IDFK what the hell I am.
I believe communism can only be achieved through revolution, and that the proletariat will need to take over and control the state to protect itself from sabotage from capitalist interests at least until global communism is achieved and the infrastructure to support a worldwide mutualist society has been established, at which point the state could be dissolved.
I'm not a very good leftist, I don't even know what I am
the proletariat will need to take over and control the state to protect itself from sabotage from capitalist interests
Well definitely not a liberal or an anarchist then lol. But if you haven't already, you should engage with Marxist and anarchist literature at least somewhat, as well as participate in local socialist politics. This way your politics will be better informed and less vibes based.
You're none of the above, nor should you be (in my opinion). The leftist ideologies of the past have enormous value and can help guide us into the future, but none of them have all the answers and all of them have the same major flaw: they are of the past. This is why I'm such strong believer in leftist unity.
There are genuine differences in philosophy and while I'd agree if someone said they were like, a sankaraist or ho chi mihnist (unless maybe they're from Burkina Faso or Vietnam, that maybe could make sense) they're both under the wider umbrella of Marxist lennism, which is part of broader Marxism, which is part of broader socialism which is part of broader leftism.
I'd analogize it with music genres. Say Darkthrone and Black Sabbath are both metal bands, they're therefore also both rock bands and also both music. That doesn't mean they're the same. Categories are useful but should be used as descriptors of how you already are rather than a code to follow. I thought I was an ancom with ideas of how best to get to communism, turned out that was more or less the same as the essential elements of Marxist Lenninism, therefore I'm an ML. I didn't begin by saying "when I grow up I want to be a Marixist Lenninist" and then studied the theory and modified my beliefs around that, it described how I already felt. And like how unless I'm talking to other punks I wouldn't distinguish between a dbeat or stenchcore band, I'd just call it punk, I'll just call myself a communist to normies, to those involved, I'll be more specific.
I couldn't agree more. I got into all this through the bread book, and if pressed I still generally call myself an anarchist. But I don't think this divide matters at all. I'm a communist first and foremost, and I want to work with whoever's going to advance us closer to a communist society.
I would say that "Marxist" is fine, since that describes sort of a methodology/worldview, but when it comes to actual politics it's all about who you organize with. If you aren't active in a party or other org, you're functionally a liberal with better than average political ideas (still idealism tho).
Get organized, and then figure out if "communist" "anarchist" or some other such term applies to your group imo
--signed, a liberal with better than average political ideas....
I'm not an anarchist but every org I'm in is cause it's sorta the only game in town. It's mutual aide stuff so it's not like I have anything against it, but I would prefer the mutual aide have any angle of political advancement rather than doing what the state should be doing and calling it activism and not necessary charity. So yeah, it's where I gotta go if I want to help feed and shelter homeless people thst isn't lib but it doesn't align with how I think.
You're an owl duh.
Also everyone who believes in liberating the entire working class together is a good leftist. Labels are helpful but they aren't everything. Some of the best leftists I know have never even heard of Marx and don't really understand capitalism, and yet when it comes to intersectional worker liberation they live it every day.
Lenin expands further on this idea of the proletariat needing to take over and control the state to protect itself from capitalist interests in State and Revolution. I recommend giving it a read, it's quite interesting and only about 100 pages.
If exploring the plethora of collect-em-all ideological labels on the left helps you enrich your political understanding then go for it--but when push comes to shove--the best leftists aren't the ones who obsess over the minutia between every possible label, but the ones who move forward arm in arm with like-minded people to create a tangible positive difference where they can.
That being said my personal go-to label, especially when talking to folks who are less politically inclined, is just "socialist," because it's a bit clearer than something like "leftist" which will be interpreted by many Americans as left-wing/liberal, and also far less daunting to explain (and to understand, from an uninformed perspective) than any of the more particular and nuanced labels. To answer your initial question in the title though, you're my comrade.
Stinky owl-shit lib, if you're anything right of Posadist, you're a lib.
You've got commie tendencies and should explore that by reading theory!
Definitely Marxist, about 70% of the way to ML, the rest depends on some details in how to do the things.
