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  • Explanation: The scratches up in the corner are a mocking caricature of a crucified man - part of the Alexamenos graffito, which made fun of that newfangled religion called "Christianity". Glad that weird death-cult stuff worshipping a condemned criminal never caught on!

    The Latin text reads "Barbarians" at the top, and "Is this the son of God?" at the bottom, in the vein of the classic "Is this a pigeon?" meme of some anime guy gesturing at a butterfly.

  • Explanation: After the failure of the French Second Empire during the Franco-Prussian War, there was considerable wartime unrest. The Second Empire was overthrown by the Third Republic, but the Third Republic did not fare much better on the battlefield. Encouraged by the weakness of the government, the working people of Paris rose up and established an anarchist commune - The Paris Commune! A secular, socialist, anarchist, and proto-feminist experiment which roused the spirits of the working class into a (mostly) functional self-organized body.

    Unfortunate, the French Third Republic could not counteance radicals in their midst, and certainly not radicals who took their capital from them, brought its full force to bear, and destroyed the experiment, with thousands killed, and many extrajudicially executed. Still, we remember the Commune in this house! It lives forever in our hearts!

    Title is from Louise Michel, a Communard militiawoman, very based

  • Explanation: After the failure of the French Second Empire during the Franco-Prussian War, there was considerable wartime unrest. The Second Empire was overthrown by the Third Republic, but the Third Republic did not fare much better on the battlefield. Encouraged by the weakness of the government, the working people of Paris rose up and established an anarchist commune - The Paris Commune! A secular, socialist, anarchist, and proto-feminist experiment which roused the spirits of the working class into a (mostly) functional self-organized body.

    Unfortunate, the French Third Republic could not counteance radicals in their midst, and certainly not radicals who took their capital from them, brought its full force to bear, and destroyed the experiment, with thousands killed, and many extrajudicially executed. Still, we remember the Commune in this house! It lives forever in our hearts!

    Title is from Louise Michel, a Communard militiawoman, very based

  • An unfortunate constant of human societies.

  • If you think Chomsky doesn’t consider Russia’s invasion criminal, brutal, and unjustifiable, that’s just not correct. If you actually read the interviews

    Yet Chomsky’s world-view does not leave space for Ukrainian agency. It is the “US and Britain” who have “refused” peace negotiations in Ukraine, Chomsky tells me, in order to further their own national interests, even as the country is being “battered, devastated”. That negotiations with Russia would mean de facto abandoning millions of Ukrainians to the whims of an aggressor that has shown itself capable of extraordinary brutality, such as in Bucha and Izyum, is dismissed. “Ukraine is not a free actor; they’re dependent on what the US determines,” he says, adding that the US is supplying Kyiv with weapons simply to weaken Russia. “For the US, this is a bargain. For a fraction of the colossal military budget, the US is able to severely degrade the military forces of its only real military adversary.”

    According to Chomsky, Russia is acting with restraint and moderation. He compares Russia’s way of fighting with the US’s during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, arguing that large-scale destruction of infrastructure seen in that conflict “hasn’t happened in Ukraine”. He adds: “Undoubtedly Russia could do it, presumably with conventional weapons. [Russia] could make Kyiv as unliveable as Baghdad was, could move in to attacking supply lines in western Ukraine.”

    When I asked him to clarify whether he was implying that Russia is fighting more humanely in Ukraine than the US did in Iraq, Chomsky replies, “I’m not implying it, it’s obvious.” Delegations of UN inspectors had to be withdrawn once the invasion of Iraq began, he says, “because the attack was so severe and extreme… That’s the US and British style of war.” Chomsky adds: “Take a look at casualties. All I know is the official numbers… the official UN numbers are about 8,000 civilian casualties [in Ukraine]. How many civilian casualties were there when the US and Britain attacked Iraq?”

    Still incapable of reading, I see.

    For bonus points, Chomsky's typical brand of 'brilliant' IR takes.

    At times, Chomsky’s ideological priors lead him to overlook facts that might contradict his narrative. For instance, Sweden and Finland, which had been officially non-aligned for 210 and 73 years, respectively, both applied to join Nato in May 2022. To most observers, the end of their decades of neutrality might seem at least tangentially related to the invasion of Ukraine three months earlier. However, Chomsky says that both countries seeking to join Nato had “nothing to do with fear of a Russian attack, which has never been even conceived”. Claims that Russia could threaten either country amount to “Western propaganda”, he adds. Instead, Chomsky argues that joining Nato gives the military industries of both Nordic countries “great new market opportunities [and] new access to advanced equipment”.

    Sovereignty, of course, is a Western Imperialist Lie, and it's only natural that a brave anti-imperialist like Chomsky would oppose it.

    Asked what form a potential settlement to the war in Ukraine might take, Chomsky says: “First of all, Ukraine will not be a member of Nato. That’s the red line that every Russian leader has insisted on since [the former Russian president Boris] Yeltsin and [the former Soviet president Mikhail] Gorbachev.” He adds: “Ukraine gains the status of, say, Austria during the Cold War or Mexico today. Mexico can’t join a military alliance [hostile to the US]. There’s no treaty about it but it’s perfectly obvious.”

    A peace agreement would involve Ukraine offering “a degree of autonomy” to the eastern Donbas region, today partially occupied by Russia. “With regard to Crimea [which was illegally annexed in 2014]… we put it off for the moment. Let it be discussed later. Those are the basic outlines of a solution under the Minsk II agreement.” The Minsk I and II agreements were signed between Ukraine and Russia in 2014 and 2015. Intended to end the conflict that began in 2014, they included military and political steps that were never implemented by Moscow. The agreements are today widely viewed in Ukraine as having paved the way for Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. “There will be no Minsk III,” as the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky curtly put it last November.

    And, of course, the classic "Look how she was dressed, the whore was asking for it"

    Chomsky’s criticisms of US foreign policy are not limited to Ukraine. Just as Washington provoked Russia with Nato expansion it is also “provoking China openly” over Taiwan, he tells me. “The US is carrying out a programme… to encircle China with a ring of sentinel states armed with advanced precision weapons aimed at China,” an apparent reference to American defence cooperation with countries such as Japan, South Korea and Australia.

    “What is the threat from China at this point?” Chomsky asks me. “The threat is coming from the US with, of course, Britain following. [The UK] is just a lackey at this point. It’s not an independent country anymore.” Though he acknowledges that China is “not a nice country” and is violating international law in the South China Sea, he says “the talk about [war over] Taiwan is coming from the West”. Beijing, which views Taiwan as its own territory, has not ruled out an invasion and regularly conducts military exercises which simulate a blockade of the self-governing island.

    And for the final round of hypocrisy

    Reflecting on our conversation, I came across a passage in an essay from Chomsky’s 1970 book At War with Asia. “As long as an American army of occupation remains in Vietnam, the war will continue,” he wrote. “Withdrawal of American troops must be a unilateral act, as the invasion of Vietnam by the American government was a unilateral act in the first place. Those who had been calling for ‘negotiations now’ were deluding themselves and others.” These words seem to me to be more applicable to the war in Ukraine than anything Noam Chomsky said during our conversation 53 years later.

    What drugs are you smoking? I’ve never been ok with any genocide for any reason. Unlike many liberals who were fine with Biden funding genocide because “it’s not an important issue”. I’ve always been against genocide and accelerationism. Quote me proving otherwise or get your pathetic strawman out of here.

    I literally posted screenshots of the guys we were discussing playing genocide games, but go off. Infinite apologia for one genocide is permitted, but not the other.

  • muh freeze peach :(

  • Typical fearmongering lib smh, tell me when you feel the bullet penetrating the back of your skull and then MAYBE we can take it seriously

  • This is slander.

    Caesar was hated by the ultraconservative oligarchs and was capable of forming complete sentences.

  • Are you able to write a single comment without half of it painting the person you are disagreeing with as a supporter of Putin?

    Supporter is a strong word. I believe 'useful idiot' is the traditional nomenclature.

    Read one of your own favorite newspapers articles and replace the word Russia with America. https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/natural-resources-ukraine-war-1.6467039

    "Russia, a country on the border of Ukraine with long-standing interests in subjugating the people and territory, wants Ukraine's minerals; therefore, the US wants it too"

    Maybe India will invade next.

    And the open acknowledgment of mineral extortion is not a new Trump plan. It was openly proposed by neocons last year. https://www.kyivpost.com/post/28288

    Holy fucking shit, did you not read your own article?

    Graham said the idea came from former President Donald Trump, who on Feb. 10 said that aid for Ukraine should not go through unless it’s restructured as a loan.

    Jesus fucking Christ.

    This is a common claim by fascist shitheads, and has been for a good two years now, that has been repeatedly debunked in various ways. It has been repeated by Trump’s fascist cronies recently, though, so it would be very interesting if you have an actual source for this. Surely you wouldn’t signal boost pro-genocide misinformation from fascist cunts in service to imperialist aims, and fascist cunts in service to the US fascist government, no less, would you…?

    So that's a 'no' to this one. Just freely repeating fascist claims in service to an ongoing genocide.

    You want to know why you feel like you're being painted as a "Putin supporter"? It's because your talking points are from the same shit trough.

    If you don't want to be mistaken for a fascist, I might recommend no longer supporting fascist talking points, and, unlike fascists, maybe acting with some small modicum of respect for consistency and factual accuracy instead of repeating baseless claims which serve imperialist powers and citing sources that disprove your own points.

  • Noam Chomsky & Vijay Prashad: U.S. Must Stop Undermining Negotiations with Russia to End Ukraine War

    Oh, Noam Chomsky said it, what's his view on Ukr-

    Jesus Christ.

    You get that Israel and Russia are the ones committing genocide against Ukraine and Palestine, right? Yeah, I support Ukrainian and Palestinian resistance against fascist forces and their rights to sovereignty and self-determination.

    Yet those who take a "Genocide is okay because it's expensive or hurts my fee-fees to oppose 🥺" position gets a pass from you on one genocide, but infinite criticism and accelerationism for the other.

    Curious.

  • The signalling about the minerals was done far before Trump took the reigns.

    Like numerologists counting the letters in Bible verses.

    Ukraine confirmed this week that they refused the early peace deal (which is better than the deal they will get now) because NATO promised to support them to the end.

    This is a common claim by fascist shitheads, and has been for a good two years now, that has been repeatedly debunked in various ways. It has been repeated by Trump's fascist cronies recently, though, so it would be very interesting if you have an actual source for this. Surely you wouldn't signal boost pro-genocide misinformation from fascist cunts in service to imperialist aims, and fascist cunts in service to the US fascist government, no less, would you...?

  • Based Slovenians 🙏

    If the rest of us had taken the war as seriously, Ukraine would be in much better straits right now.

  • And without that glorious cacophony of violence, who would have so resented their defeat as to kick off WW2 two decades later?

    Coming from a "Poland and the Soviet Union should have just surrendered! 😭" Nazi sympathizer, lmao.

  • The really sad thing is, I believe, even with the American education system being sabotaged by the right, we're probably better educated now on average than at any point in the past.

    The difference is that the right formed a new coalition in the 80s, and got new propaganda tools in the 90s (Fox and other right-wing misinformation outlets) and 2000s (online disinformation). Being slightly better educated isn't enough to counter that.

    And now it's going to get fucked even harder.

  • My other criticism was that the US was not genuine with the process for a ceasefire, and instead prioritized prolonging the war with Russia the same way the Afghanistan proxy war was used against the USSR, at the cost of Ukrainian lives.

    "was not genuine with process for a ceasefire"

    Would you like to elaborate on this?

    I criticized the Dems and the Republicans for funding, defending, and facilitating a genocide. As anyone with a conscience should. We should be doing everything possible to fight back against imperialism and genocide. That’s what international law is supposed to be about.

    So yes, it is the exact position that you criticized mainstream Dems on, just for Palestine.

  • Why not?

    The Trumpoids march in lockstep with each other, repeating the same, predictable, consistent lines.

    Dems don't. Dems have deep and very heated disagreements over issues that most Americans don't care about, or care about but don't understand, and are frustrated that the issue is complex and not solved by saying "I solve it".

    To an inattentive observer (ie most Americans), it looks like one side has all their ducks in a row and the other doesn't.

    Add in a dash of long-standing racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and a very "Me me me" attitude towards foreign affairs, and you have the American electorate.

    Why wouldn't they believe this?

  • I guess that’s my point. If the poll is not based on anything other than bullshit, what’s the point of giving it any consideration?

    Because people approve of bullshit. Because people vote based on bullshit. Because people form their worldviews on bullshit.

  • Inhabited Beauty @lemmy.world

    Supreme Constitutional Court - Cairo, Egypt

    History Ruins @lemmy.world

    Ruins of a Swahili stone house on the Island of Mozambique, ~15th/16th century AD

    The Democratic People's Republic of Tankiejerk @lemmy.world

    "Anti-imperialism EXCEPT when Russia or China 😊"

    NonCredibleDefense @lemmy.world

    Bullpup Typhoon Bullpup Typhoon

    NonCredibleDefense @lemmy.world

    OKAY BUT 13 PANZERS DOES = 1 CHAR

    History Memes @lemmy.world

    If only Bonaparte was actually that based 😔

    Fire Memes for Traitor Haters @lemmy.world

    TURN UP THE HEAT

    Political Compass Memes @lemmy.world

    "Who is your enemy?"

    Rough Roman Memes @lemmy.world

    (protip: the Romans did not always treat the Iudeans fairly)

    HistoryPorn @lemmy.world

    An angry mob beats anti-segregation protesters ('Freedom Riders'), Birmingham, Alabama, USA, 1961

    Lord Of The Rings Memes @lemmy.dbzer0.com

    Not cool, bro

    NonCredibleDefense @lemmy.world

    This was revealed to me in a dream...

    NonCredibleDefense @lemmy.world

    Parry this you filthy casual

    NonCredibleDefense @lemmy.world

    Noncredible homeland security

    History Memes @lemmy.world

    5th century AD was... rough.

    Rough Roman Memes @lemmy.world

    5th century AD was... rough.

    History Memes @lemmy.world

    Development of the Roman army - in pixel form!

    Rough Roman Memes @lemmy.world

    Development of the Roman army - in pixel form!

    ADHD @lemmy.world

    Relaxing is so nice, holy shit

    Star Wars Memes @lemmy.world

    Qui-Gon Stormcrow