What is Marxism? (Karl Marx + Super Mario Bros.) – 8-Bit Philosophy

Press Start for What is Marxism? by 8-Bit Philosophy, where classic video games introduce famous thinkers, problems, and concepts with quotes, teachings, and more.

Twitter: @Wisecrack

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Episode 9: What is Marxism?
(Karl Marx and Communism)

Written & Directed by: Jared Bauer
Narrator: Nathan Lowe
Animation Producer: MB X. McClain
Academic Consultant: Mia Wood
Producer & Additional Artwork by: Jacob S. Salamon

© 2014 Wisecrack, Inc. –

[calvinforeman]

Wow, did I just watch an unbiased, reasonably educated video on a basic introduction on to Marxism on a large channel on a mass media site? Good work, fam.

[LukrixGaming]

My only issue with this video is the idea that Marx was a utopian. No, he was not. He never claimed communism was utopian and stated that there will still be problems with it once we cross that bridge. Actually he often denounced the Utopian Socialists of his day

[jiminyfrickit]

Marx never claimed communism would be a utopia; in fact, he argued against it.

Utopia, if we say that it is a state of being where *no* problems exist, would really really suck. With nothing to do, no problems to solve, no needs to fulfill, we'd probably die of boredom, or make problems to solve.

However, communism is not the be-all-end-all of ending problems. Communism only solves the one fundamental societal/political/economic problem of class contradictions (by having no classes). There may still be problems to solve, like curing diseases, making production more efficient and humane, and even if we reach a hypothetical "Star Trek" level of being, there will still be the problems of philosophy and exploration.

[RyRy]

Remember: When he says getting rid of private property, he doesn't mean your laptop or home, he means factories and business won't be owned by individuals, instead by their workers. It'd be stupid to say "Nobody can own anything anymore!"

[aaroncalloway]

Whats worse is that people will rage below about something they only have a 5th grade education on.

[NoOne-goml]

I used to be completely opposed to communism but several years later and I'm now dead convinced Marx was onto something with his theory of alienation. Capitalism is a failing system slowly choking out our individuality for the benefit of the elite few. We need to strive to move past capitalism if humanity is to survive.

[yellowbeard]

Please make a video explaining the differences between communism, socialism and a social democrat...also how none of these concepts have anything to do with the Third Reich. Explaining this to other people is maddening

[GoldJacketLuke]

These 8-bit philosophies are seriously some of the coolest things I've ever seen. Make more! I love them!!

[Redem]

In Super Marxrio brother the princess is not in another castle as there is no princess, all are equals

[helmeston]

"Hey, I've just listenned to a 3 min video about marxism, it's basically if I knew everything about it. Now let me explain to you how it can't work and capitalism is better."- 50% of the comments.

[RadicalShiba]

Brace for impact, the libertarians are coming

[dmkenosis]

One of the best videos I have seen, ever. Thank you for your bravery in making this. And thank you for you honesty.

[timurtheterrible]

Thank you for being unbiased in either direction, but I have one small gripe: Marx never said communism was a utopia. He argued that life would be better, but we certainly wouldn't be dancing the hokey-pokey all day.

[Greg-the-Guy]

Now I have to go watch the rest of the series, this was great.

[chase.]

You guys forgot to mention the middle part, socialism, where money is divided up through the government among the people, to different extents sometimes. Communism, in Marx's original theory about the progression of economics in society, is the final part of his proposed cycle of government, where the government isn't even needed by the people to divide the wealth created by the people, and instead, people produce, and they borrow from one another in a sort of way like: "You gave me some food for a day, so in turn, I'd give you some food when you need it". Marx believed this was the final step a country would take in the pursuit of the perfect society, and in his mind like many others, believed Communism to be the most idealistic kind of society possible. Socialism is different from the original theory of communism in the way that the Government divides up its country's wealth instead of the people itself, so one could say that the "communism" that the USSR had used in its government was actually more like socialism that was mixed with dictatorship, and in countries like Sweden and Norway, they use socialism by taxing people, and using a lot of the money gained from that to benefit the well being of the people by investing it into stuff like education, and good healthcare. And also in a way, the US does use socialism to an extent in order to keep certain people and corporations from becoming too rich, which had happened in the early 1900s with the Industrial Revolution and what I'd say was the Golden age of Capitalism.

[JoshuaBarretto]

*Reads video comments*

*Proceeds to facepalm at almost every single one*

[chandlernorth]

At least there’s someone out there who doesn’t give a biased testimony. I say that, and then I check the comments. The people here are the exact opposite, holy cow.

[automaticshelter]

Just a few years ago, I was a greedy and competitive worker because I steadfastly believed in capitalism. Today, I am a Socialist and I see workers as my allies and friends. Thank you for this video!

[GustavoSouza]

Guys, your work is amazing. I loved they way you decided to approach to knowledge.

[sumser]

Also, thanks to Wisecrack for the super interesting video, I think that people has to know more about economic and political alternatives and also more about philosophy. Keep wisecrackin'!