13 votes

What's your opinion on Accelerationism?

Accelerationism: most of us have heard of it, few of us have read into it, and a fair amount of us have shared memes around it (gotta go fast), but have any of us formed substantial opinions on it yet?

With a variety of authors of various views each weighing in on it, like Mark Fisher and the notorious Nick Land (alongside his genderswapped, trans, slightly less-racist partner-in-crime, Nyx Land); it really does seem to be (slowly but surely) gaining considerable mindspace. Have any of you ever read any works in the genre you adored? If so, feel free to share!

43 comments

  1. [12]
    vakieh
    Link
    I think you VASTLY overestimate the amount of political interest of the regular person (let alone an anti-establishment political idea like accelerationism) and have likely fallen into an echo...

    Accelerationism: most of us have heard of it

    I think you VASTLY overestimate the amount of political interest of the regular person (let alone an anti-establishment political idea like accelerationism) and have likely fallen into an echo chamber trap if you think this is something anyone but fringe groups even mention.

    39 votes
    1. [4]
      Pilgrim
      Link Parent
      Perhaps @Eva can give us a quick explanation so we know what we're discussing?

      Perhaps @Eva can give us a quick explanation so we know what we're discussing?

      10 votes
      1. [3]
        Eva
        Link Parent
        Well, @Vakieh, the opening was a joke, primarily due to how Accelerationism tends to pop its head in during almost every tragedy nowadays in some form, HOWEVER, it does have roughly 228,000...

        Well, @Vakieh, the opening was a joke, primarily due to how Accelerationism tends to pop its head in during almost every tragedy nowadays in some form, HOWEVER, it does have roughly 228,000 results on Google, so it's not particularly unknown - roughly the same as what you get if you search for a "Negative Income Tax," which certainly isn't niche. I think you may be experiencing a bit of epistemic shock right now (which would of course explain the echo chamber accusation), which is only natural.

        On top of that, Fisher alone has had full-length pieces about him on sites like The Guardian and the New Yorker (and Land on the former and various other semi-prestigious-to-prestigious news and editorial sites, granted usually calling him racist rather than praising him for being Hip or Aware of Pop-Culture).
        To start us off with a person somewhat critical of (a certain type of) Accelerationism (right-wing Accelerationism specifically), I think Žižek's gotten the best argument on it so far, and I think he's a fairly familiar figure in leftism, (and seems to have been mentioned on tildes 25 times so far, so not entirely foreign to the site in any case).

        To steal something from [Xenogothic] (a semi-popular pseudonymous writer on Accelerationist topics who's made a few attempts at actual primers but primarily reactionary than proactive),

        
        Mark Fisher said it most clearly in his essay “Postcapitalist Desire” back in 2014. This is — and always has been — Accelerationism 101:
        
            Capitalism is a necessarily failed escape from feudalism, which, instead of destroying encastement, reconstitutes social stratification in the class structure. It is only given this model that Deleuze and Guattari’s call to “accelerate the process” makes sense. It does not mean accelerating any or everything in capitalism willy-nilly, in the hope that capitalism will thereby collapse. Rather, it means accelerating the processes of destratification that capitalism cannot but obstruct.
        

        And while I wouldn't necessarily say it hits just on the mark, I've made like ten responses in this thread so far this morning and writing a full primer probably isn't in me if I were wanting to do it justice at this point.

        4 votes
        1. The_Fad
          (edited )
          Link Parent
          I've never seen Zizek's name outside of discussions surrounding Jordan Peterson, and only then in the context of the meme of "peterson won't debate zizek". He seems to be more of an internet...

          I've never seen Zizek's name outside of discussions surrounding Jordan Peterson, and only then in the context of the meme of "peterson won't debate zizek". He seems to be more of an internet celebrity among political activists than someone of real public note, just like Peterson. Thus, I remain unconvinced that Zizek is really anywhere close to as household a name as you're implying.

          That being said, I guess it's not really relevant to your central point: What's my opinion on accelerationism:

          I think it's being used as a buzz word to further divisive ideas and an excuse for people to remain idealistic in the face of non-ideal circumstances. Regardless of which person it's being levied for or against, and much like other politically "extreme" ideas, it's not particularly useful in any sense given the current social, economic, and political structure of both the United States and the world as a whole. It's basically just nihilism with contemporary and topical set-dressing, practically speaking, and the VAST majority of people have no need or want of that.

          Plus, as mentioned elsewhere in this thread, it's a kind of presumptuous mindset because it operates under the belief that the majority of people should "suffer for the cause" which, in a modern world, is just asinine. There's no reason most or even many people need to suffer to create change; it can be done, albeit at a slower and less outright-destructive pace, with an educated populace and enough time.

          8 votes
        2. Pilgrim
          Link Parent
          FYI @Vakeih's comment is one up from mine.

          FYI @Vakeih's comment is one up from mine.

          1 vote
    2. alyaza
      Link Parent
      as an anecdote to this: i am in a number of leftist and anarchist communities (where accelerationism you'd think would at least have some sort of following), and the number of unironic...

      I think you VASTLY overestimate the amount of political interest of the regular person (let alone an anti-establishment political idea like accelerationism) and have likely fallen into an echo chamber trap if you think this is something anyone but fringe groups even mention.

      as an anecdote to this: i am in a number of leftist and anarchist communities (where accelerationism you'd think would at least have some sort of following), and the number of unironic accelerationists is exactly zero between them. i could not even tell you where to go to find people who actually agree with accelerationism as an idea, because so few people actually accept it as anything resembling a good idea for the majority of people or a good political strategy to achieve their aims.

      10 votes
    3. [5]
      acdw
      Link Parent
      This is me. I'd never heard of it until someone on another thread in Tildes accused someone else of accelerationism. I'm still not 100% sure I understand what it is.

      This is me. I'd never heard of it until someone on another thread in Tildes accused someone else of accelerationism. I'm still not 100% sure I understand what it is.

      6 votes
      1. [4]
        MimicSquid
        Link Parent
        "Everything needs to fall apart before the people gain the will to fight, so things that make the world worse faster are good because it will speed the coming of the Revolution."
        • Exemplary

        "Everything needs to fall apart before the people gain the will to fight, so things that make the world worse faster are good because it will speed the coming of the Revolution."

        13 votes
        1. acdw
          Link Parent
          Wow, thanks for the succinct summary! I gotta say, I'm not on board. If we can avoid the Revolution, I think that's better.

          Wow, thanks for the succinct summary! I gotta say, I'm not on board. If we can avoid the Revolution, I think that's better.

          3 votes
        2. papasquat
          Link Parent
          That may be... the stupidest idea I've ever heard in my entire life. By this logic, the final solution was a good thing because it turned public opinion against the nazis. Except the holocaust was...

          That may be... the stupidest idea I've ever heard in my entire life.
          By this logic, the final solution was a good thing because it turned public opinion against the nazis.

          Except the holocaust was the one thing we're trying to avoid

          2 votes
        3. user2
          Link Parent
          Oh, I have used that argument for why Trump might not be so bad, back when he was elected president. So, one example in which I agree that accelerationism is true is in the topic of privacy.

          Oh, I have used that argument for why Trump might not be so bad, back when he was elected president.

          So, one example in which I agree that accelerationism is true is in the topic of privacy.

    4. jgb
      Link Parent
      I had never heard of this concept before tildes; here it feels like it comes up in discussion about three times a week. Not a critique of this site, just an observation.

      I had never heard of this concept before tildes; here it feels like it comes up in discussion about three times a week. Not a critique of this site, just an observation.

      2 votes
  2. [3]
    Wes
    Link
    I'd never heard of it until this thread from yesterday. Is it that popular of an idea?

    Accelerationism: most of us have heard of it

    I'd never heard of it until this thread from yesterday. Is it that popular of an idea?

    21 votes
    1. [2]
      NaraVara
      Link Parent
      Not popular in general, but definitely popular among self-styled Leftists. It's basically just a secularized form of Millenarianism. It's an opiate for Leftist political types who think the only...

      Not popular in general, but definitely popular among self-styled Leftists.

      It's basically just a secularized form of Millenarianism. It's an opiate for Leftist political types who think the only thing worse than the status quo is actually having to lift a finger to do anything about it.

      The cynical and paranoid part of me suspects it's a strain of thought that would have been cultivated by anti-Leftists as a way to blunt the organizing power of Leftist movements. The joke back in the Cold War days was that most American Socialist Parties were all undercover FBI plants trying to one up each other into being useless.

      12 votes
      1. Eva
        Link Parent
        @Wes too: NaraVara's assessment isn't exactly fully accurate (Right-Accelerationism and Left-Accelerationism are fairly balanced, all things considered), and only R/Acc is generally pushing...

        @Wes too:

        NaraVara's assessment isn't exactly fully accurate (Right-Accelerationism and Left-Accelerationism are fairly balanced, all things considered), and only R/Acc is generally pushing inactivity. On top of that, there are a bunch of spin-offs which are particularly pro-action in very interesting ways that I, personally, hadn't thought substantially about - for example, you've probably heard about 3D-printing guns, but how about 3D-printable medications?

        But certainly, it's more popular among particularly political people than a general populous at this point in time.

        2 votes
  3. [4]
    moocow1452
    Link
    According to Wikipedia... This doesn't really seem like a valid political strategy to me as much as the anarchist rationalization of how the world is actually going to be so much better once all...

    According to Wikipedia...

    In political and social theory, accelerationism is the idea that the prevailing system of capitalism should be expanded in order to generate radical social change.

    Accelerationism may also refer more broadly, and usually pejoratively, to support for the deepening of capitalism in the belief that this will hasten its self-destructive tendencies and ultimately lead to its collapse.

    Accelerationist theory has been divided into mutually contradictory left-wing and right-wing variants. "Left-accelerationism" attempts to press "the process of technological evolution" beyond the constrictive horizon of capitalism, for example by repurposing modern technology for socially beneficial and emancipatory ends; "right-accelerationism" supports the indefinite intensification of capitalism itself, possibly in order to bring about a technological singularity.

    This doesn't really seem like a valid political strategy to me as much as the anarchist rationalization of how the world is actually going to be so much better once all the governments and corporations and government-corporations are disbanded and everyone is going to be just fine with no consequences at all. The only practitioner I know enough about is Steve Bannon of Breitbart, and Philosophy Tube's video was already shared on this very site.

    15 votes
    1. [3]
      Eva
      Link Parent
      I'd really recommend reading Capitalist Realism, if you feel like giving it a chance - it's actually a fairly amazing leftist work on its own, and is a substantial entry in Accelerationist canon...

      I'd really recommend reading Capitalist Realism, if you feel like giving it a chance - it's actually a fairly amazing leftist work on its own, and is a substantial entry in Accelerationist canon outside of that.

      Capitalist Realism isn't a particularly anarchistic work, and in fact goes into how government can genuinely effect social change by embracing a Walkaway-style (as in the Doctorow sense) or similar approach.

      2 votes
      1. [2]
        vakieh
        Link Parent
        Does it draw on any empirical evidence?

        Does it draw on any empirical evidence?

        4 votes
        1. Eva
          Link Parent
          It does! Of course, I don't have a copy on-hand at the moment (I'm currently visiting my girlfriend in the States, and my library's back at home), but I'd be interested in showing you some of my...

          It does! Of course, I don't have a copy on-hand at the moment (I'm currently visiting my girlfriend in the States, and my library's back at home), but I'd be interested in showing you some of my notes on it when I get back, if you'd be interested!

          2 votes
  4. [9]
    alyaza
    Link
    with the possible exception of the thread here on tildes that inspired this, i have never met or engaged with a leftist accelerationist of any kind who wasn't a white person. this may tell you...

    with the possible exception of the thread here on tildes that inspired this, i have never met or engaged with a leftist accelerationist of any kind who wasn't a white person. this may tell you something about who benefits and who will be just fine under accelerationism, and who gets thrown under the bus.

    9 votes
    1. [5]
      NaraVara
      Link Parent
      Some hoteps do this too where they imagine that if racism gets bad enough Black people will rise up and overthrow White Power in some paroxysm of redemptive violence. You can ask them that if it...

      leftist accelerationist of any kind who wasn't a white person.

      Some hoteps do this too where they imagine that if racism gets bad enough Black people will rise up and overthrow White Power in some paroxysm of redemptive violence. You can ask them that if it didn't work during the days of Jim Crow how much worse than that would it need to get? They won't answer.

      There is a Right-wing accelerationist too where people fantasize about stuff like the one big terrorist attack that will make everyone wake up and realize the importance of wiping out all the Muslims/Immigrants/Black People/Whatever.

      It's all the same. It's just for people who want an excuse to indulge in violent or anti-social behavior and seek a moral justification to do so by fantasizing about a context that will make it okay. It's kind of a cousin to the tendency behind post-apocalypse/zombie/prepper fantasists.

      9 votes
      1. [4]
        alyaza
        Link Parent
        that's why i specified leftist. i'm aware that other ideologies have accelerationists which defy that trend, but with leftists specifically they all seem to, curiously enough, be white people on...

        that's why i specified leftist. i'm aware that other ideologies have accelerationists which defy that trend, but with leftists specifically they all seem to, curiously enough, be white people on the higher end of the income spectrum or who have some other extraneous reason for thinking they'll be just fine even if accelerationism becomes policy. you don't generally see and i have never experienced someone who was not white advocating for accelerationist policies, presumably because those people aren't in a position where accelerationism won't fuck them and lead to them being extrajudicially executed.

        3 votes
        1. [3]
          NaraVara
          Link Parent
          That was my point though. Hoteps are nominally leftist and anti-racist. They’re also likely to be first on the block if a race war does break out, but they still do it.

          That was my point though. Hoteps are nominally leftist and anti-racist. They’re also likely to be first on the block if a race war does break out, but they still do it.

          1. [2]
            alyaza
            Link Parent
            i don't know that i'd really classify hoteps as even nominally "leftist," honestly, because their political views can be and are all over the fucking place. i see their relationship to the left...

            i don't know that i'd really classify hoteps as even nominally "leftist," honestly, because their political views can be and are all over the fucking place. i see their relationship to the left side of political spectrum similarly to how i view the nation of islam and its relation to islam: there's an inclination toward the concept, but they also deviate enough from it that i think actually calling them leftists suggests an adherence to the source material that's just not there in most practices.

            1 vote
            1. NaraVara
              Link Parent
              That's a fair point. I don't disagree with you that they're not really leftist, but I think that as a lefty person myself I might just be special pleading them away just because I personally think...

              That's a fair point. I don't disagree with you that they're not really leftist, but I think that as a lefty person myself I might just be special pleading them away just because I personally think they're assholes. I wasn't really sure if that's fair as an objective categorization scheme though. I suspect most right and even center-right folks would definitely categorize them as on the left.

    2. Eva
      Link Parent
      I think Reza Negarestani fills a bit of that niche as a public figure - you have to remember, Accelerationism is a fairly new and low-key concept, it hasn't reached critical mass yet, and as such...

      I think Reza Negarestani fills a bit of that niche as a public figure - you have to remember, Accelerationism is a fairly new and low-key concept, it hasn't reached critical mass yet, and as such is kind of stuck with the initial audience it had to begin with (which was a university in England before they started delving into multiculturalism strongly, so it never got a tonne of exposure to other cultures much at all). He's centre-left, granted, so maybe not what you're looking for?

      (I've got a few friends who fall fairly heavily into that, but they aren't exactly public figures rather than university students, so I feel like it'd be against their best interests (and anecdotes are useless anyway.))

      However, there are a tonne of left-trans ones, and I feel like that sort of does imply there's something in it. I think you might be interested in reading some of Nyx Land's writing? Either "Notes on Cyber-nihilism" or "Gender Accelerationism: A Blackpaper," both are fairly interesting.

    3. [2]
      Papaya
      Link Parent
      It's always snowed until June in my city, global warming must be fake. What I experience is law apparently.

      It's always snowed until June in my city, global warming must be fake.
      What I experience is law apparently.

      1. alyaza
        Link Parent
        ...what exactly does this have to do with my point that accelerationists seem to be overwhelmingly white or privileged enough that they can afford to advocate for such a position, aside from being...

        ...what exactly does this have to do with my point that accelerationists seem to be overwhelmingly white or privileged enough that they can afford to advocate for such a position, aside from being a non-productive snipe? i'm not exactly treating my experiences as law here, and this would be pretty obvious if you have actually read my comments in this thread.

        3 votes
  5. [2]
    mat
    Link
    I hadn't heard of it until in relation to the NZ shooter. I did a bit of reading and it seems like underneath the surface it is, at it's best, an attempt to find a route to hasten the coming of...

    I hadn't heard of it until in relation to the NZ shooter. I did a bit of reading and it seems like underneath the surface it is, at it's best, an attempt to find a route to hasten the coming of our New Silicon God, the Singularity (whose blessed algorithms will save us all) and at worst, it's good old fashioned crypto-fascism.

    There's too much of it which is a magic wand and while fixing everything in just a few short years would be lovely, magic isn't a thing. It is interesting that the waving of that wand seems to either bring about Fully Automated Luxury Gay Space Communism or some kind of anarcho-fascist hellscape, depending who you ask.

    5 votes
    1. Eva
      Link Parent
      I'd really recommend reading Capitalist Realism; I don't necessarily agree with the conclusions Fisher drew, but the book (while being a pretty substantial work in Accelerationist canon) isn't...

      I'd really recommend reading Capitalist Realism; I don't necessarily agree with the conclusions Fisher drew, but the book (while being a pretty substantial work in Accelerationist canon) isn't particularly hand-wavey at all - it's a rather scathing critique of Capitalism-as-Governance, sort of pushing for new, hybrid economic and governmental systems.

  6. [6]
    retiredrugger
    Link
    Here's more reading on Accelerationism for anyone who hasn't heard of it before. Right-Accelerstionism sounds like a dangerous and immature approach; hastening capitalism to its downfall? While I...

    In political and social theory, accelerationism is the idea that the prevailing system of capitalism should be expanded in order to generate radical social change. Some contemporary accelerationist philosophy starts with the Deleuzo-Guattarian theory of deterritorialisation, aiming to identify, deepen, and radicalise the forces of deterritorialisation with a view to overcoming the countervailing tendencies that suppress the possibility of far-reaching social transformation.[1][clarification needed] Accelerationism may also refer more broadly, and usually pejoratively, to support for the deepening of capitalism in the belief that this will hasten its self-destructive tendencies and ultimately lead to its collapse.[2][3]

    Here's more reading on Accelerationism for anyone who hasn't heard of it before. Right-Accelerstionism sounds like a dangerous and immature approach; hastening capitalism to its downfall? While I see how the idea is good in principle, I would much rather see us actively try and find the next economic system then pumping resources into hastening the downfall of capitalism. As a weak analogy, if I wanted a new car I wouldn't run my current one into the ground. I would research and actively try to find new methods.

    4 votes
    1. moocow1452
      Link Parent
      Exactly, it's like someone took the Star Trek Solution of throwing more power at the bad thing until it goes away, and decided to apply it to politics.

      Exactly, it's like someone took the Star Trek Solution of throwing more power at the bad thing until it goes away, and decided to apply it to politics.

      2 votes
    2. Eva
      Link Parent
      Right-Accelerationism is certainly a fairly troubling thing; I think you might be interested in left/acc, though? It takes quite a different approach, I find. Wikipedia's descriptions of both...

      Right-Accelerationism is certainly a fairly troubling thing; I think you might be interested in left/acc, though? It takes quite a different approach, I find. Wikipedia's descriptions of both aren't particularly great though, anyhow. Hm. I might want to find a good primer on this.

      2 votes
    3. [3]
      papasquat
      Link Parent
      Why would removing barriers to full on capitalism weaken it? That makes absolutely zero sense to me. It's like these people think that if people are miserable, they'll launch a revolution if they...

      Why would removing barriers to full on capitalism weaken it?
      That makes absolutely zero sense to me. It's like these people think that

      1. if people are miserable, they'll launch a revolution
      2. if they revolt, they'll win
      3. if they win, things will be better

      Even a single one of those is a massive leap of faith. Most miserable people don't revolt. Most revolution attempts fail in a spectacularly violent and horrible way, and finally, most revolutions that don't fail end up turning their countries into broken hellholes ruled by despots.

      The obvious, more likely course of events is that a few hundred people have even more money and resources, are even less touchable, and everyone else's life is way, way worse.

      2 votes
      1. [2]
        alyaza
        Link Parent
        well, the theory goes that you don't need more than a handful of the population for it to work because 4% of the population is enough to begin regime change and so it's pretty easy to accomplish...

        Even a single one of those is a massive leap of faith. Most miserable people don't revolt. Most revolution attempts fail in a spectacularly violent and horrible way, and finally, most revolutions that don't fail end up turning their countries into broken hellholes ruled by despots.

        well, the theory goes that you don't need more than a handful of the population for it to work because 4% of the population is enough to begin regime change and so it's pretty easy to accomplish the first step. but this probably breaks down the moment you get to the population trying to do anything in really any first world, modern, militarized country because of the gap in power nowadays between what the people have and what governments have. if you were actually an existential threat to the US government for example, they could probably just send a drone to blow you away, or they'd deploy the military and you'd just lose because they have weapons you could never dream of. really the only time in recent history that a modern, first world country has come to a total stop under the power of the people is france in 1968, and that was anomalous and didn't lead to any sort of revolution (although i'm sure it could have if people had wanted to pursue it), so.

        2 votes
        1. papasquat
          Link Parent
          I totally agree with you, and that was a point I was thinking about making. Not that I don't think that a revolution is impossible in a first world country, but it would be extremely difficult. A...

          I totally agree with you, and that was a point I was thinking about making. Not that I don't think that a revolution is impossible in a first world country, but it would be extremely difficult. A gradual worsening of economic conditions just won't do it. It will just make our lives a living hell.

          2 votes
  7. [3]
    nothis
    Link
    Never heard of the word but I think I saw an argument similar to it that hoped for a no-deal Brexit to maximize the chaos and discourage other countries from trying similarly short-sighted moves....

    Never heard of the word but I think I saw an argument similar to it that hoped for a no-deal Brexit to maximize the chaos and discourage other countries from trying similarly short-sighted moves. I always thought it's rather bullshit since we've seen "accelerationism" leading to world wars and other horrible things, the idea that people will somehow realize the flaws of a system once it's accelerated is, to me, naive at best and dangerous at the worst. People realize things once it's too late. Emphasis on "too". Any chance to stop or even slow down a trend before that is good.

    4 votes
    1. [2]
      Eva
      Link Parent
      Brexit is interesting, I think, primarily because it's fairly anti-accelerationism; even the right-wingers who support accelerationism tend to push globalism as necessary for accelerationism of...

      Brexit is interesting, I think, primarily because it's fairly anti-accelerationism; even the right-wingers who support accelerationism tend to push globalism as necessary for accelerationism of various types (Land in the above essay I linked for his name, for example, goes on about how the road to accelerationism relies very heavily on "neo-china" (I wouldn't necessarily recommend reading further into Land, by the way, after writing that post (admittedly it was already in its infancy when it was written), he kind of went vaguely schizoid-ish and became racist). Deglobalisation is fairly anti-accelerationist, even if a no-deal is similarly nihilistic in certain ways.

      1. nothis
        Link Parent
        This all sounds nuts to me. Like trying to predict the future of the future and pretending that's somehow more reasonable than predicting the future. It's like listening to economists and their...

        This all sounds nuts to me. Like trying to predict the future of the future and pretending that's somehow more reasonable than predicting the future. It's like listening to economists and their big visions of where the world is moving and then you look at the practical details and realize we can't even accurately say where we are let alone where we're moving.

        1 vote
  8. [2]
    Qis
    Link
    Here's a bit of satire writing I enjoy on the subject.

    Here's a bit of satire writing I enjoy on the subject.

    3 votes
    1. Eva
      Link Parent
      Ooh, fantastic! Thanks for linking!

      Ooh, fantastic! Thanks for linking!

  9. unknown user
    Link
    From what I've gained since yesterday, I think this is typical misconception of those who don't really think deeply on these topics and who has not really experienced a real political or...

    From what I've gained since yesterday, I think this is typical misconception of those who don't really think deeply on these topics and who has not really experienced a real political or governmental fuck up (Trump is nothing, when compared to what's available for observing in many other countries, on all continents). As someone who is from a country that is the textbook example of how to fuck up, I think the supporters of such ideals ignore and/or downplay the huge human cost of such political set up that the people of the country has to suffer through up until any result, if at all possible, is obtained.

    Personally, I'd take a centerist liberal equilibrium over anything else.

    1 vote
  10. bub
    Link
    Overall I'd have to say Accelerationism's main fault is how overly simplistic it is. Measures of capitalism, technology, or of any other extremely complex phenomenon, can't be reduced to "extreme...

    Overall I'd have to say Accelerationism's main fault is how overly simplistic it is. Measures of capitalism, technology, or of any other extremely complex phenomenon, can't be reduced to "extreme on a scale from 1 to revolution."

    There are so many interactions happening that describing large-scale sociology like that simply isn't sufficient to predict any near future event, much less to use as a basis for planning political action.

    1 vote