this post was submitted on 16 Oct 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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Real fucking damage being done here. Imagine someone being curious about socialism and went into that fucking place but ended up finding conservative, imperialist MAGA larping as socialist and spew hateful reactionary rhetorics about important social issues that serious socialists are actually in support of, and they ended up thinking "oh no socialists are bad people and untrustworthy!" ... Like the poster I was responding to is a lib but what could have been an educative conversation turned into this. I'm not sure if my comment would even reach that person. I'm loosing way too many brain cells over this.

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[–] Saymaz@lemmygrad.ml 24 points 2 days ago (1 children)

It's fascinating how all leftist subs are getting systematically nuked by reddit by they never touch these ones.

[–] rainpizza@lemmygrad.ml 10 points 2 days ago

Same old same old. COINTELPRO lives on and people keep falling for it:

This is just one piece of evidence showing how US cops and feds use anarchism and ultra-left ideology to disrupt the socialist movement and disguise imperialist talking points as “left-wing.”

[–] KrupskayaPraxis@lemmygrad.ml 24 points 2 days ago (1 children)

This is why I hate Reddit. Socialism gets suppressed there and only perversions are allowed there. That's why I'm planning to delete my Reddit account. I only keep it to follow some subreddits for the Dutch elections, but after that I'm planning to delete it.

[–] stink@lemmygrad.ml 19 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (2 children)

Be a real one and get banned for telling fascists to kill themselves

[–] SippyCup@lemmy.ml 11 points 2 days ago

I mean I got banned for a parody account of a politician. It doesn't take much

[–] darkernations@lemmygrad.ml 9 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

I don't think the ACP are dangerous relative to say democrats, DSA, or republicans. Those that buy into their reactionary messaging have perceived material interests otherwise they wouldn't be doing so.

I think as MLs we have to really unlearn metaphysical concepts of how persuasion works and the myth of "brainwashing"; we are meant to be dialectical materialists which means the material always comes before the idea. For example, the material interests of colonialism furthered racism not the other way around.

I understand we are all at different stages of our ML journey and the above might ruffle up some feathers, and if one is a westerner living in the imperial cores it will inevitably mean some deep internal and external reflection to identify who in our populations truly has revolutionary potential*, and who we can compromise with to make a mass movement without tailism (think what the 4 smaller stars of the PRC flag means!), and sometimes appreciating the futility with some online crusades at attempts to "raise awareness" without considering the marxist scientific theory of political change.

Truly understanding the above will lead to two things: (1) a correct approach to class analysis and revolution (2) revolutionary optimism.

A must-read for all MLs on "brainwashing": https://redsails.org/masses-elites-and-rebels/

What are the strategic consequences of decisively rejecting the tripartite social theory advanced by Orwell, and adopting Marx’s all-encompassing one instead? The basic call to action looks something like this:

Stop accusing the masses of being “brainwashed.” Stop treating them as cattle, stop attempting to rouse them into action by scolding them with exposure to “unpleasant truths.”

Accept instead that they have been avoiding those truths for a reason. You were able to break through the propaganda barrier, and so could they if they really wanted to. Many of these people see you as the fool, and in many cases not without reason.

Understanding people as intelligent beings, craft a political strategy that convincingly makes the case for why they and their lot are very likely to benefit from joining your political project. Not in some utopian infinite timescale, but soon.

If you cannot make this case, then forget about convincing the person in question. Focus instead on finding other people to whom such a case can be made. This will lead you directly to class analysis.

I began this essay by relating the tough lesson that people often weren’t receptive to my research into anticommunist atrocity propaganda narratives. However, this wasn’t the only lesson I learned in all this time...

*ie benefits from the end of USAmerican imperialism in this timeline. So for example, if socdem politics in spreading the loot of imperialism is considered a greater material benefit than the end of US imperialism well then you may find it challenging to convince otherwise. Yes this is hard. But not impossible. As Kwame Ture said wherever there is oppression by definition there is resistance, even if that resistance appears to be silent. I suspect MLs will need to do a stastical deep dive of US population to understand who need to be targeted and how.

[–] haui@lemmygrad.ml 27 points 2 days ago

I think this stems from a huge misinterpretation of the situation to be honest.

Reddit at this point is a fascist manipulation machine which actively supports all forms of misinformation supporting fascism and opposing socialism, antiimperialism, etc.

It is absolutely clear that all forms of perversion will be present there and imo there is no chance in hell that we will "win" on reddit.

If I may risk a suggestion, I would actively encourage people to get their information elsewhere wile pointing out the hypocrisy on reddit itself.

I deleted my reddit account because I cant handle loosing braincells all the time and I'm more productive using my skills otherwise to advance the cause. I understand reddit is a battlegroud but it is not a fair one. It's controlled by fascists and imo we should think about it differently. Maybe we should work on protesting reddit instead of individual discussions. Or we send teams that pose as right wingers to subtly point out contradictions.

I just think one needs to be aware that reddit pretty much is the führerbunker at this point and tactics need to change.

[–] Alaskaball@hexbear.net 20 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

Historically during ww2 there were german communists, anarchists, and socdems that joined the nazi party. They earned the nickname "beefsteak nazis" or "roast beef nazis". They were usually called so to distinguish them from the normal nazis as they were more Strasserite than Hitlerite in their socioeconomic outlook. Wiki article for further reading

So for the acp, they're the opposite to the beefsteak nazis as they're fascists larping as communists, so I want to coin their nickname as "Ground Beef Communists" red on the outside, brown on the inside. That's because pre-packaged ground beef red on the outside and sometimes dull, grayish-brown inside. Oxygen from the air reacts with meat pigments to form a bright red color which is usually seen on the surface of meat purchased in the supermarket. The pigment responsible for the red color in meat is oxymyoglobin, a substance found in all warm-blooded animals. The interior of the meat may be grayish brown due to lack of oxygen.

Their rank and file are rank and filled with literal fascists ranging from outright fascists that shit and giggle themselves over finding a way to "infiltrate the left" to the "confused" fascists who follow dugin's mystic fascist nonsense. They're another head on the sheepdog to chase the working class away from class consciousness.

[–] Sickos@hexbear.net 6 points 2 days ago

I'd prefer "lead diet fascists"

[–] ArcticFoxSmiles@lemmygrad.ml 18 points 3 days ago (2 children)

This ACP are hype up on American patriotism and American exceptionalism. Midwestern Marxism was dismissing settler colonialism and trying to justify the Native American genocide. They are the same people who are talk about how the Founding Fathers would have supported communism. This is just the American version of the National Bolshevism and National Socialism movements that had came out of Europe.

[–] mistermodal@lemmy.ml 9 points 2 days ago

It's just DSA for college republican types. It's not like the ACP invented basing your party around social media, engaging in basic church group activism, and talking about making America great again. Western leftists have been doing that the whole time. So, yeah, it's Hitler. You live and breathe Hitlerism.

[–] Cecil_Bollinger@lemmy.ml 6 points 2 days ago

Yeah. And they're somehow trying to market themselves as actual socialists. We are living in weird times.

[–] Darkcommie@lemmygrad.ml 12 points 3 days ago
[–] mistermodal@lemmy.ml 0 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Oh no, we lost a guy who says "vatnik" in 2025. I guess we'll have to work with the world majority instead.

Would you like to receive a lecture on why the ACP has extremely close politics to the DSA, PSL, CPUSA, and the alt media connections they all have are identical with the only difference being whether it leads back to Larouche or Brian Becker? They are literally just palette swapped western leftists who hate gay people. Everyone involved treats Heidegger like a serious philosopher.

[–] darkernations@lemmygrad.ml 11 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Would you like to receive a lecture on why the ACP has extremely close politics to the DSA, PSL, CPUSA, and the alt media connections they all have are identical with the only difference being whether it leads back to Larouche or Brian Becker? They are literally just palette swapped western leftists who hate gay people. Everyone involved treats Heidegger like a serious philosopher.

Please do (asked in good faith, especially PSL/Becker and their relation with the fascist Heidegger).

[–] Cecil_Bollinger@lemmy.ml 10 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Last I checked PSL's official website clearly state that they are in support of LGBTQ rights as well as feminism and immigrant right, they do not "hate gay people". The guy above you is lying about at least one thing.

[–] darkernations@lemmygrad.ml 7 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

I've heard the poster's critique before so I am wary of dismissing it. The west has a long history of posing as progressive but only to use that as a club to bludegeon post (formal) colonisation countries with cultural reactionary sensibilities as a justification for imperialism; ie an extension on the White Man's Burden

I am not saying that this what they were alluding to but I want to hear what they say, I would be surprised there isn't something to learn here.

[–] Cecil_Bollinger@lemmy.ml 4 points 2 days ago

I just realized that. Yeah I might have misunderstood their meaning.

[–] mistermodal@lemmy.ml -1 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

You misunderstood, I was saying that the ACP is just like the other orgs I mentioned. These orgs see themselves as the polar opposite of the ACP, but they have very similar politics that coddle the labor aristocracy in the US. (Go read The People's Republic of Walmart and tell me the DSA didn't lay the foundation for ACP shitposting lol.) These are the distinctions I made.

  • right wing culture war nonsense (EDIT: TO BE SUPER SUPER CLEAR THIS IS THE HATING GAY PEOPLE PART)

  • obsession with the petit boug over ludicrously-compensated office workers (both are your class enemies)

  • different network of alt media funding that intersects with many of the same people despite having separate ideological aims

There are infinite quirks, there are infinite ideological flip flops we can point to on either side to try to create more distinctions. I highlight structural similarities because the ideology of fascism shifts constantly. Just take a look at Mussolini's leftoidism

[–] Cecil_Bollinger@lemmy.ml 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Interesting criticism. I could read more into that.

[–] mistermodal@lemmy.ml 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Just a quick summary, I immediately cringed at how much I left out here. So, I'll drop a link later. It gets long fast & I have trouble not getting lost in a tangent about, say, loose ends related to Medea Benjamin/whoever. 🔜 Rage Against the War Machine rally feels like the point where everyone just started playing Calvinball and interviewing Kash Patel (But Leftistly)

[–] RedWizard@hexbear.net 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Let me know when you post that link; I'm curious as well.

[–] mistermodal@lemmy.ml 2 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Right on, mostly gonna be on Rednote the rest of the week and reading so if I post on here it will be that in 2~ days because my notes used to be VERY BAD and I gotta edit this shit down

[–] mistermodal@lemmy.ml 3 points 2 days ago

Yes charging up in my dreams brb 🫡