Part of a response I received in a thread on .ml
this post was submitted on 31 Dec 2025
-11 points (7.7% liked)
Pragmatic Leftist Theory
1071 readers
1 users here now
The neolibs are too far right. The tankies are doing whatever that is. Where's the space for the people who want fully-automated-luxury-gay-space-communism, but realize that it's gonna take a while and there are lots of steps between now and then? Here. This is that space.
Here, people should endeavor to discuss and devise practical, actionable leftist action. Vote lesser evil while you build grassroots coalitions. Unionize your workplace. Participate in SRAs. Build cohesion your local community. Educate the proletariat.
This is a place for practical people to develop practical plans to implement stable, incremental improvement.
If you're dead-set on drumming up all 18,453 True Leftists® into spontaneous Revolution, go somewhere else. The grown ups are talking.
Rules:
-1. Don't be a dick. Racism, sexism, other assorted bigotries, you know the drill. At least try to default to mutually respectful discussion. We're all on the same side here, unless you aren't, in which case kindly leave.
-2. Don't be a tankie. Yes I'm sure you have an extensive knowledge of century-old theory. There's been a century of history since then. Things didn't shake out as expected, maybe consider the possibility that a different angle of attack might be more effective in light of new data.
-3. Be practical. No one on the left benefits from counterproductive actions. This is a space informed by, not enslaved to, ideology. Promoting actions that are fundamentally untenable in the system in question, because they fulfill a sense of ideological purity, is a bad look. Don't do that.
founded 7 months ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
Oh engagement! I thought this was dead. I'm so happy you came :)
I posted this ironically, because a lot of time people post anti tankie propaganda, someone posted this at me and I found it incredibly funny. And I was irritated by it too, I just think Dengism is a really silly position to uphold as a "revolutionary." Anyway, the irony didn't land. No one bothered to try and discuss it with me, the old downvote and go, so I didn't think it was worth it to try and "save face". My posts typically do shitty although my comments can be well received by lemmy communities
"Theres only 24 capitalists on the party congress out of 2000" yeah that's cool, the problem with capitalists (as any ML should know) is that they wield incredibly outsized influence over the masses. A billion dollars could buy off 2000 people easy, and many more party members up the hierarchy. This doesn't mean that these 24 capitalists have completely corrupted the Chinese economy, if only political science were that simple. I looked up the capitalists and they are incredibly wealthy, from incredibly wealthy families.
You're right, its a dogshit argument.
I refuse to make up people to get mad at. So I'm presenting a particularly egregious example of, if not bad faith, incredibly silly reasoning defending... whatever you call the Chinese national economy. State capitalism? Bureaucratic social democracy? They definitely have many social reforms and have socialized many areas of their national economy, but it isnt the revolutionary socialism. I really like China's culture, I'd love to go there someday.
But it gets on my nerves from some of these MLs, and their total inability to criticize, or tolerate criticism, of any country that calls itself socialist. It betrays an obsession with power and practically its the ideology of state bureaucrats. I organize with a few MLs and as long as they're doing work, they're good comrades. Some political disagreement, but lots of times we can work together. However online MLism, "tankies," just seem so gullible.
Anyway, kudos to you! Much respect for people who can articulate a disagreement instead of just hitting that down arrow when something gives them "the ick." Frankly I have very little respect for it, but youre cool.