2035 isn’t that far away.

🥹

Good quote. It’s from a collection of essays. I’ll try to find the title.

I recommend paying attention, because there is lots to learn from the kinds of reactions you get when questioning the dogma of the day.

That’s a good point. Plus, you can get away with more as an undergrad as it can be brushed off as naïvity. You can learn which bits need to be hidden when you’re in a position where it will be held against you.

Bourgeois Marxism is accepted. But only if you strip out all the radicalism, dunk on AES, and use it as a framework to make impotent ‘intellectual’ critiques like all the ‘Marxist’ psychoanalysts. Basically you can freely be Zizek. The few real Marxists struggle and get disparaged every step of the way. Maybe it depends on the field. There is some hope, though, so don’t be put off!

Quite clever really. “Support the communists or your money will evaporate.”

There is a right wing presence in Ukraine but it is not that pervasive, especially not in the military and government. … He doesnt know about any anti-Semitism from the [UPA] but …

Proceeds to (1) say something antisemitic, in two different ways, just in case you missed it the first time (2) apologise for nazis and nazi colaborators (3) explain why one and two are justified (4) appeals to ancestors of 800 years ago (because that’s not a nazi thing, is it? Do they also have a taste for runes?) (5) explain why it’s okay that all this is ‘mainstream’ in Ukraine and doesn’t indicate a right-tendency (6) complains about left wing academics, as if that’s not par for the course for someone who downplays the right in general and nazis in particular.

I can see why you’re upset, comrade. Sorry you have to go through this gas lighting.

As @bennieandthez@lemmygrad.ml said, you’re likely dealing with at least one cryptofascist.

Unfortunately, you were always going to have an experience like this. It’s a foregone conclusion for anyone who steps to the left of the liberal-colonialist-imperialist-fascist worldview. You can find solace in a few others from the global north and many others in the global south. Just know that you stand with the masses, billions of the masses, who will be delighted to hear that you are willing merely to accept their suffering as a fact; it’s validating.

Fortunately, your current feeling of alienation will pass. You will be able to steel yourself as @Giyuu@lemmygrad.ml and I and many others have had to do. Look after yourself. Rest. Keep reading. Read everything critically but inoculate yourself from shit takes and brainworm-inviting arguments by, at times, only reading ML or other Marxist texts. Such works are like a tonic for me. They remind me that I’m not losing my mind, that my eyes and ears do not, in fact, deceive me. Marxist theory can a better form of escapism than fiction.

A couple of Marxist-adjacent people who may be near you or who may have ‘followers’ near you are perhaps J Maufawad-Paul and Brenna Bhandar. If you find others in Canada who like their work, you may find yourself in good company. You could always get involved with the First Nations, too, and become a vocal advocate – reactionaries and critics will have a tough time gas lighting you for that without being obviously racist dickheads.

It’s good to hear you’re looking after yourself!

You might damage your skin if you keep going till you get it all. The trick for me is shaving every day (which you may already do) usually after a warm shower. But it also still helps to rest a hot flannel on my face first. Seems to help make everything supple so the razor can do it’s thing.

How many passes did you do and in which directions?

I have to go cheeks to neck, outside in, then inside out. (Never neck to cheeks.)

They do the same thing to capitalism:

Sure, capitalism means slavery and oppression but it’s the best system out of a bad bunch. Have you considered how bad it would be if we became communist?

Can’t you just ignore her and let her be? It’s coming off as if you’re looking for revenge because she doesn’t like you tbh.

The only reason the question is anything like a logical possibility is because she’s Chinese and the other libs around you presumably aren’t. It’s racist to single her out.

There are countless things you could be doing to combat liberalism. Snitching on international students isn’t one that you should be doing. Think positively rather than negatively. As in, what can you do to build communism wherever you are? Not, how do I tear down what others are building?

By this I mean, I’m not sure that you should even think of targeting the political organisations that she’s involved in; it won’t address the elephant in the room – the fact that the main political parties in your country are likely to be bourgeois, not to mention the fact of the actual bourgeois. It’s like swatting flies instead of sweeping away the massive turd.

Snitching on an international student will not help China drive out it’s liberals. China has a bourgeois class operating in full public view. China will drive out liberals by developing it’s relations and forces of production and transitioning to a higher stage of socialism.

The potential disadvantages are many. Including (1) ruining a naive young person’s life for no reason (2) putting yourself and the girl on the five eyes’ radar just to cosplay a cold war spy and (3) substantiating (Chinese) liberals’ claims that communists are _aUthoRi_tAri^an.

Who’s ‘they’?

Is that Engels without a beard?

Original: flavours of the big bang.

Glad to hear you’re doing well. Keep looking after yourself!

Oh, only for eating all the grain 🌾🍽️

I was going to ask, What’s the rationale for deleting posts? Opsec, maybe? I can see why some people would want to hide old posts from general public consumption even if the server-owners still have the text somewhere.