Everythingism-Nothingism?

[anticap]

Is there a name for someone who is both positively and negatively inclined toward every major figure and tendency on the revolutionary left?

To be more specific, I both like and dislike (to varying degrees) all of the following (and more; I'm only picking the low-hanging fruit here):

Proudhon
Bakunin
Kropotkin
Goldman

Marx
Engels
Lenin
Trotsky
Mao

anarchism
Marxism
Leninism
Trotskyism
Maoism

...

The only thing I am 100% favorable toward is communism, as I understand it (as being anarchy, thus making hyphenated terms unnecessary).


Humorous and/or insulting replies welcome! :)

[A.R.Amistad]

You would have to be more specific about just what it is you like about these tendencies and the teachings of these people. All of these people and ideas have many things in common s well as differences. You probably have more in common and could therefore identify with one tendency or another, but that doesn't mean you have to completely reject every other person or idea in history, just know where to criticize everything and recognize mistakes and contradictions in certain ideologies. For example, I can appreciate H.G. Wells socialist ideals, but I disagree with his Utopianism and pacifism. I am a Trotskyist, but I respect the gains that Tito made and I think the Maoists made some good points on the attitude of worker's internationalism to respect for national culture. Don't treat your tendency like religion. Use it as a guide, and actively participate in its development. If you find that your involvement in it is useless, or just plain ridiculous, the idea is not for you. If you can help develop the idea further, you've made great strides and should feel at home.

[Invincible Summer]

You would have to be more specific about just what it is you like about these tendencies and the teachings of these people. All of these people and ideas have many things in common s well as differences. You probably have more in common and could therefore identify with one tendency or another, but that doesn't mean you have to completely reject every other person or idea in history, just know where to criticize everything and recognize mistakes and contradictions in certain ideologies. For example, I can appreciate H.G. Wells socialist ideals, but I disagree with his Utopianism and pacifism. I am a Trotskyist, but I respect the gains that Tito made and I think the Maoists made some good points on the attitude of worker's internationalism to respect for national culture. Don't treat your tendency like religion. Use it as a guide, and actively participate in its development. If you find that your involvement in it is useless, or just plain ridiculous, the idea is not for you. If you can help develop the idea further, you've made great strides and should feel at home.

But why do you choose Trotskyism as your primary tendency?

[JazzRemington]

Use what works, abandon what doesn't. As long as its all consistent, I don't think there would be a problem.

[ZeroNowhere]

That depends on what you believe, and whether it has had enough people behind it to gain a label. If not, just call yourself a commie, and then explain exactly what you believe.

[revolution inaction]

Is there a name for someone who is both positively and negatively inclined toward every major figure and tendency on the revolutionary left?

To be more specific, I both like and dislike (to varying degrees) all of the following (and more; I'm only picking the low-hanging fruit here):

Proudhon
Bakunin
Kropotkin
Goldman

Marx
Engels
Lenin
Trotsky
Mao

anarchism
Marxism
Leninism
Trotskyism
Maoism

...

The only thing I am 100% favorable toward is communism, as I understand it (as being anarchy, thus making hyphenated terms unnecessary).


Humorous and/or insulting replies welcome! :)

being polite, i would say you don't really have a clear understanding of polatics yet,

[A.R.Amistad]

Helios+

But why do you choose Trotskyism as your primary tendency?

Of course when I was younger and knew little about Marxist theory, I was attracted to Trotskyism as an alternative to the Stalinist models, which I had been taught to associate with communism in general. I became curious and did more research into the various idelogies, and came to see that I agreed with the ideas of soviet council democracy, dictatorship of the proletariat, permanent revolution, role of a vanguard party, analysis of imperialism, etc. So the majority of what I agree with is embraced in Trotskyism and I find, personally, Trotskyism (or, as I call it, Marxist-Bolshevism) the most consistently revolutionary tendency. Thats just me. For example, I agreed on a base level of the national question with the Maoists, but I have little agreement with any other tenet of Maoism, and I can't excuse the abuses of Maoist regimes. I found Tito's story inspiring, but I found his theories inconsistent and far too market socialist oriented.