Cowbee [he/they]

Trump, in my view, is merely another stage in the collapse of a dying Empire. He will not be the last, nor the cause, but is merely a reflection of the decay of Imperialism, in a different and yet similar manner to how Biden was. Ultimately, the only path forward is the same as it always was, working class organization.

What do you believe Socialism and Communism looks like? Where is the line between the “administration of things” as Engels describes it, and a state acting as proxy? You keep saying workers didn’t have control, but by all accounts they did, and the material benefits prove this. You may want to read Soviet Democracy and Is the Red Flag Flying? Political Economy of the Soviet Union. The Material improvements are a symptom of the system at work, not proof of it but support the thesis. You have nothing supporting your thesis.

Dialectical analysis is important, yes, but just calling your analysis dialectical even if it stands in contrast with reality and the social knowledge of hundreds of millions of Marxists requires serious burden of proof. Marxism-Leninism is a science because it evolves, but simply going against the grain without materialist analysis doesn’t mean you have a point.

I think you’re stuck on this idea of AES being controlled by an “elite,” without doing actual class analysis. It isn’t about being “called Socialist,” it’s about the proletariat being in power. State level planners are not distinct classes. We can see that, in the USSR, for example, the economy was democratized and the Working Class gained massive improvements in material conditions. This shows quite clearly that the Proletariat was indeed in power.

Marxism does require questioning. The problem you’re running into is dismissing the opinions of a supermajority of Marxists worldwide with very little in the way of evidence, and you’re making an error in class analysis. It isn’t about accepting a label, it’s the knowledge that social practice increases knowledge, and that therefore requires an understanding that practicing Marxists, whom overwhelmingly hold to lines such as Marxism-Leninism, likely know more about Marxism than non-practicing individuals on the internet.

See, this isn’t Marxist analysis, though. AES states have proletarian control at all levels, you simply change to calling them “elites” with no backing or class analysis.

As for the rest of your comment, you don’t provide any of what you say is necessary, like evidence. This isn’t a “true Marxist” argument, rather, it’s you that’s taking an ultraleft dogmatic interpretation claiming every application of Marxism is “false.” I ask you to clarify what kind of Marxist you are because your analysis is divorced from the overwhelming majority of Marxists worldwide, and haven’t provided any analysis.

Why are you drawing a line between government ownership and central planning, and Proletarian Control? Government ownership and planning is the form of proletarian control, along with massively expanded worker protections and influence.

This is not analysis that you’re doing. You’re again being more vague, not explaining how government control is bad for Marxism or what “evidence” you have suggesting anything. As a consequence, your comments don’t genuinely offer any clarity, but ask more questions than they answer. Same with your vague assertion that “falling to beliefs” is “religion” when the only one making unbacked assertions here has been you.

What of Marx have you read? What do you think a Socialist economy looks like?

That’s the power of Socialism at play, when Humanity flips the power of Capital over Humanity on its head and becomes the master of Capital, it can achieve great things. Massive infrastructure projects and rapid development are just one aspect of this process, and the US would do well to follow in the footsteps of the Socialist countries to produce along a common plan. The obstacle, of course, is revolution, but rather than being impossible or easy, the truth is that revolution is just hard work.

Your initial comment questioned how the PRC’s focus on education will look based on “entrenching compliance” as opposed to “liberating the working class.” This fundamentally presupposes that the PRC isn’t Socialist, yet without doing any legwork to bolster that claim. When pressed, you were even more vague, just saying we need to discuss it.

The PRC is Socialist, ergo educating the Working Class isn’t out of “compliance,” but because it is useful for the Working Class in steering the revolution that already gave the Working Class supremacy over Capital.

Entirely expected, sadly. This was just a cheap political stunt from Biden and the DNC with the Cuban people as no more than political tools. There was no chance of any other outcome.

This isn’t an answer to my question, though. You’re just vaguely gesturing at an imagined issue without doing any of the “critical analysis” you claim is important.

If you’re genuinely a Marxist, you should be following the adage “no investigation, no right to speak,” because all you’re doing is signaling that this could be a problem without doing the materialist analysis to prove it.

If you’re not a Marxist, why are you trying to lecture Marxists on Marxism?

Who is the ruling class in the PRC? What should the Proletariat do in China?

I’m almost certain they are, but for onlookers that alone isn’t enough to make them wrong, which is why I went for addressing the clear gap, their assertion that China isn’t Socialist without backing that claim up.

Either way it’s a very silly comment that doesn’t say much of anything.

What is the ruling class in the PRC? Very important question to answer if you think investing in education will weaken the PRC, not strengthen it.

What do you think a Proletarian state looks like?

Horrendous take. The biggest issue isn’t with the workers, but the system that funnels their production to a shrinking and microscopic number of hands at the top.

Almost. I’ve seen more Chinese users surprised that the situation in the US isn’t propaganda, like many USians needing 2 jobs just to survive, or paying incredible amounts for medical care. The bit on USians being surprised the propaganda about China being bogus is true though.

The biggest shift that can be made is to limit the competitive aspects of Markets and push for cooperation, along a common plan and goal. Markets are useful at lower levels of development for rapidly building up productive forces, but to truly take a scientific approach humanity needs to be able to take master of production to fulfill its specific needs and ends, not just for profit.

“Feudal lords were the masters of feudalism. Capitalists, however, aren’t the masters of capitalism. They are merely the high priests of capitalism. The master of capitalism is Capital itself.”

-Roderic Day, Why Marxism?

No, it just tends to have a pro-western bias.