I’m not trying to fedpost or any form of 
-posting in any form, more just marveling at the entirely lackluster response of the American public to the maddeningly absurd state of American politics.
Of course Americans are the most propagandized people on Earth, but it’s been that way for generations, and at this point I feel like the sheer amount of shit that is allowed to just fly by with full knowledge of the public with little or no 
moments is preposterous. Not to mention the fact that as things continue to get worse, there are more and more people who are desperate and/or unwell, and in such a position as to incite some crazy shit.
Like… at this point, it’s just open knowledge that the government is a cabal of bloated parasitic pedophiles, and it has been so for quite some time now. Not just “they MIGHT be doing some creepy shit”, but rather they definitely, 100%, without any question have been, are, and will continue to do the most abhorrent type of shit anyone can imagine, for their own sick satisfaction and greed. Conversely, the number of people who’ve lost someone to the soul-sucking nightmare that is our healthcare system, or who’ve lost a child or loved one in any of our many shootings, or any number of other reasons to be righteously revolted by this manufactured reality we live in, is surely immense.
While some people are obviously acting out in all the most disgustingly wrong ways (i.e. said shootings), there’s quite a lot of people who know the correct people to blame for our collective misery, who also have nothing left to lose, because they’ve tragically lost it all already.
So… am I just wrong to expect that more type shit should be going down by now?
I apologize, my screen didn’t show your whole comment and I just saw the first few lines.
I get where you’re coming from. I think based on where you’re coming from, and if I see the same thing after more reading (Lenin is on my to read list) then maybe I am just a “sympathizer” or a Democratic Socialist or whatever left-lite term you want to use. I know in my personal life that I am the most radical by far, but that doesn’t mean much in the global sense.
You’re also right that I’m not comfortable with wanting my material conditions to get much worse for something that isn’t a guarantee. For all I know if conditions really get bad here we will just become a fascist hellhole and the guys with the $90k pickup trucks with flags hanging out the back will start shooting anyone that’s any shade of brown. People like me aren’t going to take up arms unless there’s literally no option left. My life IS comfortable despite being jobless and having to resort to weird side gigs to get by. Life could be a lot worse.
If Capitalists knew what was good for them they’d keep YouTube free and make the “treats” cheap and plentiful, but IDK if there’s enough of them that can be that forward-thinking. The circuses are getting enshittified, and we just hit the edge of losing bread…
dont worry about it, it happens. I will reply to both comments under this one.
to be clear, i dont even consider myself a communist! i am extremely sympathetic, and have done a decent amount of reading, enough to be able to understand most of what i read from actual marxists, but i am not educated enough on the nuances and am not nearly dedicated enough (I havent done any organizing since college years ago). on some level like you said i think it is because i am comfortable in my life. i feel obligated to take care of my ailing parents. i also struggle really badly with mental health, so i dont think it’s a good idea for me to try to become involved in organizing when i know it’s possible i would just disappear out of no where. etc etc. Maybe these are just excuses to disguise my ultimate class interest in imperialism continuing? regardless, this is why i have come to identify myself as a sympathizer instead of a communist, at least in communist circles. i think it helps clear the discussion up because i see way too many people arguing about the most basic marxist 101 stuff despite having a ham sic in their profile and what not and i just think it’s not helpful to the movement at all for people to claim to be communists because they view it as something moral to be despite not actually being truly dedicated to the cause.
also, no serious communist actually advocates for sitting around doing literally nothing.
this is a misunderstanding of the vanguard concept that separates the vanguard from the masses. I dont feel like going into it here besides that the vanguard must be comprised of workers, who make up the masses, so how could a true vanguard actually be separate from the masses? again no serious communist suggests doing nothing so there will be no “magical” following of leaders. finally, of course it wont look like anywhere else because 1) amerikkka is the heart of the imperial core and 2) a settler colonial state.
propaganda works because they have rational intrests in believing the propaganda. highly recomend masses rebels and elites, im sure it gets old seeing people on here reccomend it but it seriously fits my experiences in life trying to even convince my friends and family of my views and how they seem so eager to hoover up complete BS. TLDR is that they believe capitalist propaganda because they want to believe capitalist propaganda in order to receive economic and social benefits.
im not touching the mamdani part with anything less than a 30 foot pole with all the struggle sessions recently, thank you very much!
i am by far the most radical person i know in my personal life too, feel you there. if you want to call yourself a democratic socialist… ok. whatever. just be honest with yourself and others that down that way lie only ruin. the graves of hundreds of thousands of comrades lie down that path (read: entire history of the “left”, but if you want specifics of what true horrors the bourgousie will inflict upon you if sniff even a whiff of sucess i highly reccomend The Jakarta Method by Vincent Blevins. changed my entire political journey.*
genuinely, thank you for admitting this, it shows a good amount of self awareness to be able to actually gauge your own class interests in this way. ive seen so many online when pressed in the way i was pressing get really angry and start insisting they have it as bad as anyone and will eventually double down into the position that imperialism isnt real.
this is because capitalists are merely the high priests of capitalism and not its true architects in a way, they are trapped by their class intrest and more directly literally by capital itself. HIGHLY recommend ian wright’s essay Capitalism as a Real God for further reading.
Thank you for the thoughtful replies. I will have replies later probably tonight.
Reply is late, sorry about that. It’s been a good thread.
I have read this one a couple times. Where I have to have hope is in the business class here failing to act in a way that keeps the illusion going for us burgerlanders. They’re not working in tamdem and because the system requires them to be ruthless about squeezing profit from anywhere they can, they lay off people, replace people with AI and self-checkouts, offshore jobs, convert full-time jobs to gig jobs or part-time, etc. That’s where we have to come in.
I just can’t go with the idea that things have to get SO bad that all of these people have to be literally starving or gunned down by troops before they will demand better. I’m hopeful that even in my suburban, “comfortable” surroundings that I hear a lot more class consciousness around me. There has to be a point where people realize, despite all of the propaganda and despite that subconscious notion that they benefit from the global imperialism, that “hey, I’m getting screwed over too! Not as bad as in Africa, but still”. If life isn’t good for the average American what does that say about the people in other countries? The American Dream is a nightmare. Imperialism only goes so far when you can’t afford a house, a car needs a 15-year loan to purchase, everything costs too much, and wages aren’t going anywhere. I have to believe people will break sooner than the point where they can’t afford food, right?!?
Sympathizer recommended the Jakarta Method and I believe it would resonate with you. Here is a section from the end I still think about to this day
Additionally, here’s the article on “brainwashing” and why most first world workers appear to be brainwashed by capitalism. You basically already summed up the thesis without knowing it
“My life IS comfortable despite being jobless and having to resort to weird side gigs to get by. Life could be a lot worse”
https://redsails.org/masses-elites-and-rebels/
Organizing is weird here in the states because the people who can afford to take time out of their days to organize are mainly white, mainly middle class, and have fairly comfortable lives. People aren’t organizing out of “desperation” because for all intents and purposes that’s not what’s happening on the ground here. Of course our orgs being full of these people means that we have a hard time interacting with the people we are trying to help and who are truly destitute such as the folks on SNAP, homeless people, chronically unemployed, etc.
I am aware of my privilege and the privilege of those organizing with me. We still are doing ICE watch, are still organizing mutual aid and such, but I don’t consider us future leaders or any revolution.