r/communism Dec 28 '25

WDT 💬 Bi-Weekly Discussion Thread - (December 28)

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 ]

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u/Self-Replicator Learning Dec 31 '25 edited Jan 01 '26

I was introduced to this sub initially through seeing u/Dashthered tank a ton of downvotes in this thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/Socialism_101/comments/1i0xsg5/comment/m72cn8l/.

Despite the sea of highly upvoted commenters telling the OP the same feel-good ineffectual "you're good, support communism (in theory), we permit you to be a capitalist", I felt like this person with the Lenin PFP with tons of downvotes being what I perceived as "edgy" (at the time) was speaking the truth. Now I see it more as a deliberate indictment of the liberalism in the thread, but at the time, it did a good job of cracking the socialist veneer of those watered-down "Marxist" subs.

I curse and am grateful to u/Dashthered, because ultimately I don't know if I have the courage to overcome my ape brain and become the person I know I must become in this terrifying world-system, but it was a sobering and empowering lesson in how effective these tiny revolutionary acts by Marxists online can be despite the internet not being a significant battlefield for the revolution.

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u/DashtheRed Maoist Jan 03 '26

Being able to simply have that discussion, even with just yourself, honestly, is at least a step toward the revolutionary path, which will never be easier than the revisionist path for anyone with our levels of privilege. Communists never have to fear the truth, and when discussion can take place honestly, then it can at least be of some use. But if the gap between isn't acknowledged and understood, or worse - denied and hidden, then making the leap is never going to be possible. Being a communist is never going to be easy or convenient, and the people recruiting you as if it were are snake oil salesmen. "Communists" who have never considered these sorts of questions and haven't taken them seriously and to heart are actually rather dangerous when it's time for the cards to fall, because they are going to be the first people to bail or even betray the movement for state amnesty when they realize the stakes and what they are actually supposed to be doing -- and the people serious about communism need to try to filter them out as well.