I Can Has Communism:
Welcome. Though you'll find some sane people here to debate with, most are left liberals, so beware.:)So I've noticed. :lol:


Originally posted by Comrade Lewis:
I've never understood the military to be the 'leading arm of the party' in Leninism.Actually you're right! My bad! I don't know what I was thinking of when I typed that, but it was definitely inadvertent. My apologies for the confusion!


Maybe the proletariat would have some political power in North Korea instead of being dictated to by Kim Jong-Il?
The proletariat does not currently hold political power in the DPRK.
There's nothing dogmatic or emotional about the workers' right to organize themselves, as opposed to being ruled by a military dictatorship. Hell, if Burma gave people free education you would call it socialist. :rolleyes:Yeah whatever. Can't you come up with something better to do with your time than belligerently harassing me with arbitrary nonsense and posturing yourself as oh so much more "left" by virtue of the fact that you defer to spontaneity and oppose every real socialist revolution that occurs?


Originally posted by btpound:
First, isn't this idea of "songun" sort of inherit in maoism? Isn't this something Mao talks about in the "People's Army" and the "People's War"? This you can not take revolution by coup deta, and that the army should be comprised of workers and not an armed body separate from the people?The military first idea, as you should be able to tell just by that formal title, is opposed by Maoists. It's an original idea. Now it's true to say that some aspects of it (such as those you've pointed out) are indeed held in common between Maoists and proponents of the songun idea and that, in a certain capacity, those common aspects were indeed originally inspired by Mao's innovations. But the Maoist favors a rather one-sided reconciliation of the people's military with productive society: one in which the army is simply, in protracted fashion, dissolved into society and its defense role completely eliminated. This stems from the lack of a self-reliant perspective. That area of lacking is inherent to Marxism and makes it ultimately dogmatic. The juche adherent understands that nation-states will always exist. Hence the need is for a dialectical approach: one in which not only is the people's military brought into productive work, but also in which civilian society is eliminated and reconciled to the military. This makes both for the safeguarding of socialism and the further advancement of the revolution through the two-sided reconciliation of that labor division. A militarized socialist society, to the degree that it is militarized and socialist, is characterized by unwavering loyalty to the revolution and broad, fervent revolutionary spirit.

Military-mindedness is something Maoists definitely oppose. They prefer not only broad debate, but liberal debate together with occasional deference to spontaneity (or "cultural revolution" as they call it). In the mind of the Maoist, the military first idea must seem terribly "authoritarian", "totalitarian", and every other cliche you'd find in a standard Encarta entry on communism.

[btpound]

Military-mindedness is something Maoists definitely oppose. They prefer not only broad debate, but liberal debate together with occasional deference to spontaneity (or "cultural revolution" as they call it). In the mind of the Maoist, the military first idea must seem terribly "authoritarian", "totalitarian", and every other cliche you'd find in a standard Encarta entry on communism.

No I have no qualms with it. I rather like the idea really. But it was view I had already held and I sort of attributed as part of maoism, since mao and maoists talk about how the army cannot be seperate from the people.

There is nothing liberal about maoism. Mao is the biggest anti liberal among marxist figures, second maybe to lenin. But yea, Maoists do belive in debate and criticism and struggle, because this is the only way you can get to communism. You cannot drag an entire society into rigid lock step and expect class distinction to fall away. It is something that has to be overcome through the working class themselves.

I don't work for Kim-Jong Ill, Kim-Jong Ill works for me.

You didn't answer my question though. How is the NK army organized? Do they elect officers, how much do they make, how is it that they get around the military forming their own class interests separate from the working class. I am not asking because I don't think there is an answer an I want to embarrass you, I am asking because if what you say is true I would love to know how it is done.

[red cat]

Exactly what do you mean by "liberal" here?

[Chambered Word]

Actually you're right! My bad! I don't know what I was thinking of when I typed that, but it was definitely inadvertent. My apologies for the confusion!

No problem, everyone makes mistakes now and then.


Yeah whatever. Can't you come up with something better to do with your time than belligerently harassing me with arbitrary nonsense and posturing yourself as oh so much more "left" by virtue of the fact that you defer to spontaneity and oppose every real socialist revolution that occurs?

I'm not posturing myself as more 'left', and I don't oppose real socialist revolutions.

Anyway welcome, just try not to act like a 5 year old when you lose a debate in the future. I'm not trying to be an arsehole, just giving you a piece of advice. Nice to see more new faces around here.

[革命者]

5 year old? Lose a debate?