Not trying to pester but I’m really excited for the update, any news?

I think the important thing to keep in mind is that reaction and fascism are not individual endeavors. People can end up in them for a variety of reasons but the material conditions and ideology of a society are far more important than an experience of trauma. And critically, you can react to trauma in a lot of ways, depending on your environment and the superstructure in place around you.

The reactionary political project is fundamentally a rear guard action against the left, I find this part of Corey Robin’s The Reactionary Mind pretty convincing. And in the case of Weimar Germany there was a concerted effort on the part of fascist and reactionary liberals to turn the public against socialism, with propaganda and policy and political maneuvering. But in other circumstances (the Russian Revolution comes to mind) trauma was used as a fulcrum to help move society left very rapidly, through organized efforts by a different ideological group.

So I guess I would say they’re right that trauma, especially society wide like a devastating war or a pandemic or whatever, create a rupture that gives these ideas an opportunity to grow. But that’s not a determined outcome and it can also cut the other way.

It’s well produced, I thought, and very helpful as a supplement to reading Vol 1 (The place I listened only had Vol. 1 material, I may have missed something). I guess it can seem a bit ‘tacky’ depending on how you like exuberant hosts being effusive and excited about some pretty dry, dense economic theory, but I think it’s a great resource. Worst case your friend doesn’t need it and decides not to keep up with it.

I hope you’re right, I’ve grown pessimistic about the odds of anything happening quickly in this war to bring the carnage to an end.

Yeah, it just works out that pursuing that ends up creating a huge amount of surplus value and requiring increasing amounts of inputs as the scale increases.

Now if only we could rationalize that largesse and pursue other ends besides profit for its own sake…

They can win if you vote for them. I don’t know how everybody is going to vote.

If we assume polling is an accurate indicator then depending on the state you live in voting at all is pointless because only one party will win.

Were you stepping aside and letting the fascists strip minority rights in 2020? Because they appear to be doing that currently, and presumably you voted for Joe who is president while that is happening.

PSL also does not want you dead. I’m confused, I thought you wanted dialogue. I’m genuinely not sure what you mean. You can not believe me if you want but you haven’t given any reason for what you’re claiming.

So nothing? All people are obligated to vote for democrats no matter what they promise to do? You would only not vote for her if she stopped running?

Also why do you think I’m stepping aside and letting the fascists hurt minorities? You said nothing to substantiate that. You just said I was doing that. Care to explain?

What is your line, what would Kamala have to do or promise for you not to vote for her?

For me it’s promise to keep committing a genocide.