“Under no pretext should arms and ammunition be surrendered; any attempt to disarm the workers must be frustrated, by force if necessary.” -Karl Marx
America does have a “unique” culture around guns, but that’s not all that prevalent on the left. What’s driving interest in guns is the sad fact that we might need to use them.
The thought process that “we might need to use them” is evidence that the left in America does think about guns differently than the rest of the world.
You should mention that that was Karl Marx before the US civil war. Not Karl Marx in an age where drone-based warfare is common.
The potential to need to use guns is a statement of fact. The alternative of counting on law and order to correct the overreach of a fascist cop is no longer valid. When people start getting disappeared without due process, that changes the calculus entirely.
I’ve got no clue what drones have to do with this. That’s just one more threat of extrajudicial state violence we might very well have to face. I’d rather try to defend myself from a drone with buck shot than a slingshot.
The potential to need to use guns is a statement of fact
It’s your opinion that you might want to use guns. That doesn’t mean that guns are the only possible solution to the problem. As I said, American-brained people think Americanely, which distinguishes them from the rest of the world.
Ok Mr big bad, you live around a bunch of idiots and cops that have guns and want to kill you, let’s see how cavalier you are about not wanting to protect yourself especially given the current state of affairs in the US.
Big Ukraine giving up it’s nuclear arsenal just to end up getting invaded by Russia energy.
Not to mention those of us who deeply give a shit, and are in a position to leave, but refuse to abandon the vulnerable people who can’t. Such self-centered, black-and-white thinking from someone eager to dunk on Americans (who are frequently stereotyped as guilty of exactly that).
I think you will find that anyone who can’t rely on functioning courts thinks about guns this way. It’s not just Americans. There are dozens of countries where you would be braindead not to have guns for home protection. The thing those countries have in common is a rational lack of confidence in the rule of law. Russians see it that way. Afghans do too. Pretty much everywhere but Europe sees it that way unless they have a government so oppressive as to make private gun ownership nearly impossible.
I think you’ll find that it’s mostly Americans who jump to guns first. There are dozens of countries Americans look at and say: “Gee, those people should have guns”, but the locals disagree.
Russia? You can’t buy a hunting rifle unless you’ve owned a smoothbore gun for 5 years without an incident. Fully automatic guns? Forbidden. Pistols and revolvers? Heavily restricted. If you own one you have to keep it in a gun safe which is inspected by the Russian version of ATF. And you need to pass an exam and a psychological check to own one.
I don’t know where you got the idea that Russians have a similar fetish for guns as Americans.
As for Afghanistan, is that really a country you want to compare the US to? A country that has been at war more often than it has been at peace?
Almost nobody in the world sees it the same as the US. Not in Africa. Not in South America. Not in Europe. Definitely not in Asia. And not even in other countries in North America.
I think you’ll find that it’s mostly Americans who jump to guns first.
What does that even mean? First before what? It’s been quite a few years since our civil war. We’ve “jumped to” quite a lot of things before guns, and the left hasn’t really jumped to them yet. I’m not saying there isn’t a massive gun fetish here, because there is, but it exists almost entirely among right wingers. God, guns, and hate are their culture. The left hates the idea of using guns, but we also see the reality we live in, and a lot of us choose to be prepared.
You don’t see lefties going to gun shows unless doing some kind of investigation of the right. We don’t hand our kids AR-15s for the family Christmas photo or celebrate shooting an overly rambunctious pup. We don’t have collections of dozens of guns in private arsenals. We generally do support sane gun control and responsible ownership. We don’t brag about our guns or make them part of our identity.
Russia? You can’t buy a hunting rifle unless…
Don’t you mean “can’t legally buy”? Are you seriously unaware of the rather infamous scope of the Russian black market in guns? Russia has a bit of an organized crime thing going, as in it’s everywhere. Their black market represents a quarter of their GDP, and everyone pays bribes to someone.
As for Afghanistan, is that really a country you want to compare the US to?
What the fuck? Of course not! I don’t want to compare it to Nazi Germany either, but the similarities are kind of hard to miss. Where did you get the idea that I was talking about my aspirations for America?
A country that has been at war more often than it has been at peace?
LOL. As of 5 years ago, the US had been at war for 222/244 years. I don’t know if even Afghanistan can match that.
Almost nobody in the world sees it the same as the US…
Again, the US is a big country and can’t all be lumped into one big group. Different groups relate to guns very differently here. Gun ownership on the left is largely driven by gun ownership on the right, and now our newly fascist government. We don’t relate to guns the same as the right, but many of us do own them and know how to use them.
The American left is not that dissimilar to the left in a lot of other countries as it relates to guns, except that our situation is quite different.
But the need for workers to defend themselves from the capitalist system/state has never been more pressing as the capitalists are once again choosing fascism. I doubt Marx would be advocating for disarmament in today’s world.
The need might not have changed, but the option to use weapons to do so might no longer exist. OTOH, in Marx’s time communications technology was primitive, there was no way to coordinate instantaneously with other people was limited to people who were within earshot. Maybe a 2025 Marx wouldn’t talk about giving up weapons, because he’d know taking up arms against a state was pointless in 2025, and instead he’d be all about mesh networks and encryption.
It’s definitely not just an American thing.
America does have a “unique” culture around guns, but that’s not all that prevalent on the left. What’s driving interest in guns is the sad fact that we might need to use them.
The thought process that “we might need to use them” is evidence that the left in America does think about guns differently than the rest of the world.
You should mention that that was Karl Marx before the US civil war. Not Karl Marx in an age where drone-based warfare is common.
The potential to need to use guns is a statement of fact. The alternative of counting on law and order to correct the overreach of a fascist cop is no longer valid. When people start getting disappeared without due process, that changes the calculus entirely.
I’ve got no clue what drones have to do with this. That’s just one more threat of extrajudicial state violence we might very well have to face. I’d rather try to defend myself from a drone with buck shot than a slingshot.
It’s your opinion that you might want to use guns. That doesn’t mean that guns are the only possible solution to the problem. As I said, American-brained people think Americanely, which distinguishes them from the rest of the world.
Ok Mr big bad, you live around a bunch of idiots and cops that have guns and want to kill you, let’s see how cavalier you are about not wanting to protect yourself especially given the current state of affairs in the US.
Big Ukraine giving up it’s nuclear arsenal just to end up getting invaded by Russia energy.
Why would I live there? I’d leave.
Not everyone has the financial resources to up and move countries.
Not to mention those of us who deeply give a shit, and are in a position to leave, but refuse to abandon the vulnerable people who can’t. Such self-centered, black-and-white thinking from someone eager to dunk on Americans (who are frequently stereotyped as guilty of exactly that).
I think you will find that anyone who can’t rely on functioning courts thinks about guns this way. It’s not just Americans. There are dozens of countries where you would be braindead not to have guns for home protection. The thing those countries have in common is a rational lack of confidence in the rule of law. Russians see it that way. Afghans do too. Pretty much everywhere but Europe sees it that way unless they have a government so oppressive as to make private gun ownership nearly impossible.
I think you’ll find that it’s mostly Americans who jump to guns first. There are dozens of countries Americans look at and say: “Gee, those people should have guns”, but the locals disagree.
Russia? You can’t buy a hunting rifle unless you’ve owned a smoothbore gun for 5 years without an incident. Fully automatic guns? Forbidden. Pistols and revolvers? Heavily restricted. If you own one you have to keep it in a gun safe which is inspected by the Russian version of ATF. And you need to pass an exam and a psychological check to own one.
I don’t know where you got the idea that Russians have a similar fetish for guns as Americans.
As for Afghanistan, is that really a country you want to compare the US to? A country that has been at war more often than it has been at peace?
Almost nobody in the world sees it the same as the US. Not in Africa. Not in South America. Not in Europe. Definitely not in Asia. And not even in other countries in North America.
What does that even mean? First before what? It’s been quite a few years since our civil war. We’ve “jumped to” quite a lot of things before guns, and the left hasn’t really jumped to them yet. I’m not saying there isn’t a massive gun fetish here, because there is, but it exists almost entirely among right wingers. God, guns, and hate are their culture. The left hates the idea of using guns, but we also see the reality we live in, and a lot of us choose to be prepared.
You don’t see lefties going to gun shows unless doing some kind of investigation of the right. We don’t hand our kids AR-15s for the family Christmas photo or celebrate shooting an overly rambunctious pup. We don’t have collections of dozens of guns in private arsenals. We generally do support sane gun control and responsible ownership. We don’t brag about our guns or make them part of our identity.
Don’t you mean “can’t legally buy”? Are you seriously unaware of the rather infamous scope of the Russian black market in guns? Russia has a bit of an organized crime thing going, as in it’s everywhere. Their black market represents a quarter of their GDP, and everyone pays bribes to someone.
What the fuck? Of course not! I don’t want to compare it to Nazi Germany either, but the similarities are kind of hard to miss. Where did you get the idea that I was talking about my aspirations for America?
LOL. As of 5 years ago, the US had been at war for 222/244 years. I don’t know if even Afghanistan can match that.
Again, the US is a big country and can’t all be lumped into one big group. Different groups relate to guns very differently here. Gun ownership on the left is largely driven by gun ownership on the right, and now our newly fascist government. We don’t relate to guns the same as the right, but many of us do own them and know how to use them.
The American left is not that dissimilar to the left in a lot of other countries as it relates to guns, except that our situation is quite different.
Are you suggesting we build weaponized drones?
I’m saying that if Karl Marx had written things in 2025, what he would have said would undoubtedly have been different than what he wrote in 1850.
But the need for workers to defend themselves from the capitalist system/state has never been more pressing as the capitalists are once again choosing fascism. I doubt Marx would be advocating for disarmament in today’s world.
The need might not have changed, but the option to use weapons to do so might no longer exist. OTOH, in Marx’s time communications technology was primitive, there was no way to coordinate instantaneously with other people was limited to people who were within earshot. Maybe a 2025 Marx wouldn’t talk about giving up weapons, because he’d know taking up arms against a state was pointless in 2025, and instead he’d be all about mesh networks and encryption.