capitalism can work with say 99% tax on estate on death. No trust funds. Tax on wealth above a certain point. Rule of law with sharp teeth. Proper investment in education. Proper anti monopoly so all large corporations gets broken up to avoid their power consolidation...
communism is dictatorship in disguise.
then you have old style feudalism with aristocracy.
Because communism isn't synonymous with marxist-leninism. And even as a leninist, the USSR had several problems that aren't inherent to leninism. The entire way they managed the economy completely ignored the material conditions of the country and attempted to brute force a jump to communism by bypassing both capitalism and socialism to different extents. That's why china started working after Deng, the party realised that the productive elements of capitalism can be useful in building socialism when there wasn't the creation of excess by capitalism as assumed by marx
The issue with communism is if it never happened for real you can imagine all sorts of good amazing things from it with 0 pushback. Look atleast at the states calming to be communist. Would you rather live in Soviet or Western Europe? Ask the balts and poles...
> attempted to brute force a jump to communism by bypassing both capitalism
USSR had NEP for several years.
> and socialism
This is incorrect. USSR policy was to build socialism, and then, when it was declared to be successfully built, "developed socialism" in 1961.
> That's why china started working after Deng, the party realised that the productive elements of capitalism can be useful in building socialism
You mean they completely abandoned the whole idea? It it is 2026 and China still doesn't have some basic things like free healthcare or a state provided housing (things Soviet people enjoyed for most of USSR existence). In fact, looking at China objectively for a moment while ignoring how the ruling party calls itself it appears to me quite authoritarian capitalist state.
> wasn't the creation of excess by capitalism as assumed by marx
What? Owners of major enterprises in China enjoy exceptional luxury created as an "excess" from their businesses fueled by cheap 996 labor.
Overall, you might want to reconsider engaging in such discussion on this forum that is full of people born in actual Soviet Fucking Union.
they did, and it was good for them. Stalin ended up gutting it and it would end up shooting the country in the foot
>You mean they completely abandoned the whole idea? It it is 2026 and China still doesn't have some basic things like free healthcare or a state provided housing (things Soviet people enjoyed for most of USSR existence). In fact, looking at China objectively for a moment while ignoring how the ruling party calls itself it appears to me quite authoritarian capitalist state.
I won't deny that they are authoritarian, I disagree with them on a lot of things regarding how they handle political freedom. They don't have free housing or healthcare, but the average person is doing fine. The healthcare isn't expensive and people can afford to "own" (they don't own it in the capitalist sense but own it in the "it's mine, I can do what I want, and don't have to worry about rent" way).
> What? Owners of major enterprises in China enjoy exceptional luxury created as an "excess" from their businesses fueled by cheap 996 labor.
I also won't deny that. It is a problem that the chinese government is currently trying to deal with. Meanwhile, the production of the goods they got rich on has built up chinas economy and created industrial capability that wouldn't exist otherwise. It's kinda hard to redistribute wealth when there isn't any to redistribute, which is ultimately (when combined with other factors) why the USSR failed
>Overall, you might want to reconsider engaging in such discussion on this forum that is full of people born in actual Soviet Fucking Union. Although it is kinda entertaining reading champagne socialist opinions of western hipsters fancying themselves left-wing (because they read couple of pages of wikipedia and voted for Bernie, who upon returning from his getting-drunk-in-a-sauna-with-party-aparatchiks trip to Soviet Union in 88 was telling you how good of a country it was when Soviet Union was actually completely falling apart by then).
again, I'm not denying your gripes with the soviet union. It was objectively falling apart and was managed very poorly. I dislike your categorization of me as a "champagne socialist" who "voted for bernie and read wikipedia" as those are both objectively incorrect (aside from the wikipedia bit, as it is where I started unraveling my misconceptions about marx and socialism before moving on to actual theory). I didn't vote for bernie and while his reforms are undoubtedly good for the working class, it's putting a bandaid on the gaping gunshot wound that is capitalism. I'm also not a champagne socialist, I don't have a lot of money and don't really like champagne anyway
A friend of mine has been running the same Arch install since 2009. Does this mean Linux is problem-free and people who struggle with it are doing something wrong? No, it doesn't. Same with Windows.
I was the same way (I suppose I still am since I never deleted the partition), scoop + tailored pwsh profile + 'debloat' tweaks etc. I never really understood any of the popular complaints about Windows/W11 since I always reign my install in.
There is no argument, just vague gesturing toward the grass. I recognized myself in your post.
Fair enough. I am not against Linux at all, but work does mandate Windows (or OSX but...) and Windows for gaming is still a must imo due to anti-cheat and my Steam library is massive. Gamepass is not a bad deal too.
>As far as I remember, Mulder's suit was meant to look like the cheap and ill-fitting suit that a low-level, young government employee would buy for a dress code and because he didn't want to think about clothing.
1000% times better than what people are wearing today.
Today is so hoodified you have office workers in sneakers.
The white shirt, suit and trench looks so good. ALSO people where not as obese. This has of course an effect on the fit.
His uniform was pretty much the federal worker equivalent of the off-the-rack oxford shirt and chinos for a corporate cubical drone like in Office Space.
Yes, the tech world brought "casual everyday" to the office. But, ironically, the SF tech scene is full of designer t-shirts and jeans, so the obscenely rich and/or sartorial types can still signal their elite status among casual wear...
The Mulder equivalent today would be wearing a clearance rack hoodie from the megamart, rather than the hand-woven, artificially distressed version from this year's runway show.
An off the rack OCBD and suit with a herring or trench over is so so so so so SO much more stylish than "designer t-shirts and jeans" or "clearance rack hoodie from the megamart"!!!
Or do you honestly set a = between them? Are they equal?
We are truly lost, my god.
Explains why I have to fight to get a decent OCBD and Slacks. I have found it and never leaving.
Hoodies are for kids and african americans when in public and I am neither.
I do not mean runway style if you think that. I mean business and/or business casual. YES give me the 90s slacks, OCBD and blazer anyday I am trying trying so so so hard.
Personally, I don't care about fashion. I'm not in any way interested in passing judgement on fashion norms of this era or that era.
My real message here is, perhaps, old fashioned. I believe art's meaning is in the intention of the artist or author, in this case the show producers and costumers who did their work in the 90s. You can understand it by considering the context of their intended 90s audience. If there are records of their production decision process, that would be even better.
It is through this lens that my original post found mild amusement in this young person's misunderstanding of the show's costumes. In the originating context, nobody should consider the federal drone as fashionable. Rather, it signals the least effort the character could get away with. It expressed a "phoning it in" vibe. This person has other priorities and just wants to bypass the cultural gatekeeping of the time.
By comparison, I'd say Scully's clothing started off expressing the straight-laced, eager college graduate of the time who is trying to manage her appearance, on a budget. Something like "adulting" for later generations? I'm not passing judgment on that either. It's just the contrast that was there to establish characters.
You're wrong. Style is subjective and it's abhorrent to suggest that fashion associated with certain races is inherently less tasteful than others. You should be ashamed of yourself.
On the second question, you make the mistake of framing it as a completely personal choice. But we are formed by our environment. I had no chance growing up in the 00s. Everyone had jeans and hoodies, maybe a sweater. I did not pay attention. I carried that into my 20s and only in my 30s have I started to care about my clothes and weight, which I regret so, so much I want to die almost.
I blame everyone. My parents are and where preppy but they made the mistake of thinking I would pick it up through osmosis somehow. But getting things handed to you or seeing, you dont learn tools, what things are called. I really have had to study and try on things, I remember I saw well dressed people in our capitol and HM models for inspo. 4chan fa board has helped a lot too but now overrun with zoomers but there are good threads.
I am too paranoid to post myself openly online, I have no instagram nor an active facebook so I will not post some imgur of myself here. But for work I tend to go with business casual chinos, OCBD and boots or loafers. You must understand, everyone is casual here and wears jeans at most.
Same with books and quality movies. It really is a struggle to find quality, but the internet does help. Like finding xfiles. Our state does upload good old movies to sort though the modern slop.
Yes it is peak TV. Also sad how young people are. I was a child though. But am rewatching it. Yes no modern TV comes close. And the remake... I suspect HN aggress with the casting but I wont speak on it or I will be banned.
And you should read up on the Soviet system, the failure of central planning, their occupation of Germany (Eastern Germany vs West Germany)
The holodomor (Ukraine genocide, yes a real one not a pretend Gaza one)
Read on the current Ukraine war, do you even support it?
Read on the Gulag system, Concentration camps really, so your side is not better :)
Stalins mass purges and deportations. No free speech, press, assembly, one party state rule. You want this?
Read up on Chernobyl, the cover up.
Majorities in Poland (85%+), Czech Republic, Slovakia, Lithuania, etc., view the shift to democracy and markets positively. Living standards, education, and opportunities improved. Ukrainians overwhelmingly reject it post-independence and especially after Russian aggression. Baltics treat Soviet era as occupation, not legitimate rule.
Because I suspect you are a socialist. Not in the sense of like me in Sweden, but an actual tankie one.
Taking your 'tankie' comment, I'm not a hardline socialist.
I do not need to read up on soviet system because i'm german. I'm quite aware of gulag, concentraion camps etc.
Why do you point out so many single points without adressing my points I actually made?
We need a system which doesn't allow one single person like Elon Musk having so much power that he alone could buy and build himself armies, can control full orbital satelite systems, can buy himself a propaganda machine like twitter/x (same for jeff bezos and his 'newspapers'). Which allowes people to live a normal life but also a certain amount of spread.
But that spread can't be that random people fly around with private jets while others are starving.
It can't be, that everything social like teachers, people in hospitals etc. can barley survive while it people like me just get it handed.
Mistral is just not as good, saying this as a European, sadly. I support them and would like to see them get better in their models, for chat especially as that is what I use. Dont use any CC, APIs etc.
I avoid using and buying Chinese things due to the country. That is my view. They will turn on us too.
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