Left-Wing Discussion Thread III

[Conscentia]

---

The Left-Wing Discussion Thread
Vol. III
Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

---

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)

”Preferred economic system?”

• Welfare Capitalism 92 (23%)
• Market Socialism 62 (16%)
• Mutualism 10 (3%)
• Syndicalism 40 (10%)
• Communalism 13 (3%)
• State Planning 36 (9%)
• Decentralised Planning 27 (7%)
• Higher Phase Communism 38 (10%)
• Left-wing Market Anarchism 15 (4%)
• Other 67 (17%)

Total Votes: 400 (Recorded 05/11/2017)

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.

• Socialism (Sylvia Pankhurst)
  
• The Soul of Man under Socialism (Oscar Wilde)
  
• Public Ownership and Common Ownership (Anton Pannekoek)
  
• Capitalist Property (Paul Lafargue)
  
• The Principles Of Communism (Friedrich Engels)
  
• The Communist Manifesto (Karl Marx & Friedrich Engels)
  
• Socialism: Utopian and Scientific (Friedrich Engels)
  
• Wage, Labour, and Capital (Karl Marx)
  
• Value, Price, and Profit (Karl Marx)
  
• Economic & Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844 (Karl Marx)
  
• Critique of the Gotha Programme (Karl Marx)
  
• Synopsis of Capital (Friedrich Engels)
  
• Reform or Revolution (Rosa Luxemburg)
  
• The State and Revolution (Vladimir Lenin)
  
• An Introduction to Marxist Economic Theory (Ernest Mandel)
  
• Anarchism: From Theory to Practice (Daniel Guérin)
  
• Anarchism and Other Essays (Emma Goldman)
  
• What Is Communist Anarchism? (Alexander Berkman)
  
• Mutual Aid: A Factor of Evolution (Peter Kropotkin)
  
• The Conquest of Bread (Peter Kropotkin)
  
• The Unique and Its Property (Max Stirner)
  
• The Right To Be Greedy (For Ourselves)
  
• Social Ecology and Communalism (Murray Bookchin)

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)
• Intro to Anarchy: Power & Violence (7:53)
• 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

• Philosophy Tube's Series on Marx
• 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
• Xexizy
• Kwame Genov
• Herbal HRT Garden
• Socialism Explained
• What is Anarchism?
• Zero Books
• Libertarian Socialist Rants
• AnarchistCollective
• LeftSphere
• Ex Worker
• ComradeBun
• Audible Socialism
• Shaun and Jen
• Red Vanguard Radio
• TheFinnishBolshevik
• Endymion
• azureScapegoat
• Red Star Videos
• Flea Market Socialist
• /leftypol/ Videos
• leftypol
• Garrett
• Socialism Or Barbarism!
• Bat'ko the Manarchist
• Chomsky's Philosophy
• Zizekian Studies
• Slavoj Zizek Videos

Lots of free leftist literature is available at:

• Marxists Internet Archive
• Libcom.org
• The Anarchist Library
• Marx & Engels Collected Works

Free leftist audiobooks are also available at:

• https://www.reddit.com/r/AudioSocialism/
• https://www.marxists.org/audiobooks/index.htm
• https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvfeZJmLFo2o90A0v3ce2_Q/videos
• https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaO1QA8QL99_eb0XhJI2Fyw/videos

Other useful resources:

• Molleindustria
• MarxistPhilosophy.org
• Anti-Dialectics
• Nestor Makhno Archive
• An Anarchist FAQ
• Dictionary of Revolutionary Marxism
• Communist Reading List (Ultra-Left)

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

[United Muscovite Nations]

First for Portuguese Paternal National Catholic Corporatism.

[Conscentia]

I updated the lists under the spoilers in the OP.

I'd appreciate suggestions for a subtitle that actually fits in the thread title.

[FelrikTheDeleted]

Yay, new thread.

[Albrenia]

My vote for the new title is 'Ctrl+Alt+Left'.

[Northern Davincia]

I voted for Individualist Anarchism, because Rothbard did nothing wrong.

[Improved werpland]

Left Liberal is a less confusing term than Social Liberal imo.

[Conscentia]

I voted for Individualist Anarchism, because Rothbard did nothing wrong.

"We must therefore conclude that we are not anarchists, and that those who call us anarchists are not on firm etymological ground, and are being completely unhistorical." - Rothbard

[Italios]

LWDT III: Self Crit Now or Ban
LWDT III: Classless not Classy

[Jelmatt]

LWDT III: Self Crit Now or Ban
LWDT III: Classless not Classy

LWDT III: We Have No Class
LWDȾ III: Because Proper Ts are Theft

These are terrible suggestions, sorry.

[Nouveau Yathrib]

Left Liberal is a less confusing term than Social Liberal imo.

I consider myself to be both a social liberal and a left-leaning centrist. Within the limitations of the Pew Political Typology quiz for the US, I’d say I’m mostly inbetween “Opportunity Democrat/Next-gen Left” and “Solid Liberal”, but also leaning slightly towards “Devout and Diverse” and possibly the GOP-leaning “New Enterprisers/Young Outsiders”.

[The V O I D]

LWDT III: NO CLASSISTS ALLOWED

I don't fucking know what I'm doing tbh, just a dumb suggestion.

[Collatis]

LWDȾ III: Because Proper Ts are Theft

[MERIZoC]

LWDT III—In Defense of J. Posadas

[Northern Davincia]

I voted for Individualist Anarchism, because Rothbard did nothing wrong.

"We must therefore conclude that we are not anarchists, and that those who call us anarchists are not on firm etymological ground, and are being completely unhistorical." - Rothbard

did nothing wrong

[Bhikkustan]

Other: Please Post

Left wing Sunni Khomenei'ism

[The Liberated Territories]

I'd be a leftist in the 1800s.

My chief enemies are the king and his crown. When do we go all Robespierre, fellow revolutionaries?

[Northern Davincia]

I'd be a leftist in the 1800s.

My chief enemies are the king and his crown. When do we go all Robespierre, fellow revolutionaries?

I'm against the English crown yet in favor of the French and Russian monarchies.
Robespierre was a hack.

[MERIZoC]

https://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?p=32827364#p32827364

its good

[Collatis]

I'd be a leftist in the 1800s.

My chief enemies are the king and his crown. When do we go all Robespierre, fellow revolutionaries?

I'm against the English crown yet in favor of the French and Russian monarchies.

why though

[United Muscovite Nations]

I'm against the English crown yet in favor of the French and Russian monarchies.

why though

My hope is absolutism.

[Northern Davincia]

I'm against the English crown yet in favor of the French and Russian monarchies.

why though

Where monarchy is best suited at quelling leftism, I will view it favorably.

[Trotskylvania]

All this spam and opportunism really rattles my armchair

[Aillyria]

why though

My hope is absolutism.

Eww, I'm all for a little authoritarianism, but not about that absolute monarchy life.

There really should be 2 choices allowed on the poll imho.

[Collatis]

why though

Where monarchy is best suited at quelling leftism, I will view it favorably.

Ah yes, you truly are one of the real liberals. Pogroms and famines are essential tools in combating the red menace.

why though

My hope is absolutism.

That would be a better reason tbh.