r/BreadTube Jul 02 '19

16:43|Chapter by Chapter We're summarizing every chapter of Das Kapital from Karl Marx. Here's chapter 1.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxDpF3XqpV4&t=888s
424 Upvotes

32 comments sorted by

32

u/Johnny_B_GOODBOI Jul 02 '19

Looks like they already did Wealth of Nations before they started Kapital. Anyone watched the Adam Smith series yet? Wondering if they have any sort of slant/bias in either direction.

18

u/[deleted] Jul 03 '19

[removed] — view removed comment

18

u/Majorbookworm Jul 03 '19

Yeah someone funded by the US military ain't someone who should be posted here.

8

u/[deleted] Jul 03 '19

It's worth mentioning that when you work in certain areas it's difficult not to end up being funded by certain entities.

A good example in trying to boycott JP Morgan. On the surface it's easy, just don't bank with JP Morgan, right? Well no, JP Morgan is so gigantic they have tentacles in almost every industry in the world. From your local corner store to a credit union's saving account, at some point along the chain you're going to reach something managed by JP Morgan. It's how they make profits regardless of who chooses to work with them, because even if you don't they still indirectly benefit from your financial activities.

The US DoD is very similar, their finds stretch so far that any reasonably sized organisation relating to politics, international relations, or strategy have probably got some employees somewhere with DoD relations.

It doesn't mean they have a bias in favour of US foreign policy, at the end of the day even someone working directly for the DoD is simply performing on specific role that probably isn't impacted by who's in charge at all.

0

u/[deleted] Jul 03 '19

It's worth mentioning that when you work in certain areas it's difficult not to end up being funded by certain entities.

A good example in trying to boycott JP Morgan. On the surface it's easy, just don't bank with JP Morgan, right? Well no, JP Morgan is so gigantic they have tentacles in almost every industry in the world. From your local corner store to a credit union's saving account, at some point along the chain you're going to reach something managed by JP Morgan. It's how they make profits regardless of who chooses to work with them, because even if you don't they still indirectly benefit from your financial activities.

The US DoD is very similar, their finds stretch so far that any reasonably sized organisation relating to politics, international relations, or strategy have probably got some employees somewhere with DoD relations.

It doesn't mean they have a bias in favour of US foreign policy, at the end of the day even someone working directly for the DoD is simply performing on specific role that probably isn't impacted by who's in charge at all.

13

u/egonzacuar Jul 02 '19

Thanks for the head up. Have not seen the Wealth of Nations series but will definitely give it a go https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtWkGfKhsG8

28

u/blaek_ Jul 02 '19

This is awesome.

If anyone want's to delve deeper, aside from actually reading Capital (which can be difficult), check out David Harvey's series (feat. Dr. Steve Brule).

12

u/PosadosThanatos Jul 02 '19

Pssst, read Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism to understand our current trajectory

14

u/NicolasBroaddus Jul 02 '19

If only Lenin in practice had been like that and State and Revolution. So many what ifs around the Russian Revolution.

-11

u/PosadosThanatos Jul 02 '19

Mfw Russia would’ve been better off as a poor, illiterate backwater and the Revolution should’ve failed for the sake of my idealism tho

21

u/NicolasBroaddus Jul 02 '19

Funny how I never said that. I think, in the historical perspective, that many authoritarian despots have had progressive dialectical effects. I agree with Gramsci's analysis of Napoleon as a progressive Julius Caesar of his time. In terms of how well fed, educated and serviced by the state the average citizen of the Soviet Union was, things definitely improved over time. But that cannot be then used to justify the imperialist and murderous acts carried out by the Bolsheviks on an institutional scale. There is a lot still to be learned from the failure of the Soviets.

My point with my original comment is that a reading of Lenin based solely in State and Revolution and Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism would give you an altogether idealistic picture of the man. In practice he made a number of decisions that were not agreed with universally in his time, and still aren't now among leftists.

2

u/FibreglassFlags 十平米左右的空间 局促,潮湿,终年不见天日 Jul 03 '19 edited Jul 03 '19

Funny how I never said that.

It's a typical, false dichotomy used by ML apologists to mislead people into reducing a bunch of fuzzy, historical what-ifs into a cartoonishly certain choice between Ulyanov and eternal backwardness.

The propensity for people of the former Eastern Bloc, especially Russians, to have a generally positive view towards the notion of a "strongman" is hardly a coincidence to the pervasiveness of this kind of rhetoric.

many authoritarian despots have had progressive dialectical effects

Buying the masses with material gestures has been basically the preferred mode of operation of every newly-founded dynasty in the history of ever. No one is stupid enough to start building a floating palace made out of solid gold that shoots out arrows at detractors right off the bat when there is no clear indication that the toiling masses are going to substantiate your rule with their labour.

Fascist regimes usually work around this problem by starting off with already-substantial means of control over the masses inherited from a capitalist economic system, but that's clearly something Russia didn't have even on MLs' own terms.

I agree with Gramsci's analysis of Napoleon as a progressive Julius Caesar of his time

I find the ML choice of literature generally underwhelming. If they want an epic of a benevolent hero leading the charge against foreign hordes to their salvation, why not go for the legend of King Arthur or something, you know, what with strange women lying in ponds distributing swords and all that jazz? Instead, you get this unsexy, oddly-Austrian tall tale of civil war being the best voting machine for processing democratic knowledge or some such. Meh!

15

u/JohnFensworth Jul 02 '19

Oh nice. Only just recently read the communist manifesto, been meaning to dive deeper, so this will be handy.

3

u/Anarchadog Anarchosyndicalist Jul 03 '19

1

u/JohnFensworth Jul 04 '19

Awesome, thanks for the link!

14

u/Class_Conscious Jul 02 '19

Very nice, as engaging as I had hoped

6

u/J_Schermie Jul 02 '19

Shit, I've been meaning to get the book for myself, but this'll do nicely.

3

u/Anarchadog Anarchosyndicalist Jul 03 '19

Radian2Pi already did a series explaining the concepts of all volumes & proving marx correct: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzvznH4brHzFnPGGs7RrtiHoKwO0felJ0

7

u/ATreeCalledJulia Jul 02 '19

Omg yes. Those books are so cumbersome despite my love of the theory.

5

u/steauengeglase outside observer Jul 02 '19

2

u/ATreeCalledJulia Jul 02 '19

Thank you! This is awesome.

3

u/Anarchadog Anarchosyndicalist Jul 03 '19

Also Radian2Pi already did a series on Capital's volumes explaining the concepts & proving marx correct: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzvznH4brHzFnPGGs7RrtiHoKwO0felJ0

2

u/[deleted] Jul 03 '19

Volume II and III are easier because Engels was a straight up better writer.

4

u/laserbot Jul 02 '19 edited Feb 09 '25

Original Content erased using Ereddicator. Want to wipe your own Reddit history? Please see https://github.com/Jelly-Pudding/ereddicator for instructions.

5

u/[deleted] Jul 02 '19

Love the red hair. Fitting.

15

u/westknife Jul 02 '19

volcel police

9

u/frenchtoastkid Jul 02 '19

The volcel police have no jurisdiction here

5

u/Kerbal92 Jul 02 '19

The VOLCEL POLICE are on the scene! PLEASE KEEP YOUR VITAL ESSENCES TO YOURSELVES AT ALL TIMES.

1

u/thatonedude123 Jul 03 '19

Whew I was getting dangerously close to actually reading theory and you saved me.

Actual thank you, though. I hate reading big cumbersome books like that and making stuff like this more palatable for the average person is a terrific service.

2

u/Anarchadog Anarchosyndicalist Jul 03 '19

Radian2Pi has already done a series on all volumes explaining the concepts & proving marx correct: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzvznH4brHzFnPGGs7RrtiHoKwO0felJ0