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Comment by Ar-Curunir | Hacker News Reader

This article gives me the feeling that the folks who run Jacobin have a "holier-than-thou" attitude towards the rest of the left. I get the feeling that they look down upon more idealistic leftists, and think of themselves as pragmatic and grounded, a quality they deem that the rest of the left lacks.

Might be the way the article is written (it seems to try hard to portray Jacobson's success as a demonstration of capitalism's successes), but there definitely seems to be an underlying kernel of truth. Turns me off of Jacobin even more.

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Jacobin is really good and Catalyst, its long form companion publication, is even better. They're certainly surprisingly radical for the US; they're "leftists" in the European sense (not in the US sense, where a light-pink centrist such as Bernie Sanders is seen as some sort of rabid Bolshevik by many).

I had to do a double-take here, I was thinking "I don't think Bernie is all that radical, but I wouldn't describe him as center-right". But of course the US gets the colors backwards.

IMO, more ethics of responsibility instead of ethics of conviction is exactly what is needed. Because "right-think" does not improve people's lives, but results do. They have every right to feel superior over lazy thinkers who just subscribe to some currently fashionable belief system including the crazy parts.

A large portion of the radical left feels this way about Jacobin. I enjoy some of their articles, but it doesn't come without critique.

Famously, a post-leftist, anarchist organization called "Crimethinc" published an essay called "Your Politics Are Boring As Fuck"[0] which addressed some of the problems with the attitudes of "Jacobin Leftists". I really like this quote:

> The truth is, your politics are boring to them because they really are irrelevant. They know that your antiquated styles of protest — your marches, hand held signs, and gatherings — are now powerless to effect real change because they have become such a predictable part of the status quo. They know that your post-Marxist jargon is off-putting because it really is a language of mere academic dispute, not a weapon capable of undermining systems of control. They know that your infighting, your splinter groups and endless quarrels over ephemeral theories can never effect any real change in the world they experience from day to day. They know that no matter who is in office, what laws are on the books, what “ism”s the intellectuals march under, the content of their lives will remain the same. They — we — know that our boredom is proof that these “politics” are not the key to any real transformation of life. For our lives are boring enough already!

0. https://crimethinc.com/2000/09/11/your-politics-are-boring-a...

While I agree with Crimethinc and that quote, I can't seem to get into their writing anymore. Most of their writing comes across as defeatist or exhausting, but it's understandable because they've been promoting leftist ideals for decades now while the world slides into more and more authoritarianism.

Perhaps so, but I see the writing as more of a "The status quo will continue until we take action."

I think there is something to be said about defeatism in this regard. Things absolutely will not change until there is action. Crimethinc is simply stating the obvious -- there is no action.

Lately, The Invisible Committee's books have kept me very enthusiastic. If you haven't read those yet (specifically, "Now" and "The Coming Insurrection") you've been missing out.

For anyone else who is not a radical leftist, there are some interesting takes on how technology has affected human interaction. I see it as an interesting read for many people in tech.

I havn't read the books, thanks for the recommendations i'll check them out.

Crimethinc/AdBusters has seem to be more about fostering counter culture rather than interesting leftist thought not to say one's more important than the other, but seeing even the most radical members of our party still consumed by selfies and starbucks makes me really dissapointed. Crimethinc taught me to about Buy Nothing Day, how to make my own soap, and go vegan/local.

"Published in 2000"

Does crimethinc do anything more impactful than write screeds lie Jacobin does?

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