Russian Tensions

April 2024 Forums General discussion Russian Tensions

Viewing 15 posts - 5,131 through 5,145 (of 5,150 total)
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  • #251143
    Bijou Drains
    Participant

    I think that psychology and Marx have very clear links. However psychology and psychoanalysis are two different things.

    To me Freud had some pretty interesting insights and the concepts of the unconscious mind, defence mechanisms, transference and projection, catharsis and trauma are useful starting points, however compartmentalisation of the brain/mind into the ID, Ego and Superego, his psychosexual stages, etc. etc. have not aged well.

    In 1996, the journal “Psychological Science” reached the conclusion that, “There is literally nothing to be said, scientifically or therapeutically, to the advantage of the entire Freudian system or any of its component dogmas.” I agree.

    #251145
    ALB
    Keymaster

    I second that motion. It seems a fair and objective assessment.

    More on the vote of Russians outside Russia. Apparently, Davankov beat Putin in Israel and Serbia:

    Russian Elections: In Israel, UAE, Expats’ Loyalties Divided Between Putin and Opposition

    https://balkaninsight.com/2024/03/18/russians-in-serbia-voted-heavily-against-putin-leaked-data-suggest/

    Of course most Russians voted for Putin and are just as oblivious of their class interest as workers in the West (as in fact were those who didn’t vote for him).

    The trouble with biological explanations as to which this is so (and Freud, Reich and Marcuse are offering biological explanations based on posited sexual energy) is that they prove too much — if workers have been biological manipulated to support capitalism how could they be changed to reject it? And how did we manage to escape this?

    A more plausible explanation of nationalism would be that humans are social animals who seek and need a sense of community and that nationalism currently meets this. In other words, it provides a false community. Its antidote being the real community that socialism will be.

    #251146
    Thomas_More
    Participant

    I’ve opened a thread on Freud and am soon posting my reply on there so as not to divert this thread from its subject.

    #251151
    Thomas_More
    Participant

    That’s right about nationalism.
    Also religion.
    Religion’s historical definition is community and performance (ritual).

    #251155
    Wez
    Participant

    BD wrote: ‘ Even if it was correct (but it isn’t) the whole approach is based on the late Victorian upper middle class social structure which was a small part of societal structure for a small window in history.’

    Er, couldn’t the same be said of Marx? I think any critical assessment must be made of the work itself rather than (however interesting) any deconstruction of the historical context from which it arose. Are we to dismiss the work of Darwin because he was a middle class white Victorian gent?

    #251156
    Wez
    Participant

    There has always been a tradition in the Party of rationalizing all social phenomena except the irrational.

    #251161
    Thomas_More
    Participant

    Yes. The party has this in common with the 18th c. mechanical materialists (whom it criticises for their limitations where they are in fact correct in other matters), and places too much faith in the progress of reason.
    In fact, we are witnessing deterioration in understanding re: the mass of workers. There was a dignity and resolve in the men and women of Peterloo which, far from having progressed since, has vanished.

    #251167
    Thomas_More
    Participant

    What is the logic of Russian rearmament in the modern world and of Putin expanding militarisation?

    #251171
    Wez
    Participant

    TM – ‘What is the logic of Russian rearmament in the modern world and of Putin expanding militarisation?’

    From his bourgeois perspective imperialism is always ‘logical’. What is not rational or logical is the working class doing the killing and dying on behalf of that class.

    #251175
    Thomas_More
    Participant

    I know. I just wonder why he is putting Russia on a war footing if the war is going to be limited to Ukraine.
    If a war with NATO direct is in the offing, he must be expecting a “conventional” war, if there is any logic for him in non-nuclear militarization.
    Are both sides (NATO vs Russia) intending to agree a “conventional” war involving all of Europe?

    #251177
    Wez
    Participant

    TM – I think you’re putting to much store in the ability of both sides to control events. I don’t know that Putin is any kind of military genius so his tribal bourgeois instincts will direct his actions as they will that of NATO (a.k.a. US oligarchs).

    #251206
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2024/03/23/cxcp-m23.html

    At least 60 dead, 145 wounded, in Moscow terrorist attack
    Clara Weiss@claraweiss_wsws
    a day ago
    A terror attack at a popular Moscow concert hall, Crocus City Hall, Friday evening local time left at least 60 dead and 145 injured. Russian authorities declared that the number of dead may well rise. Among those injured are several children. The Afghan-based fundamentalist Islamist group ISIS-K has claimed responsibility for what is the largest terrorist attack in Russia in two decades.
    —————————————————-

    PS If I publish in this forum any article written by any leftist or Leninist organization is in order to be used as a reference, or world news due to the fact that we don’t publish news every day like most leftist organization do, and we do not have journalists, writers or correspondents in any other countries around the world. on the contrary, we are losing members and we are not getting new members, we are just fighting in our little corner. Anybody that complaint about it should do their own research and get in contact with the real world There are leftist groups that publish daily news, we do not do that, even more, we do not have enough writers for the Socialist Standard which is published every month. I am subscribed to hundred of newspapers from different groups and commercial newspapers and magazines . Many of them constanly publish articles, books and news in different languages and we do not do that either

    #251224
    Thomas_More
    Participant
    #251229
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Fights between gangsters and crooks and workers are paying the consequences, and some workers are repeating like parrots or puppets the lies of their own masters. This is the real world that exists outside of this forum

    #251241
    Wez
    Participant

    DJP – That looks good – and we have quite a large archive of debates etc. that we could post. However the MHI website does look a bit ‘dry’ so perhaps we could add some ‘rebel music’ with a DJ and some more eye catching graphics? I’m not a big fan of ‘phone-ins’ but they do seem to attract audiences. We could provide movie and music reviews etc.

    • This reply was modified 1 month ago by Wez.
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