If you’re going to be venturing out into coyote country alone you should at least be able to differentiate them from dogs. Not safe for you or the coyotes.

we know now that it was the Bolsheviks, and their adherance to strong theoretical study and working class organization that led to successful revolution.

To give an example, I disagree on this. Now, if you were to approach this discussion under the pretense that my disagreement is based on poor understanding of history or of theory, that would be pretentious, and therefore unproductive if you actually want to change my mind. Instead, keep an open mind and be willing to entertain an alternative perspective.

In my opinion, the Bolsheviks were oppurtunists who co-opted the revolutionary fervor in order to centralize power and influence in the movement under their control. They did indeed use Marxist theory to guide and justify their actions, but that doesn’t make it right. I understand that Marxist theory advocates for the centralization of power and control, I just disagree with it, which is a view more in line with Trotskyites than Marxist-Leninists.

I’m not trying to say that you are particularly arrogant or pretentious, but Marx and especially Lenin certainly were, and that is reflected in their work.

You can try acknowledging that people have actual differences of opinion instead of referring to different ideological tendencies as a result of poor understanding. Doesn’t really help your cause to always come across as pretentious and arrogant, even to people who would otherwise be your allies.

Meanwhile the Democratic Party refuses to change and is losing its base, allowing the right wing to dominate the narrative. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but the optimistic side of me hopes there will finally be a left populist resurgence, just as the right wing is losing its grip.

I think the right-wing made a mistake engaging in populism. They’ve politically activated millions of people and are starting to lose control of the narrative. I might be mistaken, but I’ve been getting the feeling that the MAGA folks are becoming increasingly receptive to left-wing populist arguments.

Even Steve Bannon of all people responded to the H-1B visa drama with a left-wing populist argument, where he said foreign workers who came here on H-1B visas were treated like indentured servants.

I wonder… is it because you have little/no experience with small town America? I loved Napoleon Dynamite partly because it’s somewhat nostalgic for me. The movie appeals to people who grew up in the sticks and knew people like Napoleon Dynamite.

That’s because it’s exaggerated, and the kids play into it rather than cringing and moving on like you might have when you were a kid and adults tried using your slang. The reason is that unlike previous generations, gen Z has incorporated it into youth culture as a result of the current state of the internet and has a name to call it by: brainrot.

I disagree that it’s impossible for someone coming from a place of privilege to understand working-class politics. Of course, people with privilege do have a tendency to create or buy into justifications for the system that upholds their position, but at the same time privilege grants people the freedom to do what those without cannot. It’s admirable for someone with that background to use their privilege for the good of all, potentially even to their own detriment.

It seems your distaste for Hasan is based on surface-level appearances and vibes, but those same traits that put you off of Hasan are very appealing to a large number of young men who are otherwise susceptible to right-wing cultural framing. I also used to avoid Hasan because he just didn’t seem like someone I would identify with, and I was put off by the react content that made me associate him with shameless react streamers who leech off other people’s work. After actually listening to him I realized he is very knowledgeable and is actually adding value to the content he reacts to. He used his privilege to study political science and become a political commentator, and he has genuine passion for his work and a commitment to progressive values.

Edit: If you’re looking for someone with a similar perspective but without the aesthetic baggage try The Majority Report with Sam Seder