It is impossible to speak seriously about Marxism in the West without incorporating the role of Christianity in each social formation. “Western Marxism has taken a historic distance from the concrete experiences of socialist transition in the Soviet Union, China, Viet Nam, and Cuba.”
I would recommend reading this and sending this to any radlibs/DSA/anarchists you know
Look how marvelous Bolivia is today. Every day an activist is murdered or jailed, but they have the moral consolation of not have been repressive or authoritarian with the Bolivian bourgeoisie.
This is a point I really like. Bolivia not being authoritarian enough ended up producing a worse outcome than being authoritarian would have. Same with Sankara, Allende, even Makhno maybe? People like to smugly point out “the stick isn’t better if you call it the People’s Stick!!!!” but I would argue that left-wing authoritarianism is vastly preferred to a right-wing authoritarianism following a reactionary coup.
This is a point I really like. Bolivia not being authoritarian enough ended up producing a worse outcome than being authoritarian would have. Same with Sankara, Allende, even Makhno maybe? People like to smugly point out “the stick isn’t better if you call it the People’s Stick!!!!” but I would argue that left-wing authoritarianism is vastly preferred to a right-wing authoritarianism following a reactionary coup.