Oh, totally. I just meant that, even with the little bit of self-deprogramming that we are able to do, the internalized anti-AES/Marxism sentiments are still insidious. Anarchism is socially acceptable in left-ish circles in the US (and I guess the "West" at large), because there was never really a Lenin/Stalin/Mao figurehead for red scare propaganda to latch onto, and way too many people took Orwell's garbage seriously. I think that's part of it, at least. Parenti gets into some background of the "left"-anticommunist movement in Blackshirts and Reds, but I think he gets more laser-focused on the people who straight-up parrot fash talking points, rather than analyzing grievances of egoists, post-leftists, communalists, etc., since leftist infighting wasn't really within the scope of the book.

I think you're right that it's mostly a utopian mindset, though. Regardless, comrades are comrades; labels are just a damned spook at this stage.