askchapo

A lot of us have extremely extremely critical support for Russia for exactly one reason - Russia weakens US hegemony, and weakening US hegemony creates more spaces where revolutionary politics can be nurtured and grown. It's not support for Russia, it's support for the role Russia plays in breaking the US's death grip on the world. I don't think there's anyone here who wouldn't cheer if Putin "fell off a balcony" tomorrow. Russia is, as you said, a ruthlessly capitalist country just like America is, but America is too foolish and brutal to have accepted Russia in to the fold back in the 2000s, so now the war between the two nations is serving to bleed capitalism at a time when it is very vulnerable.

What we're hoping for is a Multi-polar world; A world where US hegemony is broken and countries can realistically align themselves against US interests without being utterly destroyed. That wouldn't be any kind of guarantee that Socialism could flourish and begin a new period of revolutions, but it gives us much better odds than a world where the US can reach almost anywhere to crush communist and anarchist movements that begin to gain power.

Right now, the primary actors pushing circumstances towards multi-polarity are Russia, China, Iran, India, Brazil, and a few others. Russia is a capitalist state, and our enemy. China is weird and complicated and sometimes does good things, sometimes does bad things, often does nothing at times when something really needs to be done and they're the only ones who can. Iran, obviously, is no friend to communists despite being an occasional ally due to shared interests, as in the Levant. India is totally fucked, with Hindutva fascists in control and things getting worse, but they're still part of the equation. And Brazil is doing it's thing with Lula and Bolsonaro, and it seems like everything is up in the air, there. But they've got the economic juice to be very important.

This is hard-core, cold-blooded realpolitik that is entirely about goals instead of ideals. It's doing what we can with the situation that exists, acknowledging that this is very much not what we want. And, of course, everyone here is mostly an observer to the horror, doing what we can at the local level where we can actually operate while we wait to see what happens with the struggle between the great powers.

If you'd like to know more you can go ask in the News Mega. The folks who hang out there are terminally online politics junkies and can explain better than I can. Just make it very clear that you're asking in good faith and will seriously engage with the answers you're given, whether you agree with them or not. We get a ton of bad-faith trolling, so people can be touchy about it.

The main point is that it's an example of the US and international capital losing power. Russia's ruling class wanted to be part of the international capitalist ruling class but were excluded, with that exclusion turned up to 11 after the invasion of Ukraine.

Almost by accident, Russia is now forced to adapt through domestic industry and alternative trading partnerships (and skirt sanctions because Europe isn't really going without their fossil fuels). And it's working. This demonstrates the extent to which multipolarity is emerging and viable, though it is still the early stages.

Re: Russia being capitalist and reactionary: of course that is the reality. What do you then do with that information? It describes nearly every country in different forms and degrees. The downfall of empire will happen through capitalist states and states in a transition that still, of course, have significant problems. If it weren't for Russian influence in the ME it would be 100% Saudi Arabias by now, for example, and Palestinians would only be a diaspora. Oppressed peoples do not have the luxury of perfect allies or even "good" allies, they will take whatever they can get and the more they can get the better.

It's funny now that you mention that. I always used that justification to try and keep on the good side of my coworkers, but never myself

You helped organize a union for Starbucks (or at least tried to)?

You have my respect, comrade.

o7

That experience may have seemed pointless. I know the feeling of campaigning for a union push and failing. But I guarantee you learned more than think while doing it. You’re a better organizer than you were before. That’s good.

Union density is not down; just the opposite.

And yes, you should join a liberal or a conservative union like the ones at the AFL-CIO, not just the IWW.

Edit: Too much focus on the IWW unions and not on other independent unions or AFL-CIO unions.