wrecker_vs_dracula [comrade/them]

  • 2 Posts
  • 21 Comments
Joined 4 years ago
cake
Cake day: January 23rd, 2021

help-circle

  • The author portrays an evolution of social and economic theory that passes from Marx to Weber to Foucault. In other words, Marx without Lenin. The tactic is diversionary rather than disinformative. Insofar as you will discuss Marxism, it will be in the context of critiques of Marx made by academics operating in capitalist countries. I don’t mean to say that Weber’s or Foucault’s theories are entirely wrong headed, just that as long as you are occupied with them you will be ignoring the strains of Marxist theory that have underpinned any actually successful Marxist political project.

    If you want to pick nits though, this passage made me squint:

    Democratic government was the result of a political revolution of a new class-the commercial and industrial capitalists or, as Marx called them, the bourgeoisie.

    Here the author is stating without citation that Marx believed democracy was achieved by bourgeois revolution. Big if true. Perhaps a certain kind of democracy within a certain class? Where did Marx make this claim?









  • Embarrassing admission: I listened to the Mike Duncan series on the Mexican revolution, and heard Diaz’s name as “Perfidio” the whole time. I knew that “perfidy” was an adjective used to describe a person’s character in English, so assumed it was one of those names like “Constance” or “Grace”. A year later I heard the word “perfidy” again in a context that indicated that it was actually a negative thing, so I looked up both that word and Diaz’s name. I then felt very silly. All learning is language learning, and there is no such thing as fluency.


  • Stalin good actually, but best not to bring it up with the Tatars or the Ingush. Also the song about Stalin in the Tractor Drivers maybe a little cringe. All literature published in the English language covering the prewar Soviet Union, especially academic literature, must contain a ritual denunciation of Stalin. If you want to engage directly with the bases for these denunciations, that is a little harder to research.

    It’s important to understand that Khrushchov’s “secret” speech denouncing Stalin in 1956 was an enormous contributing factor to the Sino-Soviet split, which became more or less official that year. The image of Stalin represents anti-revisionism to the communists who use it today. Stalin’s bust is a symbol for the rejection of the revisionist turn in the postwar Soviet Union. It is also stands for staunch opposition to Trotskyism and Maoism. You will find however that communists rarely deal in absolutes. Dialectic analysis of history allows for simultaneous acknowledgment of the bad and celebration of the good in any person or political project.




  • It was easier to write about switches when the cherry corporation still held the patents for the most popular style of mechanical switch. There are now other manufacturers that make equivalent switches. Maybe they’re better, maybe they’re worse, idk. At least we’re on hexbear, so we don’t have to argue about whether Chinese manufacturers can make a switch just as good as the Germans.

    From Cherry the blue switches are really nice and clicky, but they are quite loud. Only go with those if you will be typing in an environment where the noise will not be a problem. The feel of the blue switches is very nice. The brown and clear switches are tactile, but not clicky. There’s some takeup, a soft wall, and a noticeable break when the switch engages. If the blue switches are a colt revolver trigger, then the browns are a glock trigger. I would suggest browns for typing, though I found that I preferred clears personally. If you string your guitar with a 0.009" high E string, then you will likely prefer browns. If you use a 0.013" high E string, then you will prefer clears.

    Keycaps are available in a variety of materials and profiles. That rabbit hole is kinda deep, and I find the culture around it weird and off-putting. I’d suggest just getting something and seeing how you like it. If the caps wear out or you want a different profile or weight, they are easily changeable.

    Keep your keyboard fiddling proportional to your keyboard use. Any time you spend on your keyboard is time you’re not spending writing. But if you are using this tool for hours every day, then it is justifiable to select one of good quality. The keyboard enthusiast internet scene is pretty intense. My advice is to dip in, find the tool you need, and dip out. Try not to go too crazy in the process.

    The most important thing is to find a way to get your typing done that does not damage your body. You can injure your wrists and your back by typing. Obsessing over your desk and your chair and your monitor and your keyboard can help you up to a point, but it can also be a time and money sink. Your milage may vary. Good luck with your writing projects!





  • bait, but I’ll bite

    Liberalism is the ideology that emerged in opposition to royalism during the European bourgeois revolutions and the American creole revolutions. It advocates for a capitalist system that is progressive in the context of feudalism, but conservative in the context of socialism. Every political organization that holds any real power in the USA represents some strain of liberalism. Anticapitalist liberalism is not a thing. Liberals may advocate for socialist structures within the capitalist system, but will never support the actions necessary to dismantle the wealth and power of the capitalist class.