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Do I need to be a Communist in order to join this site?
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Last edited by Loony; 15th June 2015 at 21:05.
Noooo, don't go!
I don't think that you really understand what communism means. I think you'd have to understand that you have to throw off capitalism with a revolution and I think reformists are restricted.
Ask yourself this...
Do you really believe the USA, no1 cappie (and by far richest) nation in the world will not do ANYTHING to uphold the status quo?
"Men choose as their prophets those who tell them that their hopes are true." -Lord Dunsany
"As a Marxist, as a Communist and as a free human being, I oppose any Czar, Dear Leader, Premier, Emperor, Kaiser, Dictator, etc, etc. So I tell you; to hell with your Stalins, Hitlers, Maos, and Francos. I oppose any tyrant not because he kills a million people, but because he is a tyrant. I say no to tyranny and oppression, and anyone who disagrees does not belong here." - Iron Felix
Social democracy advocacy is something that will normally get you sent to the restricted forum. So no, you're not really allowed to be a social democrat.
Social Democrats are normally restricted I believe but seeing as you're sympathetic to Communism and here to learn more than anything I don't think there would be much benefit in restricting you. Up to the Admins though.
Social democrats are restricted, yes. But this doesn't mean you can't ask questions. Parts of the forum will still be open.
What on earth is this question supposed to mean? Surely you can be a social democrat and answer 'no' to that question.
A more adequate question would be: Is communism an ends, a final goal, or a movement evolving from capitalism?
"What is necessary is to go beyond any false opposition of programme versus spontaneity. Communism is both the self-activity of the proletariat and the rigorous theoretical critique that expresses and anticipates it."
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"...Stalinism is eternally condemned to govern capital, and the ideological dynamics of Stalinism are tied to this peculiar type of capital management; it is locked within this framework, reproducing the logic of capitalism under the veil of communism. For this reason, Stalinism, and its various derivatives, cannot accurately be regarded as communist if we choose to define it in materialist terms." - Tim Cornelis
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Last edited by Loony; 15th June 2015 at 21:05.
Social democracy is simply a mechanism for maintaining the rule of the ruling class. Welfare capitalism, if you like.
You talk of governments being held accountable. People have looked to elected politicians to change things for them for years and years. Concessions and gains are sometimes won. But they are scraps thrown from the table, to buy us off, and stave off an increase in working-class militancy.
And what reforms are granted, can be taken away. So there are cuts in healthcare, in social security, in housing, them there is mass unemployment and the slavery of wage labour.
The mass of people are working-class. We create all the wealth under capitalism. The goods we produce are stolen from us, and sold by the bosses, and the profit rolls into their coffers.
The ruling class is tiny. We the workers are many. So the bosses create a smokescreen and a mythology, petty hierarchies in the workplace (such as supervisors with only 3 people under them and paid a fraction more), use the police, the courts, and their armies, to keep the workers under their rule.
They want us to forget our potential, and not see through their mirage. The bosses need us. Without us, they cannot run their enterprises, and keep their riches coming in. But we do not need them. We can, and have, done it collectively for ourselves, and taken control of the productive machinery, and operated it for the benefit of all.
My advice to you is this: take your time here, and have a good read of all the posts, particularly in the Learning section. After that, see if you feel differently.
And by the way, Welcome
Charity is a woefully inadequate means of partial restitution
Oscar Wilde, from his essay 'The Soul of Man Under Socialism'
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Last edited by Loony; 15th June 2015 at 21:06.
Welcome! You can certainly join, which should be obvious because, well, you're here already. You might get restricted to posting in the Opposing Ideologies forum, because as the name of the site suggests, RevLeft is designed for Revolutionary Leftists and discussion amongst them, not really for arguing with every non-Communist or non-Anarchist who comes around. You are new here, so you'll probably be given some leniency to ask questions and put up your opinions for a while. If you do get restricted, it probably won't be your fault, so don't feel bad about it.
EDIT: If you are sympathetic and are learning, you shouldn't have any problems. Just ignore the baby Stalins and you'll be fine here.
Why not just abandon social democracy?
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Last edited by Loony; 15th June 2015 at 21:06.
No don't worry about it, if you're just here to ask questions and learn then I don't see why you should be restricted, it's normally just the people who are here to debate against Communism that do, or people who argue reactionary positions and say racist/homophobic/sexist shit
I personally wouldn't restrict you, but I'm not an admin so it's not up to me.
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Last edited by Loony; 15th June 2015 at 21:06.
What do you mean by "sort of" agreeing with Marx?
By the way, there is revolutionary democratic socialism. - http://www.revleft.com/vb/group.php?groupid=898
This is what a lot of people on here should think. I don't think you're any less of a leftist than some non-restricted people on here, really. The only difference is that they talk under the name of revolution and communism, although their questions and statements often reveal their lack of knowledge.
Take me as an example. I've called myself a communist long before I got an idea of what that really meant. I've only started to realise what this meant the last year or so, before that I was really just a left social-democrat. I'm now more confident on my views, but I'm still learning. I'm a newbie compared to most people.
"What is necessary is to go beyond any false opposition of programme versus spontaneity. Communism is both the self-activity of the proletariat and the rigorous theoretical critique that expresses and anticipates it."
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"...Stalinism is eternally condemned to govern capital, and the ideological dynamics of Stalinism are tied to this peculiar type of capital management; it is locked within this framework, reproducing the logic of capitalism under the veil of communism. For this reason, Stalinism, and its various derivatives, cannot accurately be regarded as communist if we choose to define it in materialist terms." - Tim Cornelis
Well half of us are just liberals and social democrats with Che-tees anyway so I wouldn't worry too much about it...
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Last edited by Loony; 15th June 2015 at 21:06.
