Michael Malice: Marxism and Communism
Summary
TLDRThe video script delves into the early 20th-century ideological landscape, exploring the blurred lines between socialism, communism, and anarchism. It discusses the vision of a scientifically managed society, the disagreements within these movements, and the role of violence in achieving societal change. The conversation touches on the influence of the Industrial Revolution, the progressive ideas of Woodrow Wilson, and the worldwide workers' revolution. It also contemplates the unpredictability of historical events and the complexities of implementing socialist and communist ideals.
Takeaways
- 📚 The terms 'socialist', 'communist', and 'anarchist' were used interchangeably at the end of the 19th century, reflecting a vision of a future society without a state.
- 🔬 There was a belief in the inevitability and scientific nature of socialism as the future societal structure, despite disagreements on its practical form.
- ⚔️ A significant disagreement between socialists, anarchists, and communists centered on the role of the state and the means to achieve a classless society.
- 🏭 The Industrial Revolution and Marxist thought influenced the idea that society could be scientifically managed for the benefit of all, rather than being driven by capitalist interests.
- 🌐 The concept of socialism as a broad umbrella included various wings, from state socialism to localized worker control, reflecting diverse interpretations of Marx's ideas.
- 🌟 The end goal of some socialists was a stateless society, influenced by thinkers like Bakunin, who opposed Marx's view of a transitional state run by the state.
- 🗳️ Some socialists, like the Fabian socialists, believed in achieving change through the ballot box and gradualism, while others advocated for more radical, revolutionary means.
- 💥 The role of violence in achieving societal change was a contentious issue, with some seeing it as necessary for revolution and others advocating for peaceful means.
- 🌍 The idea of a worldwide workers' revolution was prevalent, with the belief that the working class would unite across national borders to overthrow capitalist exploitation.
- 🎨 The late 19th and early 20th centuries were a time of intellectual and artistic ferment, with modernist thinking challenging traditional norms and exploring new possibilities for society.
- 🎅 The script also touches on the cultural significance of Christmas as a time of joy, kindness, and hope, contrasting the cynicism of modern culture with the holiday's spirit of generosity.
Q & A
How were the terms 'socialist', 'communist', and 'anarchist' used interchangeably at the end of the 19th century?
-At the end of the 19th century, these terms were used loosely because they all prophesied a Marxist society where the state would eventually wither away. There was a shared belief in the inevitability and scientific basis of socialism as the future, despite disagreements on its practical implementation.
What were the two clear points of agreement among socialists, anarchists, and communists at the turn of the 19th to 20th century?
-The two clear points were that socialism was seen as both inevitable and scientific, representing the way of the future, and that the capitalist ruling class would not surrender power without a struggle.
How did the Industrial Revolution influence the thinking of socialists at that time?
-The Industrial Revolution brought about the idea that with technology and science, society could be managed scientifically. This influenced socialists to believe in the possibility of a society that produced only what was needed, eliminating waste and suffering, through the use of engineers and scientific management.
What was the main disagreement between Marx and Bakunin regarding state socialism?
-Marx advocated for state socialism where the state would run everything as a means to an end, eventually leading to a stateless society where everyone is equal. Bakunin, on the other hand, saw the state as inherently immoral and advocated for worker collectives and ultra-localized control, aiming for a stateless society from the outset.
What was the role of Woodrow Wilson in the context of the script?
-Woodrow Wilson is mentioned as an example of progressivism, where the idea was to use technology and scientific management to improve society, moving away from what was seen as the wastefulness of federal capitalism.
What was the concept of a worldwide workers' revolution as discussed in the script?
-The concept of a worldwide workers' revolution was based on the idea that workers globally would unite against exploitation, recognizing their shared interests across national boundaries. It was believed that this unity would lead to a collective overthrow of the capitalist system.
What was the role of violence in the disagreements between different socialist groups?
-Violence was a contentious issue. Some groups, like the Fabians, believed in achieving change through the ballot box and peaceful means, while others, like the anarchists, believed that revolution and the use of violence were necessary to overthrow the existing system and seize control of factories.
How did the script discuss the role of free speech in the context of advocating for violent revolution?
-The script mentions that there was a debate about the limits of free speech, especially when it came to advocating for violence and revolution. The publication of books on how to build bombs, like the one by Johann Most, raised concerns about the potential dangers of such information being widely available.
What was the significance of Mabel Dodge Luhan's salon in the script?
-Mabel Dodge Luhan's salon is highlighted as a place where intellectuals, artists, and activists from various backgrounds, including anarchists and labor union members, gathered to discuss and debate ideas. It represents a cultural and intellectual space that contributed to the modernist thinking of the time.
What is the script's perspective on the inevitability of history and the role of Santa Claus as a metaphor?
-The script rejects the idea that history is inevitable, arguing instead for the unpredictability of historical events. It also humorously uses the metaphor of Santa Claus to discuss the concept of arbitrary redistribution of wealth, contrasting it with the idea of communism.
How does the script view the concept of equality and its relation to human nature?
-The script suggests that legal and ethical concepts of equality do not change the fundamental nature of humans, which is not equal. It argues that despite legal frameworks that treat people as equals, people will always have natural preferences for their own families or groups over strangers.
What is the script's stance on the possibility of predicting major historical events?
-The script argues that predicting major historical events is extremely difficult, if not impossible, due to the many unpredictable turns in history. It cites the Bolshevik Revolution and the Great Depression as examples of events that were not foreseen.
Outlines
📚 The Early 20th Century Socialist Debates
The script opens with a discussion on the interchangeable use of terms like 'socialist', 'communist', and 'anarchist' during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It highlights the belief in socialism's inevitability and scientific basis, as well as the disagreements between different factions regarding the state's role in a socialist system. The script mentions the impact of the Industrial Revolution and the idea of using technology to manage society efficiently, contrasting state socialism with the more localized, worker-controlled vision of anarchism. It also touches on the debate over the necessity of violence in achieving societal change and the varying approaches to achieving a socialist or communist society.
🗣️ The Role of Violence and Free Speech in Revolutionary Thought
This paragraph delves into the contentious issue of violence as a means to achieve revolution, contrasting the Fabian socialists' belief in peaceful change through the ballot box with the anarchists' conviction that violent revolution was necessary. It discusses the legal and ethical implications of advocating for violent revolution, including the historical context of bombings and assassinations as a form of protest. The script also explores the role of free speech, especially in relation to Johann Most's publication on bomb-making, and the broader implications of such actions on society and the potential for authoritarian responses to violence.
🤔 Reflections on Political Ideologies and Personal Affiliations
The speaker contemplates their own political identity in the context of historical events, considering whether they would have been an anarchist, socialist, or communist. The narrative includes a discussion of the intellectual and artistic circles of the early 20th century, where modernist thinking and the birth of new political ideologies were prevalent. It reflects on the allure of communism as a new and promising system aimed at uplifting the working class and the intellectual's role in advocating for or against such systems, acknowledging the complexity and non-obviousness of political beliefs.
🕊️ The Promise and Pitfalls of Communism and Socialism
This section of the script explores the appeal of communism and socialism, particularly in the context of the early 20th century, as systems that aimed to provide for the basic needs of all citizens. It contrasts the idealistic vision of a society where everyone contributes and benefits equally with the harsh realities that can emerge from such systems, including the potential for authoritarianism and the loss of civil liberties. The speaker also discusses the unpredictability of political outcomes and the difficulty of foreseeing the long-term effects of political decisions.
🌟 The Cultural Impact of Christmas and Its Symbolism
The script concludes with a reflection on the cultural significance of Christmas as a holiday that embodies brotherhood, kindness, and generosity. It critiques the cynicism prevalent in contemporary culture and praises Christmas as a time when people can express joy and affection without judgment. The speaker shares a personal fondness for the holiday, especially as celebrated in New York, and discusses the symbolism of giving and receiving gifts as a form of expressing value and appreciation for others.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Socialism
💡Communism
💡Anarchism
💡Industrial Revolution
💡Progressivism
💡Fabian Socialists
💡Assassination
💡Dynamite
💡Anarcho-communism
💡Cynicism
💡Violence
Highlights
The interchangeable use of 'socialist', 'communist', and 'anarchist' terms at the end of the 19th century due to the envisioned Marxist society without a state.
The inevitability and scientific nature of socialism as a future societal structure, opposed by the capitalist ruling class.
The disagreement between socialists, anarchists, and communists on the practical implementation of a socialist system.
The Industrial Revolution's influence on the thinking of socialism and the idea of scientifically managing society.
Woodrow Wilson's progressive ideas on using technology and federal capitalism to avoid waste and shortages.
The broad definition of socialism at the time, encompassing the idea of a scientifically run society.
The debate between Marx's state socialism and Bakunin's vision of worker collectives and localized control.
The role of violence in revolution and the differing views among socialists, anarchists, and communists.
The Fabian socialists' approach to achieving socialism through the ballot box and gradualism.
The worldwide workers' revolution concept and the international solidarity of the working class.
The role of free speech and the controversy over advocating violence and revolution.
The unpredictable nature of political movements and the difficulty of foreseeing the outcomes of revolutionary actions.
The cultural and intellectual environment of the early 20th century, fostering modernist thinking in art, literature, and politics.
The moral case for socialism, ensuring that no one is left behind and everyone's basic needs are met.
The critique of capitalism's profit-driven media and the potential benefits of a state-run media apparatus.
The challenge of predicting the trajectory of the 20th century, with many unforeseen historical events.
The glorification of cynicism in culture and the unique joy and kindness associated with the Christmas holiday.
Transcripts
let me ask you uh let's start at the
beginning at the end of the 19th century
as you write the term socialist
Communists and anarchists were used
somewhat Loosely and interchangeably
because the prophecied Marxist Society
was one in which the state had famously
withered away there was a great
disagreement about what a socialist
system would look like in practice but
two things were clear first that
socialism was both inevitable and
scientific the way of the future and
second that the capitalist ruling class
were not going down without a fight so
what are the key points of disagreement
between the Socialists the anarchists
the Communists along that at that time
at the beginning at the end of the 19th
century at the beginning of the 20th
century the possibility of the century
laid before us that eventually led to
the first and the second world war the
idea when the Industrial Revolution came
and Marx was very much a product of
industrial revolutionary thinking was
okay now that we have technology now
that we have science we can
scientifically manage Society we saw
this very much with Woodrow Wilson and
this kind of idea of progressivism that
uh you know we could use technology and
kind of not capitalism in their view on
federal capitalism was wasteful you're
making too much stuff you have surpluses
you have uh shortages if we produce just
exactly what we need and you have these
people Engineers their engineering
Society then you know everyone will be
happy and you won't have to have any
suffering or waste so socialism at that
time was used as a broad umbrella it's
not used in the term that it means today
of
um necessarily State socialism it just
meant the idea of having Society
scientifically run so you had a huge
argument they're different Wings you
even had it from the beginning with uh
Marx versus bakunan because Marx was for
obviously State socialism uh the
absolute State running everything
although even with Marx and Engels it
was a means to an end after man is
remade in his very nature then and the
state where there's a way and everyone's
equal and you have this kind of Heaven
on Earth situation but kunin you know
was the opposite he regarded the state
as inherently immoral and wanted to have
kind of like workers collectives and
things like that and Ultra localized
control so the end was always stateless
it's just that some people viewed this
date as a convenient effective
intermediate State well I think to me at
least there are plenty of others who
just regarded it you know have the work
have state owner have the workers you
know control the production via the
state by the way how does my hat look it
looks great festive it's good is this
side better than the other side I think
you want it on this side so people can
see you oh no no I want to you know like
uh when you have like hair or peekaboo
hair it's called Veronica Lake I think
was her name and then I just glance
flirtatiously towards the camera
sometimes I gotta um
foreign
no glove No Love
the bad the bad aspect of white gloves
is um
the blood stains them
so you have to get new ones every time
and now I glance flirtatiously after
that's there I'm sorry okay but couldn't
Marx go ahead so so there were there
were there were other socialists who did
not regard uh this kind of end times
where the state was the other way at all
um and they're you know various strains
in between where you know you'd have
some capitalism and some socialism uh
you know the concept of a safety net uh
came out of socialist thinking the labor
party uh came out of the Fabian
socialists in Great Britain uh their
their logo was a wolf in sheep's
clothing and then when that was two on
the nose they changed it to a tortoise
meaning we're gonna get to socialism
slowly uh in the sense of either uh
gradualism or boiling a frog and also
the big part of this thinking at the
time this is again the late 19th century
is the idea that there's going to be a
worldwide workers Revolution it wasn't
going to be that you know in one country
you know it was going to happen and then
all the other countries be capitalists
the idea was all right uh like the
workers in Germany have more income with
the workers in America then the workers
in Germany have with the capitalists in
Germany so the idea is all right like
the working class all over the world at
one point they're going to be like we're
being exploited uh it's getting worse
and worse for us we can't feed our
families uh we're getting injured and so
on and so forth and there's no
compensation for this we're just going
to overthrow our chains and we're going
to run everything ourselves we're the
ones running it already anyway
um and you know this was uh doing all
the work and we're doing all the work so
why why shouldn't we be getting all the
benefit
what's the role of violence in all of
this
so this was a big source of contention
so the fabians for example in Britain
who are all socialists they were very
heavily of the idea that we can do this
through The Ballot Box we can Advocate
and uh agitate and get the people to be
voting for their own self-interest and
furthering the state at the expense of
the capitalist class then there were the
people who were the hardcore anarchists
who were like uh if voting changed
anything they wouldn't let us do it and
the only way to have a revolution is to
have a revolution to kill to overthrow
to seize these factories and this was a
big argument uh and it also fed into the
idea of where does Free Speech end uh
are is it legal to be giving speeches
advocating for violence and revolution
is illegal Johann most you know who I
discuss in the book and in the
anarchistan book he published a book in
the 1800s about how to build dynamite
and how to build bombs and this is a big
Free Speech concern at the time because
now anyone in their own house can make a
bomb and kill lots of people and this is
something that was happening with
enormous frequency at the time and
people tend to think you know because we
have these kind of prejudices or we only
remember what's happening now but this
was a I mean World War II excuse me
World War One got started with the
assassination of Arctic Franz Ferdinand
there were lots of people McKinley's
another one who I discussed in the book
his assassination there was lots of
violence happening uh very regularly and
with the creation of dynamite it kind of
exponentially became more dangerous and
threatening even now um on Wall Street
there was a bomb that went off I think
in the 1920s and the shards of shrapnel
are still in the JP Morgan building I
believe
do you ever think if you were alive
during that time what you would be doing
you think of yourself as an anarchist
right would you be where would you be
would you be a socialist a communist
which parties would you attend uh
figuratively and the thing that was so
interesting back then is there was a
woman named Mabel Dodge Luhan uh and she
ended her days in Taos New Mexico she
found an artist colony and she had an
apartment on 9th Ave 9th Street and
Fifth Avenue in Manhattan uh a shadow
salon and everyone got together and
talked and you'd have Emma Goldman who's
an anarchist Margaret Sanger who
invented Planned Parenthood and
advocated for birth control and you'd
have the people from the wobblies the
the hardcore labor unions and everyone
kind of menkin didn't attend but
he was friends with them all so there
was this very weird
with the birth of modernism in art and
and kind of modernist thinking there was
this idea of like all right like this
was the first time where you could be
intellectual as a class where there
really was this space for people who are
thinkers and they just sat around being
like all right like what are we gonna do
with ourselves uh you know and you have
it in modern art you had it in
literature you had it in politics
um so it was a very exciting time where
people were like all right like
everything is now on the table what are
we gonna do with this and they very much
were aware that this was a break with
you know the pre-industrial revolution
uh kind of farmer labor era do you see
do you think for you violence would be
compelling no first of all I'm just too
small
um but second I I just Dynamite
doesn't care about your size yeah but I
mean retribution does and I I think I I
don't know but to me violence is the
kind of thing where you think you're
running it but it's running you uh once
you you know cross that line you know
violence sings its own song so whenever
I hear even contemporary tabs where
people are advocating for you know
violent actions it's like when you start
a fire you're not like I'm just gonna
burn down this house you know it's it's
and there's many cases over and over of
people who are building bombs or trying
to assassinate someone or or things like
that and it ended up literally literally
literally blowing up in their own face
so and violence doesn't really work
necessarily because you know if you have
an assassination you're not
assassinating the presidency you know if
you take out you know a president
there's another president instantly
there so what have you accomplished
someone's husband Dad is gone you
replace them with someone who now is in
a position to crack down and retaliate
with even more violence so it's it the
the calculus for me Isn't there would I
be advocating it for then who knows
um but I mean I don't know if I'd uh be
above the space to be I certainly
wouldn't have the space to be a
podcaster or like a media personality
that wasn't really a thing it to some
extent it was in the 1920s with the
Algonquin Roundtable and all the people
from The New Yorker magazine
um but they were all drunks you know it
was very much uh um uh a weird kind of
situation to be a thinker what would you
think you'd do work at a carnival you
look good in lipstick so thank you
um I look at anything
um what would I I don't know I mean
you're not building robots I mean you
could have been a Tesla right okay I
didn't mean a car I meant the person
like I understand oh thank you for
explaining the Woody comments to me at
all because you went to an Einstein
because your name he was an immigrant so
I wouldn't work with the name again what
does that even mean no you would have
been a Tesla like figure there's already
a Tesla so you wouldn't literally be
Tesla that's why I said a Tesla oh ah
Tesla okay so all right I thank you for
the explanation see Mike Michael doesn't
only make funny things he also explains
them for you it wasn't fun it wasn't
funny at all that I agree with okay
okay so yes when when you achieve see
this is why Kanye didn't like you it's
this
all right I'm I'm downgrading you from a
nine down to an eight
and if you keep talking like this
uh a five is a real possibility all
right so uh vacuum is the kind of vacuum
that's created with violence is is
usually
um filled with like a with a harsh with
a harsher figure so so you don't think
violent revolution ultimately leads to a
positive Pro to positive progress in the
short term well sometimes it does the
American Revolution I think was a
positive example and overthrowing the
Czar which was done peacefully uh was a
positive example but again uh when
violence happens people get scared and
they want the violence stopped
immediately and that's a call for
authoritarianism and you see it time and
time again and and they also want
retribution they were like bring this
back to normal uh and they don't really
worry about things like civil liberties
or things like that it's it's a very uh
uh and then it also creates this space
for Invasion from foreign sources or
demagogues you know like oh look they're
killing us in the streets now you got to
support me it's it's a very uh
deadly game obviously I remember
somebody told me
that I forget where it was but they told
me that from the very beginning was
obvious that communism is an evil system
that would or a system that leads to
evil
and uh to me at least that's not if I
had to put put myself in the beginning
of the 20th century at the end of the
19th century that's totally not obvious
they are trying to elevate Humanity the
the basic worth of a human being of a
hard-working human being of the working
class of the people that are doing the
work and the striving and just uh really
trying to build up Society with their
own hands it just seems like a beautiful
ideal uh so I guess the question is
can you see yourself believing in that
in in the ideas of socialism and
communism yeah let's say if you're
living in Russia oh yeah easily so first
of all I I don't think anything is
obvious in politics
uh it's not obvious that you know uh
humans have rights it's not obvious that
Liberty is better or the Market's either
either whether you're for you know a
welfare state or you're for more free
markets not that those is obvious both
of them involve an enormous amount of
thought and background information so
when someone says something is obvious
in politics they really mean something
is apparent well it's not a parent on
its face that if we all get together and
promote a society based on equality and
we all chip in that it's gonna really be
good for everyone I mean that to me is
the promise of Communism
um and it was also very appealing to
many people because it was new
so the idea was all right we've tried it
these other ways there's all these
negative consequences you have all these
slums you have people getting you know
fired and then they have no recourse you
have women with 10 kids and they can't
feed their kids infant mortality you
don't have sanitation you don't have
food you know everyone's illiterate and
uneducated and then here's saying look
if we all chip in together everyone will
have clothes everyone have food everyone
will be educated everyone will do their
part it's going to be rough in the short
period that's a very compelling
case to be made for communism it's
really easy in many ways when something
hasn't been tried to make it sound
uh compelling because you just talk
about how great it's going to be and
then no one no one you know people are
always arguing about like Venezuela and
Sweden like oh we you know you want
Democratic socialism to be like Sweden
you don't want to be like Venezuela the
Venezuelans didn't vote for Venezuela
they voted for Sweden they ended up with
Venezuela so it's I think
and the thing with Communism especially
at that era it was very much a
correlated with uh people who are too
smart for their own good because they
had the idea that if we're just put in
charge instead of these like business
people or these heirs to Great Estates
if the people who are smart and get it
like us I don't mean you and me like the
people at the time who are advocating
for it once we're in charge since we're
good people and we want what's best for
everyone
um we're gonna make sure everyone's
taken care of and you know they always
talked about how much they cared about
the little guy and so I'm sure some of
them meant it a lot and they're like
look if the guy in charge is very much
concerned with the little guy he's not
going to slip between the cracks and
it's just going to be absolutely great
um and we don't have to worry about you
know uh you know the capitalist class
just basically exploiting people and
having these huge Estates while these
people can't even feed their own
families since we have a little bit of
momentum Can you steal me on the case
for socialism at that time and even
today
I don't know if it's
I don't know if there's a rhyme and uh
similarity to those to socialism as
implemented at that time and what could
possibly be implemented today but maybe
you can dance between the two the Steel
Man arguing for socialism is
if you have everything up to Private
Industry you do not have a guarantee
that someone won't fall between the
cracks and the other concern is in any
other context if someone is let's
suppose mentally ill right through no
fault of their own and they are or
someone's handicapped you know they
can't feed themselves or mentally
disable or something like that
if you have everything up to charity
some if this you see this with a
endangered species right the species
that are cute it's easy to raise money
for them to protect them some weird kind
of frog somewhere that no one cares
about you can't raise money for it
there's people's interests are to what
they find interesting so if someone is
someone who's like not socially
appealing in some way whatever capacity
they're gonna fall between the cracks
and they're screwed under socialism if
you have a government taking care of
everything no one is Left Behind you are
guaranteed that the lowest of the low
and the worst of the worst are still
going to make sure that they're not
starving the street or uh just left
behind so that is a big moral case to be
made for having the state running
everything in terms of economics it's a
lot harder but the argument there would
be it's why it's it's not fair a term
which in my view does not actually have
a good meaning but it's not fair that
because you were born a Rockefeller and
I was born in Poland that you never have
to worry about food for the rest of your
life whereas I have to worry about you
know paying for a doctor for my kid like
you just you won this Lottery when
you're born and now I have to be screwed
and I have to respect all your property
why so
um that is another strong argument to be
made for socialism and the other
argument is if you have a media
apparatus that is operated under
profit-seeking principles it is going to
feed into people's worst
qualities most basic animal-like
qualities and sensationalist qualities
and will be used as a mechanism for
capitalist control whereas if the
government which represents all of this
all of us is running things then
everyone will have a right to have their
voice heard and won't be manipulated
that's the argument what about the
reaching towards the stateless version
sort of uh because you espouse the ideas
of anarchism it kind of has the same
conclusion which is reaching towards the
removal of the state to where we I guess
have
uh some distributed reallocation of
resources that are quote unquote fair
but the thing is the the Marxist vision
of the state with ringaway and uh
becoming anarchism it's really kind of
like um The Underpants Gnomes because
it's like tell me more well step one you
have marked something slowly
I'm sorry you have full communism the
state's running everything including
education step two question mark step
three anarchism so their idea was that
after enough time
the nature of man himself was going to
change changed and then the government
would be Superfluous because we would
all be uh equal and we would all
naturally or socially whatever term they
would use want to act the part that we
would need to do and in fact Reagan had
a great joke about this where there were
two where uh there were two commissars I
think in Moscow and one of them they're
walking around they're going is this it
uh is this have we done it have we
reached full communism the other goes oh
no it's going to get a hell of a lot
worse so you know that's kind of the
counter argument to that
do you think
culture Society can change the nature of
man no
so no matter you don't think this idea
that uh for example America has been
founded on that all men are created to
equal
that that idea can't permeate the
culture and in thereby change how we see
each other how we
think of the basic worth of a human
being and thereby change our nature it
doesn't change that's epigenetic I don't
I don't think that that changes the
nature of man I think for example if I
say someone which I agree with that if
someone is innocent he'll proven guilty
they're not literally innocent they're
regarded in a legal context as innocent
but that person is or is not a murderer
or thief or so on and so forth so we can
legally and ethically regard everyone as
equal but as Thomas sull pointed out a
human being isn't even equal to himself
over the course of a day twins who are
genetic clones are not equal to one
another so it is a important thing
legally and it's a good yardstick but
it's not literally true but don't you
think that law becomes ethics so we
um
we that like idea of Justice starts to
like we start to internalize it that we
just
the way we behave the way we think about
the world no I I I think it's a complete
red herring because no one is no you're
a red herring okay see what I did there
um
because
someone is people are still going to
always prefer their family to strangers
or they're in group to our group so in
terms if you're going to have equality
that means it's going to not matter to
you whether someone is your mom or
someone is you know someone down the
street and I don't see how that will
ever become the case do you think it
would be possible if you were an
intellectual
uh like you are at the beginning of the
20th century would you be able to
predict the rest of the 20th century no
I I don't think at all I think there
were so many
um out of nowhere turns that no one
would have seen their them coming for
and as an example
um Lenin seizing power and making the
Bolshevik Revolution a reality was
regarded as utopian and insane uh the
fact that he pulled it off is close to
miraculous and it was quite literally
unprecedented
um the fact that so that's a very big
one which aspect of it sorry to
interrupt which aspect was hard to
predict that a singular figure with just
some ideas would be able to take so much
power and and maintain that power and
remake that Society so drastically so
quickly despite such opposition also not
just a set of temporary protests by
Hooligans that lead to
um turmoil in the short term but then
stabilizes but literally changes the
entirety of the society yeah ludendorf
it was the German general he's like all
right we got to get this the Russians
out of world war one he's the one who's
like all right let's get this lunatic
Lenin who already tried and failed to
have a Revolution in Russia let's send
them back there and he's just gonna
cause problems to everybody and it's
going to be great because it's gonna
weaken Russia and then our Eastern Front
isn't going to have to be a problem and
then to his surprise and everyone else
is including you know anarchists and
Communists worldwide uh they pulled off
this you know October Revolution and
then for a while it's like all right I
mean I mean I think my understanding is
even people at the time in St Petersburg
and in Moscow were like what does this
even mean right like no one took it
seriously and then very quickly you had
the checkout and and the secret police
and all these other kind of
implementations of the you know the
communist state and people like oh
they're not messing around but they're
like all right this is this is not going
to last for for long and you know the
USA the US and day we didn't even
recognize the Soviet Union's legitimacy
for a very long time there were no
diplomatic relations after a certain
point it's like who's the if you don't
recognize Lenin and Stalin's government
who's the government of this of Russia
or the Soviet Union is it the Czar like
you have to recognize that it's just
they're not going anywhere so that was
something that was not I I think very
predictable the Great Depression in
retrospect there were certain things
that were predictable but it was not at
all the case that it needed to last as
long as it did in the states as FDR made
it do so there's all sorts of things I
mean if they uh um
fought Germany's re-militarization near
World War World War II could have been
prevented if you didn't have the Treaty
of Versailles would you have the
hyperinflation would you have Hitler
these are all I think Choose Your Own
Adventure moments where things could
have gone in other directions I don't I
don't believe this kind of idea this is
a very Marxist idea that like history is
inevitable and once you start with
certain premises the contradictions kind
of unfold I think it's ridiculous I feel
that there's power in the Santa Claus
outfit yeah I mean it's a fundamentally
communist idea right Santa Claus
arbitrary redistribution of wealth it's
not redistribution well at least I
decide who's good and bad only I only I
know this
and I mean I am somehow getting funding
from somewhere right no
okay listen there's I have so much to
teach you little Michael Workshop yeah
and how many people do you think are
employed in this Workshop they're slaves
yes I don't know how many elves are in
the workshop uh I think the rest of you
are gonna have to look into it no anyway
in the red colors and everything is that
the biggest holiday of all time
Christmas like just in terms of
the intensity of the festivities no I
think Christmas is a very recent
phenomenon I think historically it was
not a big deal now I know historical has
not been but in terms of
how much it captivates how intense it is
I guess from a capitalist perspective
like how much is going on how visual it
is how intense it is I think it grabs a
whole population I think it's because
the idea of Christmas is
probably the one of the most powerful
holiday ideas uh Easter is probably up
there is there's obviously up there
because you have Christ's resurrect
Christ dying his resurrection so that's
kind of a big one but but Christmas is
the symbol of Brotherhood and kindness
and magnanimity you know one of the
things I despise about our culture is
this glory and something I'm fighting
very heavily with this book or at least
attempting to is this glorification of
cynicism this kind of like oh you like
this song that's cute stupid
um whereas Christmas is the one time of
year where you could be happy and joyous
and kind and people don't get to roll
their eyes at you they get to stop being
too cool for school and they get to be
like you know I enjoy your friendship
your your my sister my brother my dad my
mom whatever and it's the you know I was
Iran's favorite holiday I adore it and
especially Christmas in New York and
it's just this idea of like even though
we're called and it's dark outside you
know it's still it's kind of like it's
still cozy and you and the next let's
hope the next year is because with with
Russians Santa comes on New Year's so
it's kind of like let's make this next
year an even better one so it's very
much the holiday of Hope and joy
and like love for family for friendship
and kindness and benevolence yeah and
like almost the whole that whole rat
race of uh chasing material possessions
and all that gets put on hold for beef
moment it just all goes quiet but it's
also about giving people material
possessions like here like I value you
this is something that brings you Joy
yeah yeah you write in the book which by
the way
people should go get by right now if you
support this podcast or if you support
the ridiculous office that Michaels wear
wears the more books you buy the more
outfits he is going to wear I've got two
my next two appearances in the show
assuming I don't burn this bridge I've
got some good ones this bridge
has been burning for a long time we've
been going across the road by Kent canoe
at this point next time we're going to
be swimming
um how the hell are you gonna swim
yeah it's true sink to the bottom get
dragged across by rope
تصفح المزيد من مقاطع الفيديو ذات الصلة
"O BRASIL QUASE FOI COMUNISTA" | A HISTÓRIA DO COMUNISMO NO BRASIL | ERA UMA VEZ NO BRASIL 3
Socialism in Europe and The Russian Revolution Class 9 | Class 9 History Chapter 2 | CBSE | NCERT
What is Communism? | Success and Failures of Communism | Dhruv Rathee
A história do socialismo e a luta pela Revolução Brasileira
Socialism in Europe and the Russian Revolution | 10 Minutes Rapid Revision | Class 9 SST
All Forms of Marxism in 15 Minutes!!! - Leninism, Maoism & More
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)