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Ice Bear is ready for sweater weather!

What is a terrorist?

For the average American, that word provokes an image in their heads of someone who is non-white, probably wearing something that covers their head and face, and holding an assault rifle. If we are to step back from that perspective and investigate what is honestly the most anxiety-inducing part of that image, it should be the weapon. Yet, that is not enough for Americans to define a terrorist, because that would make a lot of gun owner in America a terrorist. That is unfair, so what are other characteristics people can extract from that image of a terrorist? At that point, we have to talk about the appearance of the individual. We have to consider the color of their skin and their attire, and make judgments from there. We make judgments about what their religious or political beliefs are, where they come from, and what their intentions are.

So why can we not label a white man, who used a military weapon on a large crowd of innocent people, a terrorist? What is it about him that exempts him from being labeled that word? Well, wait, if we just simply look at the literal definition of terrorist, we find that it is a person who commits a violent act with political motives. Okay, what constitutes a political motive? What are politics? Answering these various questions frames our definition of terrorist, and deciding whether or not this white man is considered a terrorist. Whatever this person's motive was, the action itself was meant to disturb public activities and spaces, something which is exactly what politics are concerned with. Well, now it seems as if these definitions are being taken too literally, because that would mean almost any act of violence in public can be considered a terrorist act. Maybe we can include the number of victims within the definition. That makes the scope of violence more narrow, and we could probably conclude this guy is a terrorist.

There are still people who don't think that is correct. The definition needs to be more narrow and specific, because we don't want to mislabel any good people within that category of evil--that good person could be your friend or relative; someone who possesses the same humanity which yourself can claim to have. Within the language of a white supremacist society, the "other" represents those who are non-white, and the "self"--the identity which possesses humanity--are white. This is why a mass murdering white guy is never labeled a terrorist; that word is reserved for those who oppose and/or doesn't fit into what constitutes the status quo.

Basically, if you have to go for the gold medal in mental gymnastics to excuse this guy or any white guy, from being labeled a terrorist, even though they committed an act of terrorism, its because the ideology of white supremacy doesn't contain the language for you to simply say "I'm racist."

#las vegas #White Supremacy #racism #terrorism #mass shootings #guns

kennygeezus

The literal meaning of life is whatever you’re doing that prevents you from killing yourself.

Camus (via kennygeezus)

kennygeezus

someone made a me about me irl

newwavefeminism

Unsurprisingly, I’ve seen a white male liberals come out to express how they suddenly love and support Tonya.

She’s not your damsel in distress, she’s fully capable of degrading minorities and promote the white patriarchy alone & without your pity.

As you were.

popculturebrain

Leading Men Age, Leading Women Don’t | Vulture

There are more charts if you click through.

cynique-deactivated20150809

I’m so glad this info graphic is going around, because so many people don’t realize how ageism and misogyny play hand in hand and how the sexualization of young girls play into this.

fuckyeahmarxismleninism

More than a dozen calls have been issued for a general strike in the U.S. on May 1, International Workers Day. These have come from a wide range of organizations of migrant workers, women, prisoners, socialist revolutionaries and others.

Big media is sending up flares of alarm by covering May 1 as a “story.” Big business itself is starting to worry, while broadcasting strategies on how to “neutralize” a rising of workers and oppressed power on May Day.

A general strike, as traditionally called by organized labor unions, is a flexing of working-class power against capital and the bosses. Such a strike demonstrates powerful class consciousness that there is an “all of us” stretching far beyond a local.

Working and oppressed people right now know that Trump & Company are trying to smash the working class into pieces, to wreck our solidarity, to split us along lines of oppression. The ruling class is trying to make us fight each other instead of capitalism and imperialism.

A mass strike of all workers and oppressed people would militantly and directly counter the capitalist war being waged against us through racist, anti-worker, woman-hating nationalism and imperialism.

mononymic

I’m selling cards to aid Syrian refugees. Check it out: https://www.etsy.com/shop/monononymic

demonprincex

Three really rudimentary questions about communism I have and would like reading recommendations regarding:

So, I have three really big and recurring qualms/sources of uneasiness with communist discourse on this site. I’m sure a wealth of information is available that could help to respond to these concerns. I know they are not especially unique concerns, and I’m confident literature exists about them. I would like recommendations for where to look or what to pick up regarding them. The questions/concerns are:

1. Revolutions historically do not favor people who are disabled or marginalized. That is to say, when a government is overthrown, there is usually some temporary power vaccuum or some reliance on force that leaves women, minority groups, children, and the disabled very very vulnerable. If I’m unhappy with the current system, and I want a massive paradigm-shifting change, how can that be brought about without exposing the most vulnerable to violence and exploitation?

2. (More of an ancom question tbh): A lot of people on this site who are communist or ancom advocate for larger family communities where many people raise, teach, and look after children. Children are often abused, assaulted, or otherwise mistreated by close family friends or family associates (step-parents, babysitters, trusted clergy, etc). Wouldn’t putting more people in charge of more children make it really easy for people to behave abusively or exploitatively? Trusting a community network to look after kids means less individual level vetting of caregivers. Which is straight up terrifying.

3.Contemporary communities, both formal and informal, tend to be really underwhelming in how they deal with things like rape, microaggressions, racism, etc. Very few organizations, employers, or even families are good about actually ostracizing, educating, or producing consequences for people who do harm to the marginalized. Even progressive activist groups are bad at it. How can we expect communist communities, comprised of the same people as currently exist, to be better at this?

I do not want anyone to teach me or expend too much emotional labor on this, just hoping some people might direct me to resources about these concerns

outer-space-art

Just jumping in on #3 because i think there are some interesting answers to that question in revolutionary Cuba. A revolutionary government can enshrine gender equality in the private sphere into law, resulting in changes in the power balance between men and women at home and within a marriage.

a revolutionary dissolution of capitalism can do a lot to end racism, because racism antagonism no longer serves a purpose in supporting capitalism

revolutionary governments can undertake significant, state-funded reeducation efforts and expenditures in creating the type of citizen it wishes to have, and revolutionary governments can offer universal healthcare and employment, resulting in the tangible empowerment and near-equality of women

radical communities within capitalism do repeatedly fail to adequately address racism, sexism and sexual violence. However, progressive, feminist communism is not the same type of effort; it is aimed at eliminating the basis for these types of violence. It is able to engage in widespread, massive public reeducation efforts through media, workshops, films, etc. It can provide government support to social change efforts, rather than pitting them against the government. It can enact highly progressive laws.

I don’t think it’s surprising, actually, that radical communities often fail to address these types of violence within capitalism. The toxic power structures, lack of legal support, and capitalistic incentive systems all still exist, and few people can swim against the tide in that way. For example, people who abuse others may hold certain types of power or resources that are enabled by capitalism; there may be no legal support or recourse (which makes more vulnerable people less likely to act, etc.)

demonprincex

Thanks for this very detailed reply! I will check out all these links. I have heard from some black Cubans that things are still very, very racially inequal there but that doesn’t mean there haven’t been changes and improvements, and honestly I know very little so I will read up.

Okay, so one thing I keep butting up against, mentally, is the fact that the majority of people who exist in this country (the US) today, even those opposed to capitalism might not…want… massive widespread feminist re-education? So like, how do we actually establish a radically different way of doing things, now, with the people we have, and the boundaries and limitations and room for improvement that those people have? It

I might not be making sense but like…I feel like it’s conceivable that a lot of people who currently exist today could realize (or are coming to realize) the pitfalls of capitalism and could want a paradigm shift. However, that’s not synonymous with them all being on board with what feminist antiracist etc communists would want or systems of reeducation like what you’re describing. A lot of these people still have lifetimes worth of bias and baggage and might not sign up for reeducation or think it’s okay. They might actually recreate pretty oppressive structures on gender or race or etc lines because a lifetime of that shit will mess you up. And it seems like it’s a numbers game. If they outnumber or come close to outnumber the feminist communists, how do we actually end up with a feminist communism?

I just think about the actual demographics of this country and think about how, even though most people are getting screwed by capitalism, they still have pretty retrograde ideas about any number of things…and then I get worried. I can’t envision how a revolution would get this really disparate, prejudiced group of people on the same page. Like from the moment there was a revolution there would be a problem of white people and men dominating conversations, which itself would influence policy, which would influence things for years and years to come. So like, even the feminist reeducation might not have a chance to happen.

Or if it did, it would take years to undo all that entitlement in privileged people. Like, capitalism of course is a major hurdle to activist groups functioning healthfully today, no doubt about it– but a lot of other oppressive structures and privileges will remain if capitalism falls. And if privileged people get too much control they’ll just perpetuate oppression even unintentionally. And it will be hard for women, people of color, etc to overcome that. Men dominating conversations won’t stop the moment capitalism stops.

Sorry I’m not trying to be a little shit, I’m just like, legit scared bc some of this seems inescapable, realistically.

kaylapocalypse-deactivated20201

reblogging so i can follow this discussion.

wtfdoesitallmean

Abolishing class would weaken the structures that make the ideologies of white supremacy and patriarchy thrive, but like you’ve mentioned, the ideologies would still linger, and there will still be inevitably be people who want to reestablish their hegemony.

This is where education becomes a key component in the power struggle. There is a really great book called Educating for Insurgency that uses historical examples to show how the rebellious behavior of students can be used as a form of communication. Dismantling the hegemony of white supremacy and patriarchy through education should be part of the revolutionary process, and should be the duties of radical teachers and people within the education system. Those people play an incredibly important role in how to stir up a successful revolution.

I may be a little naive here, but I like to think the consequences of revolutionary education would reduce the issues you bring up in 2 and 3. Of course this would face a lot of resistance, but I always think back to the Frederick Douglass quote, “If there is no struggle there is no progress.”

fuckyeahmarxismleninism

February 21, 1965: Assassination of Malcolm X, revolutionary internationalist and fighter for Black liberation.

“We declare our right on this earth to be a man, to be a human being, to be respected as a human being, to be given the rights of a human being in this society, on this earth, in this day, which we intend to bring into existence by any means necessary.”

— Malcolm X, speech at Organization of Afro-American Unity Founding Rally, June 28, 1964

refinery29

The psychiatrist who wrote the criteria for narcissism just made an extremely important point about what’s wrong with diagnosing Trump with mental disorders

Dr. Allen Frances says in speculating about Trump’s mental health, we are doing a disservice to those who do suffer from mental illness. In a series of tweets, he explained why he doesn’t think Trump is a narcissist — and how harmful it can be for us to keep assuming that he is.

the-movemnt-deactivated20170912

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is Jan. 16. Here are five facts to help you celebrate his entire legacy. Read more

follow @the-movemnt

newwavefeminism

Gotta reblog this again on Monday!

sesherhesher

with-practice

PREACH!

mononymic

Los Angeles, November 2016 “Power in defense of freedom is greater than power in behalf of tyranny and oppression, because power, real power, comes from our conviction which produces action, uncompromising action.” - Malcolm X

when you have to pay a monthly fee to keep your money in a bank because you’re poor as fuck.

#banks #capitalism

straightallies-deactivated20240

I hope one day that history looks back on ronald reagan as one of the 20th century’s most vile and disgusting serial killers

haydrion

may i ask why

straightallies-deactivated20240

Remember when like 6 Americans had ebola and it was an international emergency, and Obama flew out to meet survivors? Here is a list of things the United States government did in response: -Increasing the number of Ebola testing labs throughout the U.S. that can quickly and safely screen a potential Ebola specimen -Educating more than 150,000 health care workers on how to identify, isolate, diagnose, and care for patients under investigation for Ebola -Developing countermeasures — including the first Ebola vaccine to progress to Phase 2 testing — to prevent and treat Ebola -Converting at least 10 of the Ebola Treatment Centers into long-term Regional Ebola and Pandemic Treatment Centers for long-term readiness for years to come -Helping state and local public health systems accelerate and improve their operational readiness and preparedness for Ebola or other infectious diseases Source: https://whitehouse.gov/ebola-response

When the Reagan administration was faced with tens of thousands of gay men dying, they did nothing. They made jokes. They laughed. They caused an epidemic that killed 40 million people, because they hated gay men and thought we deserved to die.

northcoastbear-deactivated20171

There is so much more to it. There is a myth perpetuated by Reaganites that he was an historically significant President, in some positive sense. If you are old enough to have voted in 1980, you probably know differently. If you were born after 1980 you have been raised on this myth. He sold Americans a fable about a Hollywood movie-like exceptional past and destiny, and led ordinary people around with portrayals of that mirage while his reactionary robber-baron friends set about dismantling 50 years of progressive advancements for working men and women, on their way to returning themselves to the position of unfettered economic domination they held between the Civil War and the Great Depression. He was a union buster. He gave us Scalia – need I say more? He tried to give us Robert Bork (does anyone under 30 even know who he is?). He lied about Iran/Contra. He avoided dealing with AIDS. He sealed the political sham-show between right wing capitalist kings and the evangelical thought-control snake-oil salesmen. Americans don’t want to hear that they are ordinary citizens of the world, and they don’t want to hear that the aren’t anointed by some deity to lead the world to salvation. They lapped it up, and they continue to do so.

ayellowbirds

I have to wonder how the response of a more competent presidency to the AIDS crisis might have changed even the global impact of the disease. Where might we be today? How many millions of people would be alive and not suffering? Yes, Reagan was historically significant—for fucking things up in a globally devastating way.

iammyfather

When you hear how he slashed Income taxes, he did on the Wealthy, but he increased the lowest tax rate from 10% to 15%.

wikdsushi-deactivated20201108

His campaign was funded by Christian radicals, whose entire goal was to dismantle Roe vs. Wade and see American women relegated once more to back alleys and dirty knives. He opened the door to religion in politics in a way the postwar McCarthyists never dreamed possible. Now, 36 years after his election, maybe a third of American medical schools offer proper access to even first-trimester abortion training (in an era where that should mean a pill or vaginal suppository), and there are currently fewer doctors trained to perform late stage abortions for the entire US than there were pre-RvW (when such operations were only performed as a heroic measure).

heylookitsarevolution

And no one has even touched on his legacy of racial hatred, deliberate destruction of black communities and establishing of COONTELPRO to destroy the lives of black panthers and black activists, his actual murder of black activists and more. He was actually a demon.

gehayi

If you want to know how many lives could have been saved if the Reagan government had just fucking BUDGETED for AIDS research instead of telling AIDS researchers that they had to beg, borrow or steal any money for AIDS from other programs–then read And The Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic, 20th-Anniversary Edition by Randy Shilts. And be prepared to have your heart broken at the unadulterated and wildly irresponsible waste.of time and human lives.

Other shitty things Reagan did:

1) He almost tripled the National Debt. And you need to see the difference with zeroes:

When Reagan took office in 1980: $909,100,000 owed.(909.1 billion)

When Reagan left office in 1988: $2,601,300,000,000 owed. (2.6 trillion)

2) He raised taxes on the middle class and the poor ELEVEN TIMES while in office.

3) Unemployment soared after Reagan passed his tax cuts for the rich, and it took decades to get back down again.

4) He turned the U.S. into an illegal weapons dealer.

5) He funded terrorists, helping create the Taliban and Osama bin Laden. From NewsOne:

After Ronald Reagan was elected in 1981, U.S. funding of the mujahideen increased significantly and CIA Paramilitary Officers played a big role in training, arming and sometimes even leading mujahideen forces.

The CIA trained the mujahideen in many of the tactics Al Qaeda is known for today, such as car bombs, assassinations and other acts that would be considered terrorism today.

6) When his economic policies began wreaking havoc on the government, Reagan stole from Social Security–to the tune of 2.5 TRILLION–treating it for eight years as the private slush fund of himself and his rich friends.

7) [T]he Reagan administration demonized opponents of apartheid, most notably the African National Congress, as dangerous and pro-communist. Reagan even vetoed a bill to impose sanctions on South Africa, only to be overruled by Congress.

They called him the Teflon president for a reason. All this shit–and none of it stuck to him. He got away clean every single time.

invisiblelad

Reading up on Nelson Mandela I caught wind of that fact a few years back. The standing President of the US was more than a little ok with not condemning Apartheid even as a symbolic gesture.

That coupled with all of this and it speaks to an impossibly gross legacy. Of course the Neocons of the Republican set look at him as some sort of Conservative Jesus, so none of this would get actual traction with them.But email scandals are beyond the pale…

therealduckandpenguin-deactivat

OH HELLS YES ANTI-REAGAN MASTERPOST Also let’s not forget about how he created and/or dramatically enhanced the homeless problem in America by closing the California state psychiatric hospitals (except for the ones for the criminally insane) and tossing all the residents out into the street.

bloomingtears

Wasn’t it also his administration that defunded mental health care? And that it’s never been reinstate? (Instead we get 21st Century Act Care which is a blatant ableist atrocity)

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