Have you read bible/quran and the other books in christianity/islam? No? Then you can't criticize it!
Have you read at least some books about astrology?
Have you read books about flat Earth?
Have you read Mein Kampf?
... and so on

It's true that if you want to have a deep down discussion about Marxism, you need to read the book, there's no way around it. But at the same time it's unrealistic to expect that most people will read at least some books for every ideology to form an opinion

[–] Cowbee@lemmy.ml 15 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Yep, that's why I try to keep my discussions around Marxism-Leninism free from large quotes. Used to do that, but people just shut me out, so I adapted and now I just recommend my intro Marxist-Leninist reading list if I think it's relevant, and instead focus on explaining the relevant concepts as concisely and as best I can.

[–] ZombiFrancis@sh.itjust.works 10 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Used to do that, but people just shut me out, so I adapted and now I just recommend my [intro Marxist-Leninist reading list]

My instance has a community that dedicates a thread to just about every post you make without reading anything you've written, so this meme does have a little bit of extra context.

[–] Cowbee@lemmy.ml 16 points 3 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

I've seen them, haha. MWoG is basically a Nazi bar with Zionist mods that troll around communist spaces for screen grabs. I can't really do anything about that, but at the same time I don't really take it personally either, just like I don't value MAGA opinions or Flat Earther opinions. I can do the best I can, and I do get people thanking me over DMs and whatnot, so that keeps me going!

Also, some absolute bangers have come from MWoG comments about me (no links nor usernames included for privacy reasons):

OP , I tapped this several times trying to downvote the .ml commenter I have labled for being a tankie... only to realize each time that: nope, it was still a screenshot. I am not a smart man.

Another:

Cowbee isn’t just another tankie. He knows his theory and will use it to dazzle you with bullshit.

Honestly super funny when these happen.

[–] ZombiFrancis@sh.itjust.works 10 points 2 days ago (1 children)

OP , I tapped this several times trying to downvote the .ml commenter I have labled for being a tankie... only to realize each time that: nope, it was still a screenshot. I am not a smart man.

That's an objectively funny visual, but also a level of honesty worth appreciating.

[–] Cowbee@lemmy.ml 10 points 2 days ago

Yea, it's pretty harmless, I left out the username because I don't want to incite any harassment or anything.

[–] rumba@lemmy.zip 8 points 2 days ago

grade school Bible class:

Teacher: I want you all to read this passage and this passage tonight and then be ready to talk about what you think it means tomorrow.

Tomorrow: I read those two passages. And I think they mean this. But question, I read a bunch more and I saw this kind of stuff and that kind of stuff.

Teacher: Oh, yeah, you should just read on ahead into things. There's a lot of stuff in there that you're not ready for.

Me: There was stuff in there about hearding people for doing things that don't seem that bad. That's not what we teach here.

Teacher: Um, yeah, they don't actually mean what they're saying.

Me: So how do you tell when they mean what they're saying versus when they don't mean what they're saying?

Teacher: That's why you're not ready yet.

Me: I don't think a book should have those kind of things in it, if it doesn't mean them. I really don't think the people should decide what it means or what it doesn't mean.

Teacher: That's why it's really important to go to church to learn it.

Me: That doesn't make it any better.

I didn't stay in religious school for very much longer.

about the time I started learning that it was a bunch of religious big wigs deciding what books were going to be included.

[–] reallykindasorta@slrpnk.net 26 points 3 days ago (1 children)

The communist manifesto was written for a different historical moment but so much of it is still spot on.

I mean come on, it opens basically like “Everyone in the current status quo has already painted communism as their biggest most powerful enemy, may as well unite and make it become that.”

Feels pretty topical given that multiple countries are thinking about naming antifa, which isn’t an organization, a terrorist group.

[–] Cowbee@lemmy.ml 11 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Yep! All the people that shy away from the name "communist" or "socialist" purely due to optics end up hurting their legitimacy. They'll get slandered as such anyways, and disconnect themselves from the working class.

More of a fan of The Principles of Communism though if we are talking introductory theory. The Manifesto of the Communist Party is good, but more of an agitprop leaflet than an actual work of theory.

[–] queermunist@lemmy.ml 23 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

I've read so many books in the past few years and I still feel like I don't know anything.

But liberals can take a political compass quiz once in highschool think they're fucking experts.

[–] pinkapple@lemmy.ml 8 points 2 days ago

And to understand why liberals are like that you read Gramsci and then ignore them.

[–] ososalsosal@aussie.zone 8 points 3 days ago

Reading Marx really is like the bird with a cracker meme

[–] Psionicsickness@reddthat.com 5 points 3 days ago (1 children)

This is a scene taken from Brian talking to Rush Limbaugh…

[–] Amnesigenic@lemmy.ml 3 points 2 days ago

Did you perhaps notice how it has been modified to include Karl Marx instead?

[–] Zerush@lemmy.ml 2 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Groucho and Harpo Marx were the best. They have writen a book?