Many “communists” reject the *material* hegemony of the West, but still support it as a *cultural* and *intellectual* hegemon. I.e., uphold Western morals as eternal, and call for subjugation of countries that have their own value systems.
In the West, Marxism is often perceived as a moral ideology focused on achieving “equality”. In the global south, however, Marxism is understood as a science used to develop the productive forces.
Many people criticise China for having McDonald’s.
Realistically, however, the People’s McDonald’s epitomises the very essence of socialist production… 🧵
I despise the tendency to use “fascist” as the go-to word for anyone you disagree with. Not only is it infantile and embarrassing, but it also downplays the severity of real fascists and genocide apologists. Appalling every time.
There is a common misconception among communists that Marx’s primary subject is anyone who is isolated from capital and therefore ‘oppressed’. Thus students, marketers, baristas, etc, hold the same significance to Marx as those employed in materially productive work. 👇
The latter interpretation of Marxism is objectively the correct one and the primacy of the productive forces to Marx is overly neglected in the West.
Often this leads to a snide disregard of Chinese economists’ emphasis on the productive forces.
In truth, Western values are specific to a geographical locality, not eternally nor indisputably true. As per Engels, there is no one theory of morals applicable to “all periods, all peoples and all conditions”.
Marx’s writings clearly indicate that he considered the productive forces as the determinant of historical change. He makes this explicit in the German Ideology.
They seek to separate Marxism from material production and reduce it to an ideology for anyone who identifies as “oppressed”, forgetting the material of historical materialism. ✌️
Me: nations outside the West are entitled to their own value systems.
The replies: why do you support “backwardness”, “honour killings”, “slavery”, “racism”, “rape”, etc.
Why is this what bigoted leftists think is common in the Global South? 😬
Many “communists” reject the *material* hegemony of the West, but still support it as a *cultural* and *intellectual* hegemon. I.e., uphold Western morals as eternal, and call for subjugation of countries that have their own value systems.
The military coup in Bolivia today has failed. 🇧🇴
President Luis Arce and his comrades successfully stood against the rebelling military leader, Juan José Zúñiga, demanding that he and his forces stand down, after dismissing his command, and installing a new commander general.
The reason I believe Deng Xiaoping is one of the greatest leaders in history isn't ideological. It’s because he was a winner. Reform & opening up worked. China recovered from economic stagnation and lifted a billion people out of poverty.
Sorry but George Galloway, who fought his whole life against apartheid, first in South Africa and now in Palestine, is far from “repulsive”. Shameful but unsurprising reporting from Neil Kinnock and the BBC.
Does socialism have a fixed method of distribution? Is a soviet-style planned economy (rather than a market economy) essential to socialism?
Engels says: socialist society does not have a single method of distribution fixed once & for all.
In other words, there is no need to denounce this or that country for holding its own positions on moral questions affecting the world today. Things like marriage, gender, sexuality, and so on.
This is central to the Marxist conception of history. In On the Origin, Engels argued that it was more advanced farming methods that created a surplus beyond consumption and led to the emergence of class society. Meaning developments in productive forces determine the nature of
Expositors of Marx who wish to undermine the centrality of the productive forces reduce Marxism to a “moral science” concerned primarily with “equality”, “openness”, “intersectionality”, and other liberal values.
People miss the point - there’s no female communism, or black comunism, or even white male communism. Class cuts through these divides due to a common exploitation, but many leftists want to counteract its unifying nature.
Today marks the 103rd anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. Starting in Shanghai in 1921 with just 57 members, the CPC’s membership has since grown to 98 million, making it the second-largest political party in the world 🇨🇳
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The primacy of the productive forces is also made evident in the transition to capitalism. In England, commerce, money, and commodity production existed for centuries before capitalism fully emerged. The missing prerequisite was the development of the productive forces.
This is linked to the fact that material production, or the production of subsistence itself, constitutes the premise of not only human existence but also every aspect of life as we know it.
Furthermore, in relation to AES, Marx and Engels believed that the abolition of class distinctions was only possible at a high level of development of the productive forces.
The Marxist conception of history is guided by a very simple principle: men must eat & have shelter before they can pursue anything else. This is why, to Marx and Engels, materially productive work, as the premise of human existence, is more important than other types of work.
Lenin wrote imperialism about European powers going to war to redivide the colonies.
It’s beyond me how dogmatically “inter-imperialist conflict” is used by Western communists. As if the world hasn’t changed since WW1.
But, as Lenin explains, socialism is merely a *step forward* from state-monopoly capitalism, in that it’s state-monopoly capitalism made to serve the interests of the workers.
People often envision socialism as a hippie state where we all grow our own food, and the consumer goods are made together by the local community. These individuals see socialism as a step backward to feudalism rather than a step forward from capitalism.
The multipolar world is emerging today not because it is morally “right”, but because it is historically impossible for a liberal, unipolar world to continue subjugating the global majority without being challenged.
The strength of class is its ability to transcend divides. Doesn’t matter if you’re black, white, male, female, gay, straight. We all share an interest through class. This is why we should challenge viewing Marxism as a series of identity struggles; it negates our no1 strength.
Gender ideology is late stage capitalism epitomised - everything is reduced to commodity you can buy your way into, even being a man or woman.
And if it has anything to do with socialism, I wonder why it’s only so prevalent in Western capitalist societies… 🧐
My letter to the
@M_Star_Online
responding to the appalling 'review' it recently published glorifying anti-materialist reactionary Judith Butler's latest book.
In truth, Marx did not view all work the same, nor was his subject simply those who lack capital. Marx believed the relations of production in a given society are determined by the four spheres of material production (manufacture, mining, agriculture, and transportation).
BUT the capitalist only has the capital to hire their labour due to the appropriation of surplus value, produced ONLY by materially productive labourers. Hence, servant, marketer, barista, and capitalist only exist through the exploitation of materially productive labour.
Similarly, Marx said the material conditions for socialism develop within the womb of the “old society,” meaning that socialised production must predate socialist relations of production.
Unfortunately, the left doesn't identify communism’s unpopularity among materially productive labourers relative to students, academics, and so on, as a problem. To them, everyone who is isolated from capital is ‘oppressed’ and therefore ‘the same’. This is unscientific.
There’s a new campaign to get teenage girls into sport. Called
#strongisbeautiful
it’s been kicked off by Team GB rugby players posing in lingerie.
Feels really regressive and sexist to me.
Maybe I’m old.
Thus, advanced and more socialised methods of production within corporations like McDonald’s lay the material groundwork for highly effective socialist production, where huge corporations and monopolies are centralised in the hands of the state and serve the interests of workers.
In short, no. Marx and Engels made this clear when they said, “the claim that we want to make all men equal to one another is an empty phrase and a stupid invention of intellectuals.”
Today, state-owned enterprises (SOEs) are a cornerstone of the Chinese economy. As of 2021, SOEs and their combined assets constituted nearly 70 percent of China’s GDP
Major issue we have in the West is most Marxists aren’t arsed with familiarising themselves with Marx. Hence why they can’t identify idealism or liberalism where it exists.
When I hear a lot of Western Academic “Marxists” talk politics a lot of the time I don’t see any connection whatsoever to the writings of Marx & Engels. Like did we even read the same books?
Which Marxist writings gave you the idea that he would condemn Hamas, or condemn all
Research shows that breaking down a production process into creation of various intermediate products is the most powerful source of economic growth, meaning larger, more socialised production is the most effective.
Anti-socialist pundits attribute China's success to capitalism because of its integration of market mechanisms into the socialist economy, while some on the left criticise Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for not aligning with their idealised version of socialism.
Clearly, Socialism with Chinese Characteristics represents a creative interpretation of Marxism applied to China’s unique material conditions, rather than an abandonment of its principles. ✌️
In this respect, huge corporations like McDonald’s lay the groundwork for socialist production.
McDonald’s uses a highly socialised production process, and is turning more to creating its own intermediate products to drive down supply costs.
So what was Reform and opening up?
Facing economic stagnation in the ‘70s, the CPC decided that o diverge from the Soviet model and forge its own path of development. Starting in 1978, they allowed the re-emergence of a small private sector and opened up to foreign investments.
Marxism, therefore, should be viewed as a guide to action not a dogma or a fixed state of affairs to be constructed. Socialism with Chinese characteristics, therefore, is better explained as socialism integrated with the reality of present-day China.
This operated on the principle of “keep the large, let go of the small,” meaning that while a private sector was created, the state sector remained dominant.
To give an example, servants, marketers, baristas, etc., are able to lease their labor power to a capitalist, and a capitalist is in a position to hire it, because of their respective relations to the productive forces…
The idea that Marxism is a leftist ideology in the popular understanding of the term should be questioned. Marxism should instead be upheld by communists as a scientific method of analysis existing outside of the political spectrum, argues Kate Woolford
The leading role of SOEs in China’s economy has huge effects. The Chinese Communist Party (CPC) can regulate investment levels, providing needed investments during economic slumps and into projects deemed unprofitable by private enterprises.
I'm not one for identity politics, but if you're a man and trying to silence women for discussing sex-based rights, know your place and shut up. Your opinion doesn’t matter.
Since 1978, China has sustained an average growth rate double that of India and has successfully lifted its people out of poverty, while the majority of Indians remain in absolute poverty.
China’s banking system is another important sphere of state regulation, with measure to prevent manipulation in favour of individuals or interest groups. This ensures that growth in national wealth benefits society rather than a handful of individuals.
As change can only be brought about through struggle within materially productive industries, the primary concern of communists should not be appealing to such and such an identity group, but materially productive labourers.
@UnblindFaith
The reason why socialism negates capitalism is because, as production becomes more & more socialised, private ownership can’t be reconciled with social production. At this stage the private ROP become “fetters” on the PF, huge amounts of wealth is wasted instead of increasing PF.
Is Socialism with Chinese Characteristics really socialism? My answer is yes. One fundamental rule of capitalist production is uneven development, which China has avoided when compared to other developing economies like India.
The state-owned sector can influence the activities of enterprises under different ownership structures, such as collective, cooperative, or mixed. To guide the private sector, the CPC maintains an active presence of party cells within private businesses.
Based on this understanding, Chinese economists envision socialism as a multi-stage process, with China situated in the primary, underdeveloped stage of socialism. Emphasis is thus placed on developing productive forces and improving living standards.
As John Ross clarified in his book China’s Great Road, this term suggests that Marx and Engels envisioned the transition to communism as a prolonged period in which state-owned and private property would coexist, similar to China’s economy.
When people ask about markets, private ownership, etc., none of it matters. The sooner we start judging people by results rather than whether they meet our idealised criteria, the better.
As ownership relations in the unproductive sphere are determined by relations within the materially productive sphere, in that these individuals are also compelled to sell their labour power, they can only change with materially productive industries. As Watt explains.
China’s economic development also adheres to medium and long-term economic plans based on socio-economic trends and projections, exemplified by the Five-Year plans, which currently champion urbanisation and rural revitalisation.
In the Critique of the Gotha Programme, Marx outlined communism as a process divided into two stages. The lower stage would retain some “birthmarks” of capitalism, while the higher stage represents a fully developed communist society.
Furthermore, according to Marx, distribution within a socialist society operates on the principle of “from each according to his ability, to each according to his work,” and in a communist society “from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.”
Engels reaffirmed this in 1890 saying that a gradual transition to socialism was “quite feasible”, and Lenin echoed this point in 1918, stating that the transition from capitalism to communism represents an entire historical epoch.
The proletariat is revolutionary because its interests are tied up in a higher form of production - because social labour contradicts private ownership. Hence why it’s a revolutionary class & not sex, race, or whatever else.
In Anti Dühring, Engels dedicated an entire chapter to his criticism of Dühring’s belief in absolute equality, stating that “any demand for equality that goes beyond that [the abolition of classes] of necessity passes into absurdity”.
The absurdity of absolute equality was also pointed out by Mao Zedong, who criticised those among the Red Army who refused to prioritise serious injuries on the basis that everyone was entitled to the same treatment.
In China, distribution corresponds to the quality and quantity of someone’s work, particularly within the state-owned sector, as enshrined into the Chinese constitution.
Fundamentally, Marx and Engels recognised that complete equality is impossible in a society of individuals with different capacities and needs. Thus, as wages are determined by labour output, Marx labelled calls for equality of wages “insane”.
Engels criticised Dühring’s attempt to analyse societal relations by reducing society to two ‘equal’ individuals. Engels says the relationship between man and woman is the foundation of society, and this is inherently unequal (meaning both parties are naturally different).
@K8wxyz
McDonald's in China is also majority state owned too, at 52% of total shares held by CITIC. And more than 80% of Mcdonald's stores in China are unionized under the ACFTU:
Hence, anyone who uses Marxism to advance theories of complete equality and the levelling of rights (such as sex-based rights) is, unfortunately, confused about what Marxism is and what it argues.
An article that simply says: “Please dress and act normally” has somehow managed to trigger the entire British ‘left’!
If that doesn’t tell you everything you need to know about ‘leftism’ in this country🤷♀️
The West which promotes the sexualisation of young girls, where women are murdered with crossbows, and where ‘feminist’ men call women fascist TERFs for upholding sex-based rights. Perhaps Khamenei had a point.
Yesterday afternoon, campaigners for the
@WorkersPartyGB
in
#Manchester
were victims of a hit & run incident while canvassing for local elections. Footage shows a Red VW Golf reversing, then intentionally driving into people crossing the road.
@queyano
Nice try but I am PROUD of my country🤷♀️ and the reason I support the multipolar world is because I don’t want our taxes spent on Ukraine & Israel above our own peoples needs
The biggest blow to the Western communist movement was the rejection of communism as the movement of the working class class and its distortion into a movement for anyone who identifies as ‘oppressed’ or ‘exploited’.
Completely removing the scientific basis of communism.
Horrific, I pray for a quick recovery. 🙏 Let’s not forget WPB volunteers were also mowed down by a van driven by a member of Labour. Will our media report on the targeting of WPB by left & right extremists, or will they just pretend it isn’t happening, yet again?
I'm stunned to report that our candidate in Sutton Coldfield has had to suspend his campaigning after his canvassers were attacked by men with baseball bats and machetes leaving some, including his son, in hospital.
@WMPolice
@AP
@AndrewmitchMP
Some have adopted the slogan "Neither Washington nor Beijing", arguing that the new cold war is an "inter-imperialist" conflict and accusing China of aspiring to replace the US as the dominant imperialist power. This could not be further from the truth... 🇨🇳🇺🇸
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