Marx and Engels had an understanding of industrial capitalism through their interactions and experience with workers. Dismissing those who have a great understanding of struggle as not having a special role in understanding that struggle is liberalism. It's ignoring the reality of oppression and prescribing solutions.

If you had read any political theory from the past 100 years, this would be self evident to you.

[+] LenonLemonLenin@hexbear.net 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

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[–] Verenata@hexbear.net 9 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Men can't read a book on how it feels to suffer under the patriarchy as a woman and understand how it affects them literally in the same way white people can't read a book on how it feels to life under systemic racism literally. If someone is a man and white they can never understand how it feels and therefore their analysis will be lacking if done in isolation.

No amount of pompous theory reading will make up for listening to the experiences of those who can fill in those gaps and going outside and touching grass.

You've taken a call for real intersectionality and trust in those who have lived experience over those with a theoretical understanding of the topic and read it as "if you aren't oppressed you can't be a socialist but that's not right cos daddy marx did good" and I think that's daft especially when the system we are discussing is systemic racism in the US.

And on that note marx and engles were not infallible and their theory's are white male centric century old writings. Great starting points but wrote in a world and time that do not reflect the material conditions of today.

Marx didn't include women's labour in his theory of primitive accumulation focusing it entirely around men in factories completely abandoning the labour at home that women did for free as essential slaves to their husbands without suffrage of any kind without even going into child birth and child raising.

Marx completely erased women and our struggles relating to labour. Intentionally or not isn't the point. As a white dude he just didn't fucking think so don't go round saying "MaRk AnD aNgLeS gOt It RiGhT" when they literally didn't. We've built on what bits they did get right CONSIDERABLY but there's more to come as theory develops.

If you wanna read theory go read calliban and the witch as it talks about exactly the immediate above.

Dumbass.

Edit: actually no, go read stuff on racism first because that's what this thread is about. Then calliban.