If the lever controls nothing, by which you probably mean elections in which case I totally agree, then doesn't that also mean that the material effects of pulling it don't exist?
This isn't a democracy and capitalists will still do what capital needs after the election. If that is genocide, then genocide it is. Real change cannot happen from within capitalist institutions, it happens by workers organizing.
Even if elections did matter, what exactly have the Democrats done to prove that they aren't willing to do just as much as their counterparts? The "debates" were literally a contest of who is more willing to spend more on the war machine, instead of things like public health and housing, things that the working class really need and care about.
This is an important point and the most genuine argument topic between anarchists and communists imo.
The thing to understand here is that a worker state was never really included in the Marxist definition of communism. Marx, Engels, Lenin, all very clearly oppose the existence of the state and believe that the final liberation of humanity will require its long term dissolution. Socialism, as the premature stage of communism, requires a state as a means of establishing the dictatorship of the proletariat against the bourgeoisie.
Being against the state is not incompatible with being a communist, on the contrary it is necessary for socialism to progress and evolve. But it is purely utopian to believe that you can have socialism without a worker state, when classes are still an existing thing. Just look at the past century to see the relentless effort of the bourgeoisie to regain control. Do you really think you have a chance against that without a means of their oppression?
That, I believe, is the major ideological difference we have with anarchists, the rest is purely a result of anticommunist propaganda.
It never really happens on the spot, you can say something today and then a few months, or years later even, something might click in that person due to their material realities and their personal learning, and they will start listening much more intently on their own.
There's many people here I have to thank for making effort posts on Lemmy and putting up with everyone's (including myself) lib shit, these things help a lot even if they're downvoted to oblivion
To anyone reading this was there one thing that changed you or was it a long term thing?
Both really, it was a long term of becoming more radicalized by maturing, learning, and understanding the world better, but seeing what everyone had to say on October 7th and what was about to follow is something that accelarated that process very quickly.
The only hopium to be found is that some people will finally sober up and realize that no saviour is coming for us and we need to organize and fight if we want to live
Idk but judging from the constant propaganda we receive about him here (which is true, but just as true for the dems also) they must have reasons not to want him elected
![iByteABit [comrade/them]](https://hexbear.net/pictrs/image/3842133d-bdb7-44e1-9b81-5bcf99d6f4e0.jpeg?format=webp&thumbnail=128)
We can ban X AND get kicked out of NATO? This is the greatest deal in the history of deals