Examples that come to mind:

  • saying your favorite video game is Disco Elysium
  • saying your favorite TV show is Star Trek DS9

The two rules are that:

  1. It has to be to do with a category that is socially acceptable to talk about with most people in a casual setting. So no politics or philosophy.
  2. Nothing too on the nose, ex, no “I love the music of the Red Army Choir” or something.
      • RedWizard [he/him, comrade/them]@hexbear.net
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        9 months ago

        Elaine Marie Benes: Oh well nothing wrong with that. Gotta make those big bucks… money money money money money money money… ha ha ha ha ah… are you a communist?

        Ned: Yes, as a matter of fact I am.

        Elaine Marie Benes: Oh, ah! Oh! Wow! Whoa! A Commie! Wow, gee, man it must be a bummer for you guys, what with the fall of the Soviet empire and everything.

        Ned: Yeah, well, we still got China, and Cuba.

        Elaine Marie Benes: Yeah, but come on…

        Ned: I know it’s not the same.

        Elaine Marie Benes: Well, you had a good run. What was it 75, 80 years? Wreaking havoc, making everybody nervous.

        Ned: Yeah, we had a good run

        • ingirumimus [none/use name]@hexbear.net
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          9 months ago

          you’re missing the best exchange from that episode:

          Elaine (gifting Ned a shirt, which he says is ‘too fancy’): Just because you’re a communist, does that mean you can’t wear anything nice? You look like Trotsky

          Ned (excitedly): Good!

    • ashinadash [she/her]@hexbear.net
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      9 months ago

      COULD NOT FUCKING BE ME bursting at the seams with half-remembered quotes from the Manifesto every time some normo lib complains about inflation or cops soviet-huff

    • GalaxyBrain [they/them]@hexbear.net
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      9 months ago

      Me irl soooometimes. It’s a double edged sword, I’ve got the passionate about meaningful things and can discuss them with a good level of understanding and explain them without coming off like a jerk usually, buuuuuut I will IRl UlyssesT people’s cringe tastes

    • RyanGosling [none/use name]@hexbear.net
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      9 months ago

      I’ve tried to explain to people - some of which work in retail or food distribution - that the reason why their employers/stores would rather waste food than give it out for free is not because they’re afraid of litigation, but because it would drive down the prices if everyone was fed. And in the US, we waste enough food to feed entire countries several times over, so it’s not like there’s real scarcity here.

      They seem to understand artificial scarcity when it comes to iPhones and shoes. But when it comes to essential goods, it’s like an alien concept to them.

    • RyanGosling [none/use name]@hexbear.net
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      9 months ago

      My manager sarcastically saying “oOoH we must seize the means of production comrade!” He’s always complaining about how the upper management don’t understand any of the work we’re doing, how inefficient and expensive a lot of tech we use is, how other departments are falling behind and look to us for help, and so on. I asked him something like “don’t you think our lives would be easier if we decided how things are run at our level, and not people who never even step foot in our office?” And he just stares as me like I’m speaking gibberish lol

  • Maoo [none/use name]@hexbear.net
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    9 months ago

    We have our own lexicon that makes it’s obvious if we don’t carefully modulate your own patterns of speech.

    Capital workers imperialism empire labor electoralism exploitation owner class bourgeoisie proletarian etc etc.

    It’s not that nobody else uses these words but we use them to describe things that liberals use other terms for. They prefer words that normalize capitalism and have been normalized by capitalism. They don’t call their own country an empire (generally speaking) or call their boss part of the owner class.

    • rottingleaf
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      9 months ago

      They don’t call their own country an empire

      Because at this point the world is too small for empires. Maybe a few countries with their dependants can be called that.

  • RyanGosling [none/use name]@hexbear.net
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    9 months ago

    One time, a coworker - who I’ve known for roughly 10 minutes throughout the span of 1 month - and I were shooting the shit at lunch and just ranting about work and customers. Then the topic of plastic bags being taxed came up.

    Then we talked about how systemic problems are laundered to the individual. Then how most of our taxes are being used for the military. And how the military was committing imperialism and spreading suffering.

    Then how imperialism is being turned inwards with the same security tactics and mindsets are being used against Americans, and an example of which being COINTELPRO during the civil rights movements. And finally, with MLK in mind, we talked about how Lenin described the capitalist appropriation of revolutionaries and the highest stage of capitalism.

    Then we clocked in back to work

  • YearOfTheCommieDesktop [they/them]@hexbear.net
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    9 months ago

    back when I gave a fuck I put a “I fucking warned you dude, I told you bro” Capital book cover meme in my profile. Got me one good date lol but not exactly subtle

    Now I either tell people straight up or I don’t, I guess some people might catch on by the way I speak about some topics but I’m pretty reserved in public

    as for a real answer: your options are basically memes/subculture stuff as you’ve mentioned, coy references or talking about the actual work you are doing in organizing or mutual aid without making explicitly “political” statements about it.

  • newmou [he/him]@hexbear.net
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    9 months ago

    I like to throw out “the principal contradiction” at work sometimes referring to the root conflicts of whatever problems we’re talking about lol

  • ProfessorOwl_PhD [any]@hexbear.net
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    9 months ago

    I straight up say I’m a communist and people don’t understand. My friendship group’s pet lib spent 5 years thinking I was constantly espousing communist ideology as a bit.