This has been a topic on my mind a lot recently, but I've been afraid of asking it here since I thought I would be being accused of/banned for being sectarian. While I am more on the ML side of things, I really have no qualms or issues with Anarchists and mostly consider our political differences insignificant in the face of global capitalism as it is now. In my eyes, we're a long way off from the reality of needing to debate how a new society will be structured/governed, so, at the end of the day, whether someone is anarchist or ML is not really a major issue to me. As long as they're against the current status quo and understand the need from change, they're cool by me.
Maybe I'm wrong, but that feels like the prevailing belief, in so many words, I've seen other MLs express as well. However, it feels like the majority of sectarianism I've seen pop up is always Anarchist accusing MLs and communists of being as bad as fascists, or supporting genocide, or being evil, etc. I feel I never see it the other way around. At the most, MLs just tease and rib anarchists, but don't view them as evil or reactionary, as some Anarchists see to view MLs. I'm basing this off of things I've seen/experienced online, and from IRL friends who consider themselves anarchists, but who've recently started espousing anti-communist talking points (ie: using the word tankie, saying communist dictators are/were as bad as fascists, etc.)
So why does it seem to come to this most of the time: Anarchists more often being unwilling to work with MLs and accusing them of being fascists, and not the other way around? Is this just a flawed perception on my part? A bias or point of propaganda I've had seep in and need to try and overcome? Is it a valid observation? If so, why does it play out like this?
I'm really sorry if this is still considered sectarian. I really just wanted to express these feelings/observations and seek input/correction from others on them, rather than bottle them up and potentially form prejudices. As mentioned, I personally don't have issues with others having different beliefs among the left, as long as they're fighting capitalism and imperialism, and being supportive of their fellow, diverse comrades.
EDIT: I just wanted to thank everyone who's commented for their thoughtful responses. You've given me a lot to think about, both in challenges to my bias observations/experiences, and in explanations more clearly articulated and knowledgeable than what I understood. Thanks for understanding my intent and keeping it civil.
What you see online is mostly western groups. Western and specificaly american anarchists have defined themselves and their ideology around being anti-marxist lenninist and anti-whatever ML projects much more than western MLs defined themselves by being anti-anarchist. This mainly stems and is further strengthened by that with the fact that
A. Absolute anti ML psotions were stroked, encouraged and propagandized at a massive degree through the red scare in the west having deep deep cultural and social impact while no one powerfull gave a shit about anti-anarchism
B. Groups that practiced pro ML states internationalism and admiration were hunted down,infiltrated and destroyed with the most furious and focused cointelpro and state repression worldwide and especially in the west cause they were the biggest threats success wise and they were the most active on the anti-imperialist and anti-colonial front even from inside western countries
And yeah you end up with way more modern leftists (cause its not just anarchists) being foundementaly anti-ML than MLs that are anti anarchist or anti demsoc or whatever
Lenin's grand vision of internationalism was something that could only ever happen by military conquest, and that era has passed with the advent of weapons of mass destruction . During WWII both the Axis and Allies entertained using chemical weapons. The US stockpiled enough chemical munitions in Europe to kill half of Germany's population, and they fucked up its handling more than a few times .
Anarchists on the left range from individualist to communist, but it is mostly the individualist anarchist throwing shade at MLism. The more stridently individualistic anarchists are adamantly against globalism/internationalism. This shutting off of the political world outside the self may also be lefties reacting to the present seeming impossibility of a worldwide revolution overthrowing capitalism. The reality is that achievieving an international socialist revolution today is orders of magnitude harder than in the past. Transformative bottom-up social progress of any kind is hard work in any era, but especially true now.
Folks give up, become doomers, become liberals, become socdems, and a few become anarchists. At the absolute batshit side of the anarchist spectrum we have authors like the very, very problematic Hakim Bey who doesn't just want no government, but no way to punish those who commit even serious crimes. The idea of even a centralized minarchist libertarian-style state is abhorrent to them. Communism is antithetical to individualism. BTW, Hakim Bey still has a following among anarcho-primitivists in the Pacific NW and rave kids, and I'll never understand why. He is a super creep.