Will Shetterly's Blog, page 43

On the end of 2018, taking a week off from social media, and false urgency

I think it's as funny as anyone does that I announce web breaks, then return as soon as the mood passes, which is why it surprises me that taking the last week off hasn't been hard. I rather like knowing comments are piling up on Twitter and Facebook. I'll be sad if any of them involve opportunities that have passed, but that's not how social media usually works. It's all about false urgency.

Four quotes by Marx and Engels about democratic revolution, plus one against revolutionary dictatorships

“Above all, it will establish a democratic constitution, and through this, the direct or indirect dominance of the proletariat.” — Friedrich Engels, Principles of Communism, 1847 "the first step in the revolution by the working class, is to raise the proletariat to the position of ruling class, to win the battle for democracy" —The Communist Manifesto, 1848 “there are countries – such as

Three quotes by Marx and Engels about democratic revolution

"the first step in the revolution by the working class, is to raise the proletariat to the position of ruling class, to win the battle for democracy" —The Communist Manifesto “there are countries – such as America, England, and if I were more familiar with your institutions, I would perhaps also add Holland – where the workers can attain their goal by peaceful means.” —Karl Marx “Above all, it

Selections from Marx’s Critique of the Gotha Programme

I wish Marx had simply rewritten the Gotha Programme, but what he did instead was typical of him: he shredded it. In the shredding are essential elements of his thought, so I will pluck out the ones that strike me now: Labor is not the source of all wealth. Nature is just as much the source of use values (and it is surely of such that material wealth consists!) as labor, which itself is only

The farce called meritocracy, with supporting quotes

The rich claim institutions are meritocracies if merit is rewarded once you're in and overlook the fact that it's easier to get in if you're rich. If you want a meritocracy, you have to end poverty. In our current race to the top, many of the runners aren’t starting on the track—they’re starting in the swamp. One of our planet's most privileged people shows how easy it is for meritocrats to lie

Dog Land fan art by Michelle Hawran

Her instagram: @mhawranillustration

Why I love lurkers, or Can we divide social media's two purposes?

Why I love lurkers, or Can we divide social media’s two purposes?

A short rant about "institutional racism"

"Racism is an attitude, and institutions can't have attitudes." —Adolph Reed When I shared that on Facebook, someone I'll call R questioned it, so I said: If racism is an institution, where is its headquarters? Who are its employees? Who decides its policies? “Institutional racism” is how liberals discuss the way that capitalism’s limited class mobility creates generational poverty for people

Why I have muted or blocked you on Twitter

Yes, this is a form letter. I hope it doesn't hurt your feelings to learn that your behavior is so common that I've made this post for people like you. I am muting or blocking you. It seems unkind not to tell you—you should know there's no point in sending me anything I won't see. So you won't misinterpret this, I'll stress that I support your right to free speech. If someone tries to

In defense of "agreeing to disagree"

Two years ago on Facebook, I posted this:I just saw someone say he didn't like the phrase and thought it was used by people who could not defend their position. I'm a great fan of the phrase. I use it when I choose to be merciful, which is more often than my readers may realize. I would prefer to have brambles in my view than scorched earth. One meaning of the phrase is "you are not worth my