25
submitted 10 months ago by rando895@lemmy.ml to c/communism@lemmygrad.ml

I was buying something at a small shop and for some reason the shop owner decided to talk about how much the government ruins business through taxes, how the government shouldn't be in business, and how there is too much socialism in government. Maybe I look like a libertarian lol.

I did my best to ask him what he meant to try and get him thinking and it seemed to help a bit. I even pulled a "any socialist I've talked to doesn't believe in any of that".

I seem to have a lot of these conversations, even when I'm minding my own business. Have any of you had luck with breaking down preconceived notions others may have? I'd just like to be better prepared since apparently this is just something that happens to me.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[-] cfgaussian@lemmygrad.ml 13 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

Tailor your propaganda to your audience. When speaking to small business owners emphasise how the state is giving tax breaks to big corporations while putting a disproportionate burden on the middle class. If they have a strong aversion to the word socialism either avoid it using it altogether or try using that to your advantage: point out how the big "socialist" corporations like Amazon, Tesla, big pharma, big oil, etc. get subsidies and how the "socialist" banks are getting bailed out by the state at the expense of small business owners. Point out how these corporate monopolies are "socialist" because they are anti-competition and how they need to be broken up "for the sake of the free market". Use their frustration and redirect it against monopoly capital and the bourgeois state that props it up. Bonus points if you can get them to get angry at how much of their tax money the state spends on wars abroad for the profits of Raytheon and Lockheed and kickbacks for corrupt politicians instead of helping out small business owners.

At this stage of capitalist development it is impossible to turn back to free competition small proprietor capitalism. Attempting to do so would crash the whole system but those from the petty bourgeois strata who advocate for this often don't understand that. If they push for policies which undermine monopoly capital or the bourgeois state structures propping it up they will be inadvertently helping to usher in socialism faster. The petty bourgeois are not class allies but they might be useful if we can exploit the contradictions of capitalism such that they are persuaded for the sake of their own selfish, short sighted interests to turn against the pillars of the system: finance, insurance, big real estate, etc., and especially imperialism.

this post was submitted on 06 Jan 2024
25 points (100.0% liked)

Communism

9358 readers
3 users here now

Discussion Community for fellow Marxist-Leninists and other Marxists.

Rules for /c/communism

Rules that visitors must follow to participate. May be used as reasons to report or ban.

  1. No non-marxists

This subreddit is here to facilitate discussion between marxists.

There are other communities aimed at helping along new communists. This community isn't here to convert naysayers to marxism.

If you are a member of the police, armed forces, or any other part of the repressive state apparatus of capitalist nations, you will be banned.

  1. No oppressive language

Do not attempt to justify your use of oppressive language.

Doing this will almost assuredly result in a ban. Accept the criticism in a principled manner, edit your post or comment accordingly, and move on, learning from your mistake.

We believe that speech, like everything else, has a class character, and that some speech can be oppressive. This is why speech that is patriarchal, white supremacist, cissupremacist, homophobic, ableist, or otherwise oppressive is banned.

TERF is not a slur.

  1. No low quality or off-topic posts

Posts that are low-effort or otherwise irrelevant will be removed.

This is not a place to engage in meta-drama or discuss random reactionaries on lemmy or anywhere else.

This includes memes and circlejerking.

This includes most images, such as random books or memorabilia you found.

We ask that amerikan posters refrain from posting about US bourgeois politics. The rest of the world really doesn’t care that much.

  1. No basic questions about marxism

Posts asking entry-level questions will be removed.

Questions like “What is Maoism?” or “Why do Stalinists believe what they do?” will be removed, as they are not the focus on this forum.

  1. No sectarianism

Marxists of all tendencies are welcome here.

Refrain from sectarianism, defined here as unprincipled criticism. Posts trash-talking a certain tendency or marxist figure will be removed. Circlejerking, throwing insults around, and other pettiness is unacceptable.

If criticisms must be made, make them in a principled manner, applying Marxist analysis.

The goal of this subreddit is the accretion of theory and knowledge and the promotion of quality discussion and criticism.

Check out ProleWiki for a communist wikipedia.

Communism study guide

bottombanner

founded 5 years ago
MODERATORS