05-07-2016, 10:22 PM
(This post was last modified: 05-08-2016, 02:20 AM by FireIceTalon.)
Voters have little sway on the behavior of politicians if you ask me. Them being this way is a NATURAL (and inevitable) result of the internal logic of capitalist politics, since their duty is to protect, serve, and create laws that in are in the interest of private capital. This is why when I hear idealistic liberals talk about "taking money out of politics" to eliminate or even reduce corruption, I can't help but laugh. Firstly, you will never get big money of politics - the rich and powerful have always controlled any political system and will always see to it that their interests are protected above all else. Secondly, even if you could, it still doesn't change the functionality of politicians or the concept of 'the State' in general.
What I DO blame the voters for though, is not having the wits to understand the above and they keep voting for the same assholes year after year. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again while expecting a different result. But even here, it isnt all the voters fault either, since the culture and institutions of capitalism promotes specific ideologies taylored to make people think a certain way (i.e. that we NEED politicians and leaders at all, that class based societies are a good thing, emphasis of competition over cooperation, that "others" are inferior to those who conform to social norms and bourgeois culture, etc), and it is extremely difficult to break free from this ideological control, believe me.....especially since the ideas are shoved down our throats at literally every turn. Nevertheless these things have profound impact in shaping peoples beliefs, thoughts, and decisions they make in all facets of life. And we learn this stuff from a very young age, since our rulers know that they have to start when we are most impressionable.
But it is possible to break free of it, since material conditions are what primarily shapes our consciousness. I think this is what is beginning to occur in American politics, as indicated by the presence of anti-mainstream politicians (at least in theory) like Trump and Sanders. Not that they are good candidates, or that we should even have candidates at all, but the point is they reflect a changing in the conciousness of the American worker when it comes to politics. People are getting tired of the same old crap.
Chance also can play a factor too. In my case, if we go back to 2008, I voted for Obama. I wasn't a Marxist yet mind you, at the time I was a fairly moderate social democrat, with even a few libertarian-like tendencies. I didn't become a Marxist for at least another couple years, sometime in 2011 perhaps. But several factors, mostly material ones, contributed to this radicalization in my political thought. Firstly, there was the failure of the Obama Administration to make good on the promises he made, especially when the Dems owned both the House and Senate initially. This was the first blow to my loyalty to being a liberal, I became very disillusioned with the entire political process and system. There was also the fact that every job I worked at, was all the same - the bosses wanted the most work out of me while paying as little as possible with no benefits. I also began to question the ideals of the American Dream when I saw everyone around me working their asses off, but getting nothing in return essentially - except unemployment, health problems, stress, no medical insurance, living from pay check to pay check, etc....When I went back to school in 2010 I took a class where Marx happened to be one of the subjects we covered. I was already very disillusioned with how things were, so reading Marx & Engels resonated with me but it wasn't enough yet - I wanted to learn more. So I took it upon myself to read more Marxist and radical left-wing literature and sources outside the classroom, discussions with various leftists, and everything began to make more sense at this point. So my politics began to move rapidly to the left. This was the final blow to shattering my loyalty to mainstream bourgeois politics, as class consciousness replaced false consciousness. So, discovering Marx and Engels was the nail in the coffin, but hardly the initial spark. That being said, once you become a Marxist, you will never ever look at the world the same way again. But me discovering them was purely chance, though I guess a greater chance since material conditions had already made question the way things were.
What I DO blame the voters for though, is not having the wits to understand the above and they keep voting for the same assholes year after year. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again while expecting a different result. But even here, it isnt all the voters fault either, since the culture and institutions of capitalism promotes specific ideologies taylored to make people think a certain way (i.e. that we NEED politicians and leaders at all, that class based societies are a good thing, emphasis of competition over cooperation, that "others" are inferior to those who conform to social norms and bourgeois culture, etc), and it is extremely difficult to break free from this ideological control, believe me.....especially since the ideas are shoved down our throats at literally every turn. Nevertheless these things have profound impact in shaping peoples beliefs, thoughts, and decisions they make in all facets of life. And we learn this stuff from a very young age, since our rulers know that they have to start when we are most impressionable.
But it is possible to break free of it, since material conditions are what primarily shapes our consciousness. I think this is what is beginning to occur in American politics, as indicated by the presence of anti-mainstream politicians (at least in theory) like Trump and Sanders. Not that they are good candidates, or that we should even have candidates at all, but the point is they reflect a changing in the conciousness of the American worker when it comes to politics. People are getting tired of the same old crap.
Chance also can play a factor too. In my case, if we go back to 2008, I voted for Obama. I wasn't a Marxist yet mind you, at the time I was a fairly moderate social democrat, with even a few libertarian-like tendencies. I didn't become a Marxist for at least another couple years, sometime in 2011 perhaps. But several factors, mostly material ones, contributed to this radicalization in my political thought. Firstly, there was the failure of the Obama Administration to make good on the promises he made, especially when the Dems owned both the House and Senate initially. This was the first blow to my loyalty to being a liberal, I became very disillusioned with the entire political process and system. There was also the fact that every job I worked at, was all the same - the bosses wanted the most work out of me while paying as little as possible with no benefits. I also began to question the ideals of the American Dream when I saw everyone around me working their asses off, but getting nothing in return essentially - except unemployment, health problems, stress, no medical insurance, living from pay check to pay check, etc....When I went back to school in 2010 I took a class where Marx happened to be one of the subjects we covered. I was already very disillusioned with how things were, so reading Marx & Engels resonated with me but it wasn't enough yet - I wanted to learn more. So I took it upon myself to read more Marxist and radical left-wing literature and sources outside the classroom, discussions with various leftists, and everything began to make more sense at this point. So my politics began to move rapidly to the left. This was the final blow to shattering my loyalty to mainstream bourgeois politics, as class consciousness replaced false consciousness. So, discovering Marx and Engels was the nail in the coffin, but hardly the initial spark. That being said, once you become a Marxist, you will never ever look at the world the same way again. But me discovering them was purely chance, though I guess a greater chance since material conditions had already made question the way things were.
https://www.youtube.com/user/FireIceTalon
"Your very ideas are but the outgrowth of conditions of your bourgeois production and bourgeois property, just as your jurisprudence is but the will of your class, made into law for all, a will whose essential character and direction are determined by the economic conditions of the existence of your class." - Marx (on capitalist laws and institutions)
"Your very ideas are but the outgrowth of conditions of your bourgeois production and bourgeois property, just as your jurisprudence is but the will of your class, made into law for all, a will whose essential character and direction are determined by the economic conditions of the existence of your class." - Marx (on capitalist laws and institutions)