You're implying that state governments have a negligible impact on towns & cities. That's just a ridiculous assumption. Red states have deeply failed their people. You don't value your cities at all! You said fuck Atlanta, fuck Memphis, fuck Little Rock; I need to win an internet argument!
"If you don't count the places where red states have failed, then red states have actually succeeded." Is school illegal in Tennessee?
I did make an assumption. I think it's a pretty accurate assumption, because it's really easy to prove me wrong. "If the Lord commanded me to kill a group of people because they are sinful, I would refuse His command." If you made a comment like that, I would lose this argument.
Your only repost is of Gavin Newsom comparing Trump's actions to that of various dictators. That's the gap in rhetoric vs action I'm talking about. Is he like a dictator? You say he is, but you're derisively dismissing the 2nd Amendment, which suggests you're exaggerating and he isn't that bad.
This is only a "gotcha" question because I actually gotcha lol For any normal and well-adjusted person, whether they're religious or not, that's an incredibly easy question to answer. But you would totally kill people if only God told you to! You're in a cult
You have a chance to prove that you're a better person than those damn godless communists. If God commanded you to commit a mass murder just as he commanded the Israelites, would you do it?
If the Lord commanded you to kill somebody (which he does frequently in the Hebrew Bible) would you do it?
Imagine a soldier killed somebody's entire family. Now he goes through whatever "process" to marry her (lmao). Do you seriously think he has her consent? That isn't consent. There's a huge power dynamic, the implication of what he'd do to her if she declined. Coerced sex is rape.
Oh yeah I'm sure they just innocently took the virgins. All the boys are dead! All the sullied women are dead! The virgin girls are kept alive for purely noble reasons I'm sure. Do people seriously believe this crap? How gullible can you be?
Numbers 31, verses 17 and 18 specifically, is the example I gave The Israelites initially only captured the women and children of the Midianites. But Moses gets angry at the army officers. "I specifically told you to kill them ALL." Moses then instructs them to keep the virgin women for themselves.
This is the kind of abhorrent, stone-age stupidity that is characteristic of religion at its worst. Raping and pillaging is bad. A God that allows you to be raped, or tells you to rape others, is evil. The only reason this is controversial is because of your personal religious dogmas.
So you say the Israelites had the divine right to kill every man, woman, and child as well as keep every virgin woman as a sex slave? Rape is good if the Lord allows you to do it as a revenge conquest, is that your opinion?
With God's justification, anything is permissible. When the Lord commanded Moses and the Israelites to kill every man, woman, and child of a feuding tribe (but to leave the virgin women alive to keep for themselves), was that a good thing? Numbers 31:1-18
If the Lord commands it, is it okay to kill people? For example, Numbers 31:1-18, where the Lord commanded Moses and the Israelites to kill every man, woman, and child of a feuding tribe (but to leave the virgin women alive to keep for themselves)?
And assuming Paul uses "fornicators" to mean sex outside of marriage, the topic of gay marriage is important. If same-sex marriage is not valid according to the Bible (though I'm not knowledgeable enough to weigh in on whether it is), any same-sex intercourse can only be fornication, right?
If arsenokoitai is "men who take the active role in an act of male same-sex intercourse," and if malakoi or effeminate is "men who take the passive role in an act of male same-sex intercourse," then Paul seems to encompass anyone who we would understand today as being gay, no?
It's a tough call, but I think Schumer still tops the list of my useless dipshits. Voting for cloture in the Senate to avoid shutting down the government and allowing Republicans to freely pass their budget is an all-time bitch move
There is a huge disparity between the urgency of Democrat rhetoric and the action being called for. On the one hand, this is a fascist military crackdown. On the other hand, hang out for another year until midterms. What about reminding left-wingers that they have rights under the 2nd Amendment?
Andrew Jackson and his Congress are probably most notable for the Trail of Tears, the forced expulsion of native americans from their lands. Would you say that constitutional republics sound good in theory, but once in power they turn to violent ethnic cleansing?
I'm sorry to hear that. At the same time, it's a bit unfair to take your emotions over that crime, and project it onto unrelated people like me just because we might share an ideology. Thomas Jefferson raped one of his slaves, does that mean democracy and capitalism lead to slave rape?
"It's what the centre left needs to do"? Does this mean that Labour can adopt certain policy positions primarily to win people over in a FPTP election, and not because they necessarily believe it's the best policy?
That's a bit reductionist. For one example, I noticed the flags in your bio. The Soviet Union was very progressive on homosexuality (at least prior to Stalin). In the USA, some of the earliest gay rights advocates and allies were communists (e.g. Harry Hay of the Mattachine Society).
They did it in 2016 too. They've tried to do it now, near where I live, with the New York City mayor's race. Maybe I'm just projecting because of how supremely weak the Democrats are... but the center-left party attacking their own left flank has been a political disaster over here.
Between the Tories + Reform appealing to the right because that's their base, and Labour appealing to the right in the name of "unity" or electoral strategy, there are vanishingly few parties that appeal to the left. I suppose we'll see if my prediction comes true.
Florida Cubans don't wanna live in a place similar to Joe Biden. They think Nancy Pelosi is a Maoist or whatever the fuck Fox News says. Ask a Florida Cuban what they think about Kamala Harris--does their answer make you want to support Trump?
Labour has its seats in large part because Reform split the vote with Tories. Ever since those results came in, I've predicated that Tories would radicalize and/or Reform would get bigger, while the wimpy centrist policies of Starmer's Labour would lead to defeat in the next election.
I didn't say Starmer himself is to blame for Trump. I said that a political culture of centrists who attack the left, believing the best electoral strategy is appealing to the right, while the right-wing radicalizes and embraces populism, is exactly the conditions of Trump-era America.
Well now it just feels like we're in the Oppression Olympics. "Yes atrocities can come from anywhere, but your atrocities are worse, so ha ha I win." Why not just focus on advancing human rights? There's nothing about the collective and democratic ownership of capital that has to be authoritarian.
Did you ever have to live as a slave in a capitalist country? An indigenous person while colonizers were searching for new lands to exploit? It feels like you're applying a harsh double standard. Capitalism is good in spite of its atrocities, Marxism is bad because of its atrocities.
Do you ever wonder why Florida Cubans are such a reliably pro-Trump voting bloc? The same people who were fine with Batista, but fled Castro, now tend to support Trump? To me, that is a shining endorsement of Cuba. I would probably like to visit if the US government didn't ban people from doing so.
It's upsetting watching the UK centrists fall into the same trap as our American centrists. Attacking the left and trying to appeal to the right is how we ended up with another term of Trump.
I think it's primarily because in 2020, 1) Republicans have terrible policies, and 2) Covid era mail-in voting increased turnout In 2024, 1) People have goldfish brains about how dumb GOP policies are, and 2) Kamala was an uninspired establishment candidate and Trump went all-in on populism
The Trump administration is not communist in any possible sense of the term. Communism comes from the writings of Karl Marx and others, it doesn't just mean "When the government does something you don't like". I thought only Republicans defined it like that.
I think people should live where they want to live, and make their city as dense as they want it. It's NIMBYs who enforce a low-density lifestyle on everyone else. Max heights, min lot size, max FAR, min setbacks... these enforce low-population densities against people's wishes.
Do you ever wonder why Florida Cubans are such a reliably pro-Trump voter bloc? People who were fine during Batista's military dictatorship, but fled during Castro, now tend to support Trump and the Republicans? I don't know about you, but to me, that's a shining endorsement of Cuban communism
The watermelon is associated with pro-Palestine advocacy, because watermelons are red, green, and black. You can see that the flier calls for a ceasefire. Many believe Zohran has good policy ideas, that Democrats would be more competitive if they moved away from politicians like Adams and Cuomo
Oh right, I'm sorry, you do more than just post. You study theory too. You crash out on the internet, and you study theory. The life of an American tankie.
I don't want to kill you, dumbass. I am a communist. I have read Marx and I agree with his assessment. You're going on an unhinged posting spree about how a fellow Marxist should be killed. If you ever actually accomplished anything besides posting on the internet, maybe I'd even be afraid.
Yeah, the conversation was on Stalin's purges. I suppose it is true that liberals would be irrelevant if we killed anyone whom the leaders claim are insufficiently committed to their shared value of humanity.
Trotsky was Nazi trash war criminal liberal? Are you sure about that? I don't think Lenin would've agreed with you at all. Are you sure you're a real communist?
Stalin cared a great deal what dissenters thought. It wasn't good enough that Trotsky fled to Mexico, Stalin still had him assassinated. Is that what shared humanity looks like?
How are you going to unite people on a platform of "Stalin's Purges didn't happen, and if they did, they were good actually"?
Once you implement your ideal Marxist vision, what is your plan to deal with fraudulent liberal trash like me?
That's true, my double-digit follower count is no match for you. I wonder how many of your followers would kill you for being a CIA agents. Are there any hardline Stalinists among your follower list who are fine with criminalizing homosexuality?
How do you expect to achieve anything in politics if you can't answer something as simple as "Hey, if I join you, are you going to kill me?" And no offense, but I don't think you and your ttrpgs are going to seize power by force anytime soon. I'm sorry but I think you're at an ideological dead-end
What would happen to CIA agents like myself once your ideal Marxist vision comes to fruition?
I just think it's hypocritical to say that Stalin's purges were fine and that anyone who hates Stalin is a fed.... when you yourself would've been put imprisoned under his leadership!
I'm a communist. Would you like to kill me?
Nice pinned post by the way. Unfortunately, Stalin chose to recriminalize homosexuality in the 1930s. He would've called you a degenerate poisoned by western gender ideologies. marxist.com/letter-to-st...
It's not a boot. It's objective about the evidence. The Great Purge killed lots of people, including lots of other communists who Stalin perceived as a rival. You shouldn't support that.
Religion was a tool of the monarchy. How convenient it was that serfs had to be docile and pay a tithe to get into heaven. And how convenient it was that the king could change the religion when he wanted to get a divorce.
I suppose I just don't understand why you're so casual about the idea of killing or imprisoning people who don't fit your brand of communism? Especially when you yourself would've been killed or imprisoned, with your pro-LGBTQ stances not fitting Stalin's faulty brand of communism.
Buzzword buzzword buzzword buzzword
That comment seems like a long-winded way of saying "I disagree with what Stalin did in this case." I'll take what I can get. He's not a perfect ruler. He had flaws, limited by his understanding of what he believed was the right thing to do. His purges were another awful stain on his legacy, right?
Of course not. Plenty of time to keep putting those queers in prison though!
Do you have low self-respect? Just because it was illegal in America, that doesn't make it okay for Stalin to have chosen to recriminalize homosexuality. Carrying all this water for a guy who'd call you a degenerate before putting you in prison. How sad.
"Never bothered to change it" is actually such a hilarious answer. He was so busy sending other communists to labor prisons, it totally slipped his mind that homosexuality was against the law.
? bsky.app/profile/mete...
Trotsky got an ice pick driven through his skull You're not gonna build a mass movement of solidarity if people think you might kill them. And no offense, but I don't think you and your audiobooks are going to be seizing power by force either. I'm sorry but I think you're at an ideological dead-end
It wasn't criminalized under Lenin. Stalin hated homosexuals with such a passion, he actively chose to regress.
Nice profile picture by the way. Unfortunately, homosexuality was criminalized in the USSR in 1934. Stalin would have called you a degenerate. marxist.com/letter-to-st...
I can understand why you're being evasive. I'm asking you some very pointed questions. Answering "Yes" would mean that you think the Great Purge was real and also good actually; answering "No" would mean that you disagree with Stalin on certain topics. It's tough.
Should anti-communists be killed or imprisoned? If yes, and if anti-Stalinism = anti-communism, it logically follows that those who oppose Stalin should be imprisoned or killed. Is that how you feel? Would you like to kill or imprison me?
That didn't really answer my question. Was Stalin correct to have had Trotsky assassinated? Or is it possible that the guy didn't do everything right all the time?
I am a communist. I'd certainly consider myself closer to the likes of Trotsky, Goldman, and Luxemburg than Stalin. Would you like to kill me?
Is this better? According to official figures from the NKVD, approximately a million deaths in the great purge is a reasonable estimate. sovietinfo.tripod.com/ELM-Repressi...
Wikipedia is a useful introductory resource for people unfamiliar with a topic. Leon Trotsky was a fascist opportunist and raging anti-semite who needed to be assassinated all the way over in Mexico? Are you sure? I don't think Lenin would've agreed with you.
It's not completely made up. At best you could argue that there is uncertainty, but it is undoubtedly true that Stalin was personally responsible for many deaths, including the deaths of other communists who he perceived as threats. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_P...
It's not a matter of disagreement. Following the dissolution of the USSR, Russia underwent various liberalizing reforms collectively known as Shock Therapy. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shock_t... It is factually incorrect to say that modern day Russia is communist.
Do you raise a child with the expectation that you'll make a profit off of it? Does one child go hungry if they can't compete with their siblings?
You've never worked once
Lol. Is that what Marx wrote? You *do* have democratic remit. The people who did this were duly elected by the people, and you have the option to vote for new members of parliament in the next election. Even by your own ridiculous definition, this is the action of a capitalist democracy.
Just nonsense. The way you're using the word, you seem to define Communism as "When the government does something I don't like"
Like what? What was so dangerous about Trotsky being in Mexico that Stalin had no choice but to assassinate him?
I'm a communist. Would you kill me if you were afraid of a western coup?
The Marxist-YIMBY theory goes like this: Strict zoning regulations increase the average amount of labor it takes to build each unit of housing in a region (e.g. hundreds more hours spent fighting for a zoning variance). Therefore the exchange-value of housing in the region goes up.
You're saying high rents cause low vacancy rates? Then what causes high rents? You can get a 1-bed in Lubbock, Texas right now for only ~$700 per month. Why so cheap? Does Lubbock have tight rent controls, strong tenants unions, and robust eviction protections and I just never heard of it?
The Trump administration is not communist in any possible sense of the term
Why do the more expensive states tend to have lower rental vacamcy rates, and vice versa? Why do cities like NYC and Boston tend to have the lowest rental vacancy rates of all? ipropertymanagement.com/research/ren...
Nothing particularly revolutionary about killing every man, woman, and child but leaving the virgin women alive to be your sex slave
What a psychotic religion
Florida Cubans, who were fine with the military dictatorship of Batista, fled during Castro and now tend to support Trump. To me personally, that is a shining endorsement of Cuba, and evidence that it's probably actually quite good.
I'm curious how you interpret this in the context of the New Testament. We can agree the Romans had this "worldwide slavery," right? When New Testament authors talk about treating slaves and slavemasters with respect, rather than saying the practice of slavery is a sin, what do you make of that?
In Numbers 31, The Lord and Moses command the Israelites to enact vengeance on the Midianites. Moses was angry that they allowed the women and children to live. So they killed all boys and most woman (Moses said to keep the virgins for themselves). Biblical values, am I right!
Which verses? I've supplied many verses about slavery. The Bible can mean whatever you want it to mean if we choose to interpret it in ways that suit your needs.
"Owning humans as property isn't REAL capitalism, that's mercantilism." You're starting to sound like a leftist!
It's just awfully convenient for you to believe that the Holodomor is conclusive proof of Marx's failures.... yet the Bengal Famine or the Irish Potato Famine has absolutely nothing to do with individuals who sought to maximize their own profit. Super convenient.
What was slavery done in the name of? The practice of abducting people and owning them as literal human capital to do free labor for you? What motivated colonialism? Subjugating or expelling natives so your industry can expand and exploit their natural resources?
State-Owned Enterprises are responsible for about a quarter of China's GDP. If the people ultimately own the State, the enterprise is theoretically owned collectively by the people. That's a core of what Marxism is. In practice... people have different perspectives, that's where the nuance is.
Furthermore, you seem to apply a double standard. In just the USA, you have slavery, the trail of tears + other native treatment, Buck v Bell, Japanese camps, dozens of coups, wars to contain communism, the Patriot Act + war on terror... Are those damning indictments of capitalism? Why not?
China is a complex case that even leftists are conflicted on. On one hand, it is true that State-Owned Enterprises are a significant part of the economy. On the other hand, it's also true that they allow private ownership of capital. I think saying they "returned to capitalism" omits some nuance.
Race-based slavery as we know it did not exist, because the concept of separating races by skin color is a relatively modern development. If we're talking about forcibly owning another human as your property for life, the Bible is perfectly fine with that. It's delusional to pretend otherwise.
Aside from being a brutal verse in its own right, Exodus 21:20-21 reiterates the notion of slaves being property. Leviticus 25:44-46 is a verse which talks about slaves who are not Israelites. You may buy them and they will be your property for life. This is God speaking directly to Moses at Sinai.
Incorrect. Exodus 21:2 is talking to Israelites about owning fellow Hebrew slaves. Even then, there are conditions where Hebrew slaves can become servants for life. If the master acquires a female slave who bears children; the mother, child, and possibly father are servants for life. Exodus 21:4-6
Except for slavery. Exodus 21:20-21, Ephesians 6:5-9, 1 Timothy 6:1-2....
Do those Biblical values include the tyranny of slavery, Mr Douglass?
? en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_...
Does the scripture have any verses about me doing your mom?
Appeasement is a famously effective electoral strategy
What happens when the center does not stand up? apnews.com/article/ap-p...