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.

You’re a bad person and you should stop pretending your selfish disposition is natural and immutable simply because you’ve noticed others are too. There are reasons people behave the way they do and those reasons can change.

OP simply expressed disbelief that Trump supporters don’t draw the obvious parallels between Trump and the character of Mr. Potter that they see.

Mr. Potter’s character was obviously written to satirize real-world robber barons, of which Trump is a model example.

I wasn’t necessarily accusing you of being a fascist, only pointing out that insisting media does not have deeper meaning beyond the surface level is a common element of fascism.

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The right accuses the Democrats of being radical left socialists, and the Democratic leadership responds by moving to the right. The powerful people you refer to - who do not want the progressive agenda to succeed - are the democratic leadership themselves. They work in tandem with those on the right to sabotage the efforts of progressives to gain power in the Democratic Party.

So yeah, I’m not part of the party, not by my own choice but because the party doesn’t want me. If you are truly of a progressive mindset it doesn’t want you either, but honestly it seems they’ve successfully tamed the progressivism within you.

You guys can’t be serious. When the Democratic Party throws up their hands and says “it’s out of our control” instead of actually fighting for progressive reform, you actually believe them? After everything we’ve seen? What will it actually take for you to realize the Democrats aren’t fighting for us?