#tumblr/Black Stalin

[sexypinkon]

S  E  X  Y  P  I  N  K - James Hackett created this wonderful tribute to the Late Black Stalin Leroy Calliste.

Word just in to Sexypink - San Fernando City Corporation has declared Tuesday 3rd January 2023 B L A C K   S T A L I N   D  A  Y. They appeal to all radio, tv, media and production companies to support this clarion call by playing his music throughout the day, showing clips of interviews as well as to allow ‘call in’ tributes.

[galleryyuhself]

Galleryyuhself - Black for Stalin.

Trinidad and Tobago concert advertising.

[foone]

I don't think I ever put this on tumblr, but here's my video about my police terminal and the STALIN button. Audio/visual transcript under the cut

(video of a little rugged black terminal. It's got a tiny amber CRT and a smallish grey keyboard)

So this here is the Motorola MDT9100-386 Police Terminal. The idea was you'd have this in the police car, and the police officers could just write up information, and transmit it through a radio that's connected to it (I don't actually have it here), um, back to the station.

And every time I've shown this thing off, in it's lovely (but difficult to focus on) monochrome screen, people have asked a simple question:

(focus on the keyboard, where the 3 button has STA LIN written at the top)

Why exactly does it have this button here, labeled "STALIN"?

Well, after looking for some information and setting some stuff up, I'm finally able to reveal why it has a Stalin button!

(she presses the button)

*the USSR anthem begins playing*

(the camera bans over to a neon glow bulb. the glowing element is in the shape of a bust of Stalin)

(the camera pans up and shows the USSR anthem is playing on the PC behind the terminal, which is Windows 10 running Winamp, with a USSR theme applied)

[blakelysco-pilot]

thanks for the tag @john-cleven this one is fun!

rules: choose 4 of ur fav characters from 4 pieces of media as options and let your tumblr pals decide which one most suits your vibe

tagging: @winniemaywebber @fangirlwithasweettooth @manonsmanicmind @roosevelt-stalin-cocacola @rosiesriveter

[gudaho]

I hate how tumblr praises Mao Zedong without ever critically thinking about his impact- or even flat out denying the awful things that happened under him

People like to bring up that his policies helped alleviate nationwide famine- which was caused by Mao in the first place. During the Great Leap Forward when peasants were forced to work and then had all the grain they produced taken because it was now government property(similar to a US supreme court decision btw). Local officials who ran the communes (police) would beat peasants and force them to work injured. The food produced by chinese villagers wasn't equally distributed, it sold as surplus (that didn't exist). This doesn't even go into how Mao decided to divest labor into steel production instead of agriculture

Then we come to what people now know Mao for, the Cultural Revolution. Under the idea of destroying anything 'old', people and their belongings and culture were tortured and killed. Again, I don't mean just the wealthy. A common target was ethnic minorities, as the Cultural Revolution was about assimilation

There is a reason that what is probably the most famous incident of violence took place in Guangxi, which is near Vietnam. Mao's officers seized control and in response to the local's 'resistance' committed a several years long massacre. The CCP endorsed ritualistic cannibalism in the area. In an region that was populated by an ethnic minority (Zhuang ppl, instead of Han) the officers did what they believed was necessary for a communist future- which in my opinion was thinly veiled genocide.

Like Stalin, Mao got rid of anyone who was against him by calling them bourgeoisie- which included peasants.

Don't get me wrong, Mao had more sympathy and compassion than any US president I have seen. He was a friend to Vietnam and Palestine as western countries invaded them. Getting rid of landlords was a massive win. He stood by MLK jr. and black americans during the civil rights era. He worked to give women the opportunities they had been denied. He banned child-marriage.

But he was a cult of personality and his leadership got hundreds of thousands of people killed.

[beardedmrbean]

Good news Nunya, I was able to tell other black coworkers the horrific connections between African Americans and Dahomey thanks to women king exposing it

Seriously wtf Sony?

“Hi black girls (especially light skinned ones) who was told they ancestors were constantly raped by their white masters. Here a historical movie about a group of African amazons! Oh they were prolific slave traders where the French and British had to fight then to end their slave trade. And modern dna research are about to show which exact groups African Americans with slavery ancestry came from? And these main groups are primarily victims of Dahomey kidnapping? Uuuuh WHITE PEOPLE ARE EVIL’l

Seriously how the fuck a bunch of black peoplr thought pulling a black version of birth of a nation or as I told my coworkers “Jews lionizing the Nazis” movie?

I told them as they are too of most black media focusing on slavery or Jim Crow. Seriously there are so many pro colonial African stories we can do.

But black creators in Hollywood are stuck in the plantation.

I had a link to a post on Tumblr in Action with someone going into a rant about how slavery in Africa was totally different than it was in the US, with the standard 'read a damn book' bit added to it to show that the person that wrote it hasn't actually done that themselves.

Really some of the biggest differences between the two was if they came to the Americas or the middle east or Asia they had to be transported long distances and several died on the way.

And then another one of the other big differences, at least in the US probably Canada too don't know a much of their history but it seems reasonable, if they were brought here they didn't need to worry about becoming a human sacrifice at any point and time, not at any level that I can think of.

People bitch and moan about Christianity but we really managed to get that whole, don't sacrifice humans to God thing right.

Seriously how the fuck a bunch of black peoplr thought pulling a black version of birth of a nation or as I told my coworkers “Jews lionizing the Nazis” movie?

Director

Screenplay by

Story by, lol

__________________________ Both this movie and Black Panther are works of fiction so that makes sense.

I really have to wonder how much research she did other than they existed and liked killing people.

The group didn't exist because they were super fierce and strong warriors, not at the start at least I'm sure, they existed for the same reason stalin had women in the red army in WWII, there weren't enough men to fill the ranks because they'd been killed in the war already.

I told them as they are too of most black media focusing on slavery or Jim Crow. Seriously there are so many pro colonial African stories we can do. But black creators in Hollywood are stuck in the plantation.

I'm guessing you mean "pre colonial" instead of "pro colonial" which ya there's likely lots of those need to go and do a butt ton of research, that or just take a local legend and present it as a legend, since I don't know what record keeping is like.

They could re-do Shaka, leave out Rorke's Drift, the various Nubian Pharaoh's there's gonna be some good stories there I imagine.

Whole bunch of stuff, just need to get people that are willing to do the leg work and consult local folks where these stories come from.

I imagine there's some Arabic records of what they did to the Black Africans out there to peruse,

[schooltrashers]

The Party Switch Debunked - An Extensive Look At The History Of Democrats

So recently a woke activist brought up "the parties switch" in a comment on my Tumblr page. Acting as if I don't know about their claim of the parties switching. I have known for years and I've debunked them at every turn. But now something new has been brought to my attention that would destroy the Democrats narrative of the parties switching.

During World War 2, both FDR and Harry S Truman were President at the time and both were Democrats. The USSR helped the U.S. end World War 2. However Stalin, who was in power at the time was mass murderer and a dictator. He also helped formed the Communazi pact in 1939. Why is this important? Because Democrats are defensive of totalitarian ideologies, one of which is communism.

So getting help from Stalin, proves they have no issues with a mass murderous dictator because he's a commie. Paying attention so far? Alright, well here's another fun fact. Harry S Truman was also a KKK member. So hold on a second, you mean to tell me that a KKK member helped defeat the Nazis? Are we suppose to believe that Harry S Truman is a Republican now, since he was a part of the KKK, despite being a Democrat and never leaving the party?

Other Democrats who were still KKK members and didn't leave the party after JFK's presidency includes Hugo Black and Robert Byrd. These are interesting facts we're looking at. I'm not done yet, this is just the tip of the iceberg!

Okay, so Democrats claim that the "parties switched" and that Republicans are now the racist KKK members and Nazis. One problem with that, you would have to give credit to the Republicans for defeating the Nazis since Harry S Truman was President at the time, a Democrat and a KKK member.

So Republicans can't also be Nazis if they helped defeat Nazis before JFK's presidency that enabled the so-called "party switch", right? But wait, there's more! Adolf Hitler was defensive of socialism, he claims that communism wasn't socialism since communism is anti-property while true socialism is not. Democrats to this day defend socialism in the same way Hitler did. Leftists often conflate socialism with communism. Either way they make the bogus claim of Hitler being a "conservative", but there's no way Hitler can be a conservative if he's defending socialism! It would make no sense at all!

If Conservatives were pro-KKK, then why expose Democrats in power of being actual KKK members? If Conservatives were Nazis, then why would they speak against socialists and claim Hitler is a socialist?

The Democrats don't live in a world called "Reality". Instead they live in the world of make-believe. They make-believe that conservatives are racist white Nazi KKK members, all while ignoring the Democrats who are active members of the KKK, ignores the white racists within the Democrat Party such as Joe Biden and Robert Byrd, ignores the anti-semitism coming from Leftist groups who hate on the country of Israel. Illhan Omar is also anti-semitic. You know who else are anti-semitic? Nazis! They absolutely hate Israel because it is a JEWISH state.

So let me ask you, who do you trust more? The Democrats who are obviously deceiving you, or someone like me who points out the truth? The Parties obviously never switched. Hence why a commie(Lee Harvey Oswald) assassinated JFK, the same way a Democrat assassinated Abraham Lincoln. Or another example, the KKK's actions resemble that of Antifa & BLM's actions in 2020. Let's not forget that a lot of Democrats policies by Joe Biden are similar to that of fascist policies made by the likes of Hitler, Mao and Stalin. They love to censor their critics, they love to take away guns from freedom fighters, they love to control the narrative on social media and the mainstream media.

So until you figure that out for yourself or comprehend a word I am saying, you'll never be able to fully understand how deceptive Democrats have always been.

[goingrampant]

Atheist Political Divide

"Is there a God? We can't know for sure, so we should assume no until we encounter substantial evidence to the contrary."

This is the basic philosophical argument common to all atheists. However, the concept of God means different things to different people, and there are different implications that follow. Perhaps the tense divide between the libertarian atheists of the right and the socialist atheists of the left can be partially explained by the different views of God and implications of his absence.

As libertarian atheists largely originate from conservative Christian culture, they may embrace secular libertarianism in response to authoritarian pressures to toe the line with the threat of hell hanging over their heads. To them, God is an oppressive construct wielded to cause trauma by persons of authority, both on the societal level with governments citing the will of God and on a personal level with parents threatening their children with hellfire. Guilt and fear of God are psychological reflexes an individual suffers as a result of traumatic abuse, so removing God from their worldview instills relief and psychological wellness. Libertarian atheists seek to liberate people from their abuse by sending the message "There probably isn't a God, so stop worrying and enjoy your life." You only get one, after all, so live it well, unburdened by guilt and fear.

However, on the left, there isn't the same conservative culture that uses God to inflict trauma, so God is instead associated with a force of goodness and justice. God is looked to with hope that hatred, bigotry, and injustice will be overcome. "We Shall Overcome" is a gospel song that was turned into a civil rights anthem. When justice is achieved, it's considered a blessing. This is the context of God when leftists consider his absence, and it's a bleak affair. If there isn't a higher power, then it falls on individual human beings to look after each other and no one wants to be alone. Some leftists embrace community, as communism is famous for, while others consider it a hard, lonely road.

When these leftist atheists see "There probably isn't a God, so stop worrying and enjoy your life," from people who by and large support capitalism and the unjust status quo, they don't see a message about liberating abuse victims from guilt. They see "There probably isn't any consequence to doing bad things, so stop worrying and do whatever you want unburdened by conscience." Out come the thinkpieces about how vocal atheism is telling, how atheism as a movement is evil, etc. There was a popular post here on Tumblr about how good atheism is when a black person has a mental breakdown over the fear that God won't be here to ensure justice in the end and bad atheism is when a white man decides he can do whatever without hell to rein him in.

At one point, a black leftist atheist tried reaching out to the white libertarian atheists with a suggested edit: "There probably isn't a God, but together we can work together to build a better world." Again, it's a snappy phrase leaving out the essential context of the culture producing it, and it was misunderstood as "There probably isn't a monster going to hurt you if you don't get in line, but human beings can force you to give up the lives you want to lead and make you serve some goal you never signed up for because it supposedly would make a better world." The response was fearful, viewing the suggestion as a threat of leftism imposing authoritarianism like Stalin, and they responded to this perceived threat with appropriate coldness. The leftist came away with the impression that libertarian atheists just want to be evil and the libertarian atheists had the same impression about leftist atheism.

I believe most of this divide is a communication problem caused by the assumption that simply living in the same country or even the same planet counts as the same culture and that all cultural contexts need go unspoken. However, it's more complicated than that. If everyone kept a cool head and wrote long articles to explain where they're coming from, there would be far less confusion. But, of course, this is the Internet. No one has time for that, especially on Twitter, where even long threads can't contain the full reasoned context of a full article. And, inevitably, people come away angry and convinced that the other side just wants to be evil.

[sexypinkon]

                                    S   E    X    Y    P   I    N    K

                                       A legend has passed

[galleryyuhself]

GALLERYYUHSELF - Wack Radio features a tribute to Black Stalin LIVE.

[snekdood]

😬

the "leader" is more like "leaders". normally one might think of stalin or something, but hes just a blueprint, the actual leaders are the ones at the top of the social pyramid within these spaces, such as popular tankie blogs

this ones obvious. i dont feel like i need to say anything. we've all seen how ppl act on here when you question any of their beliefs or the effectiveness of them, etc. and if you challenge them at all or say you dont agree, suddenly you're a horrible person or even a bigot of some form

i underlined "denunciation sessions" bc theres a big emphasis on here to denounce the old "unwoke" parts of your life. not so that ppl should change for the better, but because there's a pressure to change immediately and throw all your old beliefs out the window without even really unpacking them. its their way or the highway and you have to choose right now and its not a multiple choice test. i also underlined "debilitating work" bc theres an emphasis on reblogging things to "spread awareness" or whatever as soon as it pops up on your dash, and if you dont, you're a horrible person, etc.

while i dont really think many of the options given necessarily apply, they sort of do. you dont need "permission" to date, but you'll be berated for dating the "wrong type of person". you'll be told to change or quit jobs if the job does something tumblr communities dont agree with, even if you need the job, and usually they'll call it "boycotting" to make it seem more legit. they'll discourage you from moving to any state or country that they deem isnt progressive enough.

this one goes without saying. instead of it being some random air of superiority, it's "we're the most moral, correct and progressive people" superiority

this one also goes w/o saying, people on here think incredibly black and white all the time, its definitely encouraged.

this one ALSO goes without saying

this one is obvious as evidenced the past two months. everyone saying "believe victims" and that "rape is always bad" in the past but then coming in to defend hamas' actions at every turn and deny the rape or even say that "if it did happen it was justified". which is a fucking wild way to think about the world and you should be locked up.

also obvious. tankies love to guilt trip. nevermind if it backfires on them and makes ppl resent them and move to the right after. i mean, after all, all they cared about was the power they had in telling ppl what to do, not actually giving a fuck about anything or having any convictions.

yes bc if you interact with anyone ppl on tumblr generally dont like, you'll also be shunned. if you have family members who aren't "progressive" enough and you still accept them into your life and hang out with them, even if you dont necessarily want to or dont necessarily like them fully, the fact you still interact with them at all is bad, apparently.

obviously, bc who would want to stick around a place like this once they realize whats really going on. its why they demonize ppl like me or anyone who questions them too much and pushes us to side, to use us as examples for the new, younger people coming in that they get to manipulate and tell them to avoid you and avoid being like you, since you ever dared to question them. they'll call you whatever they need to, make bullshit up about you, JUST to lure ppl in and tell them how much better they are than you, or that if you listen to them they can avoid being like you.

i mean. yeah? maybe it doesnt seem that way but. ppl asking for money all the time through paypal or whatever? or the overall goal of "taking the billionaires wealth and redistributing it", while its a statement i generally agree with, i dont trust that the people saying it will be that responsible, and would probably just hoard money for themselves, and deprive it from people they "dont like" on purpose, almost as revenge for a real or perceived slight, or just bc they dont like someones "bad vibes".

yeah you're apparently supposed to take having tumblr mutuals very seriously, treat them like best buds even though you've probably never messaged eachother or messaged eachother twice about inane things you saw on tumblr. its not a total stranger bc its someone on tumblr so its fine actually! see, they say they're queer and a leftist in their bio, totally safe! thats all it takes! also activism is reblogging or something ig

if you go to other sites, you're looked down upon. if you make friends outside of tumblr communities, you're looked down upon.

people feel like w/o the communities they've built on tumblr, they have no safety net elsewhere, probably bc they've cut contact with WAY too many people, probably plenty of people who didnt even deserve to be, and probably bc they disagreed on like 1 or 2 things. regardless, they cling to the tumblr "safety" net for dear life. "if no one else got me, i know tumblr got me, heres my paypal" essentially. you cant trust the world outside of tumblr to take care of you never of course, its all bad and horrible and can never be fixed or useful in any capacity, etc. burn it all down and start it again with tumblr users in charge and then it'll be perfect, or so they think.

[distopiaforme]

AND NOW THE GOOD NEWS - Works from the Nobel Collection

[damnesdelamer]

Recommended reading for leftists

Introduction and disclaimer:

I believe, in leftist praxis (especially online), the sharing of resources, including information, must be foremost. I have often been asked for reading recommendations by comrades; and while I am by no means an expert in leftist theory, I am a lifelong Marxist, and painfully overeducated. This list is far from comprehensive, and each author is worth exploring beyond the individual texts I suggest here. Further, none of these need to be read in full to derive benefit; read what selections from each interest you, and the more you read the better. Many of these texts cannot truly be called leftist either, but I believe all can equip us to confront capitalist hegemony and our place within it. And if one comrade derives the smallest value or insight herefrom, we will all be better for it. After all... La raison tonne en son cratère. Alone we are naught, together may we be all. Solidarity forever.

***

(I have split these into categories for ease of navigation, but there is plenty of overlap. Links included where available.)

Classics of socialist theory

~

Capital (vol.1) by Karl Marx Marx’s critique of political economy forms the single most significant and vital source for understanding capitalism, both in our present and throughout history. Do not let its breadth daunt you; in general I feel it’s better to read a little theory than none, but nowhere is this truer than with regards to Capital. Better to read 20 pages of Capital than 150 pages of most other leftist literature. This is not a book you need to ‘finish’ in order to benefit from, but rather (like all of Marx’s work) the backbone of theory which you will return to throughout your life. Read a chapter, leave it, read on, read again. https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/download/pdf/Capital-Volume-I.pdf

The Prison Notebooks by Antonio Gramsci In our current epoch of global neoliberal capitalism, Gramsci’s explanation of hegemony is more valuable than much of the economic or outright revolutionary analyses of many otherwise vital theory. Particularly following the coup attempt and election in America, as well as Brexit and abusive government responses to Covid, but the state violence around the world and the advent of fascism reasserts Gramsci as being as pertinent and prophetic now as amidst the first rise of fascism. https://abahlali.org/files/gramsci.pdf

Imperialism: The Highest Stage Of Capitalism by V.I. Lenin Like Marx, for many Lenin’s work is the backbone of socialist theory, particularly in pragmatic terms. In much of his writing Lenin focuses on the practical processes of revolutionary transition from capitalism to communism via socialism and proletarian leadership (sometimes divisively among leftists). Imperialism is perhaps most valuable today for addressing the need for internationalist proletarian support and solidarity in the face of global capitalist hegemony, arguably stronger today than in Lenin’s lifetime. https://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1916/imp-hsc/imperialism.pdf

Socialism: Utopian And Scientific by Friedrich Engels Marx’s partner offers a substantial insight into the material reality of socialism in the post-industrial age, offering further practical guidance and theory to Marx and Engels’ already robust body of work. This highlights the empirical rigour of classical Marxist theory, intended as a popular text accessible to proletarian readers, in order to condense and to some extent explain the density of Capital. Perhaps even more valuable now than at the time it was first published. https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1880/soc-utop/index.htm

In Defense Of Marxism by Leon Trotsky It has been over a decade since I have read any Trotsky, but this seems like a very good source to get to grips with both classical Marxist thought and to confront contemporary detractors. In many ways, Trotsky can be seen as an uncorrupt symbol of the Leninist dream, and in others his exile might illustrate the dangers of Leninism (Stalinism) when corrupt, so who better to defend the virtues of the system many see as his demise? https://www.marxists.org/archive/trotsky/idom/dm/dom.pdf

The Conquest Of Bread by Pyotr Kropotkin Krapotkin forms the classical backbone of anarchist theory, and emerges from similar material conditions as Marxism. In many ways, ‘the Bread book’ forms a dual attack (on capitalism and authoritarianism of the state) and defence (of the basic rights and needs of every human), the text can be seen as foundational to defining anarchism both in overlap and starkly in contrast with Marxist communism. This is a seminal and eminent text on self-determination, and like Marx, will benefit the reader regardless of orthodox alignment. https://libcom.org/files/Peter%20Kropotkin%20-%20The%20Conquest%20of%20Bread_0.pdf

Leftism of the 20th Century and beyond

~

Freedom Is A Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, And The Foundations Of A Movement by Angela Davis This is something of a placeholder for Davis, as everything she has ever put to paper is profoundly valuable to international(ist) struggles against capitalism and it’s highest stage. Indeed, the emphasis on the relationship between American and Israeli racialised state violence highlights the struggles Davis has continually engaged since the late 1960s, that of a united front against imperialist oppression, white supremacists, patriarchal capitalist exploitation, and the carceral state. https://www.docdroid.net/rfDRFWv/freedom-is-a-constant-struggle-pdf#page=6

Postmodernism, Or, The Cultural Logic Of Late Capitalism by Frederic Jameson A frequent criticism of Marxism is the false claim that it is decreasingly relevant. Here, Jameson presents a compelling update of Marxist theory which addresses the hegemonic nature of mass media in the postmodern epoch (how befitting a tumblr post listing leftist literature). Despite being published in the early ‘90s, this analysis of late capitalism becomes all the more pertinent in the age of social media and ‘influencers’ etc., and illustrates just how immortal a science ours really is. https://is.muni.cz/el/1423/jaro2016/SOC757/um/61816962/Jameson_The_cultural_logic.pdf

The Ecology Of Freedom: The Emergence And Dissolution Of Hierarchy by Murray Bookchin I have not read this in depth, and take issue with some of Bookchin’s ideas, but this seems like a very good jumping off point to engage with ecosocialism or red-green theory. Regardless of any schism between Marxist and anarchist thought, the importance of uniting together to stem the unsustainable growth of industrialised capitalism cannot be denied. Climate change is unquestionably a threat faced by us all, but which will disproportionately impact the most disenfranchised on the planet. https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/murray-bookchin-the-ecology-of-freedom.pdf

Why Marx Was Right by Terry Eagleton I’ve only read excerpts of this; I know Eagleton better for his extensive work on Marxist literary criticism, postmodernity, and postcolonial literature, so I’m including this work of his as a means of introducing and engaging directly with Marxism itself, rather than the synthesis of diverse fields of analysis. But Eagleton generally does a very good job of parsing often incredibly dense concepts in an accessible way, so I trust him to explain something so obvious and self-evident as why Marx was right. https://filosoficabiblioteca.files.wordpress.com/2018/12/EAGLETON-Terry-Why-Marx-Was-Right.pdf

By Any Means Necessary by Malcolm X Malcolm X is one of the pre-eminent voices of the revolutionary black power movement, and among the greatest contributors to black/American leftist thought. This is a collection of his speeches and writings, in which he eloquently and charismaticly conveys both his righteous outrage and optimism for the future. Malcolm X’s explicitly Marxist and decolonial rhetoric is often downplayed since his assassination, but even the title and slogan is borrowed from Frantz Fanon.

Feminism and gender theory

~

Sister Outsider: Essays And Speeches by Audre Lorde The primary thrust of this collection is the inclusion of ‘The Master’s Tools Will Never Dismantle The Master’s House’, probably Lorde‘s most well known work, but all the contents are eminently worthwhile. Lorde addresses race, capitalist oppression, solidarity, sexuality and gender, in a rigourously rhetorical yet practical way that calls us to empower one another in the face of oppression. Lorde’s poetry is also great. http://images.xhbtr.com/v2/pdfs/1082/Sister_Outsider_Essays_and_Speeches_by_Audre_Lorde.pdf

Feminism Is For Everybody by bell hooks A seminal addition to Third Wave Feminist theory, emphasising the reality that the aim of feminism is to confront and dismantle patriarchal systems which oppress - you guessed it - everybody. This book approaches feminism through the lens of race and capitalism, feeding into the discourse on intersectionality which many of us now take as a central element of 21st Century feminism. https://excoradfeminisms.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/bell_hooks-feminism_is_for_everybody.pdf

Gender Trouble: Feminism And The Subversion Of Identity by Judith Butler Butler and her work form probably the single most significant (especially white) contribution to Third Wave Feminism, as well as queer theory. This may be a somewhat dense, academic work, but the primary hurdle is in deconstructing our existing perceptions of gender and identity, which we are certainly better equipped to do today specifically thanks to Butler. Vitally important stuff for dismantling hegemonic patriarchy. https://selforganizedseminar.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/butler-gender_trouble.pdf

Trans Liberation: Beyond Pink Or Blue by Leslie Feinberg Feinberg is perhaps the foundational voice in trans theory, best known for Stone Butch Blues, but this text seems like a good point to view hir push into mainstream acceptance where ze previously aligned hirself and trans groups more with gay and lesbian subcultures. A central element here is the accessibility and deconstruction of hegemonic gender and expression, but what this really expresses is a call for solidarity and support among marginalised classes, in a fight for our mutual visibility and survival, in the greatest of Marxist feminist traditions.

The Haraway Reader by Donna Haraway Haraway is perhaps better known as a post-humanist than a Marxist feminist, but in all honesty, I am not sure these can be disentangled so easily. My highest recommendation is the essay ‘A Cyborg Manifesto: Science, Technology, and Socialist-Feminism in the Late Twentieth Century‘, but it is in many ways concerned more with aesthetics and media criticism than anything practical, and Haraway’s engagement with technology has only become more significant, with the proliferation of smartphones and wifi, to understanding our bodies and ourselves as instruments of resistance. https://monoskop.org/images/5/56/Haraway_Donna_The_Haraway_Reader_2003.pdf

Postcolonialism

~

The Wretched Of The Earth by Frantz Fanon Perhaps my highest recommendation, this will give you better insight into late stage (postcolonial) capitalism than perhaps anything else. Fanon was a psychologist, and his analyses help us parse the internal workings of both the capitalist and racialised minds. I don’t see this work recommended nearly enough, largely because Fanon’s Black Skin, White Masks is a better source for race theory, but The Wretched Of The Earth is the best choice for understanding revolutionary, anti-capitalist, and decolonial ideas. http://abahlali.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Frantz-Fanon-The-Wretched-of-the-Earth-1965.pdf

Orientalism by Edward Said This is probably the best introduction to postcolonial theory, particularly because it focuses on colonial/imperialist abuses in media and art. Said’s later work Culture And Imperialism may actually be a better source for strictly leftist analysis, but this is the groundwork for understanding the field, and will help readers confront and interpret everything from Western military interventionism to racist motifs in Disney films. https://www.eaford.org/site/assets/files/1631/said_edward1977_orientalism.pdf

Decolonisation Is Not A Metaphor by Eve Tuck and K. Wayne Yang In direct response to Fanon’s call to decolonise (the mind), Tuck and Yang present a compelling assertion that the abstraction of decolonisation paves the way for settler claims of innocence rather than practical rapatriation of land and rights. The relatively short article centres and problematises ongoing complicity in the agenda of settler-colonial hegemony and the material conditions of indigenous groups in the postcolonial epoch. Important stuff for anti-imperialist work and solidarity. https://clas.osu.edu/sites/clas.osu.edu/files/Tuck%20and%20Yang%202012%20Decolonization%20is%20not%20a%20metaphor.pdf

The Coloniser And The Colonised by Albert Memmi Often read in tandem with Fanon, as both are concerned with trauma, violence, and dehumanisation. But further, Memmi addresses both the harm inflicted on the colonised body and the colonisers’ own culture and mind, while also exploring the impetus of practical resistance and dismantling imperialist control structures. This is also of great import to confronting detractors, offering the concrete precedent of Algerian decolonisation. https://cominsitu.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/albert-memmi-the-colonizer-and-the-colonized-1.pdf

Can The Subaltern Speak? by Gayatri Spivak This relatively short (though dense) essay will ideally help us to confront the real struggles of many of the most disenfranchised people on earth, removing us from questions of bourgeois wage-slavery and focusing on the right to education and freedom from sexual assault, not to mention the legacy of colonial genocide. http://abahlali.org/files/Can_the_subaltern_speak.pdf 

Wider cultural studies

~

No Logo by Naomi Klein I have some qualms with Klein, but she nevertheless makes important points regarding the systemic nature of neoliberal global capitalism and hegemony. No Logo addresses consumerism at a macro scale, emphasising the importance of what may be seen as internationalist solidarity and support and calling out corporate scapegoating on consumer markets. I understand that This Changes Everything is perhaps even better for addressing the unreasonable expectations of indefinite and unsustainable growth under capitalist systems, but I haven’t read it and therefore cannot recommend; regardless, this is a good starting point. https://archive.org/stream/fp_Naomi_Klein-No_Logo/Naomi_Klein-No_Logo_djvu.txt

The Black Atlantic: Modernity And Double Consciousness by Paul Gilroy This is an important source for understanding the development of diasporic (particularly black) identities in the wake of the Middle Passage between African and America, but more generally as well. This work can be related to parallel phenomena of racialised violence, genocide, and forced migration more widely, but it is especially useful for engaging with the legacy of slavery, the cultural development of blackness, and forms of everyday resistance. https://dl1.cuni.cz/pluginfile.php/756417/mod_resource/content/1/Gilroy%20Black%20Atlantic.pdf

Imagined Communities: Reflections On The Origin And Spread Of Nationalism by Benedict Anderson This text is important in understanding the nature of both high colonialism and fascism, perhaps now more than ever. Anderson examines the political manipulation and agenda of cultural production, that is the propagandised, artificial act of nation building. This analyses the development of nation states as the norm of political unity in historiographical terms, as symptomatic of old school European imperialism. Today we may see this reflected in Brexit or MAGA, but lebensraum and zionism are just as evident in the analysis. https://is.muni.cz/el/1423/jaro2016/SOC757/um/6181696/Benedict_Anderson_Imagined_Communities.pdf

Discipline And Punish: The Birth Of The Prison by Michel Foucault Honestly, I am not sure if this should be on this list; I would certainly not call it leftist. That said, it is a very important source to inform our perceptions of the nature of institutional power and abuse. It is also unquestionable that many of the pre-eminent left-leaning scholars of the past fifty years have been heavily influenced, willing or not, by Foucault and his post-structuralist ilk. A worthwhile read, especially for queer readers, but take with a liberal (zing!) helping of salt. https://monoskop.org/images/4/43/Foucault_Michel_Discipline_and_Punish_The_Birth_of_the_Prison_1977_1995.pdf

Trouble In Paradise: From The End Of History To The End Of Capitalism by Slavoj Žižek Probably just don’t read this, it amounts to self-torture. Okay but seriously, I wanted to include Žižek (perhaps against my better judgement), but he is probably best seen as a lesson in recognising theorists as fallible, requiring our criticism rather than being followed blindly. I like Žižek, but take him as a kind of clown provocateur who may lead us to explore interesting ideas. He makes good points, but he also... Doesn’t... Watch a couple youtube videos and decide if you can stomach him before diving in.

Additional highly recommended authors (with whom I am not familiar enough to give meaningful descriptions or specific recommended texts) (let me know if you find anything of significant value from among these, as I am likely unaware!):

Theodor Adorno (of the Frankfurt School, which also included Herbert Marcuse, Erich Fromm, and Walter Benjamin, all of whom I’d likewise recommend but with whom I have only passing familiarity) was a sociologist and musicologist whose aesthetic analyses are incredibly rich and insightful, and heavily influential on 20th Century Marxist theory.

Sara Ahmed is a significant voice in Third Wave Feminist criticism, engaging with queer theory, postcoloniality, intersectionality, and identity politics, of particular interest to international praxis.

Mikhail Bakhtin was a critic and scholar whose theories on semiotics, language, and literature heavily guided the development of structuralist thought as well as later Marxist philosophy.

Mikhail Bakunin is perhaps the closest thing to anarchist orthodoxy. Consistently involved with revolutionary action, he is known as a staunch critic of Marxist rhetoric, and a seminal influence on anti-authoritarian movements.

Silvia Federici is a Marxist feminist who has contributed significant work regarding women’s unpaid labour and the capitalist subversion of the commons in historiographical contexts.

Mark Fisher was a leftist critic whose writing on music, film, and pop culture was intimately engaged with postmodernity, structuralist thought, and most importantly Marxist aesthetics.

Che Guevara was a major contributor to revolutionary efforts internationally, most notably and successfully in Cuba. His writing is robustly pragmatic as well as eloquent, and offers practical insight to leftist action.

Hồ Chí Minh was a revolutionary communist leader of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, and a significant contributor to revolutionary communist theory and anti-imperialist practice.

C.L.R. James is a significant voice in 20th Century (especially black) Marxist theory, engaging with and criticising Trotskyist principles and the role of ethnic minorities in revolutionary and democratic political movements.

Joel Kovel was a researcher known as the founder of ecosocialism. His work spans a wide array of subjects, but generally tends to return to deconstructing capitalism in its highest stage.

György Lukács was a critic who contributed heavily to the Western Marxism of the Frankfurt School and engaged with aesthetics and traditions of Marx’s philosophical ideology in contrast with Soviet policy of the time.

Rosa Luxemburg was a revolutionary socialist organiser, publisher, and economist, directly engaged in practical leftist activity internationally for a significant part of the early 20th Century.

Mao Zedong was a revolutionary communist, founder and Chairman of the People’s Republic of China, and a prolific contributor to Marxism-Leninism(-Maoism), which he adapted to the material conditions outside the Western imperial core.

Huey P. Newton was the co-founder of the Black Panther Party and a vital force in the spread and accessibility of communist thought and practical internationalism, not to mention black revolutionary tactics.

Léopold Sédar Senghor was a poet-turned-politician who served as Senegal’s first president and established the basis for African socialism. Also central to postcolonial theory, and a leader of the Négritude movement.

***

I hope this list may be useful. (I would also be interested to see the recommendations of others!) Happy reading, comrades. We have nothing to lose but our chains.

[pastabot]

https://s-a-d-b-0-y.tumblr.com/ is a tumblr i made to see if sadcore blogs would reblog anything so i stuck a bunch of stalin and rush limbaugh quotes to black and white pics of lisa simpson and bada bing bada boom

[midnightspunisher]

vice president macbeth/kennedy assassination au sneak peak

this has been rotting in my brain for the past year. i’m almost done with it and i wanted to share a few pages of the beginning with tumblr under the cut. anyway thank you in advanced for reading <3 feedback is appreciated!!!

A forest sharpened in front of me, and I could’ve sworn it looked exactly like the one behind my childhood home in the Midwest, but it was not the same. It’s different. Fog hovered all around me, covering the path I needed to follow. The sky darkened, the sun set quickly in the east. Too quick to be real. Suddenly, it was midnight; there were owls hooting, the rustling of leaves. The temperature dropped at least ten degrees, and I was shivering. I hugged myself for warmth, and I felt the cotton of my button up against my fingertips. 

“Macbeth!” someone yelled from my right, and my head whips in the same direction. In the darkness, I could make out Senator Banquo’s shadowy figure. “This way!” 

Intrigued, I walked towards him, distantly wondering why he was here with me. When he saw me catching up to him, he took the lead and walked ahead. Where was he taking us? 

“So foul and fair a day I have not seen,” I shouted to him. 

“How far is it?” he yelled back. My brows furrowed in confusion - was he not the one who was leading me? 

I didn’t even notice when he stopped dead in his tracks. Carelessly, I walked right into Banquo’s back, yet he barely budged. I didn’t phase him. “What is it?” I asked, but he didn’t answer. His eyes were glued ahead, focused on three figures emerging from the opposite end of the clearing we found ourselves in. I stood beside him, squinting, trying to make out who they could be. The fog was overbearing. 

“Who are you?” Mike questioned, loud enough to echo through the woods. 

The figures stayed silent, glaring at us. “Tell us who you are,” I said then, shaky yet firm. 

After a moment, the shadows walked closer to us, revealing themselves. I sucked in a breath and took a step back. Three familiar men illuminated in the middle of the clearing, all looking at me, beaming. I didn’t know why; they were American enemies. Hitler stood in the middle, Stalin on his right, Mussolini on his left. 

They should be dead. 

“Macbeth,” Hitler spoke, his accent thick. Chills ran down my spine at the sound. 

“Senator,” Mussolini said. 

“Vice President,” Stalin said. 

“President,” Hitler said. 

Taken aback, I said, “What?” 

“President Andrew Macbeth,” Hitler mused, smirking. “A king.” 

“That’s not -” 

“No, it’s not,” he agreed. “You’ll wish it was, though.” 

I stared at him blankly, trying to understand. When I went to ask him more though, my mouth felt like it was stuffed with cotton. There wasn’t much to think about, I could always run when Kennedy’s term was over. But could I really be the President? 

After brief silence, Banquo asked, “What about me? What will I be?” 

Hitler cocked his head to the side, his eyes flickering from me to him. “Lesser than Macbeth,” he decided. “And greater.” 

“Not so happy,” Mussolini started. 

“Yet much happier,” Stalin finished. 

“You will not become anything more,” Hitler assured. “But your sons…” 

Banquo looked rather pleased with his future. How could he be so happy with barely anything? Why wouldn’t he want anything more for himself? 

Why wouldn’t I?  

“My sons,” Banquo repeated dreamily. 

“Sons?” I asked sharply. 

Banquo had no children. 

The fog emerged again, and the three dictators started walking back into the shadows. “Wait!” I called after them. “Stay! I don’t understand!” 

Before they completely disappeared, Hitler Nazi saluted at me, and then he was gone. 

Banquo and I stayed firmly planted side by side as the sounds of the forest settled in again. Suddenly, it was as if I was standing in the middle of a fire, and the flames were licking me up, making it hard to breath, scorching heat overcoming me. 

“Do you believe them?” Mike asked. He still looked like he was riding some sort of high. 

“Do you?” I countered. 

How do you believe the leader of the Nazi party when he tells you that you’re going to be President of the United States? 

“President Macbeth sounds like just the man I want running our great nation,” Mike winked. 

“Thank you, Senator,” I muttered. 

Banquo was the first to disappear out of thin air, next was the clearing in front of us. When the trees started fading away, my eyes snapped open, waking me up from the dream. Immediately, I sat up, sucking in sporadic deep breaths. I nervously glanced around the bedroom, letting my sight adjust to the moonlit objects. I made out the fireplace across the room, the loveseat, the dresser, the bureau, the closet door, the light fixture hanging in the middle of the room, and Evelyn, sleeping next to me. Not for long. 

“Ev,” I whispered, gently nudging her. She didn’t move. “Evelyn, wake up,” I said, rougher this time. 

“What?” she mumbled. “I’m sleeping, Andrew.” 

“I had a strange dream,” I pressed. 

“That’s nice, dear,” she sighed. 

“Banquo was in it, and we were in a forest -” 

Evelyn rolled over towards me, looking rather displeased. Even in the darkness, her face was easy to make out: her pointed nose, her thin lips, and her squinted brown eyes, trying to make my shadow out too.  “Can’t this wait until the morning?” she asked. Her long black hair was sprawled all over the pillow.

“No,” I stressed. “Mike and I were in a forest, and we arrived at a clearing; then suddenly, Hitler, Stalin, and Mussolini appeared in front of us -” 

“Oh, Jesus Christ,” she said, sitting up finally. She reached over to the night stand and grabbed her cigarette case. 

As she fumbled, I continued, “And they were prophesying about our futures, listing off my past and present titles. And future.” 

The glow of the lighter illuminated the room momentarily. “Future?” she said, the lit cigarette between the lips. 

“Hitler said I was going to be president,” I blurted. Admittedly, it did sound preposterous when I said it aloud. 

Evelyn sat quietly for a minute, emotionless, pondering on what I said. I looked away from her, the details of my dream quickly fading from my memory. It couldn’t have meant anything, it was just a dream. Kennedy was a fine president, and the public loved him. I could never reach those heights. In fact, I pitied the man who would have to in another year. 

She moved the cigarette away from her mouth, breathing out smoke. She waved it in my general direction, and I scooped it from her to take a drag. “Do you want to be president, Andrew? Is this your way of telling me?” 

I shrugged, passing the cigarette back to her. “I’ve never thought about it.” 

“I think I would be a good First Lady,” she said. “And I think you could make a good President, too.” 

In the darkness, I reached out and grabbed her hand. “My dearest partner of greatness,” I chuckled.  Still, I couldn’t picture it well. “The only way I’d ever end up president was if Jack died.”

“You wouldn’t run?” 

“I don’t know,” I paused, thinking about it. President Macbeth. It had a nice ring to it. She raised her eyebrow, but said nothing else. “Should I?” I asked then. 

“What am I supposed to say, Andrew? I can’t drive your whole political career for you,” she scoffed. “I need you to think for yourself sometimes.” 

“I just don’t know.” I ran my free hand through my hair. 

We both sat in silence for a while afterwards, darkness consuming both of us. I tried to rationalize it: Jack wouldn’t have ran with me if he didn’t think I could do his job in a worst case scenario, and the worst case scenario was sudden death. I couldn’t stop imagining it. Eventually, I felt Evelyn squeeze my hand before releasing it, pulling me back down to Earth. “You never know what could happen,” she said then, matter-of-factly, dabbing the cigarette out in the ashtray on the end table. She laid back down, but still was looking up at me. “Go to sleep, you have a busy day tomorrow.” 

Carefully, I laid back down too, staring straight up at the ceiling. Within minutes, Evelyn was sound asleep. However, I feared it would take me a bit longer to fall asleep even if I did at this point. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Hitler’s face flashing before me. It wasn’t comforting in the slightest. 

I couldn’t be the president. I was fine with just being the vice president. I still had power, but it was an easier job, and I didn’t really know if I was up for more responsibility or not. Not only that, but Kennedy was most likely going to run again, and by the end of eight years, I wouldn’t be up for it anymore. Even if I wanted to, Jack wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Someone would have to kill him before that happened.

[beardedmrbean]

Hold up is Twitter acting like they said or did some of the most inhuman shit before Elon buyout?

I might be too harsh, but what the whole #killallmen and #allmenaretrash did to my physic as a black autistic guy who just got away from my abusive white stepmom when I got on the Internet.

I got a better idea on how the Nazis were able to do all their evil shit from Twitter and tumblr far more than what school taught me.

"Hold up is Twitter acting like they said or did some of the most inhuman shit before Elon buyout?"

I'm gonna assume you meant didn't do these things

______________________-

Ya it's all kinds of insanity, people think it's ok to strip people of their race or gender identity or sexualty, religion, on and on and on if they step out of the boundary the person being critical set for them.

I can't stand Candice Owens, I would never use her race as a weapon in an argument. Plenty of other things to go after her on

Yes it's brietbart shush, it's the first one that came up and I remember fighting against this whole thing.

And trashing Candice Owens time is over

But for some reason it's ok to do it to people with the wrong politics and most of the time the wrong politics are the ones that are anywhere to the right of stalin.

So ya they think their hands are clean, which would make it extra funny for them to get the treatment they cheered for other people getting brought to their front door.

Took a while sorry, this is my 4th draft