this post was submitted on 12 Aug 2023
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NonCredibleDefense
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I mean, Marx never claimed to have all the answers. His whole schtick was that society was progressing to a new and fairer stage of human civilization and economic organization, not that he knew the smoothest way to get there.
I always think of Marx as a brilliant economist, because he identified a lot of real issues with capitalism as industrialization was in full swing.
He really sucked on the political side of things though. "Dictatorship of the Proletariat" will always result in an Animal Farm situation. Just human nature.
I think communists fell into the trap of thinking that because a dude is right about a lot of things it means he's right about everything. It's kinda like a cult in that way.
As Marx once said, "If one thing is certain, it is that I am not a Marxist."
That being said, 'Dictatorship of the Proletariat' is very widely misunderstood, in no small part due to Marxist-Leninists using it as cover for their vanguard bullshit.
Every time I read someone expressing this view, I feel like encouraging to read something from Graeber, for example "Debt". Not for the discussion on debt itself, but mostly for the different ways societies were organized over millennia.
Ok.
I encourage you to read Animal Farm, it's probably a lot less boring than this Graeber guy.
Orwell wrote a critique of modern society, soviet Stalinist society in particular, in animal farm. It's not an anthropology book, it's political satire that came from a socialist (!). I am not sure your induction that it applies to all humans under every circumstance was therefore intended by the author (lord of the flies might be a much better example in this case).
Graeber is actually far for boring, and as an anthropologist his writing tend to be a bit more general.
Either way, of course I've read Animal Farm.
Assuming someone hasn't read already Animal Farm is like assuming they haven't ever read a book.