Defining authoritarianism

[gorillafuck]

What do leftists generally use or go by to define "authoritarianism"?

[Palingenisis]

What do leftists generally use or go by to define "authoritarianism"?

Politically its not a very useful term because you can be authoritarian for good as well as for bad...Revleft is pretty authoritarian if you look at how easy it is here to get banned or restricted for instance.

I dont think leftists use it in a way different from other people (but I could be wrong).

[PoliticalNightmare]

Well many anarchists use the term authoritarian to describe anyone who is pro-statist, even Marxists who wish to make the state accountable for and run by the people and use it as a transition phase to a stateless society are branded with the authoritarian sticker (by some anarchists but not all, I must stress). On a different level, I suppose anyone who advocates a vanguard party can be branded authoritarian. Capitalism is a hierarchy of boss over employer, landlords over tenants and so forth and can therefore anyone who advocates the system can be described as authoritarian, particularly by us. Authoritarianism is also often used (in an arguably different context) to describe despicable acts of state violence. Some of the opponents of anarchists can even describe us as authoritarian by arguing that the revolution will be authoritarian, i.e. use force and possible violence. So, yeah, "authoritarian" is a vague word and used in loads of different contexts. I suppose its exact definition would be anyone who advocates authority, force or violence (don't quote me on that pls :D).

[syndicat]

from a libertarian left point of view, authoritarianism is either advocacy or practice of a social relation of domination, or hierarchical power over others, such as that exercized by bosses, or by the state apparatus, such as military hierarchy.

[gorillafuck]

Well many anarchists use the term authoritarian to describe anyone who is pro-statist, even Marxists who wish to make the state accountable for and run by the people and use it as a transition phase to a stateless society are branded with the authoritarian sticker (by some anarchists but not all, I must stress). On a different level, I suppose anyone who advocates a vanguard party can be branded authoritarian. Capitalism is a hierarchy of boss over employer, landlords over tenants and so forth and can therefore anyone who advocates the system can be described as authoritarian, particularly by us. Authoritarianism is also often used (in an arguably different context) to describe despicable acts of state violence. Some of the opponents of anarchists can even describe us as authoritarian by arguing that the revolution will be authoritarian, i.e. use force and possible violence. So, yeah, "authoritarian" is a vague word and used in loads of different contexts. I suppose its exact definition would be anyone who advocates authority, force or violence (don't quote me on that pls :D).
I meant what is authoritarianism, not who is authoritarian. Is it to do with political structure, or domination in general?

[PoliticalNightmare]

I meant what is authoritarianism, not who is authoritarian. Is it to do with political structure, or domination in general?

I was merely trying to demonstrate that the word can be used in a variety of different contexts which can make it hard to come up with an exact definition that is agreed on. I know that an anarchist would describe it as a political system based on hierarchy.

[Obs]

I meant what is authoritarianism, not who is authoritarian. Is it to do with political structure, or domination in general?
I think "authoritarian" is one of those words that are often used to insult states or regimes that one disagrees with, but in reality has little to no objective meaning. A bit like "totalitarian", I guess.