r/theredleft • u/Evening_Lawyer6570 Leninist • 4d ago
Information Should leftists exercise??
https://youtu.be/A3Zrq-_OKhk?si=U735VVO2VL0tQ4zc69
u/Frosty-Persimmon7235 cornism-monobrowism 3d ago
From Nikolay Valentinov's Encounters with Lenin:
"When I arrived in Geneva, Lenin was struck by my physique and learned that I had been involved in weightlifting... He insisted that I show him the proper technique for lifting weights. Lacking any gym equipment in his apartment, I picked up a broomstick to demonstrate the movements. Lenin immediately took the broom and began meticulously replicating the lifts, eager to learn the exact posture and form"
Lenin exercised , so hop on that leninist grindset!
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u/JesseEisenbergFan New Leftist 3d ago
Lenin sounds like such a loveable dork in this quote and I am all for it.
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u/Gay-left-Leadership Marxist-Leninist 2d ago
Every quote, every annecdot and every picture I lay my eyes on make me love Lenin even more.
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u/Frosty-Persimmon7235 cornism-monobrowism 3d ago
Leftists should work out at the library to become communists instead of liberals
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u/bobbykid Leninist 3d ago
Every able-bodied person should exercise
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u/Derquave Democratic Socialist 3d ago
Hell, as someone whoâs disabled (spinal cord injury) I think everyone should exercise to the best of their ability
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u/PICAXO Marxist-Leninist-Spinozist 3d ago
What exercices do you do, considering your disability?
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u/Derquave Democratic Socialist 3d ago
So Iâm a quadriplegic at the C4/C6 level so I have use of my arms although they are a bit weaker, especially my triceps and wrists. I canât move my fingers voluntarily much at all so I can only hold lighter things. In lieu of that I use ankle weights around my wrists to do curls, presses and other basic arm exercises. I have a little stationary hand cycle thing I strap my hands onto for cardio and I also have a manual wheelchair I use for exercise (most of the time I use a power wheelchair to actually get around). I also work with a physical therapist and occupational therapist and do exercises that improve function and independence. It isnât always easy. I have to rely on help to put on my weights, get in my wheelchair, stretch my legs, etc. so if I donât have help the best I can do is like shadow boxing but itâs better than nothing. I volunteer with a local support group for spinal cord injury and a lot of our members do a lot to stay active despite their disability. Things get in the way like chronic pain, recurring health struggles, lack of adequate assistance, etc. but I encourage everyone to exercise as much as they physically/mentally have the capacity for. I know a few folks who are very high level quadriplegics and lack voluntary movement in nearly their entire body and rely on a ventilator to breathe and they even have exercises they do, with assistance of course. A little can go a long way.
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u/Winter-Hedgehog8969 Anarcho-Communist 3d ago
Turned off the video when it became an ad for an online personal trainer service.
I know comrades gotta get that bread, but starting the video talking about how you reject the framing of exercise as individualist and then advertising about the most individualistic and alienated way it's possible to excercise is just wild.
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u/OkPangolin1984 Communist 3d ago
Just skip it, itâs probably time stamped, and then a lot of YT videos will give a prompt to skip frequently skipped portions of videosâŚ
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u/Winter-Hedgehog8969 Anarcho-Communist 3d ago
It's not the ad itself (I watch videos with ads all the time, as do we all), it's what choosing that particular ad in that particular video says about the creator.
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u/collider1 Syndicalist 3d ago
There are two valid exercise rouitines for leftists: 1) Spend 8 hours a day hitting anvil with hammer so you are ready to produce tanks for glorious soviet motherland. 2) Spend every waking second training martial arts until you are fast enough to dodge bullets and strong enough to karate chop Jeff Bezos' head smooth off.
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u/Hardcorex Marxist-Leninist 3d ago
I'm a machinist and do martial arts and like to exercise, feeling seen lol
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u/ComradeLassalle State Socialist 3d ago
No the only thing that matters is to VOTE!
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u/MsMercyMain Syndicalist 3d ago
The Revolution shall be made at the ballot box! Just like the Bolsheviks! /j
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u/ComradeLassalle State Socialist 3d ago
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u/MsMercyMain Syndicalist 3d ago
Lenin predicted Biden, but not Harris. This means we should've voted Biden obviously
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u/CauliflowerHealthy20 Anarcho-Communist 3d ago
Even Mao loved swimming
I'm not saying that you gotta swim or lift but you should engage in some exercise regularly for your own sake if you are able to
It does also break the stereotype people have about communists being slovenly which can help with swaying them to the side of class consciousness. We unfortunately live in a society that values looks and oftentimes the messenger matters just as much as the meaning behind the words.Â
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u/Strawb3rryJam111 Anarchy without adjectives 3d ago
The answer is yes but I would argue that capitalists actually donât want you to be swole.
Like considering my current circumstances for someone that lives in a wellâŚâliberalâ city: live in a place in walking proximity toe everything so I walk 20 minutes between work everyday, I walk to the grocery store, walk to the train station to get to the airport, heâll even walk to the gym. Food? Restaurants? I gotta walk there.
But when living in a suburban non-pedestrian conservative town, I have to drive everywhere. At that point of my life, Iâm unhealthy and everything is expensive and most processes involve me sitting rather than exercising. I donât have time to go on a walk, I have to wait in traffic everywhere and pay for the gym. I gotta pay for gas, fast food is more accessible and I pay a lot for that, I pay lot of car maintenance. The more unhealthy I am in an isolating town, the more âsolutionsâ businesses can sell me to get me out of that rut.
The more swole and healthy you are, the less you can possibly be swindled by capitalist businesses (side note: but donât take the steroid crossfit business way, they can swindle your swoleness) You say no to Coca Cola, Mickey dâs, Wendyâs, Kurger Bing, Dr Pepper, because youâre exercising so while you are getting skinny, corporate pockets getting skinny too.
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u/Xetranok Christian AnCom 3d ago
I'm not watching that, but yes. The best way you can help any revolution or even just "the cause" more broadly is to be ready and able to help at all times.
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u/Dyrankun Anarcho-Communist 3d ago
Exercise has literally nothing to do with politics.
You should probably exercise in some capacity if you are able to. But lots of people don't and hey, that's their choice. Doing it is healthy and you will benefit by doing it whether you're left or right. Doing it or not doing it has nothing to do with class interests or furthering the revolution, but might help you if you get in a fight with a nazi or something, I guess? Sounds like a fantasy.
This is such a pointless conversation to begin with.
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u/TARDISMapping Anarcho-Communist 3d ago
We have got to stop treating this like a religion. Like, yeah, anyone should work out or not if they want to, but because you're a leftist, it shouldn't change that
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u/No-Musician7685 Joseph Stalin 2d ago
We should sit in a bunker and critique modern revisionism instead
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u/alien_nina Libertarian-Socialist 2d ago
In all seriousness, please go exercise, it's good for your brain and body. Touching the grass is also important.
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u/BishogoNishida Democratic Socialist 3d ago
Say what you want about her, critique the video etcâŚI found almost all of what she said agreeable.
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u/FloweyTheFlower420 larper 3d ago
no, they should all sit in a comfy armchair and eat a lot of lasagna