Testing a Hexbear-like thread for sharing and commenting on news. Might become a weekly thing if people like it 👀 Rules: - Include sources in (at least) every top-level comment - No clearly fake stories - That's it for now - Xibucks arrive on the third Sunday of every month

> Welcome again to everybody! Please sit down, stay awhile and enjoy our groups most honoured tradition, our weekly discussion thread! Oh and if you find the giant spoon, please let me know, I seem to have miss placed it when changing the thread over this week. > > We have a Matrix homeserver at [genzedong.xyz](https://genzedong.xyz). See [this thread](https://lemmygrad.ml/post/484053) for information about our Matrix space. > > Short reading list for new MLs [here](https://teddit.net/r/communism/comments/wisiw). To find theory, try [z-lib](https://z-lib.is), [libgen](https://libgen.is), or [Sci-Hub](https://sci-hub.ru/about) (for scientific articles). If an article is unavailable, try [the Wayback Machine](https://archive.org).

Happy International Workers' Day! Welcome again to everybody! Make yourself at home. In the time-honoured tradition of our group, here is our weekly discussion thread! Matrix homeserver at [genzedong.xyz](https://genzedong.xyz). See [this thread](https://lemmygrad.ml/post/484053) for information about our Matrix space. ~~Discord [here](https://discord.gg/QA72fD89hb).~~ I've been told the Discord server was shut down 😑 Short reading list for new MLs [here](https://teddit.net/r/communism/comments/wisiw). To find theory, try [z-lib](https://z-lib.is), [libgen](https://libgen.is), or [Sci-Hub](https://sci-hub.ru/about) (for scientific articles). If an article is unavailable, try [the Wayback Machine](https://archive.org).

*thanks to /u/Elara, we have a Matrix server again!* ## What is Matrix? Preemptive TL;DR: `Matrix ≈ Discord - tracking + end-to-end encryption (by default)` Matrix is a protocol for real-time communication (text, audio, and video) implemented by various applications ("clients") -- the official one is [Element](https://element.io/download) for Linux, macOS, Windows, Android, and iOS), but there are many others, e.g. those listed [here](https://matrix.org/clients). It's also federated, like Lemmy. To use a Matrix client, you need to make a Matrix account at one of the Matrix *homeservers* (similar to how you can make an account on lemmygrad.ml or lemmy.ml but still access both of them). We have our own Matrix homeserver at https://genzedong.xyz, and you don't need an email address to register an account there. ## How do I use it? 1. Download a Matrix client (e.g. [Element](https://element.io/download)) on whatever device you prefer. 2. Create an account in the client. You can select `genzedong.xyz` as your homeserver here; if you choose the default `matrix.org`, you'll need to enter an email address. 3. Log in. Search for the room `#welcome:genzedong.xyz` and follow the instructions there. ## How active is it? Not very active at the moment, but you -- yes, *you* (!!!) -- can help change this! Wow!

~|~|*Share this by posts or in comments by copying the* [*markdown*](https://pastebin.com/Npy8tuDr) *to preserve link functionality*|~|~ Right now, the bulk of the activity on Lemmygrad is happening in one community: [lemmygrad.ml/c/genzedong](https://lemmygrad.ml/c/genzedong). This is expected and completely normal. We are in the immediate aftermath of a mass exodus away from one of the last large, explicit bastions of anti-imperialism and communism on Reddit, and in our haste to settle we have made and populated /c/genzedong, and, in doing so, recreated the home we were familiar with: an all-purpose hub designed to be a seat of ML engagement. However, while familiar, many unfavorable structural features forced upon us by merely existing on Reddit have carried over with us. We became desensitized to the less-than-ideal compromises we made to have a presence on Reddit, and, now that we have stepped outside into greener pastures, our eyes have not quite adjusted to the new opportunities to aid our cause. Let's accelerate the acclimation! **TL;DR: We are no longer constrained from things as simple as outletting frustration by wishing death on Nazis to the more impactful, such as the freedom to actively organize and educate. There are myriad new ways we can better equip ourselves for the long fight with the tools and technology Lemmy's federalized structure offers us. We should lean into these changes quickly.** To contribute to this process (which is happening and will continue to happen whether or not we expedite it), I will outline a niche of optimization yet unexplored: # [Lemmygrad](https://lemmygrad.ml) is already the /r/genzedong equivalent that /c/genzedong is trying to be. [Lemmygrad](https://lemmygrad.ml) is an instance of the Lemmy structure. Lemmy instances can be thought of as what subreddits would be if they were hosted on their own separate domain/websites. More accurately, you can also think of Lemmy instances as what Reddit would look like if you could just copy Reddit's code, buy a domain, and make your own version of Reddit that you own and administrate, instead of some large company in San Fransisco that can delete you and your forum off of their site for stating that there was no massacre in Tiananmen Square. Consequently, we need to treat [Lemmygrad](https://lemmygrad.ml) as if we stumbled upon an unoccupied yet functional Reddit domain, with full subreddit capability. **We are no longer forced to view /c/genzedong as a catch-all forum for every possible ML post, as a de-facto standard-bearer and home for those posts that have no better place to be posted. As we grow, we should periodically fracture off posts by purpose into new, focused communities.** Among some already-implemented ideas to spark this transition: * a /r/worldnews equivalent that isn't a hellscape of propaganda as a place for the /r/genzedong posts about significant global developments: * [lemmygrad.ml/c/worldnews](https://lemmygrad.ml/c/worldnews) * [lemmygrad.ml/c/us\_news](https://lemmygrad.ml/c/us_news) * [lemmy.ml/c/worldnews](https://lemmy.ml/c/worldnews) (bigger but in the main, non-communist instance) * a community just for the types of post that were only allowed on 'lib cringe weekend' * [lemmygrad.ml/c/shitliberalssay](https://lemmygrad.ml/c/shitliberalssay) * [lemmygrad.ml/c/shitfascistssay](https://lemmygrad.ml/c/shitfascistssay) * [lemmygrad.ml/c/okbuddyanarkiddie](https://lemmygrad.ml/c/okbuddyanarkiddie) * a launch-point community aimed at education and agitation * [lemmygrad.ml/c/redditactionfront](https://lemmygrad.ml/c/redditactionfront) * a pipeline receptacle community to catch new users entering [Lemmygrad](https://lemmygrad.ml), where questions can be asked and educational resources are easily accessible * [lemmygrad.ml/c/newtolemmygrad](https://lemmygrad.ml/c/newtolemmygrad) * Expressions of our Humanity; the Beautiful Contradiction that is our individual enactments of our shared, single substance: * [Power Music](https://lemmygrad.ml/c/power_metal) * [Dialectical Materialism](https://lemmygrad.ml/c/dm_) * [Video Games](https://lemmygrad.ml/c/games) # What You Should Do Right Now * [Join Lemmygrad](https://lemmygrad.ml/signup) if you haven't already! * Browse through [Lemmygrad's ever-growing list of communities](https://lemmygrad.ml/communities) (subreddit equivalents) and subscribe to and engage with those that interest you. * Create your own communities to fill important niches we were prevented from imagining at Reddit. * Cross-post between communities to give posts in smaller, specified communities visibility in the most popular communities, like lemmygrad.ml/c/genzedong * *Produce high quality content natively in Lemmygrad, then link to it on targeted Reddit subs to draw in more users* * **Link this post to all places that contain people disenfranchised and disillusioned by Reddit's looming ban of /r/genzedong** (e.g. Reddit, Discord, Telegram, Element, etc...). We need to advertise why [Lemmygrad](https://lemmygrad.ml) is more than just a knock-off subreddit replacement that will be forgotten about in a month. Moreover, we should aim towards reaching appreciation of the unique opportunities Lemmy presents for the people already inside the community. ~|~|*Share this by posts or in comments by copying the* [*markdown*](https://pastebin.com/Npy8tuDr) *to preserve link functionality*|~|~ * Browse Lemmy's current [app offerings](https://join-lemmy.org/apps). Likely due to a large influx of new accounts and activity, some instance behaviors are unusable on the apps and many users, including myself, have been using the Lemmy [web app](https://lemmygrad.ml) on our phone's browsers in the meantime! Lastly, stay patient - this transition was a long time coming, and it will take weeks if not months for our community to adapt to the new demands and realities and eventually stabilize. For instance, there have been significant periods of downtime where Lemmygrad has been unusable, either due to increased traffic or DDOS efforts (instance behavior on mobile apps has also been unusable, even when the site is accessible). While solutions to these issues do occur, they do not happen overnight. Hang in there :)

Most of you reading this are here because /r/GenZedong was quarantined. While this place is very similar to Reddit, it also has a major difference that can make it a bit confusing, which is the Federation part. Without wasting anyone's time, I'll explain things right away. # 1) What is Lemmy? -------------------- Lemmy is a link-aggregator, similar to sites like Reddit and HackerNews. But unlike Reddit, it isn't really a website you can visit, it is just a source code. But that code is Open Source, meaning anyone can see it, edit it, and use it. It was designed in such a way that you can easily take the code and create your own website with it (with some technical knowledge of course). So you can buy the domain FuckRedditLibs.com right now and make it a Lemmy website, or as we call it, a Lemmy "Instance". # 2) What is Lemmygrad? ------------------ As you can all deduce by now, Lemmygrad is a Lemmy instance. Someone took the Lemmy code, bought the Lemmygrad.ml domain, and hosted the code there. The admins of Lemmygrad.ml only control Lemmygrad.ml, they have no authority over other instances. But that means that *no one* has authority over Lemmygrad.ml except Lemmygrad.ml admins. If you create an instance, there is no higher power you have to adhere to like in Reddit. You are the captain now. If you look at Lemmygrad.ml as a standalone website, a rival to Reddit, you don't have to understand what Federation means. You can create a user account, create/join a community (subreddit), post links/images/text, basically most things you expect to do. So unlike what some might think, Lemmygrad isn't just GenZedong. GenZedong is just a community there ([!genzedong@lemmygrad.ml](https://lemmygrad.ml/c/genzedong)). There are other communities obviously, like [!communism@lemmygrad.ml](https://lemmygrad.ml/c/communism) , [!shitliberalssay@lemmygrad.ml](https://lemmygrad.ml/c/shitliberalssay) , and [!memes@lemmygrad.ml](https://lemmygrad.ml/c/memes) . You can see a list of all the communities [here](https://lemmygrad.ml/communities). # 3) What does Federation mean? ------------------ Though as said before, you can look at Lemmygrad as a standalone website. But you aren't really supposed to. What makes Lemmy powerful is the federation aspect. So Lemmygrad.ml exists. Lemmy.ml also exists (it is the instance created by the Lemmy developers, but that doesn't make it anymore "official" or important than other instances, all instances are equal). The cool thing is that all the instances are connected. If you create an account on Lemmygrad.ml, you can also view and participate with communities from all other instances! Don't believe me? Check my username. It should say [@MarcellusDrum@lemmy.ml](https://lemmy.ml/u/MarcellusDrum), which means I have created my account in Lemmy.ml, but I can post here in [!genzedong@lemmygrad.ml](https://lemmygrad.ml/c/genzedong) , which is a Lemmygrad.ml community. This is difference between the "Local" and "All" filter you see at the top of the home page. "Local" means posts from communities in your instance, and "All" means posts from communities from all federated instances. You can see the name of the instance after the usernames/name of the communities. But as we said, even though they are federated, all instances are standalone sites. So [!communism@lemmy.ml](https://lemmy.ml/c/communism) and [!communism@lemmygrad.ml](https://lemmygrad.ml/c/communism) can coexist, with different moderators, posts, users and rules. They are completely independent places. As such, if you created an account by going to Lemmygrad.ml, your account is linked to this instance. You can't go to Lemmy.ml and login using the same account there. Accounts aren't federated. So everytime you have to login, you will have to go to Lemmygrad.ml (or the instance you created your account on). If you are using an application like Lemmur, you have to specify which instance your account is linked to. Same with communities, account names are only unique in an instance. Someone can use your exact username in another instance. If you have any questions, please let me know!

Hello comrades! I want to outline a few potential projects the Lemmygrad community could benefit from and expand its reach. I think they could foster real growth and be not only of help, but actively create counter-spaces to the Right in various domains. FOSS in this case means free and open source. For more information, check out [this](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_and_open-source_software). ## Privacy Guide I'm personally interested in tech privacy. The biggest places around are r/privacy, and PrivacyGuides, the de facto flagship website for privacy and security advice. The sub-Reddit is known to be overtly against China and non-western FOSS communities. It's mostly a circlejerk of Westerners screaming "We don't want to be like 1984 China!" without any kind of material analysis. Besides, Reddit is Reddit and we know how that goes. Now, PrivacyGuides. It is definitely a helpful resource, but there are a few issues with it. First off, the administrators frequently promote Apple products on their forum, one of them, Jonathan, even being an Apple fanboy. Apple products are non-FOSS and shouldn't be trusted, especially since they're in PRISM and collaborate with the NSA. This leaves out all the drama they've been through since they split with privacytools.io, the latter claiming PrivacyGuides stole thousands of euros from them. What I'm saying is that I think there's a need for a more community-based approach, with a strong Marxist tendency to counter liberals and conservatives (and sometimes ancaps) in the privacy field. This has the potential to educate people, even radicalize perhaps. This is related to the second project. edit: We could also add an Internet etiquette guide for Lemmygrad members. This could include safety procedures while posting, general privacy advice and more, in order to not get targeted by the US. ## Hosted Services Lemmygrad can expand itself and offer hosted services for its members. They can include a Git forge, e-mail (although this one is debatable if it's worth it because of security practices), PeerTube, and any other service that is deemed useful by the community. I think the format outlined below could be useful. I'm tying up my idea here with the concept of public access unix systems, or short for "pubnixes". They've recently had a [revival](https://tildeverse.org/), the tradition dating back to the '80s. In a nutshell, someone provides a Linux/BSD server and gives user accounts to people who request them. It has a strong focus on using the shell, and anti-corporate service alternatives. Sadly, it's dominated by either conservatives or anarcho-capitalists, rarely seeing a ML on there. I think this can be improved a lot upon, because Marxists have missed this opportunity to radicalize people in the "Small Web" communities. We need a healthier and better overall version of the Web, and I think it can provide a useful outlet for not only radicalizing new comrades, but educating everyone on technology and how to use it safely and in a healthy manner. If you're interested in checking out the Small Web movement, check out [this manifesto](https://yesterweb.org). Gopher and Gemini, being the two most popular non-WWW protocols, are completely dominated by conservatives and such. A ML presence there could help turn the tide in the small/sustainable computing sphere. I'm also thinking of setting up a mechanism of democratically run services, trying to destroy the "benevolent dictator" mechanism the software administrators have. I'm only aware of one attempt so far at this, [here](https://web.archive.org/web/20220818013402/https://tilde.red/charter). ## Healthy Computing Speaking of healthy, this could be a potential third project, a mental wellness guide for technology. Of course, with a strong focus on FOSS projects. I think we need better structured resources for people to access, more "polished", in order to garner attention as viable alternatives to what liberals and conservatives are pushing online. There is a lot of pseudo-science regarding mental health in general, and especially regarding computing, so it could be a fully featured guide to say the least. This could tie in with other resources written from a ML standpoint for people, perhaps countering the whole "self improvement" movement with diverse explanations and such. ## Zine I think Lemmygrad could publish a Zine. ML-themed findings from the Web, personal essays, stories, and anything fitting. Then it can be easily printed. Monthly releases would be neat. Could also include the news of that month, and so on. Could make a fitting alternative for paid Leftist monthly newspapers and such. ## Contributing I want this to be up for public debate so everyone can contribute with ideas! I'm personally versed in hosting things, but additional help is very much needed. If you want to contribute with an idea, or are skilled in contributing directly to any of these projects, let's get in touch. Perhaps we could get the Revolutionary Technical Committee involved in this if they're willing to contribute to a Marxist technological "front". What do you think of what I've outlined above? Let's discuss.

> The NATO bloc will deploy 700 additional peacekeepers to Kosovo, where 30 troops were wounded during clashes with local Serb protesters. Another battalion will be placed on high alert in the event of further escalation. > NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced the move during a Tuesday press briefing, saying the deployment was a response to recent “attacks” on the peacekeeping force, which he said were “unacceptable.” > Stoltenberg urged officials in Pristina and Belgrade to take “concrete steps” to de-escalate the situation, and said the two sides should participate in an EU-brokered dialogue. Dialogue is when we force you to recognize your breakaway province > Violent clashes between local Serbs and NATO’s Kosovo Force (KFOR) erupted after peacekeepers attempted to disperse demonstrators protesting the inauguration of a an Albanian mayor in a Serb-majority area. The standoff resulted in dozens of injuries on both sides. > ...

So we have some of the most based takes on the web, and we probably would be a good proletarian vanguard in our nations. But how are we going to make our ideas a reality? Like, for example, instead of saying how based the USSR was, we (somehow) bring it back? Or we bring socialism to a smaller nation, like in the Global South? Or we do much smaller things than a revolution, like agitating and organizing. What are we gonna do besides saying based things on here?

> An American spy plane flying in international airspace above the South China Sea had a close encounter with a Chinese fighter jet last week, in what US officials claim was an “unprofessional intercept.” Lol. Lmao even. > A Chinese pilot carried out an “unnecessarily aggressive” maneuver, flying his J-16 fighter just in front of the nose of a US RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft, the US Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) alleged on Tuesday. The command posted a video clip of the incident, purporting to show the J-16 passing in front of the US plane and causing the RC-135’s cockpit to shake in the turbulence of its wake. > “The RC-135 was conducting safe and routine operations over the South China Sea in international airspace, in accordance with international law,” INDOPACOM said. “The United States will continue to fly, sale and operate – safely and responsibly – wherever international law allows.” Also the US: enters Russia's airspace every other week > The statement added that US forces will continue to fly “with due regard for the safety of all vessels and aircraft under international law. We expect all countries in the Indo-Pacific region to use international airspace safely and in accordance with international law.” No one asking what the US is doing there in the first place. > ...

My work just announced even more layoffs. Everyone is looking for work. Only jobs are contract jobs. Still get turned down for them. I just want out.

I'm not even kidding.

Erdogan retained power in Turkiye, western puppets express outrage about this. Iran will soon have hypersonic missiles according to an official press release from Iranian officials (referenced by [Iranian state media](https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/05/29/704328/Iran-IRGC-Hajizadeh-hypersonic-missile-high-speed)). This is almost certainly due to business dealings with Russia IMO. In the SMO, Russia struck what has been referred to as a "decision center" or possibly a bunker. The location never changes between news sources however the name of the building keeps changing. The Ministry of Defense, the Main Intelligence Directorate, the Ministry of Interior, etc... In retaliation, the Kiev regime sent ~10 drones to Moscow. 7 were shot down, those that did strike struck residential buildings. No deaths are reported. And an ex-commander of the Australian Special Forces, [Ricardo Bosi](https://www.skynews.com.au/australia-news/sas-allegations-are-a-stitchup-former-lieutenant-colonel/video/2f401530b101803e274485eeb3178b70), revealed that the CIA had been [working behind the scenes](https://vk.com/wall585689619_35012) in Ukraine "turning the Ukrainians against everything and everyone...all for resources" for over 70 years.

Comrades, any idea where we can get a scanned version? It would be great for the Prolewiki library.

In the U.S. we’re taught that North Korea is a horrible backwards dictatorship where every person is captive to an evil regime run by a mad man who has an inexplicable hatred of the U.S., freedom and democracy – and is always on the edge of launching a nuclear missile to destroy the world. This, we’re told, is the reason we have to isolate the country and occupy South Korea with thousands of U.S. soldiers. The purpose of such a simplistic narrative is to prevent Americans from getting curious about what’s really happening there. Why is North Korea so closed off? What's the relevant history of that region? Why did the U.S. go to war there in the 1950s? What were the consequences? Why is Korea split into two? And is the country really as evil as the mainstream portrays? To help break it all down, Rania Khalek was joined by Ju-Hyun Park, a member of Nodutdol for Korean Community Development, an anti-imperialist organization of Koreans in the U.S. struggling for Korean reunification and national liberation. They are also engagement editor at The Real News.

It’s a new era of global power dynamics where countries sometimes have the option to say no to the U.S. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the Middle East. Almost 12 years after being kicked out of the Arab League, Syria has been welcomed back into the fold by many of the U.S.-allied countries that tried to destroy it. All this time Israel was banking on normalization with Saudi Arabia and the opposite happened, with China overseeing a Saudi peace deal with Iran. Why? What does this multipolarity mean for the region? And how might it impact Palestine and the broader resistance axis? To discuss this and more Rania Khalek was joined by Ali Abunimah, executive director of the Electronic Intifada and author of The Battle for Justice in Palestine.

Here's the linked DPRK article in video form: https://youtu.be/NKWBk0r7ihA Here's the PRC article: https://millennialchaos.substack.com/p/walk-frees-dastardly-case-against As expected, it's pure propaganda.

Based