So, since coming here, I've been accosted left and right by ML's calling me a Lib for not being a ML. Essentially that's what it's come down to.

My personal philosophy aligns with Bakunin, Kropotkin, and Bookchin. I consider myself an Anarcho-Communist or Communalist, depending on the situation, I suppose.

I firmly oppose fascism and authoritarianism. I believe in direct democracy and the inherent goodness of humanity.

I really thought that I had found a place where leftist thought was going to be welcomed, but so far I have not found it here. All I've found are hateful people who want me to leave.

Like I said elsewhere, it's almost as if they don't want new people to join their cause. Like they're actively pushing people away who could have the potential to learn, and who have explicitly come here to learn and to engage in good faith.

I just don't get it. I feel like our cause will never come to fruition because of these types of attitudes.

  • Abraxiel
    ·
    3 years ago

    The site does have a pretty consistent problem with being unwilling to seriously interrogate anything presented that falls outside of the site line on particular subjects.

    It's much more interesting and productive to actually analyze something like an FP article through a Marxist lense than treat anyone who says anything against China as at best an unwilling actor on behalf of Empire and suffice to call them a lib, a child, or unworthy of talking to.

    I've been disappointed with the quality of discussion on this site on a broad range of issues lately. Frequently people are disinterested in even fully understanding the material they're engaging with before determining whether it is acceptable or unacceptable based on whether it is sufficiently exuberant towards what we imagine communism means and responding accordingly with "based" or burning flag emoji and joking about who should be shot.

    With some reflection, you may notice that the tone of this site frequently is quite violent and even jingoistic in a way that really isn't connected to the general feeling or priorities of the masses and which rarely spares a thought for what is really constructive to a communist project.

    Reading theory isn't just a meme, and not just because the works of Marx or Lenin or Mao are valuable per se. It's equally important to follow their example and practice spend time calmly investigating issues and thinking through how the world fits together and what that means for what is to be done.

    For my part, rather than hold my tongue as I often do, I will take the time to practice this here and encourage people to critically engage with material even when what I have to say is outside the bounds of Hexbear orthodoxy.