Anti-Capitalist Chronicles: Culture and War

[@bobbrowning9821]

This is a terrific historical perspective relating to current events.

[@oaktowndaddyg]

I served as a medical corpsman in Vietnam. After the 9/11 attacks, I warned civilians that when the Cheney/Rumsfeld cabal of war hawks in the cabinet manipulated GWB, the Boy Emperor, to go to war in Iraq after Afghanistan, we would be committing a military misadventure and foreign policy debacle that would eventually rival the Vietnam War. They laughed at me. Now in this Orwellian era of "forever wars," they aren't laughing as we almost went to war with Iran. We have been in decline as a military empire since Saigon fell to the NVA in April, 1975, despite all this propaganda about us being "the exceptional nation" among other nations. The empire no longer can project overwhelming power in international affairs to dominate the world. It's been a waste of our blood and treasure and needlessly killing millions of innocent civilians. which are war crimes against humanity, since our humiliating defeat in the Vietnam War. Eventually the empire will crumble and fall like the Twin Towers did during the 9/11 attacks. These neocon war hawks are actually war junkies. They need war like an addict needs heroin. They are probably the largest concentration of war criminals and psychopaths in the history of our country. They are like vampires sucking the life blood out of the body politic. And Trump is just the logical progression of presidents who have committed war crimes such as JFK, LBJ and Nixon during the Vietnam War up to the recent history of war criminals such as CWB and Barack Obama after the 9/11 attacks which ushered in in this recent historical era of forever wars. And now there is a debate going on in publications, websites and think tanks about enacting a law which would require all young Americans between the ages of 18 and 25 years old to spent two years at least in "national service" for our country to bring back a sense of patriotism. Beware of Greeks bearing gifts. This is a Trojan horse to bring back the draft by not actually calling it a draft. Very Orwellian. They are running out of warm bodies in the all volunteer forces because of all these wars which have stretched out the empire to the breaking point. The Army fell 6,000 short last year in its recruiting goals with a signing bonus of $40,000. It's starting to fall apart once again just as it did toward the end of the Vietnam War. But it took longer because we essentially have a mercenary armed forces and no longer have a draft. I assure you if GWB brought back the draft after the 9/11 attacks, we would have withdrawn from all these forever wars long ago. Don't make the mistake I did as a naive young man. Question authority. Don't register for military service or "national service" when you reach 18. All of our baby boomer presidents, who have all been war presidents, dodged the draft or avoided a tour of duty in Vietnam by serving in the National Guard during the war.

[@louiseclifford5184]

George Hoffman very well said and so true.

[@oaktowndaddyg]

@@louiseclifford5184 Thank you, Louise.

[@domingodeanda233]

So true.

[@nicktrice4921]

The wisdom of experience. Thank you.

[@juliahenriques210]

People are way too quick to forget how bad war really is. Those who didn't serve are always quicker on the draw of troops, and the war presidents are just another example. It happened in the long build-up to WWI, when nobody in power remembered the Napoleonic Wars. And it's happening now, in the long buildup to WWIII, when nobody in power remembers WWII. The consequences will be just as good as ever.

[@allonesame6467]

It's class warfare. In Britain, in the last 8 years, 40,000 children have died...due to austerity measures. In the USA, there are 4 vacant foreclosed homes for every unhoused person. In Europe banks, there is around $2 trillion just sitting, not being invested. Wonder what the figure is for USA? This demonstrates the NEED for redistribution.

[@theninthofjanuary]

Official numbers show almost 400 killed in Baghdad alone, and thousands more injured. A fantastic perspective . Solidarity from Iraq to Lebanon to Chile against neoliberalism and the corporate class 🇮🇶🇱🇧🇨🇱

[@johnstockwellmajorsmedleyb1214]

All wars are a racket that benefits a very few

[@lcotler]

It's Maj. Gen. Smedley Darlington Butler. ;¬)

[@johnstockwellmajorsmedleyb1214]

@@CBT5777 kzbin.info/www/bejne/aGeyXmWJi8ilrZI

[@jmc8076]

John Stockwell Major Smedley Butler 💯 Iran has been on the US agenda for many years. There’s was also a CIA led coup in Iran in 1953 (not their first or last in the world). kzbin.info/www/bejne/nYXFmGRnpaiqhcU Both left and right are funded by the same money sources (big Corp, Big oil, private banks etc) who hold the real power in the US govt and the worldwide. Most of it comes back to the trillion $$$ US military complex and it’s contractors. It’s all one big web of money and power controlling what happens independent of politicians and leaders. They’re all part of it.

[@antimattv]

I love the music at the beginning. It sounds like what you would hear entering a castle in an old RPG game. Lol

[@alphonsineaguillon7]

A classic example is the annihilation of one billion bisons (sacred and revered animal) in North America to disconnect the indigenous people from their land.

[@bernardheathaway9146]

Very insightful! Thank you doc

[@DynV]

My 1st thought about this is population support for capitulation. If people are thinking the working population is getting a bit too thin for their taste and resources are getting scarce, they might think of asking their politician or a military to surrender; but if they did something that stood out, like targeting children or cultural targets, that thought might never become action.

[@matsm0n0]

Do we really need to say "neoliberalism"? I suggest we call it for what it is: Capitalist overtaking of political and cultural power in society. I think people need to understand to what extent capitalism rules our lives, and what the major problem is with this: Capitalism does not care about humankind - it only cares about economic growth.

[@davidmutua4158]

When you say that an attempt to impose a cultural and economic way of life that is not consistent with existing cultural and economic foundations of the local "way of life", I kind of relate with it. I agree that it makes the government more vulnerable to kleptocracy and foreign control because essentially it's not supported by the local majority at that time. Just look at the number of Kleptocractic and corrupt governments in recent former colonies💯

[@laurentp6756]

"We believe dying for Motherland, we're dying for bankers and industrialists." Anatole France 1922 about the WW1.

[@nthperson]

The wars peoples have fought against one another have frequently destroyed much of the existing physical structures and many cultural artifacts with almost no consideration for the fact that when the wars end enormous quantities of resources would be needed to rebuild what has been destroyed. We remain tribal in our acceptance of one another, although how we define our own "tribe" is different in many parts of the globe depending on the degree to which time has resulted in the assimilation of people of different heritage into the dominant group.

[@robertcox14]

Iraqi government asking USA to leave...Maybe "USA" should leave USA alone. Don't allow USA politicians to (meddle) intervene in USA elections.

[@residentgrey]

Broadcasting an attack on the cultural sites escalates the posture of the militias again who are dedicated to protecting the sites like they have been trying to do in Syria. The mass assassination easily unifies the affected groups AND all of Islam ultimately. Adding the accelerant of even the near-weightless firebrand overture on Twitter can render the situation indeflatable, leading to a resurgence of western occupation.

[@nicktrice4921]

Is that a conscious strategy of the Republicans? To alienate all our allies over Iran AND unite the entirety of Dar al-Islam against us? Because that's what they're achieving.

[@residentgrey]

@@nicktrice4921 define "allies"

[@residentgrey]

@@nicktrice4921 Dem/GOP does not matter here too.

[@billyoldman9209]

The question is very clear then. Can neoliberal culture be destroyed and their proponents/beneficiaries demoralized the same way they've been doing it to other ways of life? I would say not, because capitalism has been the result of said cultural genocide, and not some parallel organic development. (The shift from one form of capitalism to another follows its own logic, makes no difference). And we must also not forget about the fact that all other ways of life contain the potential to degenerate (advance?) into something similar to neoliberalism. In fact, the only difference between capitalism and previous forms of despotism is in their effectiveness to concentrate power through the exploitation of nature and man. So, as much as the discussion here is correct, I would say culture is still a dead end and a false problem.

[@crowesarethebest]

Lol! Is that a US Open shirt that is supported by corporate capitalists?

[@johannesbekker1970]

But the question is, even if you accurately bomb a cultural site, did you touch it ? Can a cannon or a missile touch another country's culture ? Is culture the buildings etc or is it a spiritual thing only touchable/changeable by another superior culture ?

[@johannesbekker1970]

I guess the question is, is war a cultural, or an economic or a political affair.

[@riz3310]

I love Marxist Grandpa in his cute little scarf!

[@ShaedeReshka]

​@BoulderPM Unlikely considering the whole premise of his position is the distribution of resources to the people who need it instead of to the highest bidder.

[@Darkhartx1]

You lost me. Trump doesn't care about culture, much less think about it. Lol

[@DualTasticToday]

Reality is, Politically we are stuck in a corrupt 2 party system. Don't you just love it? Being a fierce Independent I don't agree with a lot of Bernie's policy but he is the original Stand up against corruption and greedy vulture capitalism and that is what I like most about him. I just wish I could bend his ear on his policies and hope he can moderate a bit in the general. I will only vote for him if Tulsi is on the ticket............... Put y'all egos aside. Bernie call Tulsi and make a deal and announce before the voting starts. We will need a bull dog VP of impeccable character to herd the cats in the Senate. The Main job of a vice president is that they are president of the senate. It's going to take eminence pressure if we the people plan on getting the people's agenda signed into law. It will take Congress to come along .. The progressive wing dream team Bernie Tulsi VP in 4 years Tulsi Bernie VP both factions are satisfied And they need to shout this Arrangement from the rooftops. In 4 years you could switch again. Bring ANDREW and Marianne into the big wide tent it will be a landslide sweeping into office. We the people out of many one. It's a new day a better way when we can come together and unite we will stand strong. Music is to the spirit what words are to the mind. Peace and blessing to us all. kzbin.info/www/bejne/nWjIqaJnbqeMl5o

[@residentgrey]

We are not stuck. Like no one is fighting the status quo the way they should, which is the bottom up, instead of top-down, because the process has way too many moving parts for few "experts" to handle in place of the thousands required to be involved beyond DC. We all just need to put a drop in the right bucket to form that ocean with the best motion.

[@clarestucki5151]

It's nonsense to claim that 'neoliberalism' (capitalism) is anti public education or anti all social programs. pensions, and the like.

[@josephmarsh5031]

The problem with these terms is that What I mean by (term a) you may call (term b) so its not beneficial to use general political labels to talk about specific issues unless you first define exactly what you mean by that label. Even then people will use their definition of (term a) to talk crap about your (term b) but still call it (term a) confusing the whole issue. This is the main problem with any discussion/argument you could have people. Socialism, Liberalism, Populism, Elitism are more meta tags for individual polices/ideas then ideologies in their own rite, when you really think about it. It really doesn't make sense to talk about these things as their own ideas in any specific context.

[@gabe6098]

Capitalism only supports enough social programs that will keep the people from dying and keep them working for the capitalists. United States for example

[@josephmarsh5031]

@@gabe6098 I beg to differ. it lacks several programs that could keep people from dying... but I get your point.