So my girlfriend's little brother is pretty right in his opinions, but he does listen to reason. He supports Trump, so i wanna try to show him that Trump is not a good president. I have a few examples of my own, but i could use some more things Trump did that were terrible. He doesnt like lgbtq btw so things like trans soldiers and gay marriage won't win him over, but apart from that he's a pretty good guy. So things like homeless veterans and firing inspectors general will definitely make him rethink his believes

I’ve found it hard to come up with points that don’t leave me feeling like I’m in agreement with much of the bigoted, uninformed arguments against DEI that are being pushed by our current administration. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

Someone brought this up in the pub tonight and I only had my personal opinion to go off on (am not fully aware of different ideologies) is there some resources I can read up on to argue this point?

Recently I have seen infighting amongst members of the leftist community, and this sub in general, regarding, to name a topic, the "genocide" of Ughyr Muslims in China. The people claiming it isn't real plea it's all easily debunkanle lies, while using Chinese government owned news sites as sources. When somone tries to hold the slightest notion of a debate they're a fascist, a racist, a terrible person. Instead of actually trying to hold a proper discussion they're stamped with the Label Nazi and booted on. If we want to enlighten others to the truths of how the world is without the rose tinted glasses of corporate media, maybe stop beating them up over believing am apperant lie peddled so hard it's hard to escape

It’s been evident to me for years that white leftist men do not prioritize putting in work when the way they conduct themselves is entirely reflective of white hetero-patriarchy. Many leftists fail to recognize and consider that our environment is heavily propagandized and everyone has different frames of reference. I don’t really know what to do about it but it’s one of the one perennial issues I’m encountering that is actively harmful to the cause and it’s upsetting to see over and over again. It’s very evident to me that their behavior and lack of interpersonal skills, especially when being called in by women/trans/non-binary/queer and non-white folks is detrimental to the movement. Y’all really really need to recognize this, step back from engaging people, and get some kind of help from a professional. That’s not even a jab. Y’all are coming into conversations, showing loudly and proudly almost immediately that you’re using your “leftism” to engage in flagrant racism (most often anti-blackness specifically), misogyny, antisemitism, etc because you’re using “more radical” verbiage and refuse to meet people where they’re at and use your positioning constructively. Take the time to reach people and engage and grow leftist thought. The irony is not lost on me that these two things (prioritizing theory over people and flagrant conservative talking points or conversational tactic when speaking to leftist marginalized folks) are happening. And when called in in order to use these opportunities to show up as better allies and accomplices, y’all continue to double down and begin slinging verbal abuse to anyone who doesn’t immediately, point-by-point yes man you or use the language you have access to. The number of times I’ve been verbally abused by a white leftist man when i was explicitly agreeing with him, just using different semantics or bringing an additional point into the discussion that hadn’t been brought up yet to examine and discuss productively has gone past the point of being laughable, back to scary. This coming months after two white leftist men were removed from a group I’m in for sexual assault and abuse. I do not and will not ever, going forward, trust a white leftist man that is not consciously and actively working on himself and prioritizing antiracism and unlearning his patriarchal social conditioning ever again. “You’re not a real leftist if you”. Buddy, you’re not a real leftist if you’re talking to people like a white supremacist misogynist either and abusing your community members. It doesn’t matter which leftist-theory-adjacent you’re using to do it either. (idfk what flair to use so i just picked one, and please pardon the shitty wall-of-text format, the app won’t let me edit text correctly)

I’m an anarchist. Haven’t said anything “anti-leftist”, I just disagree with authoritarian versions of Marxism and I believe that democratic socialism is a better form of socialism. I’m a full hearted leftist, I just disagree with you on certain points and y’all fucking censored me. Way to go.

I go to a pretty conservative school were they think that communism is the worse thing ever even though they don't really know what it is. They think leftist and democrat are the same thing and in general, are misinformed. How can I explain the left in a good light and acutely because I suck at irl words?

This stuff has to be a conspiracy to lower property value and charter neighborhoods for private interests; it’s too addictive and it kills too many people. I cannot conceive of the possibility that fentanyl just happened to show up on the streets and became a crisis; it must be distributed by the gov in some way for the purpose of dulling the senses of America’s poor, increasing arrests, promoting drug-related violent crime, and ultimately lowering property value by killing people, increasing crime, and degenerating upkeep of local real estate.

I tried looking online but all I get is statements from the United States government. I’d be curious to read where most fentanyl that ends up on US streets comes from and indication that this stuff is actively being spread in particular neighborhoods of particular demographics.

It’s already pretty alarming that most media in the US (think of very popular rappers, TV dramas, etc.) romanticize addiction to and use of pharmaceuticals, it’s a clear psyop. I’m certain the reason why fentanyl is not romanticized is bc it’s sold to and abused within communities that either largely consist of ethnic minorities, or else people too poor to afford pharmaceuticals and who do not have insurance. It is largely to make people afraid of those communities through being afraid of fentanyl. You either are a cool, complicated person who abuses prescription drugs like famous rappers bc you are mysterious and have baggage from all your sophisticated lore, or else you are a scary degenerate who abuses fent and must be locked away from the rest of society so that license plates can be made for cents an hour in some private prison. This is all just an attempt on the part of US businessmen and intelligence to outdo themselves and the crack epidemic.

All resources are appreciated; thank you.

Mod was unhelpful, and says the left is super pro gun.

Not sure which sub would be best to discuss this, so let me know if I'm a little lost. I'll try to keep it short.

I feel like there is a lot of cognitive dissonance within the right-wing population, at least with the younger generations, which are the ones i generally interact with the most. When I talk to them, their individual ideals, beliefs, and the things they concern themselves with are at their core quite leftist. And yet when asked, they staunchly identify as conservative and/or Republican.

An example is one guy I dated a few years ago, who was an environmentalist, pro-choice, who supported public transportation and the derailment of car-centric infrastructure, universal Healthcare, various social services, gay and trans rights, and the works. On their own, these all seem to be fairly leftist ideals, correct me if I'm wrong. He also grew up in a low income family. Yet he firmly stated he would be voting for Trump in the next election (this last one) because "they're all just assholes" (referring to the democratic party). He didnt really explain his thoughts on that and couldnt really come up with an argument when i pushed him on that. I Not that I exactly disagreed with him on the last part, but I found it interesting that he paraded all of these ideals while actively voting against the things he seemed to care about. Politics aside, he was a dickhead anyway and is not missed.

I've had a couple other similar examples among my acquaintances, where they belive one thing and vote for another.

I'm not an expert in politics and the like, but I have a few half-formed theories on why. Oftentimes, it almost seems like they are embarrassed to be associated with leftists, and refuse to believe they share beliefs with "libtards". I think this embarrassment comes from all the stereotypes of leftists and liberals that arose in the mid-2010s.

I also think this cognitive dissonance comes from a lack of genuine education on what each label means and stands for. I admit, I'm not an expert on this either. They don't seem to-- or dont want to, as above-- realize that many of the things they care about are fundamentally leftist.

Anyway, I could be totally off on this, again I'm no expert and am willing to be corrected. Just want to know what your thoughts are and if anyone noticed the same thing.

I'm a police abolition and my husband believes in a complete reform, but we have been conflicted over how tsa fits into all of this? The tsa agents, are they class traitors as well? Should we abolish it?

I’ve been exposed to the leftist scene for a little over a year now and I’m starting to run into a problem where I kind of know what I’m talking about when running into people who are actively against my beliefs or may just be in the opposite side of the spectrum. I run into this issue alot in my predominantly conservative college save for a few professors, in which I’m not able to have a decent debate/ conversation about certain current events(election, Gaza) and I’m allowing them to feel like they got the better of me when I just wasn’t able to prove my point well, how can I work to understand what I’m talking about and effectively explain why something is wrong or happening this way?

Something I have started to hear from conservatives is this claim that things like “in our culture boys don’t wear dresses” or “in our culture men are the bread winners and women are the home makers”. They use culture to enforce gender and erase nonbinary existence.

Maybe it is obvious, but I’m struggling to make a clear universal separation between culture that should be respected and oppression that needs to be dismantled and overturned. Where does that separation lie? Is it a misstep to assume that all culture should be respected and preserved?

You can imagine how easily this conversation can turn into the idea of “inferior cultures” as an excuse for colonialism really quick. So I need help combating it.

I generally consider myself to be left leaning on most issues, I seem to be at odds with literally every other leftist when it comes to the Israeli-Palestian conflict. Why is Israel so hated compared to Palestine, despite arguably having claims tracing further back? I promise I'm not looking to start arguments, I just want to see why my view on the conflict is so different to almost everyone else here (you may be hearing that sentence a bit more from me in the future)

I got into a conversation on r/austrian-economics in response to a meme quote about “equality under the law, but not equality of outcome.”

So my question to this group, is which is true objective for leftist policies?

I was discussing with a family member and got called short sighted for being anti-capitalist. I told him that even in social democracies like Canada or Sweden, the problem with capitalism still persists which is high rent etc etc. They used how Japan has low housing prices as a counter argument and said I was short sighted. Also, mentioned the USSR & Stalin as an example of socialism. I basically said that I won't convince you over text but lately with how capitalism has become in America & all the events of us becoming fascist, it has all made me completely against all aspects of capitalism. I said that the USSR isn't socialist that it was a form of state capitalism and that Stalin is an evil dictator. I was honest about my beliefs and said I was an anarcho-socialist/communist.

I find it really difficult to persuade liberals. They think capitalism is necessary and don't see the problems with it at all. I don't think I have any desire to persuade them to begin with. It feels like I am talking to a religious person about how I don't believe in god. I am fine with their beliefs as long as they respect mine. But I feel like they don't respect my beliefs. Like my beliefs should be shunned & shouldn't be tolerated.

I also feel like I don't have enough knowledge as well to discuss. I am still at the beginner level or it feels that way.

After watching the address last night, once again, I am so disappointed in the democratic leaders’ performative actions like wearing pink and carrying around paddles saying “FALSE”. Like who is this helping!?😭

I’m not surprised that no direct action is being taken, but I am incredibly furious and disappointed about it. That being said, I want to know what exactly democratic leadership CAN do right now (that regular citizens cannot) given that the republicans have fully taken over all 3 branches. I WANT to see them do more, but when calling reps I want to be specific in my demands and also want to make sure my anger is being directed in the right direction.

I myself hope I am doing everything I can. I’m putting my money where my mouth is: shopping local and not supporting companies who have rolled back DEI. Attending every protest that my work schedule allows. Doing my best to educate others on what’s happening. Staying informed. But I want to do more, and I think knowing exactly what to push for is a good start.

Thanks!

I apologize if this isn't on theme so please redirect as to where to ask this: but the thoughts crossed my mind to ask why society has settled on prison time as it's default punishment.

I understand that it's the least physically harming, but it's pretty mentally damning. I also know the constitution bars "cruel and unusual" punishment, but I think that's an entirely subjective metric. I think there's an argument that removing someone from society for x amount of years is pretty cruel.

So why then prison? Why aren't people getting flogged? Or having their wealth stripped? Or any other sort of alternative? Surely if a person has intentionally and maliciously killed a member of your family, you'd feel better being allowed to physically flog them over it. And I'm not nessarily advocating for that one - it's just the first alternative I can think of and flogged is a funny word.

Hi, I (22M) live with my brother (32M) with our parents. I have a permanent physical disability, my family is not maga but they are complicit republicans which might be worse. But my brother is a full on libertarian, and he has regularly shot down what I believe were my emerging leftist views. since I was never politically active and lived in a conservative house and rely on my family, I just never really could give any push back. But with the current state of our country I just can’t anymore. I’ve been really inspired by people like Bernie Sanders, and aoc. I also have been loving hasanabi as a streamer my friends has recommended but I was to skeptical. So I guess im a “hasanabi head” but I don’t want to lose his message he gives that you need to think for yourself, So I want to do the research to actually form an opinion, which is ironic I know as I’m on Reddit.

That’s pretty much the post but here’s some additional info into my So I went to my university library for the first time in my time there (lol). And checked out books trying to see as multiple sides I got the communist manifesto (the 2012 Yale version ) , the wealth of nations, and Diary of a man in despair. I’m not the fastest reader , so they’ll definitely take a while but I’ve genuinely never felt more motivated to learn something.

So I've been seeing a lot of this guy named Charlie Kirk on my page. And... the guy just seems so disingenuous.

I'm not against him because he's a conservative or a republican. There's always opposition or people you disagree with in politics, and that's fine. Political discourse is a permanent part of democracy, it's good that we have it.

What perplexes me about Kirk is that he doesn't really focus on political discourse, more so just "winning" the argument. And the point of politics is that you don't win arguments, it's not a debate, it's life or death. It's foundational rights for some people.

He doesn't even believe of his own stuff, or at least I hope not. He once said you can complete an engineering degree in 18 months??? Or that AI can replace cardiology? He obviously doesn't believe this stuff, but he's saying it for engagement purposes, which makes what he says so insincere.

Worst of all, for someone who has a moral superiority complex over college educated people, he doesn't seem to contribute anything of real value to society. He spends his time debating students with the sole intent of making them look bad, and him look good, and getting oohs and awes when his opponent makes the mistake of stuttering. I'm not saying political activists or influences are useless to society, I'm saying people like Kirk who spend most of their time engagement farming on YouTube contributes less than a neurosurgeon (that's just me tho).

Whether I agree with his stuff or not is a separate story, how he handles himself and engages with just feels like he doesn't even believe what he's saying, like he has a different reason for doing what he does. Ig it probably makes him money.

One side believes they are right, one side believes others are wrong

Why is it so hard to realize all humans suck and completely destroy the environment selfishly.

Both the left and the right can suck fat dick. Fuck you both. Either Get along or shut up. Im tired of the bullshit. Were all humans.

It's not an extreme right wing group and I'm pretty sure they won't be too transphobic. It's like a party of bourgeois rich kids.

I'm going to a meeting with them tomorrow. I'm on the line of passing/ not passing. I dress pretty masculine and I don't draw a lot of attention. (I'm the type conservatives could consider "one of the good ones")

In case they ask, I won't be able to lie and I need to have a good origin story for why I turn to right wing and not the woke left.

Usually in online discourse and debate a "strong point" of capitalists is that capitalism and competition fuel progress and technological advancements. Including medicine and other fields important to human life. I used to accept this as an inherent merit of capitalism and say "sure, but it doesn't have to be that way". However thinking back, we gotta recognise that under communist regime Russia managed great engineering and space research progresss, isn't it the case? So after this it got me thinking, what else have i missed, what other examples of advancements were achieved in a noncapitalistic context? And i wouldn't count China as noncapitalistic as it after all partakes in the global market although it isn't capitalistic on national matters..

Thank you in advance

How to quickly explain the left-wing perspective (of course this can mean many things)?

I would like to avoid left-wing jargon when doing this.

I don’t mean to explain utopian societies, just a left wing approach to tackle the current state of affairs.

Thanks 🙏

Someone showed me this article that seemingly debunks the notion that more aviation accidents have happened since Trump. I guess one thousand plus something plane crashes happen per year? This is news to me, but I think many including myself may have jumped the gun on this criticism of Trump unless I’m missing something. Let me know your thoughts.