This was a really good, philosophically powerful read. It reminded me of Marx's alienation, but for urban ecology; humanity creating capital to serve it, but humanity ends up serving capital, but for the places we live: the suburban hell. Capitalism creates these liminal, disconcerting spaces where we feel totally alienated from our environment, where everyone is not really "living", just on there way somewhere. No loitering or enjoyment of life is allowed.
I guess we shouldn't be surprised... a lot of liberals on the fediverse have the brain of a goldfish and can't remember all the scandals she's been involved in.
Bullying makes it seem like its happening only in a school playground, and doesn't even hint at the amount of discrimination they face.
Trans ppl face high levels of sexual assault, hate crimes, exclusion from family, lack of support networks, economic hardship from not being able to get hired, medical discrimination, societal discrimination, and a whole lot more.
lemmy.world (and blahaj.zone) blocks the communist instances, yet they aren't blocked by us. So really you're only going to get a censored and anti-communist perspective from those instances.
Look at where H&M or IKEA have most of their factories. Super-exploited wage workers in the global south are funding (via a tax on imports of products they produced) the nordic welfare states.
I suggest reading John Smith - Imperialism in the 21st century for more on this.
The nordic model is not sustainable, and the same thing is currently happening to it (privatization and gutting) as happened to the US after FDR's new deal.
Not to mention the fact that welfare in these nordic states are mostly funded off the backs of workers in the global south, as taxes on imports from products produced by those poorly paid southern labor. Take a look at where most of the factories for H&M or Ikea are located for example.
As long as we leave capitalists in power, this exploitation will only continue to increase.
Those "western countries" you're referring to, are not democracies, its more accurate to call them capitalist dictatorships.
Capitalists stand above and control the political system, stack candidates to those who've proven themselves to be good little capitalists puppets, and own the organs of media and limit public discussion to pro-capitalist talking points.
True leftists reject violence in all forms. It is coercion. It is evil. End of story.
Anyone on here advocating for violence deaerves to be labeled for what they are: part of the problem with the world today.
There's no need to "one-true-leftist" us here, especially since the major branches of leftism (Marxism and most branches of Anarchism), are all pretty much agreed that pacifism doesn't work, and is a strategy promoted by capitalists and petit-bourgeois idealists to quell dissent. A ruling class has never given up their power or wealth without violence or the threat of violence. Good article on this:
The fact that you think communists advocate for violence for its own sake (because you think we're all bloodthirsty or something), tells us you have no idea what communists views are.
This is an opportunity for you to learn from others, not close your ears because you've been inundated with a lifetime of anti-communist propaganda.
We should also be wary here tho, MLK did advocate for pacifism for all but the last few months of his life, and he received many a well-deserved roasting from revolutionaries like Malcolm X, and Kwame Ture.
Everyone should especially listen to Malcolm X - Message to the grassroots for a thorough critique of King's nonviolent advocacy, and him being a sellout to petty-bourgeois white liberals for most of his career.
Such a good episode. Julian is a character that starts out pretty insufferable, but grows as a character and you come to love him.