As the title suggests, I am trying to learn self defense, being a communist is my area is kinda dangerous, and led to many fights. Even with weapons. Now, I don't have any access to any weapons, nor would I like to use one (unless necessary)

So is there any good self-defense martial arts. I've heard good stuff about krav maga. But I'm conflicted because some videos I've seen were pretty pre-determined and "scripted" in a way.

Has anyone had experiences with street fighting or having to use them against a knife or baseball bats or something?

I read a work of Ernesto Mandel where he support socialista pluripartitism. What do you think about?

I am reading through the Manifesto of the Revolutionary Communist International and frequently come across this phrasing of the left in politics as “The so-called left”.

This is interesting as it reminds me of Žižek’s address of the left as “(what remains of) the left” in After Trump’s Victory: From MAGA to MEGA.

So there appears to be a new consensus where the left either isn’t the left (?), or that the left has recently mostly disintegrated.

I was also under the understanding that the term “left” covers political positions from center-liberal to communist and beyond, yet the manifesto isn’t clear whether it includes communists in that category in its section “Is There a Risk of Fascism?”

It’s also a bit frustrating as neither document explain what they mean by their interpretations of the left.

Does anyone have any information or new literature I missed out on?

Thanks.

As an English-Amerikan I've been looking through the history of England and realizing that it sure seems a lot like one, what with all the displacement and enslavement of native peoples to make way for Angles Saxons and Jutes. US-Amerika, Aotearoa, etc. We all agree are settler colonies, but can this same view be applied to the English state itself?

The absolute bare minimum a socialist United States could do is give ALL federally owned land back to the respective nations that it occupies. Furthermore, granting First Nations complete and total sovereignty, recognizing the crimes the polity of the United States has committed (and continues to), and removing “Thanksgiving” and “Columbus day” and other insidious holidays from being nationally observed.

This is not radical, it’s the bare fucking minimum. In fact, this should’ve happened well over 100 years ago.

Personally I think all judicially recognized treaties should be recognized and respected, but this includes giving the entirety of California, and many other states back to the First Nations which is unfortunately not very realistic anymore, but at the very least a socialist “United States” could recognize the sovereignty of First Nations in heavily populated with reparations, name changes, endorsement of a decolonial culture, etc.

I have recently taken on the painful, frustrating and confusing task of trying to figure out what the hell is going on with the situation of Maoism in the US. Trying to figure out what organizations exist, what they are, etc. Inevitably, I keep ruining into the Red Guards.

What I know is this, the Red Guards formed, called themselves MLM, became relatively large and influential in comparison to other organizations within the US Maoist movement, then rebranded as the CRCPUSA, and then later exploded. I have heard them been accused of being a cult, heard accusations of abuse and other such scandals, political accessions of left deviationism, settler apologetics and chauvinism and other such issues.

All that being said, I am still rather unclear on what happened. Also I keep hearing about the Black Red Guards, are they related or something completely separate?

At the core of social media’s function lies the principle of commodity production. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter thrive on the constant commodification of users' data, attention, and interaction. These platforms create and maintain engagement loops that extract surplus value from users, who in turn become both producers and consumers in the system. What’s particularly insidious is how these platforms commodify not just our attention but also our very identities—users are often incentivized to curate and commodify their personal lives for the sake of engagement, perpetuating a cycle that mirrors capitalist modes of production.

Moreover, these platforms are highly effective at reinforcing capitalist ideology. The algorithms behind social media platforms are designed to prioritize content that generates the most engagement—often by amplifying extreme, emotionally charged, or sensational content. This content tends to align with capitalist values, fostering consumerism, individualism, and division. In a sense, social media functions as a new form of ideological state apparatus, shaping public consciousness in ways that serve the interests of the ruling class.

This dynamic also feeds into the broader process of alienation described by Marx. As users interact with social media, they are increasingly alienated not only from their own labor (in this case, the content they generate and the attention they provide) but also from genuine human connection. The platforms’ primary function is to channel user engagement into data that can be monetized, leaving behind a hollowed-out social experience that reflects the commodification of relationships in capitalist society.

I’m interested in hearing thoughts from others who have explored this intersection of technology, ideology, and capitalism. Can social media ever be democratized, or is it inherently aligned with the capitalist system?

I recently read The Weapon of Theory by Amílcar Cabral and I wanted to know if anyone has good resources about the contemporary situations in these countries.

Hello comrades! As many have recommended since the election I picked up a copy of “On Tyranny” and well so far, I hate it. Snyder keeps talking about communism in the same breath as fascism, often equating the anti-democratic nature of the Nazis with communism in the 20th century. Often he specifically mentions Czechoslovakia, making me think he must have emigrated from there as a kid or something. He has some serious beef with communism but never clearly articulates what’s so anti-democratic about it. Literally he gives not a single example. Anyway maybe if anyone has an opinion about what was so anti-democratic about Czech communism from 46-89 that would be appreciated.

Be it economical or social. Don't joke Engels. Who is the most radical 'leftist' there is?

We made this because Reddit's algorithm prioritises headlines and current events and doesn't allow for deeper, extended discussion - depending on how it goes for the first four or five times it'll be dropped or continued.

Suggestions for things you might want to comment here (this is a work in progress and we'll change this over time):

• Articles and quotes you want to see discussed
• 'Slow' events - long-term trends, org updates, things that didn't happen recently
• 'Fluff' posts that we usually discourage elsewhere - e.g "How are you feeling today?"
• Discussions continued from other posts once the original post gets buried
• Questions that are too advanced, complicated or obscure for r/communism101

Mods will sometimes sticky things they think are particularly important.

Normal subreddit rules apply!

[ Previous Bi-Weekly Discussion Threads may be found here https://old.reddit.com/r/communism/search?sort=new&restrict_sr=on&q=flair%3AWDT ]

It seems like much of the population in the US is made up of labor aristocrats, but also in my personal experience there seems to be a fair amount of room for labor aristocrats to struggle against each other.

Part-timers at UPS seem like a decent example, though I don’t have any direct experience with them. Is there any historical precedent for contradictions among Labor Aristocrats being turned into an out-and-out battle?

Papua New Guinea is the most important country for a socialist revolution in Oceania. Australia & New Zealand are quite obviously separate from the rest of Oceania politically & socially.

The position of Papua New Guinea in Oceania is comparable to the position of Cuba in the Caribbean. Both are the largest countries in their respective region with fairly large population. Both have a big imperialist country nearby (Australia & USA). Both have smaller neighbouring countries to spread revolution to (Solomon Islands & Haiti, etc.). At the same time, they both have resources to build socialism on their own.

Unification with West Papua is possible, I think, only after a socialist revolution in Indonesia proper. That country still has a tight grip over West Papua to exploit its rich resources. Bougainville, despite being an important mining region, should be ceded to Solomon Islands. It would greatly increase popularity of socialism in that region & help spread the revolution to Solomon Islands & other countries of Oceania.

Australian capital has penetrated many industries in Papua New Guinea, especially the mining one. Nationalization of these industries would be an obvious excuse for a counter-revolutionary aggression from Australia (& possibly from Indonesia). That would be a hard challenge to repel such an invasion.

There is also a problem to unite numerous ethnic groups (speaking hundreds of languages & living in difficult mountainous terrain) under a single revolutionary movement, & at the same time, to allow these cultures & languages to flourish.

P. S. These are just my random thoughts on the issue. I do not claim that these statements are factually correct. Feel free to point out errors.

I’ve been Marxist for going on 3 years now and one thing I’ve battled the most with is a feeling of hopelessness. Maybe I’m the only one, but in a world dominated by neo-liberalism and growing fascism how do we stay hopeful or find appreciation for life?

I am looking for any video essays or books that discuss the mechanisms of the housing market. Perhaps the history of it and how it got as bad as it has today. Maybe factors that have led to increasing prices and such. Thanks!

Evening comrades. I remember reading (skimming really) something during this last year or so about one of the armed Marxist groups in Colombia having an internal conflict over the influence of drug trafficking in the group. I can't seem to find it now and I can't even remember what armed group it was. I also might be completely misremembering. Do any comrades have any information?

Also any reading recommendations on Marxist movements in Colombia would be nice as well. I'm not well versed on said subject.

Hello!

I'm 30, from México and I had never been really active in politics, my family is middle-upper class (probably upper class until 2008 crash). Dad is super right wing, he comes from a middle class family and made his money on his own, mom is recently more on left side, she comes from an upper class family. I have a brother that is really into politics, he is definitely pro marx.

All my life I’ve been interested in puzzles (conspiracy theories, history) but in an entirely geeky way, I don’t know if i'm explaining myself jaja. Like, I’ve never felt morally or passionately driven to be a part of it. I just loved to understand it. (Like I am 100% convinced 9/11 was planned to explode islamophobia and go to the middle east BUT I HAD NEVER looked at it from a geoeconomic-anticommunism side) And about 8 months ago I started researching about US history and oh sh*t! What a journey I was about to embark on. So after going through Hawaii, guatemala, chile, bolivia, argentina DAMN EVEN MÉXICO. Something really changed.

I started to look at things in a different way and decided to be active on politics and to really open my eyes to what’s happening in the world.

I have been looking at capitalism, socialism & communism, researching a lot. I think I would definitely relate to marxism, i'm reading the manifesto right now for the first time, it is crazy to me that something written in 1848 will be the base of a 2450 society (if we get there).

One think I’ve realized is that for some reason if you are defending communism you have to be 1000000x more studied than if you are defending capitalism.

Can I get recommendations on youtube channels where I can find non biased or pro capitalist news?

I thought i was good on finding things until I started researching for good content about communism around the world and history. 90% of the content out there is definitely capitalist propaganda it’s crazy.

Anyways, sorry for the long post. Cheers!

Hi everyone,

We're looking for a film about Ho Chi Minh / Vietnam to screen this weekend. Does anyone have any suggestions please?

Bonus points if its available to watch on YouTube etc.

Thanks in advance!

“Owing to the extensive use of machinery and to the division of labor, the work of the proletarians has lost all individual character, and, consequently, all charm for the workman. He becomes an appendage of the machine, and it is only the most simple, most monotonous, and most easily acquired knack, that is required of him.”

The above is a quote from the first chapter of the Communist Manifesto. While it is incredibly accurate, I was wondering how it will be tackled in a socialist society. If we work in a large scale project that’s bigger than us, it is inevitable that an individual’s contribution to a project can always be regarded as being a cog in a wheel.

Is it that when a large scale project is undertaken in a socialist society, an individual finds solace in the fact that their work is directly for the benefit of the masses which they find fulfilment in, as opposed to churning out returns for stock holders?

As you can see, my thoughts are all over the place in this matter, and was wondering if there is a book that tries to make sense out of the issue.

Short and to the point: I'm getting old, and I want to get involved, but given the myriad of parties I see in making the rounds of social media and whatnot I'm at somewhat of a loss as to where to direct my energies. Short of analyzing the position papers of every Tom, Dick, and Harry Party and comparing and contrasting them all, how is a M-L (with a dash of -M) supposed to know what Party is compatible with my views, or if I'm just off on my own trip, or what? Should I throw in with the RCP, RCA, ACP, CPUSA, or any other 'letter party' and hope for the best or start from a blank canvas and form my own local outfit?

For reference, I suppose if I were to label myself I'd say "Classic M-L with tankie characteristics".

What are some good books, courses, or YouTube videos where I can really learn to understand the concept of unequal exchange, a communist idea, and the reasons why Western countries make more money than countries in the Global South?

I've recently read some things on this sub that lead me to believe I'm not part of the proletariat. I'd like some opinions from those more educated than myself on where I fit in, and what actions I can take to help the most. I work for a living, light engineering and maintenance in the energy industry. Firmly white collar. I make a decent wage, over $150k/yr, but I've not been steadily employed the past decade. I live in a house that I pay a mortgage on. Car payments. I've made a fair bit of bad decisions, so retirement is not guaranteed for me, though I understand that might not make a bit of difference, but it is part of what led me to communism.

I'd like recommendations of texts that may explain where someone like me fits in. Are the only options proletariat, petty bourgeois, and bourgeois?

Maybe the question doesn't even make sense. Let me know.

I'd like to call myself a communist someday (is that even a thing when I'm living in capitalism?). At the time though I'm admittedly stuck resisting because of fear. The same fear that keeps people in line when they see homeless people living in tents.

Anyway, hopefully you all are healthy, safe and warm.

-confused and unsure