Ask Laika!

[Laika]

It's been a while since I've done one of these, so I figured it might be fun to give it a go. I am 30 and live in the UK, I'm an atheist and I've struggled with depression for over ten years, particularly given all the problems of I coming out as bisexual.

As you probably know, I have quite a long history in the far left, so as an aside you're welcome to ask any questions about that such as on different parts of Marxist theory or history, etc. I can probably provide you with sources if you have anything really specific in mind.

Feel free to ask anything you want.

And my favourite colour is blue. It's very calming.

 

[PoetPhilosopher]

Do you think being politically informed, in general, is divisive or unifying to people?

 

[Harel13]

What shade of blue?

 

[leov]

It's been a while since I've done one of these, so I figured it might be fun to give it a go. I am 30 and live in the UK, I'm an atheist and I've struggled with depression for over ten years, particularly given all the problems of I coming out as bisexual.

As you probably know, I have quite a long history in the far left, so as an aside you're welcome to ask any questions about that such as on different parts of Marxist theory or history, etc. I can probably provide you with sources if you have anything really specific in mind.

Feel free to ask anything you want.

And my favourite colour is blue. It's very calming.

Why 'Laika', Dog in K(C)osmos?

 

[Laika]

Why 'Laika', Dog in K(C)osmos?

my original username was "Red Economist" but I changed it to "Laika" because laika was the first dog in space and one of those rare soviet achievements. It was also a fairly neutral sounding name that was still commie, but not necessarily having hideously bad associations.

What shade of blue?

I'll go with Navy Blue.

Do you think being politically informed, in general, is divisive or unifying to people?

I think it really depends where you are getting it from. The Media distorts reality by focusing on the most extreme examples where there is "high drama" which drive sales and ratings. The internet is really bad for it as well. Most politics is pretty mundane like making sure people get clean water, fixing potholes on public roads, the street lights work and the garbage gets picked up. Lots of really small things that don't get news coverage, but are what we taken for granted everyday. Its not "sexy" but we still rely on it.

Although I haven't done it much myself, being informed about local politics is usually both very mundane but also very relevant. If you focus on that, you'll probably find large areas of agreement over something that everyone uses and relies on. The conversations get more constructive as well. e.g. should we build a local park or use the space for a housing development?

I've had to train myself to take a step back since 2016 as the rhetoric gets more and more out of control. It is a sort of grounding exercise that keeps the really heated controversies (e.g. abortion, climate change, evolution for U.S. politics) in perspective. There is a real need to "cool down" and take a break from political discussions these days.

 

[leov]

my original username was "Red Economist" but I changed it to "Laika" because laika was the first dog in space and one of those rare soviet achievements. It was also a fairly neutral sounding name that was still commie, but not necessarily having hideously bad associations.



I'll go with Navy Blue.

I think it really depends where you are getting it from. The Media distorts reality by focusing on the most extreme examples where there is "high drama" which drive sales and ratings. The internet is really bad for it as well. Most politics is pretty mundane like making sure people get clean water, fixing potholes on public roads, the street lights work and the garbage gets picked up. Lots of really small things that don't get news coverage, but are what we taken for granted everyday. Its not "sexy" but we still rely on it.

Although I haven't done it much myself, being informed about local politics is usually both very mundane but also very relevant. If you focus on that, you'll probably find large areas of agreement over something that everyone uses and relies on. The conversations get more constructive as well. e.g. should we build a local park or use the space for a housing development?

I've had to train myself to take a step back since 2016 as the rhetoric gets more and more out of control. It is a sort of grounding exercise that keeps the really heated controversies (e.g. abortion, climate change, evolution for U.S. politics) in perspective. There is a real need to "cool down" and take a break from political discussions these days.

'Lai' means 'to bark', so, ' Lai-ka' means 'barker'

 

[Revoltingest]

How was space travel?
Did you have to wear a diaper?
Why don't you rage at us running dogs of capitalism....are you not a team player?

 

[BSM1]

Sooo...what's your favorite color?

 

[Laika]

How was space travel?

Well as first dog in to space it was great, but the re-entry was a little *ruff*

Did you have to wear a diaper?

I never stopped! I could use a new one now!

Why don't you rage at us running dogs of capitalism....are you not a team player?

I could give a really long answer here, but here's the short answer.

I believe that the statistics would show something to the effect that, in terms of the number of adherents in the UK and the USA, belief in communism is about the same as belief in the flat earth. If we are talking the really serious adherents of communism, we might be talking a few hundred out of the entire UK or US population.

It's gets really painful and humiliating when you are getting laughed at by pretty much everyone, including people who think the world is flat and that NASA is a fraud. It's got to the point now where I am basically being rejected by my own side because I have the unfortunate habit of telling the truth and saying "well, it's a bit more complicated than that" when they don't want to hear it and just want the "politically correct" answer. So even my own "comrades" on other parts of the internet are laughing at me and think I'm an "enemy of the people". Gulag, here I come!

Whatever my label maybe (and it's more ambiguous nowadays even if I remain solidly far left in most respects) this level of marginalisation changes you in often profound ways. You decide it's better to have friends who think you are a weirdo and treat you as something as a novelty or an eccentric, than have no friends at all. It's part self-preservation and, in the end, it's part empathy. You feel like walking up to the flat-earthers and introducing yourself to make them feel better about themselves when they are having a hard time.

 

[PureX]

How does bisexuality play out beyond dating?

Why the affinity for Russia? They were never communist. They were never really socialist. And they aren't democratic. Basically all they've ever been were variations of totalitarian and/or fascist dictatorships. They PRETEND to be everything but what they actually are (not that the U.S.A. has any room to talk on that score, as we are a total plutocracy masquerading as a democratic republic).

Royal blue is the color most favored by conservatives. And I think green is more calming.

 

[dybmh]

Pick one:

Favorite Musical Performer?
Favorite Painter?
Favorite Poet?

Thank you,

 

[Estro Felino]

Ok...my question is...why do you think Communism is better than Socialism?
Thank you in advance

 

[Laika]

How does bisexuality play out beyond dating?

Aside from the mental health side of things, it has worked out ok. I haven't been able to date very many people as I am in a rural (and conservative) area, but I remain hopeful something will come up if I try.

Royal blue is the color most favored by conservatives. And I think green is more calming.

I can live with that. I prefer dark tones, but navy blue has the advantage of not being black. Black is too dark for me (plus it is the colour of fascists and anarchists so...)

Green does have more "nature" associations, whilst blue is more like the depths of the ocean- still on the surface, perhaps not so much for the currents underneath.

Why the affinity for Russia? They were never communist. They were never really socialist. And they aren't democratic. Basically all they've ever been were variations of totalitarian and/or fascist dictatorships. They PRETEND to be everything but what they actually are (not that the U.S.A. has any room to talk on that score, as we are a total plutocracy masquerading as a democratic republic).

Ok...my question is...why do you think Communism is better than Socialism?
Thank you in advance

I'm going to treat this as one question as the answer is roughly the same.

For better or for worse, the Soviet Union is the best model of a communist system we currently have. It was the blueprint for every other communist state that followed. The problem is that we could decide to "reinvent the wheel" but it's pretty that the same underlying processes will lead to the same result. Ignoring Russia is like ignoring Britain or America if you are trying to understand capitalism.

Whilst I can't defend the results of communism, having read the theory I am pretty confident that most of the current wave of people proposing "alternatives" to capitalism haven't gone in to it in as much detail. Buried in Marxist theory is the equivalent of (depending on your view) a new enlightenment or a new dark age. There is a lot going on and it's not always obvious unless you know what you're reading. The advantage of being a communist (over socialism) is that, if you accept the evidence and that mistakes were made, you still have the chance to learn from it. You don't have to reinvent the wheel, so you try to use evidence to figure out how best to improve on what you've already got.

Favorite Musical Performer?

I generally perfer classical music. Favorite composer is probably Beethoven, though I have listened to Chopin's nocturnes alot recently. For more modern stuff, I'll listen to some stuff on Youtube: Mortifer V's channel is great for the kind of stuff I'm in to. As for performers, I don't know that many, so I guess Nigel Kennedy will have to do classical music.

My tastes in popular music are very limited. I have listen to Poker Face and the Wolf obsessively though.

Favorite Painter?

Van Gogh. As a fellow depression sufferer I've never got over the Doctor Who episode with him in it. The scene below makes me cry every time.

Favorite Poet?

Not sure. I never really got in to poetry. I guess Shakespeare, though I should really read him more.

 

[PureX]

Aside from the mental health side of things, it has worked out ok. I haven't been able to date very many people as I am in a rural (and conservative) area, but I remain hopeful something will come up if I try.

Why are you living in such a place if it is not accepting of who you are? I would not want to be among people who did not want me to be among them. That's just a recipe for ... depression.

Why not move to someplace more accepting of who you are as a person?

I prefer dark tones, but navy blue has the advantage of not being black. Black is too dark for me (plus it is the colour of fascists and anarchists so...)

Actually, I get that ... the darker tones being more comforting. I can see how that would be.

I'm partial to gray-greens, and green-blues. The colors I grew up with along the Great Lakes in the U.S.,.

For better or for worse, the Soviet Union is the best model of a communist system we currently have. It was the blueprint for every other communist state that followed. The problem is that we could decide to "reinvent the wheel" but it's pretty that the same underlying processes will lead to the same result. Ignoring Russia is like ignoring Britain or America if you are trying to understand capitalism.

Whilst I can't defend the results of communism, having read the theory I am pretty confident that most of the current wave of people proposing "alternatives" to capitalism haven't gone in to it in as much detail. Buried in Marxist theory is the equivalent of (depending on your view) a new enlightenment or a new dark age. There is a lot going on and it's not always obvious unless you know what you're reading. The advantage of being a communist (over socialism) is that, if you accept the evidence and that mistakes were made, you still have the chance to learn from it. You don't have to reinvent the wheel, so you try to use evidence to figure out how best to improve on what you've already got.

I'm not sure why "communism" is even a goal for a society of more than about 50 participants. I think that once upon a time communism was the dominant form of human governance: back when we were living in small, hunter/gatherer type groups. It works at that scale because no individual can hide from or ignore the repercussions of their behavior towards anyone else in the group. The individual's responsibility toward the group is essential, and unavoidable. So there is little need of any behavioral dictation or correction from some appointed "authority".

But communism breaks down once the group gets large enough for any one individual to become apathetic toward any other to the point where the consequences of their behavioral interactions is no longer mutually effecting. And one individual can take advantage of another, or others, and 'get away with it'. At that point some sort of authority has to be set up to protect the well-being of the collective from the individuals within it. And then you no longer have a commune; you have some form of authoritarian pyramid.

I generally prefer classical music. Favorite composer is probably Beethoven, though I have listened to Chopin's nocturnes a lot recently. For more modern stuff, I'll listen to some stuff on Youtube: Mortifer V's channel is great for the kind of stuff I'm in to. As for performers, I don't know that many, so I guess Nigel Kennedy will have to do classical music.

My tastes in popular music are very limited. I have listen to Poker Face and the Wolf obsessively though.

I am not a pop music fan, generally, but I do like Gaga a lot. She's an amazing singer and a very creative artist.

Van Gogh. As a fellow depression sufferer I've never got over the Doctor Who episode with him in it.

As an artist, myself, I have to point out that, that was not him on Doctor Who. But you presumably know that.

Here is some work from one of my favorite artists: an American sculptor named Horace Clifford (H.C.) Westerman:

 

[Estro Felino]

Thank you for your answer, Laika.

 

[Laika]

Why are you living in such a place if it is not accepting of who you are? I would not want to be among people who did not want me to be among them. That's just a recipe for ... depression.

Why not move to someplace more accepting of who you are as a person?

I have no money basically. The depression makes it hard for me to get a job to make the money to get out. I have started visiting a local premier inn to give myself a few days break and it lets me "recharge" but only so I have to go back. So it's a vicious cycle and I live in a strange kind of purgatory.

Actually, I get that ... the darker tones being more comforting. I can see how that would be.

I'm partial to gray-greens, and green-blues. The colors I grew up with along the Great Lakes in the U.S.,.

My dad sometimes takes me out on drives to get out of the house. If I get the chance I ask him to take me somewhere with lots of trees. I find that comforting.

I'm not sure why "communism" is even a goal for a society of more than about 50 participants. I think that once upon a time communism was the dominant form of human governance: back when we were living in small, hunter/gatherer type groups. It works at that scale because no individual can hide from or ignore the repercussions of their behavior towards anyone else in the group. The individual's responsibility toward the group is essential, and unavoidable. So there is little need of any behavioral dictation or correction from some appointed "authority".

But communism breaks down once the group gets large enough for any one individual to become apathetic toward any other to the point where the consequences of their behavioral interactions is no longer mutually effecting. And one individual can take advantage of another, or others, and 'get away with it'. At that point some sort of authority has to be set up to protect the well-being of the collective from the individuals within it. And then you no longer have a commune; you have some form of authoritarian pyramid.

I believe the theory is that certain aspects of communism exist and are developing within capitalism itself. The development of corporations is a step towards a planned economy, the difference being planning takes place within a single corporation under capitalism, but in an entire economy under (soviet-style) communism. So the possibility of the transformation is already there.

Hayek made some good arguments in pointing out how a centrally planned economy lays the basis for a totalitarian state. It makes democratic and libertarian varieties of socialism harder to imagine, but it doesn't follow that totalitarianism is an "eternal" condition. It depends on whether Soviet style socialism produced a new exploiting class that has an interest in maintaining it's rule by a massive state or if the state really is part of the working class and so will "wither away" under the right circumstances. Are classes (and therefore the state as form of class rule) a permanent feature of society or a transitional one?

Liberals and Anarchists tend to think the former is the case, whilst Marxists claim the latter. I'm not sure either way honestly as both arguments have merit. I was a Trotskyist to begin with so I have always had a strong anti-Stalin and even anti-Soviet bias even if I took it as the example of how it should be done. I became less hostile over time as I realised just how much effort it took to even get the Soviet model up and running.

I am not a pop music fan, generally, but I do like Gaga a lot. She's an amazing singer and a very creative artist.
As an artist, myself, I have to point out that, that was not him on Doctor Who. But you presumably know that.

Here is some work from one of my favorite artists: an American sculptor named Horace Clifford (H.C.) Westerman:

View attachment 34964 View attachment 34965 View attachment 34966 View attachment 34967

Yeah, I know it's not Van Gogh. You know what I mean. I play the Piano and have done since I was a kid. So listening to classical music was an extension of that. I didn't have broadband internet until 2013, so I was listening to whatever my parents had got music wise (which is walls of classical music CDs, so I was well stocked up).

 

[Laika]

Thank you for your answer, Laika.

You're Welcome.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

What is your view of Trotskyism and the treatment of them in places such as Spain suring its civil war?

 

[Laika]

What is your view of Trotskyism and the treatment of them in places such as Spain suring its civil war?

I don't know much about the Spainish civil war, but I believe the efforts at purging the Republican side of Trotskyists effectively accelerated the victory of Fascism and Franco.

As for Trotskyism, I believe it was successful at creating mass movements in Brazil and Vietnam, but in most western countries has been responsible for enormous amounts of sectarianism. It is difficult to tell whether that is an inherent trait of the theory itself or a by-product of the suffocation of far left movements in the west and people simply turning on each other.

 

[PureX]

I have no money basically. The depression makes it hard for me to get a job to make the money to get out. I have started visiting a local premier inn to give myself a few days break and it lets me "recharge" but only so I have to go back. So it's a vicious cycle and I live in a strange kind of purgatory.

You are actually in a good position to be an artist, then, as you have a lot of time to yourself. If I had that kind of situation, I would be making artworks as a full time "job". And then when I had a pile of the stuff, I'd try to get it out into the world. I might even make a little money from it, who knows? Or I might get invited to show some of it in a nearby city, where there are more progressive thinking people to meet. (Now that you have the internet, you could use it to make gallery directors in the cities familiar with your work.)

Wouldn't it be a weird and fun thing to try? Whatever the medium ... music, literature, visual arts, ... maybe explore your creative spirit.

Just sayin.