Not us Chapos specifically, but I see on reddit and fb a shit ton of actual vitriol spewn back and forth between MLs, ancoms, anarchists and others. To the point where they're banning and attacking others they deem too tankie or not woke enough. On here it's pretty dang inclusive. I haven't seen too much infighting, and who doesn't love the sarcastic jab every once in awhile?

The stuff that happened in Kenosha has me pretty dang shook, and it's not over. I have a friend who lives with his brother out in Kenosha, and this was minutes from his house. I live four hours away from Kenosha and I easily can see this going down in any city closeby me.

Right now it feels like the fascists outnumber us. Not only the out-and-out fascists, but there is a LOT of wishy-washy support for civility and police. When it gets down to physical violence and shooting from both sides, people won't distinguish the leftists from the nazis, they'll condemn both and want to go back to normal as quickly as possible.

So the only common struggle that we have is with each other. Socialists and anarchists both want to dismantle the capitalist system and achieve egality. We all want to keep this earth going for awhile, (well, except maybe for you posadists), and we all want to defend ourselves and defeat the fascists. We can only have the numbers high enough to do this if we can reach out, not only intersectionally and inter-ideologically, but in real life and in other social media spaces.

I could see this site getting large enough to have the strength to spread propaganda, infiltrate, and reach out. We should organize and develop strategies here (maybe have a separate community for it?) and try to get our ideals out into the world better. Because right now, it doesn't feel like too many people in the middle are ready to fight with us.

Idk, I just smoked for the first time in a week and this has been on my mind today.

  • Budwig_v_1337hoven [he/him]
    4·
    4 years ago

    I'm not going to downplay how some extremely online anarchists are obsessed with the boogeyman of 'tankies', especially those residing in gentrified spaces like reddit or memesubs like the one you mentioned.

    However. The way you're deflecting blame in your very comment towards 'them' is just another flavor of the sectarianist accusational tone towards some 'other' - and I don't think it's any more helpful than 'blaming tankies'. This phenomenon of leftist infighting, of sectarianism is certainly not something that "only ever comes from anarchists", your comment being evidence of that.

    • Phillipkdink [he/him]
      3·
      4 years ago

      I don't think you're right about that.

      I'm describing my experience here, but I've never seen any hate towards anarchists like I've seen them have towards MLs. Me pointing this out is not the same as hating anarchists, or even not wanting them on my team. I like anarchists fine even if I disagree.

      My point is that every three days there's a left unity post and there's never any discussion that many (most?) anarchists don't want unity with MLs.

      • Budwig_v_1337hoven [he/him]
        2·
        4 years ago

        Fair, I might be wrong for sure.

        But while we're describing personal experiences, I do see MLs calling anyone not entirely on board with any and all 'anti-imperialist struggle' CIA-assets, radlibs, what have you - and not just here and there, it's the go-to insults. Don't like surveillance in China? Must be a CIA-talking-points-regurgitating lib. I think what's alienating to many anarchists is this strict ideological homogeneity some MLs seem to demand from people or they'll not even recognize them as 'real' leftists. And that invalidation certainly leads to a reaction; anarchists calling MLs tankies cuz all they want is crushing people. It just feeds into the same cycle of reactionary sectarianism and thinking there's only one singular way to make things better and anyone seeing a different way is an enemy.

        I'm just saying, there's fucked up folks on both sides here and we all need to make an effort. As others have pointed out, these ideological differences really aren't that important once you're doing actual work on the streets.