Tendencies?

[Exasperated_Youth]

Are there any online tests that can help me decide which tendency fits? I'm thinking similar to the Political Compass but anything really.
Failing that, is there anywhere with a comprehensive list of the various groups and a short summary of each?
Generally I read up on this sort of thing before choosing, but my budget's quite limited at the moment, and I want to carefully choose whose literature I buy.
Thanks :)

[Invincible Summer]

You can read lots of literature online.

Also, don't really worry about finding a tendency to "fit into." Just read lots and figure out where you stand on things. You'll find out who you align yourself with eventually.

[Adil3tr]

Three Questions.
1. What do you think the Soviet Union was?
2. What do you think the role of the state is, if any?
3. What attracted you to socialism?

[Exasperated_Youth]

Three Questions.
1. What do you think the Soviet Union was?
2. What do you think the role of the state is, if any?
3. What attracted you to socialism?

1. If you mean in terms of ideology, a kind of perverted socialism. Socialism should be a transitory phase between capitalism and communism, and I don't think the USSR was moving in the right direction at all.

2. I don't believe that a state is beneficial or necessary, and invariably leads to class divisions.

3. I've seen the way businesses exploit people, the way people scrape by after working incredibly hard, and the petty class divisions, all first hand and all of which are as a result of capitalism. It all grates more than a little.

[revolution inaction]

here's a introduction to anarchists communism http://libcom.org/thought/anarchist-communism-an-introduction

and here's the anarchist faq http://anarchism.pageabode.com/afaq/index.html

[Lacrimi de Chiciură]

Do you see class struggle as the main contradiction within capitalist society?

Here is a good article called "Socialism in the 21st century" from the Socialist Party (CWI)
http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/socialism21/

[Adil3tr]

1. If you mean in terms of ideology, a kind of perverted socialism. Socialism should be a transitory phase between capitalism and communism, and I don't think the USSR was moving in the right direction at all.

2. I don't believe that a state is beneficial or necessary, and invariably leads to class divisions.

3. I've seen the way businesses exploit people, the way people scrape by after working incredibly hard, and the petty class divisions, all first hand and all of which are as a result of capitalism. It all grates more than a little.

So you definitely aren't a Stalinist... You probably don;t even need a tendency. If you think a workers state is possible for a short period, you would be more of a Marxist, if not, mabe an Anarchist. The differences are really quite small and the end result is the same.

[#FF0000]

Take a read through some different party literature and see what you like best.

http://www.americanpartyoflabor.org/pp.html >>> APL platform

http://en.internationalism.org/platform >>> ICC platform

http://www.pslweb.org/site/PageServer?pagename=AboutUs >> PSL site

[#FF0000]

Also, when reading up about a tendency, start by forgetting literally everything you thought you knew about it. Criticize after you know what they're about, without any preconceptions.

[Exasperated_Youth]

Thanks :)
I'm going to continue reading up on Marxism, then move on to Leninism, then Anarchism.

[Q]

Also, when reading up about a tendency, start by forgetting literally everything you thought you knew about it. Criticize after you know what they're about, without any preconceptions.

I emphasize this point. Too much we have people finding themselves an organisation or tendency and think like "well, it appears there is alarge consensus over x, I better learn about x and internalise it!". No. Stay critical, ask questions. And if people in your club don't like you anymore because you ask questions or - even more bold - consciously disagree with something, that's a pretty good indication that club isn't for you. A club that can't deal with disagreement without seeing it as some kind of threat, has more charactistics of a sect than of a class organisation.

[Atlee]

I emphasize this point. Too much we have people finding themselves an organisation or tendency and think like "well, it appears there is alarge consensus over x, I better learn about x and internalise it!". No. Stay critical, ask questions. And if people in your club don't like you anymore because you ask questions or - even more bold - consciously disagree with something, that's a pretty good indication that club isn't for you. A club that can't deal with disagreement without seeing it as some kind of threat, has more charactistics of a sect than of a class organisation.

I can only add, try to find those with the broadest base and are open to the public. If you cannot find a tendency then think of what you wish to gain from such and write your own manifesto and create a website to advertise it.

[StoneFrog]

If you cannot find a tendency then think of what you wish to gain from such and write your own manifesto and create a website to advertise it.

If i was better at writing i'd do this lol =P
I just chose whats closest.

[mikelepore]

Three Questions.
1. What do you think the Soviet Union was?

A kind of class rule that has no name in Marx's theory because it first came into existence 34 years after Marx died. Its founders borrowed from Marx the idea of having a centrally planned and nonprofit economy, but they didn't trust the workers to perform the management process. Therefore they installed a nonprofit system, but with a self-perpetuating power structure similar to what exists in a Wall Street corporation or the Catholic Church.


2. What do you think the role of the state is,

An amalgamation of some socially necessary functions, some useful functions, some useless functions and some harmful functions, all mixed haphazardly as required, in the opinions of the rulers of society, to keep their system of rule as stable as they can make it. It will be necessary for socialism to sort out the roles within the state very carefully, retaining the parts that are necessary and useful, and scrapping the parts that are useless and harmful -- a kind of distinction that the writers at this web site often disagree about.


3. What attracted you to socialism?

In the late 1960s I was a member of an organization called the Student Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam, abbreviated SMC. One day a socialist on a street corner handed me a leaflet that said, "The causes of all modern wars are economic. Ideological issues are always invoked to make the wars seem palatable." I thought about it for a few days, and I concluded that it was true. Soon afterwards I realized that ALL of society's problems are either made much worse by economic class division, or they are caused entirely by economic class division. After that, I could see nothing in capitalism except a heap of defects and malfunctions, nothing right with it at all. Now its four decades later and I still feel the same way.

[bailey_187]

If you dont know what tendency you are dont worry and dont rush to "pick one". Just read, read the disucussions here etc. Soon you will decide one and when you read something will think "nah thats not right blah blah blah", so you will have your tendency

[Uncle Hank]

If you see or define yourself as a Marxist, the next step is to find what you glean as the core of Marxist theory. For me it's Dialectical Materialism, but I advise staying away from it or at least being too vocal about it on this site unless you want to be ceaselessly trolled by our here at RevLeft's anti-dialectics wünderwoman Rosa Lichtenstein. Personally I find her to be too obnoxious to even post on the subject for fear of the only replies being 'inb4 Rosa' or Rosa herself. Okay, that was maybe a joke, there are plenty of great human resources on Dialectical Materialism on this website, but she is not one.

I digress.. again, if you accept Marxism to be the method then you need to discover for yourself what is the core of the Marxist method. Once you figure that out then you'll be quite close to having a tendency ready and waiting for you. This site is great for sectarianism and minding your differences towards others with similar but not identical goals, tho. :bored:

[ContrarianLemming]

When you do happen to pick a tendency, join that tendencies group to ask specific questions.

[Atlee]

If i was better at writing i'd do this lol =P
I just chose whats closest.

To develop leadership skills we sometimes have to thicken the political skin and take our lumps from those who would try to be islands unto themselves during the vanguard of revolution, no one is an island and nothing is above the revolution.

[StoneFrog]

To develop leadership skills we sometimes have to thicken the political skin and take our lumps from those who would try to be islands unto themselves during the vanguard of revolution, no one is an island and nothing is above the revolution.

can you explain that a bit?

[ComradeOm]

I'm going to continue reading up on Marxism, then move on to Leninism, then Anarchism.Marx is a good place to start as his analysis of class and history, if not the state, is almost standard across the revolutionary left at this stage. That's not to say that everyone is a Marxist (alas) but you can take the basics of Marxism and apply them in almost any way. They're almost all freely available on MIA (http://www.marxists.org/) as well. Which is nice

You might want to check out the reading lists in this thread (http://www.revleft.com/vb/revleft-com-consolidated-t131001/index.html) and don't hesitate to ask questions in this forum. Most posters will be happy to take a pause from our endless squabbling to help. As others have said as well, don't feel the need to stick yourself in a particular tendency. Labels can be a big help in crystallising your thoughts/leanings but some of these groups can be excessively specific/narrow for someone who is just starting to read up

And welcome to the forums. Hope you stick around

[The Idler]

Are there any online tests that can help me decide which tendency fits? I'm thinking similar to the Political Compass but anything really.
Failing that, is there anywhere with a comprehensive list of the various groups and a short summary of each?
Generally I read up on this sort of thing before choosing, but my budget's quite limited at the moment, and I want to carefully choose whose literature I buy.
Thanks :)
I'm looking for volunteers to work on such a test for Hunch.com.

[Atlee]

can you explain that a bit?

Take for instants that we all have an opinion and when we express it there will always be a pro or con in the minds of others. This is a basic logic switch. Yes or now, 1 or 0, agree or disagree. Extreme elements ask for absolutes and any question is not tolerated e.g. Yes, 1, agree. When one or more switched of the mind are out of position then the machine (operation, organization) does not work smoothly. Something has to be done, conflict until repair.

[The Idler]

Okay I have begun decision trees at Hunch for the following questions;

Which far-left party should I join in the U.S.? (http://hunch.com/farleftus/)

Which far-left party should I join in the U.K.? (http://hunch.com/farleftuk/)

Help, as always, appreciated. Try to keep it jargon-free, explain things briefly rather than use leftist labels or terminology like assuming everyone knows what Bordigist is. I have tried to keep it very theoretical. Avoid stuff like "did you support revolution XYZ".