Left-Wing Discussion Thread II: Behind 700,000 Bunkers

[Conscentia]

---

The Left-Wing Discussion Thread
Vol. II
Behind 700,000 Bunkers

---

Welcome all to the Left-Wing Discussion Thread (LWDT), where all are welcome to discuss all matters pertaining to the political left. This is a discussion thread about left-wing politics, not a thread exclusively for left-wing people. All are invited to post here, as long as discussion pertains to the topic and complies with the forum rules.

Suggestions for improvements, changes, or additions to the poll and opening post are very welcome.

The previous iteration of the LWDT can be found here.

Relevant subjects for discussion include:

• The politics, philosophies, and ideologies of the political left.
• Left-wing perspectives on economics and political economy.
• News and history relevant to the political left.
• Left-wing responses to current events.
• Left-wing perspectives on social and economic problems.
• Political, social, cultural, and economic problems and their solutions according to the political left.
• The problems facing particular left-wing movements or the political left in general, and how to resolve them.

Poll History:

”What kind of Leftist are you?”

• Centrist/Moderate/Third wayer - 279 (13%)
• Social Liberal - 259 (12%)
• Social Democrat - 338 (16%)
• Green Progressive - 188 (9%)
• Democratic Socialist - 433 (20%)
• Marxist Communist - 246 (12%)
• Anarchist Communist - 202 (10%)
• Other (please state) - 176 (8%)

Total Votes: 2121 (Recorded 28/11/2016)

”What type of leftist are you?”

• Left-leaning Centrist - 50 (12%)
• Social Liberal - 57 (14%)
• Social Democrat - 62 (15%)
• Democratic Socialist - 80 (19%)
• Marxist Communist - 59 (14%)
• Anarchist Communist - 41 (10%)
• Collectivist Anarchist - 9 (2%)
• Individualist Anarchist - 10 (2%)
• Revolutionary Syndicalist - 22 (5%)
• Other (Please State) - 28 (7%)

Total Votes: 418 (Recorded 26/12/2016)

”What type of leftist are you?”

• Left-leaning Centrist - 57 (13%)
• Left/Social Liberal - 51 (12%)
• Social Democrat - 73 (17%)
• Democratic Socialist - 78 (18%)
• Libertarian Marxist - 22 (5%)
• Other Marxist - 43 (10%)
• Social Anarchist - 31 (7%)
• Individualist Anarchist - 13 (3%)
• Revolutionary Syndicalist - 21 (5%)
• Other (Please State) - 47 (11%)

Total Votes: 436 (Recorded 05/02/2017)

”Favourite Left-Wing Thinker?”

• John Rawls - 11 (7%)
• John Stuart Mill - 12 (8%)
• Karl Marx - 44 (29%)
• Max Stirner - 11 (7%)
• Simone de Beauvoir - 1 (1%)
• Noam Chomsky - 13 (9%)
• Peter Kropotkin - 30 (20%)
• Pierre-Joseph Proudhon - 6 (4%)
• Slavoj Žižek - 7 (5%)
• Other (Please State) - 15 (10%)

Total Votes: 150 (Recorded 19/02/2017)

”Favourite Left-Wing Politician?”

• Bernie Sanders - 25 (17%)
• Clement Attlee - 9 (6%)
• Eugene V. Debs - 19 (13%)
• Franklin D. Roosevelt - 37 (25%)
• François Mitterand - 1 (1%)
• Nikita Krushchev - 4 (3%)
• Nelson Mandela - 21 (14%)
• Salvador Allende - 8 (5%)
• Tony Benn - 4 (3%)
• Other (Please State) - 23 (15%)

Total Votes: 151 (Recorded 14/03/2017)

”Favourite Left-Wing Social Movement/Revolution?”

• French Revolution, 1789 (France) - 61 (14%)
• Spring Of Nations, 1848 (Europe) - 34 (8%)
• October Revolution, 1917 (Russia) - 60 (14%)
• Spanish Revolution, 1936 (Spain) - 57 (14%)
• Chinese Communist Revolution, 1946 (China) - 14 (3%)
• Resistance To Apartheid, 1950 (South Africa) - 24 (6%)
• Cuban Revolution, 1953 (Cuba) - 19 (5%)
• Civil Rights Movement, 1954 (USA) - 123 (29%)
• Occupy Movement, 2011 (International) - 10 (2%)
• Other (Please State) - 19 (5%)

Total Votes: 421 (Recorded 29/7/2017)

Reading Suggestions:
If you’re looking to read something relevant to left-wing politics, consider reading some of the texts below. If you think something’s missing from this list, please post a recommendation. If you think something should be removed, please explain why.

Shortest Texts

• ”The Soul Of Man Under Socialism”
  — Oscar Wilde. (Read Here)
  
• ”In Praise Of Idleness”
  — Bertrand Russell. (Read Here)
  
• ”The Right To The City”
  — David Harvey. (Read Here)
  
• ”An Introduction To The Situationists”
  — Jan D. Matthews. (Read Here)
  
• ”Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses (Notes towards an Investigation)”
  — Louis Althusser. (Read Here)
  
• ”Public Ownership and Common Ownership”
  — Anton Pannekoek. (Read Here)
  
• ”The Marxist Philosophy and the Sciences”
  — J. B. S. Haldane. (Read Here)
  
• ”What is Orthodox Marxism?”
  — György Lukács. (Read Here)
  
• ”Socialism”
  — Sylvia Pankhurst. (Read Here)
  
• ”Why Marxists Oppose Individual Terrorism”
  — Leon Trotsky. (Read Here)
• ”The ABC Of Materialist Dialectics”
  — Leon Trotsky. (Read Here)
  
• ”Patriotism And Poverty”
  — Daniel De Leon. (Read Here)
  
• “The Principles Of Communism”
  — Friedrich Engels. (Read Here)
• “On Authority”
  — Friedrich Engels. (Read Here)
  
• “La Liberté Speech”
  — Karl Marx. (Read Here)
  
• ”There Is No Communism in Russia”
  — Emma Goldman. (Read Here)
  
• ”Listen, Marxist!”
  — Murray Bookchin. (Read Here)
• ”Libertarian Municipalism: An Overview”
  — Murray Bookchin. (Read Here)
  
• ”Active Revolution”
  — An Organizer. (Read Here)
  
• ”Are You An Anarchist? The Answer May Surprise You!”
  — David Graeber. (Read Here)

Medium-Length Texts

• ”Workers' Councils”
  — Anton Pannekoek. (Read Here)
  
• ”The Revolution Betrayed”
  — Leon Trotsky. (Read Here)
• ”The Transitional Program”
  — Leon Trotsky. (Read Here)
  
• ”Reform Or Revolution”
  — Rosa Luxemburg. (Read Here)
• ”The Russian Revolution”
  — Rosa Luxemburg. (Read Here)
  
• ”The State And Revolution”
  — Vladimir Lenin. (Read Here)
  
• ”The Social Revolution”
  — Karl Kautsky. (Read Here)
• ”The Labour Revolution”
  — Karl Kautsky. (Read Here)
  
• ”Evolutionary Socialism”
  — Eduard Bernstein. (Read Here)
  
• ”Socialism: Utopian And Scientific”
  — Friedrich Engels. (Read Here)
  
• “The Civil War In France”
  — Karl Marx. (Read Here)
• “Critique Of The Gotha Program”
  — Karl Marx. (Read Here)
  
• ”The Communist Manifesto”
  — Karl Marx & Friedrich Engels. (Read Here)
  
• ”Civil Disobedience”
  — Henry David Thoreau. (Read Here)
  
• ”Revolutionary Catechism”
  — Mikhail Bakunin. (Read Here)
• ”God and the State”
  — Mikhail Bakunin. (Read Here)
• ”Statism and Anarchy”
  — Mikhail Bakunin. (Read Here)
  
• ”Fragments of an Anarchist Anthropology”
  — David Graeber. (Read Here)

Longest Texts

• ”The Theory of the Leisure Class”
  — Thorstein Veblen (Read Here)
  
• ”The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists”
  — Robert Tressell. (Read Here)
  
• ”The Great Transformation”
  — Karl Polanyi. (Read Here)
  
• ”The Society Of The Spectacle”
  — Guy Debord. (Read Here)
  
• ”For Marx”
  — Louis Althusser. (Read Here)
  
• ”Selections from the Prison Notebooks”
  — Antonio Gramsci. (Read Here)
  
• “The German Ideology”
  — Karl Marx. (Read Here)
  
• ”What is Property?”
  — Pierre-Joseph Proudhon. (Read Here)
  
• ”The Ego And His Own”
  — Max Stirner. (Read Here)
  
• ”The Conquest Of Bread”
  — Peter Kropotkin. (Read Here)
• ”Mutual Aid: A Factor Of Evolution”
  — Peter Kropotkin. (Read Here)
  
• ”What Is Communist Anarchism?”
  — Alexander Berkman. (Read Here)
  
• ”Anarchism and Other Essays”
  — Emma Goldman. (Read Here)
  
• ”The Right To Be Greedy: Theses On The Practical Necessity Of Demanding Everything”
  — For Ourselves. (Read Here)
  
• ”Nihilist Communism: A critique of optimism in the far left”
  — Monsieur Dupont. (Read Here)
  
• ”Black Flame: The Revolutionary Class Politics Of Anarchism And Syndicalism”
  — Lucien Van Der Walt and Michael Schmidt. (Read Here)
  
• ”Anarchy Works”
  — Peter Gelderloos. (Read Here)
  
• ”Towards An Inclusive Democracy”
  — Takis Fotopoulos. (Read Here)

Video Suggestions:
If you’d rather watch something relevant to left-wing politics, consider having a look at some of the videos below. If you think something’s missing from this list, please post a recommendation. If you think something should be removed, please explain why.

Videos

• Vox: How wealth inequality is dangerous for America (2:35)
• 8-Bit Philosophy: Is Capitalism Bad For You? (3:39)
• Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung: What is Social Democracy? (3:48)
• 8-Bit Philosophy: What is Marxism? (Karl Marx + Super Mario Bros.) (3:51)
• The Next System Project: What is Economic Democracy? (3:52)
• The Next System Project: The Pluralist Commonwealth (4:18)
• The 5 Filters of the Mass Media Machine (4:46)
• Complete History Of The Soviet Union, Arranged To The Melody Of Tetris (6:47)
• The history of Anarchism in 8 minutes (8:27)
• The School of Life: Political Theory – Karl Marx (9:27)
• RSA ANIMATE: First as Tragedy, Then as Farce (10:56)
• Karl Marx & Conflict Theory: Crash Course Sociology #6 (11:19)
• TED Talks: How economic inequality harms societies (16:47)
• The RSA: David Harvey on The Contradictions of Capitalism (18:47)
• Marxism lecture by Prof. Raymond Geuss 1/8 (32:41)
• Socialism Has Never Worked? (43:26)
• The Society of the Spectacle (1:14:40)

YouTube Playlists

• Reading Marx's Capital Vol 1 with David Harvey
• Reading Marx's Capital Vol 2 with David Harvey
• Law of Value (the labor theory of value) (Kapitalism 101)
• Libertarian Socialism 101 (Libertarian Socialist Rants)

YouTube Channels

• ContraPoints
• Anarchopac
• Mexie
• ProSocialism
• BadMouseProductions
• Endymion
• Xexizy
• Socialism Explained
• What is Anarchism?
• Libertarian Socialist Rants
• AnarchistCollective
• LeftSphere
• Ex Worker
• ComradeBun
• Audible Socialism
• Shaun and Jen
• Red Vanguard Radio
• TheFinnishBolshevik
• azureScapegoat
• Red Star Videos
• Flea Market Socialist
• /leftypol/ Videos
• leftypol
• Jason Unruhe
• Garrett
• Socialism Or Barbarism!
• Bat'ko the Manarchist
• Chomsky's Philosophy
• Zizekian Studies
• Slavoj Zizek Videos

Useful Resources:

• Marxists Internet Archive
• LibCom.org Library
• Molleindustria
• MarxistPhilosophy.org
• The Anarchist Library
• r/AudioSocialism
• Anti-Dialectics
• /r/socialistreaders/
• Nestor Makhno Archive
• An Anarchist FAQ
• Dictionary of Revolutionary Marxism

If you’re interested in discussing matters pertaining to the political right, there’s also a Right-Wing Discussion Thread.

[Yoshida (Ancient)]

I'm not entirely sure, but I think that I fall under collectivist anarchism.

[Wacksytopia]

Left-leaning centrist (I think!)

It keeps changing.

[Trotskylvania]

I put Marxist communist because it's the closest fit for the modern ultra milleau.

[PaNTuXIa]

Like the name.

[Siotao]

Oooh, shiny new reading list. Bless you.

[Conscentia]

Like the name.

The New Sea Territory suggested it.

[Tectonix]

Libertarian Democratic Socialist.

Preeetty sure it won't change, but hey, who knows?

[United Marxist Nations]

I'm a religious communitarian with Sorelian and Traditionalist influences. Marxist influences on economics.

[Communist Xomaniax]

Just a communist, not well read enough to make a distinction. Posadas did nothing wrong.

[Socialist Nordia]

Tfw RWDT is on 6 and LWDT is only on 2.
Anyway, I put social democrat in the poll.

[Yoshida (Ancient)]

Tfw RWDT is on 6 and LWDT is only on 2.
Anyway, I put social democrat in the poll.

The right-wing discussion thread tends to be bogged down with banter more than real political discussion.

This thread should strive to avoid their example.

[Bakery Hill]

Just a communist, not well read enough to make a distinction. Posadas did nothing wrong.

We really need Posadite as an option on that poll.

[PaNTuXIa]

Tfw RWDT is on 6 and LWDT is only on 2.
Anyway, I put social democrat in the poll.

Why is that anyway? Is the LWDT just more boring?

[Washington Resistance Army]

Tfw RWDT is on 6 and LWDT is only on 2.
Anyway, I put social democrat in the poll.

Why is that anyway? Is the LWDT just more boring?

RWDT is shitposting it's way to victory.

[Bakery Hill]

I'm a socialist. With libertarian influences. Somewhere between ancom and demsoc. Don't know which to pick though.

[Socialist Nordia]

Why is that anyway? Is the LWDT just more boring?

RWDT is shitposting it's way to victory.

It's true.

[Dobbs]

Democratic socialist / Progressive / Liberal / Partly libertarian but only on social issues not economic ones / Scandinavian-style socialist / Labor & Trade Unionist / same basic views as Bernie Sanders on almost everything (by coincidence, arrived at ideas before I ever heard of him)

My political compass is -10.0 on both, see https://www.politicalcompass.org/analysis2?ec=-10.0&soc=-10.0... All the way at economic left instead of right, all the way at social libertarian instead of authoritarian, kind of extreme

[The Grene Knyght]

Voted for An-Com. Its now a 4-way tie.
Who will win? The drama, the tears, the suspense, its all too much for me

[United Marxist Nations]

I'm here for the occasional discussion, but most people here would probably consider me right wing now, because of the Traditionalist influences.

[FelrikTheDeleted]

Finally a second thread!

[Conscentia]

I'm a socialist. With libertarian influences. Somewhere between ancom and demsoc. Don't know which to pick though.

If you're not sure, you could just pick "Other" until you decide. I've set the poll so you can change your response at any time.

That said, I think you said that you didn't identify as an anarchist in the last thread so I don't think the ancom option would be applicable.

[The Grene Knyght]

I'm here for the occasional discussion, but most people here would probably consider me right wing now, because of the Traditionalist influences.

We lost another one, boys.

[Deutsche Demokratische Reich]

Marxist Communist, don't nessecarily like labels like "leninist" or anything, but I'm on the fence or something at this point.

[Socialist Nordia]

Democratic socialist / Progressive / Liberal / Partly libertarian but only on social issues not economic ones / Scandinavian-style socialist / Labor & Trade Unionist / same basic views as Bernie Sanders on almost everything (by coincidence, arrived at ideas before I ever heard of him)

Wow. How did you get -10,-10 on the political compass without being an anarcho-communist?