liberalism.jpg (hexbear.net)
submitted 3 years ago* (last edited 3 years ago) by to c/the_dunk_tank@hexbear.net
 

https://twitter.com/K_Niemietz/status/1704093894647161094

zizek-fuck

The think tank bros are not okay. Props to this dumbass retweeting all the people calling him a fucking idiot though. Good bit.

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[–] 93 points 3 years ago (8 children)
  • [–] 27 points 3 years ago (2 children)

    Missed the forest for the trees yea

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    [–] 76 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    marx failed to consider this one

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  • [–] 74 points 3 years ago (6 children)

    apolitical

    I already knew this meant "status quo warrior ashamed of sounding right wing" but recent interactions with federated Lemmy users have really hammered in what a bunch of bootlicking sycophants for capitalism tend to call themselves "apolitical" or "nonpolitical." disgost

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  • [+] [S] 84 points 3 years ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)
  • [–] 45 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    “The worst illiterate is the political illiterate, he doesn’t hear, doesn’t speak, nor participates in the political events. He doesn’t know the cost of life, the price of the bean, of the fish, of the flour, of the rent, of the shoes and of the medicine, all depends on political decisions. The political illiterate is so stupid that he is proud and swells his chest saying that he hates politics. The imbecile doesn’t know that, from his political ignorance is born the abandoned child, and the worst thieves of all, the bad politician, corrupted and flunky of the national and multinational companies.”

    ― Bertolt Brecht

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    [+] [S] 69 points 3 years ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (5 children)
  • [–] 34 points 3 years ago* (1 child)

    Those who suffer from conspiracy phobia are fond of saying: “Do you actually think there’s a group of people sitting around in a room plotting things?” For some reason that image is assumed to be so patently absurd as to invite only disclaimers. But where else would people of power get together – on park benches or carousels? Indeed, they meet in rooms: corporate boardrooms, Pentagon command rooms, at the Bohemian Grove, in the choice dining rooms at the best restaurants, resorts, hotels, and estates, in the many conference rooms at the White House, the NSA, the CIA, or wherever. And, yes, they consciously plot – though they call it “planning” and “strategizing” – and they do so in great secrecy, often resisting all efforts at public disclosure. No one confabulates and plans more than political and corporate elites and their hired specialists. To make the world safe for those who own it, politically active elements of the owning class have created a national security state that expends billions of dollars and enlists the efforts of vast numbers of people.

    parenti-hands

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    [–] 51 points 3 years ago

    The water cycle? Kind of ridiculous to think all those rivers are working together, most of them only care about their own flow. The idea that they all work together to prop up an 'ocean' is ridiculous.

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  • [–] 49 points 3 years ago* (1 child)

    how do all the birds know where the flock is going? nature really is a mystery

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  • [–] 49 points 3 years ago (3 children)

    Unless they are gathering in dimly lit rooms and saying "we are doing capitalism", it's not real capitalism

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  • [–] 32 points 3 years ago

    I would say that this is similar to how american liberals don't believe in any form of racism besides someone screaming the n word while using klan robes, but I am not convinced that these think tank ghouls believe in anything besides filling their pockets

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    [–] 47 points 3 years ago (6 children)

    Man, people this bad at their jobs can get and keep jobs, why can't I?

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    [–] 42 points 3 years ago

    I am a man who has never heard of emergence before.

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  • [–] 42 points 3 years ago

    Even at the lowest local level, governments grovel at the feet of businesses, dare they be seen as hostile to commerce

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  • [–] 42 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    What does "high-status conspiracy theory" mean? Cuz every "high-status capitalist" seems to keep blaming the Jews without fail.

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  • [–] 40 points 3 years ago (7 children)

    This guy is onto something in that liberals don't perceive actions by markets as coordinated political actions. They see it as invisible, since capitalism wasn't formed on the basis of markets explicitly, its formation was couched in more vague rhetoric about freedom, liberty, fraternity. Some aspects of the formation of capitalism took the structure of religious debate, like protestants breaking from Catholicism.

    Whereas all socialist movements have been more explicit about the aims and goals. The communists don't hide their intentions. That makes a communist government much more obvious in it's pursuits to the average liberal. It's why statements like "communism killed 100 million people" makes sense to a liberal in a way that a similar statement "capitalism killed billions of people" doesn't make sense to them.

    They don't see capitalism as an agreed upon movement or enforcement of certain hierarchies. They see it as full liberation of people and simply the natural consequences of full liberation. But they can see socialism as an enforced structure, since socialists don't hide what they're doing and socialism is formed by a single united working class interest. Capitalists aren't always in unison with one another.

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    [–] 40 points 3 years ago (2 children)

    How much do you want to bet this person has a hidden checkmark?

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    [–] 39 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    It's amazing how these people have somehow managed to read even less theory than the average communist.

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    [–] 39 points 3 years ago (4 children)

    Assuming he's not stupid and/or lying, looks like he's so annoying that despite being a think tanker, no business association is willing to invite him to any ! meetings.

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  • [+] [S] 45 points 3 years ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)
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    [–] 36 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    we obviously just imagined the chamber of commerce and every other business lobbying group

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    [–] 36 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    “There’s class warfare, all right, but it’s my class, the rich class, that’s making war, and we’re winning.”

    • Warren Buffett
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    [+] 36 points 3 years ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (6 children)
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    [–] 36 points 3 years ago

    I can't get a business person to read their emails or attempt to understand their business even when a fuckload of money is on the line. The idea that they could have their mind changed about their desire for ownership and exploitation to live a fulfilled life in a world where we all suffer less is laughable. Their buy-in is incredibly solid. The idea that they'd strike a deal with a union more quickly than they would a CIA-backed mercenary group charging 20k to make the problem go away is ahistorical

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  • [–] 33 points 3 years ago*

    "[insert random class here] are comically apolitical. They only care about their own [insert activity/property here]. The idea they all work together, as a class to prop up [contemporary social economic system here], is... not plausible"

    Ok so that is the template now replace with the most comical examples you can think of

    -Feudal lords/Castles/Feudalism

    -Roman patricians/Villas/primitive accumulation(or slavery)

    -Catholic Priests/Churches/Catholicism

    So on, you're right its absolute dumbest shit but it also stems from the complete misunderstanding of what "politics" is as well, I mean what are the chances the random person on the street even knows the actual origin of the word? How many Americans think politics was invented in 1776 or even later?

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  • [–] 31 points 3 years ago* (last edited 3 years ago) (6 children)

    Again, they're making up our position in an absurd way, and then getting mad about it so they can dismiss it.

    We need to incept a new logical fallacy that covers this. I've noticed that people have been using "wh@taboutism" against neoliberals around the internet. It's not turning the tide yet, but it's making some heads explode. All of a sudden comparing two similar situations is ok and is no longer wh@taboutism. Unless you're criticizing Dems of course, then you're just helping trumputler

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    [–] 30 points 3 years ago* (last edited 3 years ago) (5 children)

    I’m guessing by political he means “woke or anti-woke” which is a stupid way to gauge how political one is to begin with, but even then it’s stupid because while most business owners might try to appear politically neutral publicly (as a means of avoiding controversy that might affect their business), when you get to know them you find most are very solidly chuds

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    [–] 29 points 3 years ago* (1 child)

    It's not like most of them are cartoon villains who cackle and rub their hands together, jerking off at the thought of inflicting pain upon the poor.

    It's more that they're sociopaths that don't give a fuck about it. And to whatever extent they or their lackeys DO have any humanity, they insulate themselves from the effects of their actions through many layers of management, outsourcing, etc.

    And perhaps some of the smaller fries only do care about their business, but what's good for their business generally is good for the capitalist class. They donate to lobbyist groups that further the interests of the whole capitalist class, whether they are acting purely in their "own" interests. They lobby for local ordinances and tax breaks that achieve the same goal. You get the idea.

    These groups and those that work with them are probably closer to cartoon villains though.

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    [–] 28 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    Tell me you've never read Marx without telling me you've never read Marx

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    [+] 25 points 3 years ago* (last edited 1 year ago)
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