As a Marxist, I criticize the contradictions within our capitalist system.
But in working on my upcoming doc, Horseshoe Theory is Right, But Not How You Think, there’s a point I make in part 3 that I believe sets me apart from a lot of prominent communists: I don’t hate capitalism. I don’t hate billionaires. I don’t hate success.
I want a good life, and honestly, I have one. I am so, so grateful for my life. I am fortunate, certainly, but I have also worked very hard to get where I am (I came from very little and have had perpetually awful luck in life, and I have overcome these things). But more importantly, I have my children. They give me unconditional love and the strength to do what I need to do. They are there for me, and I am there for them.
I highly recommend my kids! A++++ would buy from again.
I have good friends all over this planet. I have my health (physically, mentally, and, though it took my whole life, emotionally). I would have none of these things – or at least much less of these things – if I were the person I am but living in feudalism.
Our economy may be riddled with flaws, but the life I live would have been unimaginable in feudal times. I work from home, see my family all the time, and am free in ways I simply would not have been then.
Many live in poverty. Many starve. Many live with abusive parents or partners.
Certainly, I am not asking (nor will I ever ask) those people to “just work harder.” But, unlike “leftists,” I am not condemning them to the victim bucket, either.
People all deserve freedom, dignity, and happiness. They deserve their agency and ability to act. Conditions prevent this in different ways for everyone, but there are choices we can all make today that we never could in the age of Kings.
We can be grateful that now, more than ever, we can stand up for ourselves and make big changes. Yes, there are obstacles like time, ideology, and even other people. Often, we find ourselves having to do very difficult things or make very hard choices. Finding the courage to take the step can be hard, but when we do it, a better life is often waiting on the other side.
I'm kinda right there with you. The two biggest words in my "leftist vocabulary" are Dignity and Agency; and my entire half-century of life has seen capitalism regressively seek to strip more and more people of those things through the use of material conditions and abuse of its own 'rules' for the system.
It's like the capitalist order has a mortal hatred and fear of those qualities, in the hands of anyone but themselves.
Dignity and Agency must not be luxuries reserved only for the fortunately born or the lucky; they are the basic bread by which a healthy society is formed.
So we all gotta have some of both. If the system wants to impede that, then the system has to go.
That's where I start from, anyway.
I've had fellow "socialists" choose to not hang out with me and my family because they disagreed with our success even though they themselves were successful. So weird. I want everyone's quality of life to be improved without even having to wait for socialism so I'm all about doing what's available to us now to make that happen. Practicing gratitude is amazing for mental health. In lieu of praying, I walk my family through gratitude exercises when I feel like they're feeling too sorry for themselves or too down about the state of the world. We are so lucky even when we are in pain so I try to remind them and myself of that. We love The Kiffness' song "It's a Beautiful Day" if anyone wants a catchy song about gratitude to make them smile.