• Alteon@lemmy.world
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      10 hours ago

      Weeeeelllllllll. I never realized there was much of a “radical left” until Lemmy. I’m a SOLID progressive. I would consider myself a social Democrat. If you are the same then a Marxist Leninist leftist would consider you an enemy. They don’t think their policies could ever be truly enacted through gradual change and that a violent revolution is essentially required.

      I’m not a centrist, but ML leftists scare the shit out of me. Meeting them on Lemmy is when I discovered that I’m not actually a “leftist” and it made me do quite a bit of soul searching on what these political terms actually mean.

      • grrgyle@slrpnk.net
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        2 hours ago

        I know a handful of communists and Marxist-Leninists irl and yes they would very much like to dismantle liberal governments through whatever means possible, but they’re also very woke on like your typical identity politics, don’t agree with sending in the tanks, believe people should get votes / control government, so I think it varies even there.

        • Soggy@lemmy.world
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          1 hour ago

          Eh, there’s Vanguardist Revolutionaries and there’s Pol Pot. I sympathize with the Vanguard because the average person has no idea what the fuck is going on and a nation like the US is simply too large (in many ways) for direct democracy, a small group of people who can devote all their time and energy to the political and logistical needs is probably necessary to transition from this nightmare to FALGSC. Without, like, a global tragedy dissolving all existing hierarchies.

          There’s lots of problems with Vanguardism, not least of which is the ease of installing a Stalin or Kim, but I think most AuthComs of that type are sincere idealogues. They’re leftists without faith in humanity.

        • w3ird_sloth@lemmy.world
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          8 hours ago

          Maybe the ‘right - left’ metaphor is a bit outdated? Stuck with a 20th century take for our modern problems.

          • Sarah Valentine@pawb.social
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            7 hours ago

            I think you’re correct on that. In my eyes there are people that are out for the good of all mankind, and there are people who are willing to throw some portion of their own kind under the bus to get ahead. The latter are constantly masquerading as the former to gain power and influence, and they’ll wear whatever color they think you’ll vote for to get it.