A lot of it reads as gobbledygook, but this stood out to me re Obama’s “you didn’t build that”: “These people cannot understand that their wealth and power are not their sovereign creations but the shared product of the wider state and society that supports and sustains them.” Exactly!
I read it as, consider reading Karl Marx as homework. I get it though, it’s academic stuff that’s hard to read and comprehend. And I say this as someone who’s read Marx, so I understand.
Near as I can tell, my stance is closest to a “Simonist” (@audacityofdespair.bsky.social) marxism. But I haven’t studied enough to be sure. I wouldn’t say that paper was a great advertisement though.
maybe astute, but he assigns the root cause as bernie sanders in 2016 when in reality it was obama who first harnessed the internet and social media. and as such that played into the undercurrent of racism amongst these tech bros. bernie is a minor player in all of this.
They (religions) are all capitalists as well, ESPECIALLY the Catholic Church. When capitalists are thriving and the rest of society is struggling, that’s very good for their business model (which was renamed “ponzi scheme” a few years ago).
It's bullshit--Thiel and Musk are from South Africa--they were just hiding what they have always believed. And they have radicalized their fellow billionaires (with Putin's assistance).
But what will be the most effective actions to counter these forces? We have yet— going as far back as Marx— to prevail, or at least in any lasting way.
We the people have the power, dollar power “Boycott red states!” Too broad Boycott according to money&influence Amazon Trader Joe’s Walmart X Meta CC
Buy essentials only Food from small ethnic grocers farmer markets & co-ops Services from local small business Starve the source of our oppression
Excellent,tx.,Chris!! So overnight, I was thinking about the fact that Musk and Zuckerberg are moving offices, production, etc. to Texas! Because Abbot will give them red free rein, but also to try to impoverish rich Calif. and punish us for being blue. Even if 6M voted for DT.Think about that!
I am in Seattle so I’m looking forward to seeing you tonight. During the Q&A, I’m going to ask you if the attention theory is analogous to labor, is there a way to “unionize our attention” collectively to be able to protect it and benefit off it and not give it away?
Congratulations to Melania and Justin Trudeau on their first expected sexual experience!
The USA can defer 1/2 of the $100 Million dollars worth of Condoms going to Gaza for your personal use!
Thanks Chris. That was a good read. I have to make one admission though. I could barely get through the Marc Andreeson quote. It's just painful to read that much pseudo-intellectual claptrap. These guys just aren't that bright.
"In the process of accumulating enormous wealth, the tech-oligarchs created the conditions for their loss of social power and, when they realized this, they got a big dose of class consciousness and turned furiously reactionary."
Like being back in college. The only thing is that being in a red area in a red state, most of these people didn't know what a tariff does or what it is. They are still looking for the cheaper eggs.
Not really. No one actually believes in the theory of dialectical materialism any more, since Marx and Engeks were pretty much wrong about everything. Lotta words in it though.
Nah. The premise of this seems to be the fallacious assumption that the Silicon Valley technolibertarians were ever progressive, or Democrat or liberal to begin with, cf Peter Thiel, Curtis Yarvin &c.
Yesterday was like watching a favorite boxer who stumbled through a first bruising round suddenly wake up and start throwing hard punches. America is rising. It's not a bonfire in my soul, just a steady candle. But, for the first time since the election, I see light. https://youtu.be/VUY0_TZ0jdU?...
@lioneltrolling.bsky.social is one the best writers on the recent history of the conservative movement how we got to where we are today. His book is fantastic.
"These people cannot understand that their wealth and power are not their sovereign creations but the shared product of the wider state and society that supports and sustains them."
Except it is not simple. This article is deep and difficult but it definitely gets to the heart of why tech and Trump are together, at least in this tumultuous moment. And it scares the hell out of me.
Fascinating: "And they’d would work furiously on the development of their Manhattan Project, their atomic bomb to drop on the professional-managerial class and replace them permanently with robots. They’d also pump up their bribe system for the lumpen elements: cryptocurrency."
I need an ELI5 for this honestly. There's a lot of really deep political discourse happening from people who have been very well-educated on these matters for a large portion of their lives. I don't have the capacity to be overwhelmed by the gov't and learn the whole of marxist ideology right now. 😭
the simple version: the essay examines why silicon valley went from being supposedly liberal with fairly progressive values to its current reactionary state under trump 2. it uses marx as a framework to posit that tech companies (and esp social media) inadvertently created their own downfall by...
...aiding the formation of genuine leftist and progressive movements online. socmed was tech's attempt to profit and acquire more power (often with the help of dem lawmakers), but its success empowered its harshest critics, until even dems wanted to regulate tech. tech went reactionary in response
note that i personally disagree with some of this, namely the belief that silicon valley was ever truly progressive. the strong libertarian streak and belief that some people (programmers) are better than others has persisted since the early days of online forums. socmed has helped the left though
"But, John, let’s get real: there was no real revolution, this reaction is all just an overreaction.” In what universe does great wealth lead to a loss of "social power"? And to say Bernie's quixotic runs came close to succeeding is a complete denial of reality.
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I’m sure they’ll be benevolent masters. 🥴
https://www.change.org/shadowcabinet
(see https://snyder.substack.com/p/shadow-cabinet)
But what will be the most effective actions to counter these forces? We have yet— going as far back as Marx— to prevail, or at least in any lasting way.
Although I know history isn’t teleological.
Damn it.
IT'S GREAT FOR A FEW BRAVE REPRESENTATIVES TO SHOW UP & JOIN ILLEGALLY LOCKED OUT FEDERAL EMPLOYEES AT USAID.
BUT WE NEED FOR EACH AND EVERY DEMOCRATIC REPRESENTATIVES AND SENATORS TO MARCH TOGETHER!
STOP THE TAX DOLLAR STEAL!!!!
The fight to overturn every part of the liberal project of the past 5 centuries.
https://time.com/7212931/protests-against-trump-project-2025-planned-us-cities/?utm_source=beehiiv&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter-the-brief&_bhlid=fb93c37a84406fc16bc41b33f3550f3ee6ef765e
Politicians within the @democrats.org are in minority both on Congress & Senate.
So, its the people who have the power - to change.
Boycott RED States.
That may pave the way to flip Congress & Senate.
Buy essentials only Food from small ethnic grocers farmer markets & co-ops Services from local small business Starve the source of our oppression
The USA can defer 1/2 of the $100 Million dollars worth of Condoms going to Gaza for your personal use!
- Karl Marx
https://youtu.be/VUY0_TZ0jdU?...
No war but class war