Marxism, what you got?

[Silver]

Honestly, as complex as the system has become, there deserves to be a distinction between Republican party leaders and Republican party citizens. The leaders are the elite one percent, the old white oligarch. The party citizens can best be described as two distinct sections fallibly thinking the leaders care anything about them beyond their foolhardy votes. These two citizen sections: the poor and the working class who both ignorantly vote against their own best interests.

[Rev. Rye]

For more information on what Kit is talking about, read Thomas Frank's What's The Matter With Kansas.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Harry knew. Listen to Harry.



Boru

[Neo-Scholastic]

Honestly, as complex as the system has become, there deserves to be a distinction between Republican party leaders and Republican party citizens. The leaders are the elite one percent, the old white oligarch. The party citizens can best be described as two distinct sections fallibly thinking the leaders care anything about them beyond their foolhardy votes. These two citizen sections: the poor and the working class who both ignorantly vote against their own best interests.

Yes, there is an elite institutional ruling class of both Democrats and Republicans know it alls who think eveyone else is ignorant.

[Spongebob]

Yes, there is an elite institutional ruling class of both Democrats and Republicans know it alls who think eveyone else is ignorant.

That's a baseless assumption on both parties.  I don't know how many people in power truly believe they know everything and everyone is ignorant, but it's very easy to ascertain who those people in power are there to represent and promote.  Even so, with the way politicians speak, particularly Republicans, their policies are touted to do one thing while they often do another.  Both parties are subservient to large corporations because, like it or not, our society is now mostly controlled by the interests of those corporations.

[LadyForCamus]

I will admit that I didn't study Marxism at all during my formative years.  As a product of southern Christianity it was basically a taboo topic for me and later on I just didn't see it as relevant anymore.  But after the last couple of election cycles, it's become more relevant than ever.  I've done a little reading on the subject but I still don't feel well educated about it.  I'm curious what others know, want to know, any judgements on Marxism, just open conversation about it.

Let's just start with this, Marxism is definitely not what the Christians and Republicans think it is.

Is anything what Christian Republicans think it is? They’re entire platform is just strawmanning the shit out of every position and then raging against it.

[HappySkeptic]

Marxism is a product of its time, when industrialists abused their power, and workers were little better than slaves.

Reforms to reign in the excesses made Marx's writings a "solution" to a problem that no longer existed.

Marx was just plain wrong about economics. He wasn't wrong about the exploitation he saw. Following Marxism today would be foolish -- instead find an economic system that balances the right to get ahead with your own hard work, and the right not to be screwed over by the rich. That's what most countries in the West are trying to do.

[Spongebob]

Marxism is a product of its time, when industrialists abused their power, and workers were little better than slaves.

Reforms to reign in the excesses made Marx's writings a "solution" to a problem that no longer existed.

Marx was just plain wrong about economics.  He wasn't wrong about the exploitation he saw.  Following Marxism today would be foolish -- instead find an economic system that balances the right to get ahead with your own hard work, and the right not to be screwed over by the rich.  That's what most countries in the West are trying to do.

I wouldn't say that all the problems Marx observed no longer exist.  They were driven back by a surge in worker power and government enforced reforms, but they are not gone.  Business has regained much of that power and now withholds most of it's wealth.  We've seen virtually no gain in worker compensation in 30 years and healthcare coverage has only eroded.  And labor unions have become almost absent.  I would say Marx would not be pleased.

[The Architect Of Fate]

I'm sorry that's simply wrong. Marx has never been more right on exploitation,

[The Grand Nudger]

Right, well. I think that marxism leans to heavily on high minded civic virtues in practice. An appeal to base greed and self interest will work on a broader number of people as an organizing principle of society.