Charles's arguments aren't backed up by any of the evidence he shares.

@1 Charles just phones this stuff in. He put almost no effort into this, he's just complaining about three random tweets he saw, all of which are from accounts with very few followers (the lead tweet has 16 likes and 3 reposts).

Charles' writing is formulaic, it usually boils down to:

Here is a recent thing people are talking about on social media.
Those people failed to consider some obscure economic or political issue Charles thinks is important.
Conclude with a half-assed summary.

It's not worth critiquing this stuff, he's just churning out poorly edited content to generate page views.

the netflix series barely resembles the book(s). what is anyone doing here other than jerking each other off on the internet.

@3
"he's just complaining about three random tweets he saw"

I'm actually fascinated that you can't see the connection between the tweets and the film he is talking about. The tweets all refer to the series, and two, in fact, specifically include clips from it. How is that random?

@4 I see the connection between the tweets and the series. That's not the problem.

Charles contends "the Musk-loving right" has latched on to the opening sequence as an example of the risks of going "woke." Although there is no shortage of right-wing weirdo commentators on social media, Charles is apparently unable to find a single example of anyone actually making such claims. Instead, he's linked to some guy with less than 1000 followers who has an unsuccessful podcast and a half-assed Marxism substack.

I'm actually fascinated you can't see the LACK of connection between the tweets and Charles' theory. If the right is so worked up about this series, why can't Charles find a single social media post that actually says what he claims?

@5 I guess we have different conceptions of what "random" means...

So Mr Mudede, an unrepentant Marxist, condemns a show depicting the horrible excesses of an ideology he himself has an affinity for.

Charles actually knows very well that people who see a connection between contemporary critical theory based activist movements and the mass Marxist/Maoist regimes are correct. He knows because he was a member of a Frankfurter School group here in Seattle. Frankfurters, who, among other things, thought critical theory might be used as a vehicle to push revolution via the cultural front.

2021 - The racial affinity convos sprouting up in the corporate world and city departments across the country, where workers are divided by race and put into separate groups (oppressor/oppressed), one group being "re-educated" with the new gospel of Kendi, had an unmistakable "struggle session" vibe to anyone versed in history. It is inarguable, or at least understandable. Charles doesnt want you to have this thought.

In fact he, like many aging leftists, rather you not know about any of the myraid 20th century horrors brought on by Marxist revolutions, and in doing so, he does a terrible service to the young.

Any Gen Zer who is not equally fluent in Lenins Terror, Stalins gulag, Maos purges, or the horrific killing fields of the Khmer Rouge as they are in Mcarthyism or white nationalism is not only fully educated but is someone who now has the potential to fall prey to the same slogans and propaganda that led to said horrors.

Adults (including yes, Leftists of an older generation such as our friend Charles) need to be open about those ugly chapters, regardless of a left/right origin, in the hope they never occur again. Despotism and totalitarianism are equal opportunity predators.

By all means, watch 3 Body Problem, learn about Chinas Cultural Revolution, ignore moronic partisan banter, and dismiss Charles. He will come around.

@2: I am convinced a chatbot/AI writes his articles now. Think about it - Charles has enough written work all he has to do is feed some past articles into the AI, then ask it to spit out a new one.

I yearn for the day he explains how fallible human beings can come up with ANY economic system that other fallible human beings can't manipulate to their own advantage. Marxism et al is so anti-religion, yet seems to require much faith to believe in.

@7 No, he's talking about members of America's Fascist movement grabbing onto scenes from the TV adaptation and creating their own narrative, when they are the ones actively attacking science. Just today, we had oral arguments in the Supreme Court because some right wing nut-job Trump appointed to the Federal bench for life tried to use his power to over-rule the scientists at the FDA on an abortion drug.

The show kind of does own the libs though..