So I just discovered lemmygrad.ml because I saw a comment that described it as “an extremist instance”. I popped over there, and while there are def some interesting takes, it seems like a well moderated instance with extremely strict rules centered around leftism, and provides very focused content.
There does also seem to be a lot of pro-china content, which in and of itself is not a bad thing. China is an important country (they all are) that contributes a lot to the world through tech, agriculture, and industry. At the same time though, like every other major superpower, it commits atrocities at home and abroad.
My question to those familiar with/to the instance: what would lemmygrad.ml’s position on the tiananmen square massacre be? I’m too afraid to ask myself; I don’t want to get yelled at by any militant leftists right now hehe.
I feel this is a pretty good litmus test for how “extreme” an instance is, as denying/skewing historical events seems to be a pretty good extremism determinator.
Thoughts?
Peace & Love My Lemmings
I’d recommend just asking there. Trust me, we’re not mean unless you’re acting in bad faith (and it seems like you are not).
Lemmygrad.ml is not “extreme” in any way. We are Marxist-Leninists. At its most basic level, we believe that the Soviet Union and modern China were and are on the right side of history; not perfect, but fundamentally good. You may not agree with them, but neither of these are radical ideas.
That the death count was low (a few hundred), roughly half of which were on the government side (military and police). It was not a massacre of defenseless students, but a clash between armed radicals and the police. And none of the conflict actually took place in the square; the government dispersed the protest there without bloodshed. It took place in the city at large (which is why, in China, it is called the “June 4th incident”).
This is not Chinese propaganda or a conspiracy theory. Western journalists covering the protests back this interpretation of events. The Western narrative was manufactured later. If you ask on Lemmygrad’s 101 community, someone less lazy than me will give you the sources.