It’s 2026 and people still say shit like “communism is when government does a thing so the US army doing bad shit isn’t capitalism actually!”

I know this probably isn’t helpful to say but sometimes I wonder if it’s even possible to reach people politically when peoples understanding is so warped and confused. How do we fight against such a giant flow of ignorance and propaganda?

It feels like an impossible task when people don’t even know what words mean.

I really appreciate and respect people who continue to try and educate people on these things because they must have the patience of a saint to not get burnt out.

EDIT: man, you guys are giving me such detailed answers that I totally don’t deserve. Thank you, and sorry for my initial defeatism.

  • FishLake@lemmygrad.mlEnglish
    6·
    2 months ago

    I probably shouldn’t, but I write off people older than mid-to-late 20s as a loss. Focus on the youth. Trans the kids.

    • Dort_Owl [they/them, any]@hexbear.netOPEnglish
      8·
      2 months ago

      Very understandable, but also worth noting that many of us here didn’t become communists until our late 20s.

      Hell, I still don’t consider myself knowledgeable enough to be able to call myself a communist.

      • purpleworm [none/use name]@hexbear.netEnglish
        4·
        2 months ago

        For what it’s worth, from a Marxist perspective imo the baseline for being considered a communist has a lot more to do with what you do than what you know, even if knowledge and a good analytical framework is necessary to be a good or effective communist. If you want to be a communist, the defining trait is doing anything in the interest of ultimately ending class society. Being well-read is the defining trait of a scholar (which I don’t mean in any sort of derogatory way; Marx, Engels, Lenin, and Mao were all scholars).