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I'm new to this (thelemmy.club)
submitted 5 days ago by to c/memes@hexbear.net
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[–] 27 points 5 days ago* (2 children)

This is like the core separation between being a leftist who read theory vs a leftist who read memes.

Dirtbag leftists will say, sure, hate the perpetrators. Principled leftist scholars have written hundreds of pages about why we critique systemic issues instead of condemning random individuals.

The following is an excerpt from Eugene V. Debs' Canton, Ohio speech. Emphasis mine.

debs "Some years ago I was to speak at Warren in this state. It happened to be at the time that President McKinley was assassinated. In common with all others I deplored that tragic event. There is not a Socialist who would have been guilty of that crime. We do not attack individuals. We do not seek to avenge ourselves upon those opposed to our faith. We have no fight with individuals as such. We are capable of pitying those who hate us. We do not hate them; we know better; we would freely give them a cup of water if they needed it. There is no room in our hearts for hate, except for the system, the social system in which it is possible for one man to amass a stupendous fortune doing nothing, while millions of others suffer and struggle and agonize and die for the bare necessities of existence."

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  • [–] 15 points 5 days ago*

    I'm happy to see someone here articulate this because it's actually something I've thought about a lot, and I've considered withdrawing from hexbear because of how my own mindset can be influenced by exposure to so much anger towards individuals. Unfortunately at the moment I'm functionally disabled with a hard time leaving the house, which makes logging off from social media a lot more of a sacrifice.

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  • [–] 6 points 5 days ago (1 child)

    Thank you for your, and his, perspective. I don't agree. Perhaps I am too hateful. But, no matter, I'm probably not going to change. I feel too strongly about this.

    Seems like a very political answer too. Which is good, much better for optics then I would be.

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  • [–] 17 points 5 days ago (1 child)

    The first step to overcoming something like misanthropy is acknowledging its presence in your mindset. If you don't want to change your mindset, then it is what it is. Nobody's a perfect communist, and we don't have to be.

    If hate or anger ever feels like it's weighing on you too heavily in the future, you can always think about it more then.

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  • [–] 7 points 5 days ago* (1 child)

    well, thank you for accepting me where I am.

    It definitely weighs on me, but what is to be done? I hate abusers. I hate bigots. I don't think any amount of thinking about it is going to make me not hate someone who inflicts such pain and suffering on someone else. I've had a few thoughts to, make it less, or justify their thoughts and behavior somehow but they clearly were not enough. I used to give people more credit.

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  • [–] 7 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 child)

    Most people aren't good people, but they're still people. They're an animal in a fucked up society. I think again it's sort of about meeting people where they are. Having no expectations for other people kind of means they can't disappoint you.

    Maybe they'll come around someday and that's great or maybe they'll just die bitter some day. It is what it is.

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  • [–] 5 points 5 days ago (2 children)

    It just feels really strange, because the system is the people enforcing it. It is the people profiting from it, upholding it. This isn't the matrix, they system cants be defined and left, it is people with motive to maintain it.

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  • [–] 4 points 4 days ago

    This isn't the matrix, they system cants be defined and left, it is people with motive to maintain it.

    To be fair, that is also true of the Matrix:

    The Matrix is a system, Neo. That system is our enemy. But when you're inside, you look around, what do you see? Business men, teachers, lawyers, carpenters. The very minds of the people we are trying to save. But until we do, these people are still a part of that system, and that makes them our enemy. You have to understand, most of these people are not ready to be unplugged. And many of them are so inured, so hopelessly dependent on the system, that they will fight to protect it.

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