`Schrodinger: A Pillar of Internet Communism`

Anti-Homophobia Action by mclj10 on DeviantArt

Communism appears to have a very serious and long standing problem despite having a very basic definition, -`A society without classes and states organised by Communes (hence the name Communism)`- and having adherents all over the world ensuring even the basics are translated into most languages, time and again most people including its alleged adherents don't seem to grasp what it actually is, leading to all sorts of strange conclusions and antics.

This is nothing new or unique mind, quite a few people describe themselves as Capitalist despite not owning any actual Capital.

But oddly enough the internet age which has made access to information much easier and quicker has made this strange phenomenon even worse. For example let's take a look at the comments for this , deviation it appears to have stimulated quite a heated debate amongst some so called Comrades. One in particular stood out and no its not the bible quoting fellow -though he counts as an example- no deviant I'd like to have a look at here is Schrodinger-Excidium AKA Schroddie. Schroddie's the one with the grinning Horse avatar on the 2nd page.

Now before I continue a little disclaimer might be in order, this isn't a personal attack I'm merely using here publicly stated views as an example because they've done the impossible and covered nearly every subject and attitude that seems to plague this new generation of "Revolutionaries". I'm not interested in gossip or speculation about her in anyway, her profile says she's a 17 year old girl from Germany and I believe here (it actually explains a few things, but more on that later).

So here we go, oh and for context these comments were part of a discussion with another critical user. mclj10

1st comment:

"where I am living, communists beat gays and participates in torchlight processions against gays."

Now this is interesting in that I could find no verification, I've searched online, I've asked Schroddie for confirmation and she has yet to respond, I've even asked friends in Germany who are active in the Labour movement if anything like this has happened, and they haven't been able to find anything either. So either she's living somewhere else or making stuff up.

But leaving that aside its still quite clear that she's a homophobe an at least indifferent to violence against those she disapproves of.

2nd Comment:

`Homosexuality is bad. Homosexuality injures the fabric of society(1), especially children. Homosexuality is anti procreation(2).
Homophobia is good. Homosexuality does not offer the stability of a traditional family(3). My grandfather was a communist and from Ministry of State Security of the GDR "Stasi". His job has been arresting gays and criminals(4). Children need the stability of a traditional family. Communists should to have more children(5) - future warriors Red Army.`

Where do I start?

1:If you're worried about "the fabric of society" then you can't be a Revolutionary since the whole point of Revolution is to, well tear up the fabric of society and build a new one in its place.
2:Funnily enough one of the major reasons homosexuals in most countries wish to obtain marital status is so they can be eligible for things like IVF, the idea that homosexual couples are a threat to the birth rate is a rather old idea that was quite popular in Imperial Germany though. So unless Schroddie subscribes to Ferdinand Lassalle's concept of the `Socialist Kaiser` its hard to see the Communist connection.
3:I guess Schroddie has never read Engels, I'm also curious what her views on orphans are.
4: A fun little fact since the DDR had decriminalised homosexuality, -making it one of the first nations to do so- Stasi harassment of homosexuals was mainly to build up a network of informants, or discredit party members. Another fun little fact is that this harassment often involved the use of a "Romeo" an attractive male Stasi agent who would come on to suspected gays. 
5: Again this is exactly the same argument that Conservative German Imperialists used with a reference to the colour Rot thrown in. 


3rd Comment:

`Homosexuality is Jewish invention(1). Jews invented homosexuality order to destroy white people and white communists(2).
>When leftists arrange torchlight processions is good.
>When nationalists arrange torchlight processions is bad.
>When arrange gay parade is bad.
In the north-eastern Germany, Dresden, Berlin and other cities and villages - young people, anti-nazi demonstrators, leftists and communists organize torchlight processions against the government, nationalists and other enemies. This is the new tradition leftists.(3)
Every year I take part in torchlight procession in the center of my city. It looks very beautiful ! You feel like you are in heaven there - the healing energy is sooo powerful! In your city leftists and communists organize  anti-nazi torchlight processions?`

1: Yes you read that correctly, a "communist" believes in a Jewish plot, this particular Jewish plot is (somehow) an attack on the "white race" whatever the hell she means by that. It's also curious how someone can be a "Communist" and not aware of the often spouted calumny that Communism, indeed all forms of revolutionary movement are a Jewish plot, e.g. Karl Marx, Trotsky, Emma Goldman, Alex Berkman etc.
2: You know strangely enough this idea also has a long history in Germany. In the 17th Century the German legalist Benedict Carpzow argued that same sex sexual relations and sex with Jews (by non Jews) should fall under the category of Sodomy-bestiality because he viewed Jews as animals. Much later on in the late 1800's the German homosexual reform movement was headed by a man called Magnus Hirschfield a Jewish homosexual. When the Nazi's arrived on the scene they were very keen to point out the connection. So first we had the Kaiser now we have Der Fuhrer, clearly the Revolution is in save hands.
3: Can't be a very effective tradition if they allow people with views like Schroddie to take part. But then that's always been the flaw in `Anti-Fascism` its such a broad term that it often includes groups it should be confronting.

Her last comment was just a bunch of video links to some demonstrations so it's not really worth looking at.

So we have an alleged Communist promoting family values, the preservation of the "white race" and decrying Jewish plots. Ah but its okay though because she likes marching through German cities with a torch.

After reading Schroddie's comments I checked out her profile I see she recently made a journal about leaving. It makes for interesting reading since it explains (sort of) her attraction to Communism.

`Unfortunately, I failed to become a «true» communist, probably because I never was a communist.`

By George I think she's got it! Wait a minute, no she hasn't.

`I liked communism because the Communists against the Muslims, gays, lesbians(1), capitalists, oligarchs and other subhumans(2). I have always had problems with Muslims. I hate them.`

1: No they're not they really aren't, the Communist opposition to religion is about the way Religious groups organise in society. Karl Marx's famous description of religion as "the Opiate of the masses" was a criticism of the church using the promise of a paradise in the next world to keep the downtrodden content. It applies to all religions equally. The only works by Communists that single out Islam that I know are by ex and practising Muslim Communists describing the society they live in.
2: Now there's a term you won't find in circulating in party bulletins.

But now here she's disavowed here supposed Communism, which is good, unfortunately it leaves open the very important question of just how such a person would come to identify with Communism when they have so much baggage. She even goes on to state a new found interest in Phrenology a scientific field discredit over a hundred years ago.

`I like to measure the head or skull of different people. And then speak: «…This man of the Nordic race, or this person Alpine race…».`

Clearly this embarrassment needs to be addressed.

A Lot of Swearing behind the Eastern Front: Her Privates We

Her Privates We is a fictionalised account of the authors time in Khaki during World War One. If you're wondering yes the title is a reference to Shakespeare's Hamlet, and each chapter has another quotation from Shakespeare about war. How relevant the references are is beyond me quite frankly, It's a good thing most books more then a decade old come with detailed blurbs and forwards or I wouldn't of noticed the connection and probably left the book on the library shelf. Anyway Her Privates has been described as the British All Quiet on the Western Front, and while it isn't an exact comparison since All Quiet was explicitly anti war while Her Privates is only so by circumstance, it's the closest match I can think of.

Her Privates also caused quite a stir, it was originally privately printed with 600 copies run off due to its page after page of swearing, and I do mean swearing, words like shit, buggar, fuck and cunt are so common its more unusual to read a page without a four word cropping up somewhere. Afterwards a cleaned up version was published and sold thousands, fortunately though the unedited version is back in circulation. I say not just because I enjoy casual swearing, but because it sounds far more natural. As well as a commercial hit, it was a favourite with the intellectual circles of whom the author Frederic Manning was a minor member having published some small books on Greek mythology and a few articles in magazines like the Criterion. Among the big names who rate the book are Ernest Hemingway who said that Her Privates was `The finest book of men in war that I have ever read.` High praise in deed considering Hemingway also wrote a book about his experiences in the Trenches called Farewell to Arms, which was also a reference to a very old poem. And Ezra Pound, a man I have some issues with.

That the author is a man of learning is quite obvious not only does it explain the obscure title and the Shakespeare quotations, it also explains the unusual main character private Bourne an older and educated private much like Manning was when he enlisted. I get the strong impression that as fiction this is one of those `The names have been changed to protect the innocent` types of stories with the usual embellishments. I say that because the level of detail is so rich that most of it must of happening, like the anecdote of a section mate about the time he got into a fight with a miner on leave it starts at the bar of the pub and ends in the urinal with the squaddie rubbing the poor sods face on the floor. The whole book is crammed with and revolves around anecdotes and incidents in the lives of the men of Bourne's company. Curiously for a war novel the men spend very little time in the trenches exchanging fire with the `Hun` most of the pages are devoted to there time on leave in French towns, or preparing for a major offensive in the Somme (the story starts after the first major battle of the Somme which depleted the Company) that's delayed constantly.

And almost unique for a book that touches upon war it doesn't really have a set agenda, what messages it does seem to have come naturally from the characters all of whom seem like people who actually existed (again reinforcing the changing names of people Manning had met) for example, they have a complex attitude to their officers. In general they know they're apart from the `brass hats` and stripes but have different views on each. They have a measure of respect and in a few cases even like the officers who go over the top with them and treat them with restraint, they have nothing but contempt for the officers in the back, especially the ones in GHQ whom draft up the orders. At one time an order is issued instructing them not to stop and help the wounded, they then spend a good hour in a dug out insulting whoever came up with that idea and to a man declare they'll ignore the order and do what's right.  Another related strength is that the characters all manage to avoid stereotyping, Shem one of Bourne's closest chums is Jewish and you wouldn't know this until half way through when Bourne Shem and some others are sitting around poking fun of each other. Another interesting character is the unfortunately named Weeper Smart, when Weeper showed up and it became clear he was a minor character and not just a name to a one page appearance I thought this was where the book would start unravelling.

But fortunately that wasn't the case, Weeper is the most critical man in the Company, he hates the war, he hates the officers in general he hates everything. He's the closest character to a peacenik or `Conshie`  that Her Privates have, he also looks a bit odd and is constant complainer, to the point everyone else picks on him. In general when reading something about warfare you can tell the authors views on the subject by the character ratios, if theirs a minority of peaceniks its pro war and those characters will have a bad end, or admit they were wrong, in extreme cases they'll be revealed as traitors. If like in All Quiet its the other way round with the bloodthirsty guts and glory types being in short supply then its an anti war plot. Her Privates is different most of the men hate the war an resent being the ones in firing line, they look down on the conscripts sent to replace their losses because they didn't volunteer, they hate the folks staying back home in blighty, especially the Miners because they're not only exempt from service but are on a pay rise in order to keep up war production, they hate the politicians for sending them to fight, and they hate the brass hats for staying comfortable and safe in manors and officers clubs behind the lines. However they mostly believe the Hun are responsible for the war and they need to be stopped otherwise they will be an invasion of Britain, which is a perfectly reasonable assumption, the Germans did launch an invasion of Belgium and France after all. The only dissenting opinion is Weeper whom believes many Germans also don't want to fight, so I thought he would turn out to be the vile peacenik which I found odd since the book seemed vaguely anti up to that point. But no its just that characters beliefs, the men while tired of his constant grumpiness respect him as a fellow soldier and know he'll always be dependable in a fight. When Weeper loudly declares his intentions to disregard the orders about leaving the wounded no one contradicts him. Later on his character warts and all is compared favourably to a deserters.

The deserter Corporal Miller is also a source of complex emotion and opinion, in general the men hate him, not because he betrayed the country (indeed patriotism is in short supply, and a source of complaint when it does appear) or his officer (which was the official charge for desertion) but because they feel he betrayed them. But strangely enough when he keeps escaping and making the officers look stupid he wins some admiration. So while it may strike us as unusually blood thirsty it does make sense that the men despite wanting nothing more then to chuck the whole lot in resent quite bitterly the one who does so while leaving them in the lurch.

So if a tale of a clever man trying to scrounge up some good whiskey and wine in French estaminet for his chums, whilst ducking pushes for commissions and the occasional shell while peppering his speech with gratuitous and colourful swearing give Her Privates We a read, despite the opaque title it is refreshingly down to earth.