• DessertStorms@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    Don’t get me wrong, absolutely fuck Reagan and lady Reagan (Thatcher), but to ignore the framework that preceded them and enabled them to do what they did is being wilfully ignorant and is counter productive.

    Yeah, they fucked society up in their unique and terrible ways, but they are absolutely not the cause of our problems, just another symptom.

    The cause is capitalism (and before that, feudalism) and the varied systemic oppression and exploitation it relies on to exist.

    It is a tangible cause we can and should fight against, not a ghost to pointlessly shake a fist at for a quick dopamine hit.

    • lugal
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      1 year ago

      Reagan and Thatcher introduced neoliberalism into their respective countries. If you were right, it would have been pointless to vote for a center left party in the next election because they wouldn’t abolish it. But when the Democrats/Labour came into power, first thing was to undo all the shit and abolish neoliberalism, right? Right?

      John the Duncan made a good video about how the center left parties legitimized and normalized neoliberalism in the next legislative period. If you want me to, I can see if I find this video.

      • unfreeradical@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Democrats/Labour came into power, first thing was to undo all the shit and abolish neoliberalism, right? Right?

        Right! If Reagan and Thatcher made neoliberalism law, then Clinton and Blair made it doctrine.

      • biddy@feddit.nl
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        1 year ago

        In New Zealand, neoliberalisim was introduced by the center left Labour party.

        • lugal
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          1 year ago

          Interesting! I thought we Germany were the only ones. We had a coalition of the social Democrats together with the green party in the late 90s/ early 2000s. Especially the green party used to be very radical until they came to power

        • lugal
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          1 year ago

          Give me a day or two to find it. If I forget, remind me 😉

          It’s not that he did only one video on neoliberalism, it’s one of his favorite topics.

      • DessertStorms@kbin.social
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        1 year ago

        Lmfao, what the fuck do you think neoliberalism is?
        And yes, it is pointless voting for the centre left, for exactly that reason - they too are neoliberal (= capitalists = exactly the point I was making in my comment).
        You’re seriously not making the point you think you’re making lol

        • lugal
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          1 year ago

          I’m not making the point you think I was making. I wasn’t arguing against you. If it was all Reagan’s fault, the center left would have corrected it. But they didn’t. They turned neoliberal when they got to power. They are now but weren’t before.

          neoliberal = capitalists

          That’s very simplistic. 19th century capitalism wasn’t neoliberalism. The new deal era wasn’t neoliberal but socdem. Neoliberalism is the flavor of capitalism introduced by Thatcher/Reagan/… it’s not the same as capitalism.

    • unfreeradical@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Yeah, they fucked society up in their unique and terrible ways, but they are absolutely not the cause of our problems, just another symptom.

      It may be simplistic to focus blame on some individual antagonist, but the one named is probably the one whose choices carried the greatest weight toward achieving the current condition of disaster.

      At any rate, as a champion of individual responsibility, he would happily accept, no doubt, his own.

      • DessertStorms@kbin.social
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        1 year ago

        It may be simplistic to focus blame on some individual antagonist, but the one named is probably the one whose choices carried the greatest weight toward achieving the current condition of disaster.

        no, but feel free to continue focusing on a symptom rather than on the problem, and

        At any rate, as a champion of individual responsibility, he would happily accept, no doubt, his own.

        Lmfao, absolutely never happen

        • unfreeradical@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          feel free to continue focusing on a symptom rather than on the problem

          I think you are extrapolatng, and not interpreting my response in context.