Celebrating labor day/may day/vappu always starts on the eve here so been fully into it all day today already and made some vappu donuts to go with the sima (mead) we made last weekend. These are THE treats for labor day around these parts.

The donut dough is nothing like the donut dough in US of AmeriKKKa. This is basically the same yeasted dough that is used to make pulla (sweet bread), it has lots of cardamon in it. I make these with sourdough as the levener.

Along with the donut shaped ones I also made a few of these square ones that are literally called porkies because of the shape. Put some homemade apple jam in them.

Finished "porkie donuts".

Finished vappu donuts.

This here is the combo. Ate this while listening to old commie songs.

Happy May Day comrades!

Especially liked this bit:

The behavioral evidence of caring: When researchers moved beyond flawed questionnaires to test actual empathic behavior, the results contradicted the deficit narrative. For example, some studies measured generosity toward loved ones and strangers—a behavioral test of empathy. Autistic adults gave to their loved ones as generously as allistic (non-autistic) adults, and were significantly more generous with strangers. This finding was replicated across the United Kingdom, Japan, and Germany.

Instead of empathy deficit, autistic people demonstrate a broader moral concern, extending fairness beyond their tribes. Where researchers had assumed impairment, they found autistic people applying moral principles more consistently—even to strangers, even when costly. In a world increasingly damaged by in-group bias, this isn't a deficit; it's a collective-level fail-safe feature.

This is it. I could not even count the amount of times I've been accused of being cold or unempathic when I have pointed out that my privileged friends are going to be ok when they get a slightly bigger electric bill one month, but people in Palestine aren't.

Not exactly sure where to post this because I definitely don't think I am all that well versed in philosophy. But since this is about philosophy, I'll post it here.

I've been thinking about determination a lot as I am doing my uni work from a material pov. The debate on determination has always seemed a bit silly to me as a marginalized person who has been assigned female at birth. The anxiety around freedom and the negative feelings towards determination have always felt like the anxious thoughts of white, privileged, Western men who can delude themselves into thinking that they are in fact free to choose whatever they want without it being conditioned by anything. It has also always felt like an inherently colonial outlook from the viewpoint of the colonizer. I am quite sure that existence being determined is something that has never been lost on the oppressed of the world due to them all feeling it in their skin from the day they are born.

What I think I understood today about this is the way in which the acceptance of determination is necessary for any kind of socialism to rise. Determination makes it clear that there needs to be negative freedoms for any kind of real freedom to materialize. This freedom comes in the form of structural things like the type of childcare that allows women to leave the domestic sphere and be more free in a real way instead of the magical liberal thinking of freedom where freedom can just be a choice with no ties to any material reality whatsoever.

Funnily enough the welfare state model in my own country was very much built around this negative freedom and it therefore enabled the type of life that expanded people's choices quite a bit. I still of course don't think that "socialism is when the government does stuff", but you do need to have a state organized in a way where things like this can be prioritized. Here it happened due to existing next to the Soviet Union.

The discourses of neoliberalism, however have taken the rotting corpse of the welfare state and spun all the values of it towards positive non-determined freedom. This becomes clear in the way participation, empowerment and freedom of choice are talked about today. Previously, people had a right to daycare for their children that then enabled them to participate. The participation was a result of the negative freedom provided by a structure.

Determination dictates a need for negative freedoms and creates true freedom. Liberal positive freedom is the freedom of the oppressor. Determination is not a bad word; it's just the way the world actually works. Once people accept that, it makes a case for socialism all on its own.

Attended a seminar held by Soren Mau today and found about his book Mute Compulsion. Wondering if any comrade here has read it? If so, any thoughts you would like to share?

I am working on getting an understanding of ideology and been working from Marx & Engels to Gramsci and Althusser and something called PIT (critical ideology theory). From looking at what Maus book is about it might help in this as well (or not).

cross-posted from: https://hexbear.net/post/7749476

Original Show Notes:

Celebrating the life and work of Michael Parenti, a towering figure in Marxist scholarship and activism. We will discuss Parenti’s profound impact on the study of imperialism, war, propaganda, fascism, and the difficulties of socialist construction, as well as his unwavering commitment to the global class struggle. Speakers Ali Kadri (Professor, Sun Yat-sen University) Ben Norton (Editor, Geopolitical Economy Report) Corinna Mullin (Associate Editor, Middle East Critique) Immanuel Ness (Professor, City University of New York) Gabriel Rockhill (Author, Who Paid the Pipers of Western Marxism?) Sara Flounders (Co-director, International Action Center) Shiran Illanperuma (Researcher, Tricontinental Institute) Barry Lituchy (Professor, City University of New York) Chair: Carlos Martinez (Co-editor, Friends of Socialist China) Organisers International Manifesto Group / Critical Theory Workshop Co-sponsored by United National Anti-War Coalition, Iskra Books, Manifesto Press, Friends of Socialist China

Original Show Notes:

Celebrating the life and work of Michael Parenti, a towering figure in Marxist scholarship and activism. We will discuss Parenti’s profound impact on the study of imperialism, war, propaganda, fascism, and the difficulties of socialist construction, as well as his unwavering commitment to the global class struggle. Speakers Ali Kadri (Professor, Sun Yat-sen University) Ben Norton (Editor, Geopolitical Economy Report) Corinna Mullin (Associate Editor, Middle East Critique) Immanuel Ness (Professor, City University of New York) Gabriel Rockhill (Author, Who Paid the Pipers of Western Marxism?) Sara Flounders (Co-director, International Action Center) Shiran Illanperuma (Researcher, Tricontinental Institute) Barry Lituchy (Professor, City University of New York) Chair: Carlos Martinez (Co-editor, Friends of Socialist China) Organisers International Manifesto Group / Critical Theory Workshop Co-sponsored by United National Anti-War Coalition, Iskra Books, Manifesto Press, Friends of Socialist China

Noam Chomsky, described this ethos: “The cool observers – meaning us smart guys – it’s our task to impose necessary illusions and emotionally potent oversimplifications to keep these poor simpletons on course.”

Apparently Babylon 5 can now be watched on YT. Would not call it free though, because YT.

Used to be the biggest fan of this series and it has been only a few years since I last watched it, but though others might enjoy this news.

My oven pancake game is on point these days, look at all the bubbling! I put sourdough starter in it and it tastes amazing.

Time to

Figured this post would fit best here. I've been so happy that it is finally winter proper here and all the coniferous trees and nature finally gets at least some of the winter they need to survive.

There's been an incredible frost for some days now. Been on my daily hikes in the nearby trail and it's so incredibly silent there, everything but some birds hunkering down against the cold. Walking there alone always makes me think of how easy it is to think of nature as sacred.

Tension just melts from my shoulders when I walk into a forest, it feels like an embrace.

Sun kissed tree tops

Frost covered spruce trees on a hillside

A view from a raised peat bog towards a frozen lake close to sunset

Sunset from a trail on a hill