Paragraph 175 of the penal code, which made homosexual acts a punishable offense, was only removed in 1994. Until 1973 West Germany used the actual text from the Nazis. Shameful and disgusting.
Lefty Memes
An international (English speaking) socialist Lemmy community free of "ML" (read: Dengist) influence. This is a place for undogmatic shitposting and memes from a progressive, anti-capitalist and truly anti-imperialist perspective, regardless of specific ideology.
Serious posts, news, discussion and agitprop/stuff that's better fit for a poster than a meme go in c/Socialism.
If you are new to socialism, you can ask questions and find resources over on c/Socialism101.
Please don't forget to help keep this community clean by reporting rule violations, updooting good contributions and downdooting those of low quality!
Rules
0. Only post socialist memes
That refers to funny image macros and means that generally videos and screenshots are not allowed. Exceptions include explicitly humorous and short videos, as well as (social media) screenshots depicting a funny situation, joke, or joke picture relating to socialist movements, theory, societal issues, or political opponents. Examples would be the classic case of humorous Tumblr or Twitter posts/threads. (and no, agitprop text does not count as a meme. Please post agitprop here)
0.5 [Provisional Rule] Try to use alt text or image descriptions to allow for greater accessibility
(Please take a look at our wiki page for the guidelines on how to actually write alternative text!)
We encourage alternative text (from now referred to as "alt text") to be added to all posts/comments containing media, such as images, animated GIFs, videos, audio files, and custom emojis.
EDIT: For files you share in the comments, a simple summary should be enough if they’re too complex.
We are committed to social equity and to reducing barriers of entry, including (digital) communication and culture. It takes each of us only a few moments to make a whole world of content (more) accessible to a bunch of folks.
When alt text is absent, a reminder will be issued. If you don't add the missing alt text within 48 hours, the post will be removed. No hard feelings.
0.5.1 Style tip about abbreviations and short forms
When writing stuff like "lol" and "iirc", it's a good idea to try and replace those with their all caps counterpart
- ofc => OFC
- af = AF
- ok => OK
- lol => LOL
- bc => BC
- bs => BS
- iirc => IIRC
- cia => CIA
- nato => Nato (you don't spell it when talking, right?)
- usa => USA
- prc => PRC
- etc.
Why? Because otherwise (AFAIK), screen readers will try to read them out as actually words instead of spelling them
1. Socialist Unity in the form of mutual respect and good faith interactions is enforced here
Try to keep an open mind, other schools of thought may offer points of view and analyses you haven't considered yet. Also: This is not a place for the Idealism vs. Materialism or rather Anarchism vs. Marxism debate(s), for that please visit c/AnarchismVsMarxism.
2. Anti-Imperialism means recognizing capitalist states like Russia and China as such
That means condemning (their) imperialism, even if it is of the "anti-USA" flavor.
3. No liberalism, (right-wing) revisionism or reactionaries.
That includes so called: Social Democracy, Democratic Socialism, Dengism, Market Socialism, Patriotic Socialism, National Bolshevism, Anarcho-Capitalism etc. . Anti-Socialist people and content have no place here, as well as the variety of "Marxist"-"Leninists" (read: Dengists) (actual ML's are welcome as long as they agree to the rules and don't just copy paste/larp about stuff from a hundred years ago).
4. No Bigotry.
The only dangerous minority is the rich.
5. Don't demonize previous and current socialist experiments or (leading) individuals.
We must constructively learn from their mistakes, while acknowledging their achievements and recognizing when they have strayed away from socialist principles.
6. Don't irrationally idolize/glorify previous and current socialist experiments or (leading) individuals.
Notable achievements in all spheres of society were made by various socialist/people's/democratic republics around the world. Mistakes, however, were made as well: bureaucratic castes of parasitic elites - as well as reactionary cults of personality - were established, many things were mismanaged and prejudice and bigotry sometimes replaced internationalism and progressiveness.
- Absolutely no posts or comments meant to relativize(/apologize for), advocate, promote or defend:
- Racism
- Sexism
- Queerphobia
- Ableism
- Classism
- Sexual assault
- Genocide/ethnic cleansing or (mass) deportations
- Fascism
- (National) chauvinism
- Orientalism
- Colonialism or Imperialism (and their neo- counterparts)
- Zionism
- Religious fundamentalism of any kind
Iirc german cops kept using nazi slang ad justifications to target romas for a long ass time too. a source
I'm glad I took the time to read that link. Thanks for sharing.
No probs
Holy shit. I knew that the nazis were let off with a slap on the wrist but i didnt know it was THIS bad
Yep. Highly recommend reading Paul L Williams - Operation Gladio, as it gets more into this also.
We only know about this thanks to the internet
Haii Dessalines :>
Thx for linking a wonderful article
o7
at least the Soviets had the decency to move you to a more comfortable gulag for being queer.
this comment of mine was deleted by @alsaaas@lemmy.dbzer0.com. I think this is alarming, considering the recent spat of transphobic actions by this person. my comment isn’t “demonizing” the Soviet Union, its critically examining historical actions taken by the Soviets in the context of the OP, and deleting it is queer erasure from a mod that has recently shown that they aren’t much of an ally.
It is alarming, and uninformed - its erasing how quickly Stalin started queer oppression with Article 121 (later 154a). And that - at that time - there were multiple European countries where being gay was not criminalized (nor gay sex).
here's a critical examination of homosexuality in the ussr, and they have another video specifically on trans stuff for those who want to learn more https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BE7UPO6GGK4
Haaah beat me to posting revth0t they legitimately are so cool and correct
You mean the person who has been banned from communities for saying trans people need to self harm themselves isn't the best on queer topics?
Next you'll tell me she has communities where she posts memes from 4chan.
Nice slander from you asshole again, it was about visiting /tttt/ adjacent subreddits and I wrote about my experience how it actually has comforting effects for me personally. It's just a place were trans people suffering from dysphoria can talk about and cope with their plight in an environment that isn't full of toxic positivity and hugboxing.
Don't talk about things your cissoid mind doesn't understand, "No investigation, no right to speak".
Also those aren't "just" memes from 4chan (/lgbt/), they are trans memes by and for trans ppl from /tttt/ adjacent/inspired subs
not all supportive communities are toxically positive, and any community as obsessed with "passing" as 4chan might feel comforting in a doomery way but anecdotally every single trans person i know who went down the (smug and self reinforcing) self hating 4chan path has been noticably worse for it and every single one who nanaged to escape that spiral talks exclusively about it as something they regret
for the record, i do get the appeal - it /feels/ like it's just painful honesty and, when you are used to not flinching away from painful truths about the word and the systems which shape it, it can feel correct that it should hurt to be trans (especially if you don't "pass"). the problem is that, in my view, much of the painfulness of being trans or feeling like you don't "pass" is directed at trans people by cis people - we don't need to do it for them. you don't have to set up a headquarters for the passing police in your own head. to not do so isn't to become part of a "hugbox" - you can be honest and just not police (even when invited to do so) how other people and you yourself align with social expectations of the physical (and other) expressions of gender.
fuck that person for not understanding and me for getting carried away and writing too much; i just hope you aren't embracing and perpetuating a community that feels comforting but is doing harm to you because that harm feels more correct to you than being truly and honestly accepted
First of all, thanks for not being condescending (unfortunately not a given with the cissoid and liberal hate/slander I got on here lol...)
I would just like to add that most of my misery is inherent to my sex dysphoria, nothing external (OFC external factors add up on top of that though). And it's comfortable to share that misery in a community that can joke about it honestly and without impediments and that has some genuine positivity as well.
I'm talking about the good parts of the board (just lurked there for a while), but especially the subreddits and the dedicated Lemmy instance tranistan.com. It's genuinely amazing TBH...
OFC it has a lot of self-deprecating ironony and cynical coping, but that's just right up my alley in terms of personal taste.
Just a some examples (sorry for the spam ^^') from on there that just seem honestly wholesome:









Also those aren’t “just” memes from 4chan
lol
It's only memes from a Nazi site that was supported by rich Nazis. Just only..
its critically examining historical actions taken by the Soviets
No, no. Don't you know that "critical support" means all support and no criticism? You'd know that if you read theory.
Uncritical support to dictators! The public deserved it! Especially the other socialists!
Why the fuck is that person a mod on an anarchist instance. Gad damn tankies are a plague on lemmy. It's not hard to look at history and see the Soviet Union as a brutality authoritarian state that was even involved in state capitalism LOL
LOL
But did you consider that Stalin's corpse must be protected and worshipped? If you disagree you're a cia plant and must be purged.
It's not hard to ~~look at history~~ swallow the torrents of propaganda that you've been soaking in all your life and ~~see~~ uncritically assume that it's all true. Yep, it's very easy and it's clear you took the easy route.
~~Do you have a link for the statute that made homosexuality illegal in the USSR?~~
~~If I remember correctly the punishment was not gulag~~
Nvm found it article 121. Deprivation of freedom, up to 5 years
Saying the shit they did is pretty damning. Maybe be a little nicer in the future.
What does FRG stand for?
Federal Republic of Germany, as opposed to the German Democratic Republic.
West and east
First West Germany, which annexed the GDR to then remain as the only Germany

Baader-Meinhof intensifies
Do you know why so many names have no party designation?
I think those are lists of ministers, which were appointed to be part of the goverments during these time periods. Only the bold ones are known former nazi party members.
FRG didn't annex GDR. GDR dissolved itself, 5 federal states were founded on it's ground and they joined FRG
De facto it was an annexation of it's whole economy by western companies. There is a reason [some] people (in the East) say "Tag der Treuhand" ("Day of the Treuhand") instead of "Tag der Deutschen Einheit" ("Day of German Unity")
I was born in GDR and I've never heard that before. The vast majority of people wanted to join the capitalistic west. It was a peaceful revolution with huge demonstrations. They wanted bananas an the currency.
Imo the biggest mistake of the dictatorial party was closing the borders to the west. They were taking people's freedom, way too much. Of course people were pissed
Edit also lol the economy of GDR was a fucking joke.
Neither did the GDR - they just gave up after a while.
Would you kindly elaborate?
To my knowledge there were of course some Former Nazis/Nazi employed people active in the GDR and the Soviet Union, notable mentions being:
- Manfed von Ardenne, a researcher who helpdesk with the developement of the first soviet nuke and headed his own medical/radiological Research Center in the GDR
- Friedrich Paulus, the General that capitulated in Stalingrad and played some role in the rearmament of the GDR as well as a military-diplomatic branch towards the FRG
I am not aware of major nazi influence within the Political and Judical sectors as can arguably be said about the FRG
To my knowledge
I think you missed quite a few - and this is just what is easily available on Wikipedia.
However, in reality, substantial numbers of former Nazis rose to senior levels in East Germany. For example, those who had collaborated after the war with the Soviet occupation forces could protect Nazi members from prosecution, enabling them to continue working.[38] Having special connections with the occupiers in order to have someone vouch for them could also shield a person from the denazification laws.[4]: 256 In particular, the districts of Gera, Erfurt, and Suhl had significant amounts of former Nazi Party members in their government,[34] whilst 13.6% of senior SED officials in Thuringia were former members of the Nazi Party. Notable ex-Nazis who eventually became prominent East German politicians included Kurt Nier [de], a deputy minister for foreign affairs, and Arno Von Lenski, a parliamentarian and major-general in the East German army who had worked in Roland Freisler's notorious Volksgerichthof trying opponents of the Nazi government as an effective kangaroo court. Von Lenski was a member of the NPPD, a political party set up by East German authorities upon the encouragement of Stalin explicitly to appeal to former Nazi members and sympathisers, and which functioned as a loyal satellite of the Socialist Unity Party.[39]
Even if we were to give the "denazification" processes of both Germanies the benefit of the doubt - which, to be clear, neither deserves - the process would still have bumped up against reality. It was virtually impossible.
EDIT: nevermind
