There are communities for that across Lemmy that could use some extra activity:

!fungus@slrpnk.net

!mushrooms@lemmy.world

!mycology@mander.xyz

!shrooms@sh.itjust.works

You’ve reminded me that I should be contributing more too. I want to see these communities more active.

You forgot to mention that it’s watered down. That’s what the emulsifier is for, to make the oils in the cheese mix well with the added water. The concept is fine - for some applications - if it were only that, but this is hyper-processed American food we’re talking about here. Gotta pad out that ingredient list:

CHEDDAR CHEESE (CULTURED MILK, SALT, ENZYMES), SKIM MILK, MILKFAT, MILK PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, WHEY, CALCIUM PHOSPHATE, SODIUM PHOSPHATE, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF MODIFIED FOOD STARCH, SALT, LACTIC ACID, MILK, SORBIC ACID AS A PRESERVATIVE, OLEORESIN PAPRIKA (COLOR), ENZYMES, CHEESE CULTURE, ANNATTO (COLOR).

The above is the standard Kraft singles ingredient list, and at a glance is the shortest one I saw on their website.

I do not like the false dichotomy that it is either one group’s fault or another. Lazy non voters are largely to blame.

You’ve gotta be trolling me.

Obviously we need better candidates, standing up against the these rich fucks, and better messaging. We need a good platform we don’t back down from, namely, something like building a decent healthcare system.

If you believe this, then why do you have such a problem with people calling for the Democrats to move left? This is exactly what we’re all asking for and somehow you’re offended by it despite claiming to agree with it. I don’t understand your position.

There’s this tendency to want to blame one group and make every problem simple and it’s not helpful. “Oh if democrats would just go more left than most of americans, that will fix everything. those idiots!” is enraging, simplistic, and ignorant. That is the thought process I’m pissed about.

The faulty assumption you’re making is that most Americans would disapprove of the Democrats going more left, and I can prove it. Here’s a list of “lefty” progressive policies that the Democrats have abandoned and their approval ratings:

Medicare for All shows majority support in nearly every poll.

55% support raising the federal minimum wage.

An overwhelming majority support ending citizens united.

59% support the green new deal.

79% support raising taxes on the rich.

These numbers vary by single digit percentage points from poll to poll, not enough to change the conclusion - that progressive policy is overwhelmingly popular - which is why it’s so frustrating that you’re defending Democrats shying away from those policies to appeal to a mythical “moderate.”

What do you think should be learned from this past election, and what should Democrats do differently going forward? Answering that question is what matters. Laying the blame at the feet of non-voters is pointless because it’s the Democrats’ job to inspire those people to vote for them. The last thing I want to see Democrats doing is crying that the voters are too stupid and avoiding all responsibility.

I personally voted for Kamala and agree that was the right choice to prevent Trump from winning, but not everyone is perfectly rational at all times and in all ways and you need to get over it and adjust to that reality instead of going “oh, woe is me. I am oh so smart and everyone else is oh so stupid. It’s their fault we’re in this mess and there’s nothing the Democrats can do about it.” Taking responsibility is more important than placing blame.

The strategies I’m referring to are best summed up as populism, yes. The left vs right terminology originally referred to those who opposed or supported monarchy, respectively. In Weimar Germany those who opposed the political establishment in favor of working class movements were considered socialist, irrespective of their other beliefs.

What I’m saying is that as capital S Socialism gained popularity among the working class, fascist movements appropriated the Socialists populist methods, taking advantage of the work that Socialists had already done in organizing working class opposition to the political establishment. The majority were not ideologues, they simply knew the status quo was not serving them and were looking for explanations, which at one point only Socialists were providing (though arguably not very effectively). That’s when fascism emerged to provide an alternative explanation; one which was not a threat to the wealthy and powerful, and played into the deep-rooted prejudices of the time.

Fascism emerged as an appropriation of revolutionary left strategies in service of right-wing ideology. That’s why the Nazis adopted the name “national socialists.” At the time the word socialist was used to refer to pretty much any populist working class movement. Blaming communists for fascism is a bit like seeing one of those spiders that mimics ants and blaming the ants.

Alright, I understand your position. Personally, I disagree with it because it’s unrealistic to expect perfection from everyone who fights for a cause. I feel that it’s important to have some baseline tolerance for hypocrisy because it’s counterproductive to police your allies on every small thing.

I agree that tailored suits should not be a precondition for success, and choosing not to wear them in congress is absolutely a statement to that end, but I’m not going to discount AOC as a potential ally because she chose not to fight that particular battle. In the same vein, I’m also not going to allow John Fetterman’s choice to fight that particular battle convince me that he’s a working class ally in more important ways.

When you allow yourself to get hung up on the appearance of hypocrisy you make yourself vulnerable to exactly the type of manipulation that Fetterman engages in. Look past the surface and consider the bigger picture. You don’t have to be someone who works within the system, I’m not that type of person either, but don’t write people off for choosing that path. Everyone has a part to play.

They’re supporting a system that exists to pass a bunch of money around at the top.

By… wearing a suit? You’re gonna have to go into more detail here to get your point across.

I’m glad we’re at least on the same page here.

I’d like to get there, but I’m really not sure that we are yet.

I don’t keep up with Fetterman, but isn’t he also an ally of the working class?

Fetterman ran as a progressive and presented himself as an unpretentious ally of blue-collar workers, then after getting elected he made a hard right turn starting with support for Israel’s genocide and eventually going back on every progressive stance he ever held, even claiming he never held them to begin with. He’s now just a conservative - registered Democrat. A turn-coat who claims “I didn’t leave the left, the left left me.” Many such cases these days, unfortunately.

If you’re arguing that AOC is the same, I really don’t see it. I don’t agree with everything she does, of course, but for someone working within the system she’s as radical as it gets.

Purity testing political leaders based on the way they dress is self-sabotage. If you think someone can’t be a real ally if they wear nice suits then you’ll find few allies in life. The reverse is also true, John Fetterman isn’t an ally of the working class just because he wears a hoodie to congress, for example.

Of course it isn’t just sitting around unused, it’s being reinvested to make more money. Billionaires typically put most of their net worth into assets and stocks and then live off of loans, just like the comic I posted alludes to. Just because they don’t have literal piles of cash sitting around doesn’t mean they aren’t absurdly wealthy.

And let’s be honest, if a billionaire wanted a Scrooge McDuck style gold pile they could have it arranged within a week at most.

Just like with RFK, it’s somehow always obvious where the brainworms came from.

The killing of Brian Thompson revealed just how frustrated the general public has become with the lack of meaningful change to our predatory healthcare system. I do not recommend that more people go out and kill health insurance CEOs, because that is a very individualistic approach to a problem that requires systemic change. That doesn’t mean I’m going to shed any tears over the death of someone who is responsible for an astronomical amount of suffering, and I do believe that defending Luigi Mangione’s rights is important not just for protecting the rights themselves, but also for demonstrating solidarity and instilling class consciousness.

Let’s stop talking around the issue. I’m referring to union organizing, general strikes, boycotts, mutual aid, direct action, etc. Would you consider those things “steering the ship into rocks?” Do you really think our only viable course of action is to do nothing except show up to vote on election days? We have to organize, and the Democratic leadership is uninterested in helping. Grassroots liberal progressive groups like MoveOn and Indivisible have been doing that work for them, and the Democratic leadership has been actively hostile towards them.

I’m not really even arguing that people should give up working within the system, just that it very clearly isn’t enough. If you haven’t noticed, we’re losing big. Even when the Democrats win, can’t you see how little they are able to accomplish? When you play a game that’s rigged against you, you have to get creative and look for solutions that are outside the bounds of the rules that have been set before us.

Your misplaced faith in the Democratic party is blinding you to the reality of our situation. Even within the party we have lost ground to the oligarchs, meaning our access to political power has been compromised. To take it back will require us to fight on two fronts, both within and outside the system.

So yes, you can, but people aren’t, because people are idiots.

Stop this. You have become jaded and cynical, which is understandable, but it’s causing you to accept a very dangerous premise. We didn’t get here because people are just idiots, the ruling class out-organized us. To believe that people are simply too stupid to fight back is to accept defeat.

We can’t outspend the health insurance industry, especially not in the long run. Legislators will always side with those who can continually give large donations and pay full-time lobbyists. It is incredibly naive - bordering on delusional - to think we can take on even just one sector of the oligarchy by working within their captured system.

Now is the time to apply pressure from the outside, organize and build our own mechanisms for affecting change. This will require solidarity, and for people to make collective and coordinated use of their agency with regards to their labor and spending.

Shaka, when the walls fell…

Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra!

Or do it anyway while knowing the risks, and publicize any consequences you face as much as possible. Civil disobedience is highly effective.

What a great and despicable crime they’ve committed, to exist without the proper paperwork. How unacceptable it is that they failed to renew their visas, truly they deserve imprisonment without due process in Guantanamo Bay, where they can be abused like the scum they are without the pesky bleeding hearts demanding consequences. You are a truly moral and good person, and your strong words will surely be rewarded with low grocery prices.

/s