memes

This resonated with me.

we have our own elitist consolation: we accept the tragedy of masses of gullible sheeple falling for cunning propaganda because having overcome it flatters our own intelligence

I've thought similarly, as both political camps have the same thought-terminating cliches. Dem voters are taught to trust in their intellectual and moral superiority, R voters are taught the same if ya boil it down far enough. Wending my way through those thought terminators is the one skill i can say ive improved on, but they're easy pitfalls and i gotta look out.

Westerners are willingly complicit in crimes because they instinctively and correctly understand that they benefit as a class (as a global bourgeois proletariat) from the exploitation enabled by their military and their propaganda

Confession time: in my teenaged/20’d libdom (ok longer but let me lie, please let me lie to myself the truth is embarrassing) i recall coming to a decision with myself that "the US was definitely bad, but it was to my benefit and that it was a privilege i didn't ask for but definitely benefitted from. My responsibility as an American was to at least acknowledge this.

I don't remember the details but i do know i was able to live with this truth without thinking more on it for years.

How did i begin to rethink this empty non-position? To out myself again it was simply the increasingly obvious disdain for me, personally. I couldn't give enough of a fuck to truly start disengaging from the imperial prop appatatus until i got slapped right in the kisser with the truth, over and over that i didn't benefit from it either (not to say i don't bear w/me).

The benefits we receive from the boug arent intentional, but accidents in the process of being remedied.

I had to be shown this. And it being personal was just so much more appalling.

It was ugly, selfish emotions like pride and anger that initially pushed me left, not doing what is right. i would like to think that ive become better since then. I would like to believe im not just a commie out of opportunism. I can only promise myself to keep squeezin those pimples when i find em.

When i wanna change a libs mind, not just dunk on them for reminding me how much i hate my old self, i take care to remember who i was and to an extent still am, and just poke holes here and there in their unspoken faith that they are getting a piece, that the US does it for them, that the government cares whether they live or die.

Cuz using your quoted Marxist explanation isnt wrong, im proof. but how do you use this knowledge to create an effective path to enlightenment? I must remember my own, ugly path. If i can remember that, and how long it was, and how important those baby steps between 'imperialism hurts the world' to 'imperialism hurts me' and how, while venal, how effective that difference was in my mind, maybe i can throw breadcrumbs until they take that step too.

Cuz yeah baby, i want to harness that anger. How can i get them to take that step? I can't accuse, it's ineffective. Now they're mad and defensive (and im a hypocrite).

Anger doesn't help me think critically by any metric but it sure as hell stops me from listening ta who I'm angry with... and man if i can just get a wedge in between their faith in the prop...if people can just see theyre being looked down upon and by who. It is a way out, i just don't know how to apply it.