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"Really good" is a baffling take on a post that accuses Orwell of being "extraordinarily uninterested in socialism" despite voluntarily joining and fighting in

"Really good" is a baffling take on a post that accuses Orwell of being "extraordinarily uninterested in socialism" despite voluntarily joining and fighting in a socialist revolution. If picking up a rifle and traveling to a foreign country to participate in their socialist revolution isn't enough to bury any accusations of not being a true believer, I can't imagine what is.

Lacusch 3y ago
No true Scotsman in action.
mhitza 3y ago
While I haven't read yet Orwell's Ode to Catalonia, I highly recommend the movie Libertarias, a fictional movie based on same period, focused on a feminist militant anarchist group https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libertarias https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libertarias
- cassepipe 3y ago
  Ken Loach's Land and Freedom is worth mentionning too. Loosely bases on the book
antod 3y ago
> If picking up a rifle and traveling to a foreign country to participate in their socialist revolution isn't enough to bury any accusations of not being a true believer, I can't imagine what is. I had the impression that he went more for fighting fascism than fighting for a socialist revolution.
vinceguidry 3y ago
The Spanish Civil War was certainly not a 'socialist revolution', even though all the communist factions fought on the same side. It was more akin to the French Revolution where the goal was to set up a republican form of government. This is kind of like saying the Democratic Party of the US is a socialist party because socialists caucus with and support them. Socialist government in Spain was never on the table, so calling it a socialist / Marxist revolution is just silly. More to the point, Blair thought he needed socialist credentials to get invited into the war, but couldn't actually get them because the socialists didn't trust him, looks like for very good reason. He got in instead using his Labour contacts, which was far more conventionally liberal. He really didn't care at all about socialism, he just hated fascism. 1984 wasn't anti-socialism, he actually had very little to say about it, all his criticisms were aimed at fascist totalitarianism, IngSoc was only socialist in name. Nothing owned and controlled by the people, everything controlled by the government.

Lacusch 3y ago

No true Scotsman in action.

mhitza 3y ago

While I haven't read yet Orwell's Ode to Catalonia, I highly recommend the movie Libertarias, a fictional movie based on same period, focused on a feminist militant anarchist group https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libertarias https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libertarias

cassepipe 3y ago
Ken Loach's Land and Freedom is worth mentionning too. Loosely bases on the book

antod 3y ago

> If picking up a rifle and traveling to a foreign country to participate in their socialist revolution isn't enough to bury any accusations of not being a true believer, I can't imagine what is. I had the impression that he went more for fighting fascism than fighting for a socialist revolution.

vinceguidry 3y ago

The Spanish Civil War was certainly not a 'socialist revolution', even though all the communist factions fought on the same side. It was more akin to the French Revolution where the goal was to set up a republican form of government. This is kind of like saying the Democratic Party of the US is a socialist party because socialists caucus with and support them. Socialist government in Spain was never on the table, so calling it a socialist / Marxist revolution is just silly. More to the point, Blair thought he needed socialist credentials to get invited into the war, but couldn't actually get them because the socialists didn't trust him, looks like for very good reason. He got in instead using his Labour contacts, which was far more conventionally liberal. He really didn't care at all about socialism, he just hated fascism. 1984 wasn't anti-socialism, he actually had very little to say about it, all his criticisms were aimed at fascist totalitarianism, IngSoc was only socialist in name. Nothing owned and controlled by the people, everything controlled by the government.