Any tips for identifying oneself to new folks that let you "skip intro" and get into the results-focused conversations about improving our condition?
In union work I've identified myself as a socialist for awhile, but now just say communist if I'm friendly with the party or avoid it all together. The west has so poisoned the lexicon that I feel variations of "pragmatist" are all that reliably skip the small talk and moves us straight into serious convos.
In my opinion, left/right framing is standard eurocentric good/bad BS that creates an antagonistic stage from the outset that passively endorses the current system and linear thinking. If the language itself comes out of the failed French Revolution, are there not better terms we can use to distance ourselves from the ideological lib stench surrounding Left/Progressive today and simultaneously indicate we're here to get shit done?
Materialist works for me in most settings, but I usually don't lead with my own label.