this post was submitted on 19 Nov 2025
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The Deprogram Podcast

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"As revolutionaries, we don't have the right to say that we're tired of explaining. We must never stop explaining. We also know that when the people understand, they cannot but follow us. In any case, we, the people, have no enemies when it comes to peoples. Our only enemies are the imperialist regimes and organizations." Thomas Sankara, 1985


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[–] amemorablename@lemmygrad.ml 20 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Socialism is not, as a practice, for the purpose of supporting imperialism or genocide.

That said, I think I see what's going on. There is probably a better primer on dialectics someone could provide, but this is what I have on hand to recommend, so here it is: https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/mao/selected-works/volume-1/mswv1_17.htm

Here is the conclusion from it:

We may now say a few words to sum up. The law of contradiction in things, that is, the law of the unity of opposites, is the fundamental law of nature and of society and therefore also the fundamental law of thought. It stands opposed to the metaphysical world outlook. It represents a great revolution in the history of human knowledge. According to dialectical materialism, contradiction is present in all processes of objectively existing things and of subjective thought and permeates all these processes from beginning to end; this is the universality and absoluteness of contradiction. Each contradiction and each of its aspects have their respective characteristics; this is the particularity and relativity of contradiction. In given conditions, opposites possess identity, and consequently can coexist in a single entity and can transform themselves into each other; this again is the particularity and relativity of contradiction. But the struggle of opposites is ceaseless, it goes on both when the opposites are coexisting and when they are transforming themselves into each other, and becomes especially conspicuous when they are transforming themselves into one another; this again is the universality and absoluteness of contradiction. In studying the particularity and relativity of contradiction, we must give attention to the distinction between the principal contradiction and the non-principal contradictions and to the distinction between the principal aspect and the non-principal aspect of a contradiction; in studying the universality of contradiction and the struggle of opposites in contradiction, we must give attention to the distinction between the different forms of struggle. Otherwise we shall make mistakes. If, through study, we achieve a real understanding of the essentials explained above, we shall be able to demolish dogmatist ideas which are contrary to the basic principles of Marxism-Leninism and detrimental to our revolutionary cause, and our comrades with practical experience will be able to organize their experience into principles and avoid repeating empiricist errors. These are a few simple conclusions from our study of the law of contradiction.

You might be inclined to think I'm trying to "make excuses" somehow taking the conversation in this direction. Why I'm taking it in this direction is you seem to be operating on a binary train of thought that goes something like: if there is any perceived/alleged contradiction between one thing and another, then one or the other must be wholly thrown out. With dialectics, we work out how to navigate the contradictions inherent in things in order to develop toward something better.

Idealism might say we can overcome this with sheer willpower and conviction instead, and bypass the need to engage with contradictions. But the evidence would indicate that doesn't work, especially at scale, and people largely need to be organized in relation to their conditions in order to develop into a different form, which then changes their conditions and also changes the organization and so on.

If you'd like, you are welcome to dislike me and think that I, like you speak about China, am not doing enough for the most victimized in the world. But I will still try to make this point about process and development.

[–] davel@lemmygrad.ml 6 points 2 days ago

Common metaphysical, binary thinking L., which may lead to doomerist disengagement or neoconservatism. Revolutionaries in Disguise: The Trotskyist Origins of American Neoconservatism and the Globalization of Ideological Warfare

[–] prof_tincoa@lemmygrad.ml 18 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Comrades being the reincarnation of Sankara with such patience these days 🙏😅 ty

[–] amemorablename@lemmygrad.ml 18 points 3 days ago

I am touched, thank you. I could not manage it without the good example and learning help from others over the years. ❤️