1d ago

The western condescension for actually existing socialism

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/29804343

Those who enjoy the wages of imperialism are more likely to have disdain for, or disinterest in, the complex struggles for national liberation in the periphery, which is dismissed as “the savage barbarism of the East,” in the choice words of Max Horkheimer.
This chauvinistic attitude has become so foundational to Western Marxism that theorists in this tradition often behave as if there were no need to actually study the history of socialist states in any serious manner. In fact, the attempt to do so is often looked upon with suspicion, as a sign that one might be a boor siding with the slaves, rather than a professional intellectual with a keen sense of what is worthy of scholarly inquiry.
Gabriel Rockhill - From the introduction to Losurdo's Western Marxism

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1d ago

The western condescension for actually existing socialism

18 comments

condescending attitude toward AES while never having accomplished anything tells us all we need to know about western marxists.
- Oh you're building production facilities to feed and cloth your people??? That's not very communist of you to not abolish the commodity form and wage labor.
  Also countries are cringe, real communists don't need one. Stop building things!
  /s
  
  You claim to be communist yet you haven't abolished commodity production? That sounds like revisionism to me! /s
- But muh authoritarianism!
  
  The best definition of authoritarianism: "When you tell white people they can't do imperialism"

Rockhill is really on point from the interviews I have seen and snipits I have read. I should probably read his books.

They also exhibit a fetishism for defeat. Defending and idolizing only revolutions that didn't accomplish anything.
- https://redsails.org/western-marxism-and-christianity/

I often feel that western marxists dismissal of AES is also rooted in unchallenged western exceptionalism.
After plenty of times being exposed to those people in Latin America, it seems that privilege also fuels that purist notion that is prevalent within westerners.
- It really is.
  If a USian realizes that the US government is shit, they conclude that all governments, currently existing or even theoretically possible, must also be shit. Because obviously "America is #1" so if "even" our government is bad then imagine how bad governments in other countries must be. This chauvinism cuts across a lot of cultural/political lines, radlibs aren't aware that they have that bias so they don't question or correct for it.
  
  This is a twelfth type of liberalism 🧅
- Um excuse mr Xi im an HR consultant from Arkansas and i have some pointers for you on how to run your nation.

Gabriel Rockhill's article on Monthly Review is also a great read!
- Ya, he does really good work on all the US capture of publishing houses and the "theory industry"
  
  He should also focus on how fantasy and sci-fi publishing reinforces the superstructure of U.S. sentiment and Western sentiment in general, though that may be changing.
  Edit: Fantasy novels, horror novels, sci-fi novels, etc. are especially bad on geopolitics.

18 comments