What is your tendency and how did it come about that you chose it?

[¿Que?]

What is the story, or theoretical concept or idea that made you choose your tendency? Where did it turn, what did it hinge upon?

Just curious.

[Cleansing Conspiratorial Revolutionary Flame]

'What is the story, or theoretical concept or idea that made you choose your tendency?'
My tendency is rather morphed out of other tendencies, which are capable of going along with eachother quite fine in their own regards and to a certain extent.

*Socially: I'm highly inspired by the God Building Movement of the 1910's and 1920's before it was suppressed by both Lenin and Stalin and of course other Proletarian cultural movements that were as well suppressed massively.
*Politically: I'm inspired by Narodism, Leninism and Anarchism.

I see each ideology being compatible with each other to an extent, however I have my own tendency which is that of a two phase Proletarian Revolution and SCEZ's that are to be the main purpose of the Socialist State.

In this:

Leninism allows for the revolutionary undertaking by uniting the Revolutionary Masses into a single vanguard movement that is to get rid of the Bourgeois and bring about a Socialist Republic in which the workers are to take hold of the means of production.

Following this, Anarchism is to remain unsuppressed and Anarchists are to be supported in attempts to found SCEZ's (Special Communist Economic Zones) that will remain independent from the Centralized Socialist Federative Republic which will usher in the foundation of Communist economic and social relations along side a working model of Socialism.

The Socialist State in this case will remain rather small and SCEZ's will be focused on for the most part... The only reason for the Socialist State to exist is to be the revolutionary glue of the SCEZ's and hold the entire model together.

[Devrim]

I became a left communist through trying to understand the nature of the trade unions during a long series of strikes at my workplace in the 1980s. Before that I was a member of the anarchosyndicalist IWA (AIT).

Devrim

[Zanthorus]

Well, I was getting pretty tired of thinking myself, and it seemed easier just to follow some cult-like political sect than to independently come up with my own political positions, which would only lead to a farcical eclecticism anyway. Naturally I became a follower at the alter of Marx.

As for Internationalism, well croisants are way better than any English food (c'ept sausage and chips) so that was a no brainer.

[Agent Ducky]

I'm too much of a noob to choose a tendency, which stems from me being new to this whole communism thing. Yeah. And those tendency wars kind of repel me from choosing anything, sectarianism kinda sucks.

[Cleansing Conspiratorial Revolutionary Flame]

I'm too much of a noob to choose a tendency, which stems from me being new to this whole communism thing. Yeah. And those tendency wars kind of repel me from choosing anything, sectarianism kinda sucks.
I welcome you to join the Two Phase Revolutionary tendency, its non-sectarian, Democratic Centralist , Vanguardist, Anarcho-Communist and recognizes the need for continual theoretical struggle.

[¿Que?]

I welcome you join the Two Phase Revolutionary tendency, its non-sectarian, Democratic Centralist , Vanguardist, Anarcho-Communist and recognizes the need for continual theoretical struggle.
I don't know the details, but prima facie looks quite impressive and I like it.

[Agent Ducky]

I welcome you to join the Two Phase Revolutionary tendency, its non-sectarian, Democratic Centralist , Vanguardist, Anarcho-Communist and recognizes the need for continual theoretical struggle.

That sounds interesting. I shall read moar about it. =]

[The Man]

I am former Anarchist, but have Converted to Marxist-Leninism in March due to reading 'The State and Revolution' by Lenin.

[Sasha]

I'm actually more of an socialist autonomists than an anarchist but for the sake of keeping things simple i don't protest if someone lumps me in with the anarcho's.
But to be honest, I never have had much patience for political theory, I mostly read (auto-) biographies and history, my theoretical basis is best summed up by the leval quote in my sig but i have always been an anti-authoritarian and an libertarian so I rather get confused with an anarchist than an leninist or stalinist.

[Cleansing Conspiratorial Revolutionary Flame]

That sounds interesting. I shall read moar about it. =]
More or less the theory concerns:

*Special Communist Economic Zones as a direct response to State-Capitalist regimes using Special Economic Zones in order to allow Capitalism into existence. Where as the SCEZ simply allows for the creation of a Communist Society while Socialism exists.

*Anarchism being unsuppressed and allowed to take part in SCEZ activities Post-Revolution and being the key proponents of bringing about Communism.

*A Democratic Socialist Republic founded on a constitutional basis existing with continual elections, only while Capitalism is in existence abroad, afterward the constitution would allow for the liquidation of the Socialist Republic upon International Revolution.

[Admiral Swagmeister G-Funk]

broadly i fall into the anarchist communist tendency, as in that tendency speaks to me more than any other. i 'was' a trotskyist, or rather, i was in a trot organization and was only exposed to trotkyist analysis and literature that was in line with trotskyist theory, but upon coming to revleft, i learn about other theories and broke from my dogma (which was liberatory - looking at trotskyist organizations now just makes me laugh). i'd say that i've always been an anarchist in the sense that i've always challenged authority, i just was never aware of an ideology that could steer that trait (which i think most humans have when the time is right) into radical, political and economic directions. the same goes for communism as a concept really, i'd always questioned the concept of money and ownership, which i think everyone does at some point, the point is breaking away from the indoctrination of capitalism which i did successfully as did everyone here i guess.

anarchism and communism for me are the same, i just identify with the anti-authoritarian principles of the anarchist tradition as well as the organizational methods, views on political parties and anti-statist principles which i'd say are all interrelated, as opposed to the authoritarian principles of most marxists, which i tend to see as counter-productive to the realization of communism.

also, i take from different traditions in my thinking - i don't reject marxism as a whole and think most of its problems are down to interpretation and dogma, broadly from the leninist camp. i think that orthodox marxism could be seen more in line with class struggle anarchists than it could be with some communists (the more authoritarian they are, the more they move away from marx's initial analysis). with that in mind, i also sympathize with left coms as i'd imagine most anarchists do. furthermore, anarcho-syndicalism is an influence on me - while i am critical of the union as a potentially revolutionary institution, i would say that i am a syndicalist in the workplace and a communist in the community.

So i am an anarchist but with marxian influences - marx's analysis of class and of capitalism in general, as well as the materialistic view of history are all compatible with anarchism i'd say, but we don't have to call ourselves marxists - marxism has a lot of dogma and bad interpretation that makes it look like christianity and its off-shoots. just to note that i don't put the failures of all past revolutions ultimately down to leninist theory, however i do not think that these theories helped one bit, and more libertarian approaches seem like the next step. being a revolutionary is about learning from past mistakes, not sticking to dogma.

[Kuppo Shakur]

I pick a new tendency every year at random.

[Comrade J]

Autonomist Marxist, because I'm sick of the left's nostalgia for old 1940s marching songs and dead old men with beards.

[¿Que?]

Enjoying reading about your tendencies. :)

[Magón]

I thought it best to expose my personal Anarcho-Trot Conspiracy membership. :D

Seriously though, Anarchism has always been something that I've driven towards I guess. Being apart of a Communist Youth Group didn't help much, and was mostly just the same old rhetoric, so when I was older and out of them, I found Anarchism to be much more fitting.

[Aurora]

I became a Trotskyist and a CWI supporter after being on revleft for awile. There was a load of great trots around at that time and they made the best arguments and provided the best analyses, certain anarchists at the time also posted alot of good stuff so i wavered for awile but eventualy after reading Marx and Engels i started to identify more with the trot posters on the board.
Kind of odd that i came to communist conclusions through a more academic approach than through the class struggle. I guess i grew up with a strong belief that people should be respected regardless of religion, nationality etc that and the war in Iraq probably lead to me being open to new ways of thinking.

[ComradeGrant]

When the machines took my family and smashed my organic garden I devoted my life to Anarcho-Primitivism. From then on out I swore never to collaborate with industrial civilization again. Wait...shit.

Kidding. I have no concrete tendency I like them all. The only one I haven't really belonged to at one time or another is Marxism-Leninism.

[Landsharks eat metal]

Anarcho-Trot co-conspirator. Best way to get power.:lol:

I feel like I've always had anarchist beliefs even if that wasn't the name I put to it. I believed in pretty much absolute freedom and a society without money even as a kid, but back then, I had been shown by society that anarchists were evil people who just wanted everyone to die in a fiery world of chaos. I first knew that there was a disconnect between my beliefs and my label in ninth grade. We were discussing political parties. I knew I thought I was a liberal, but I didn't think a strong central government would know what was best for anyone. I dismissed it at that point. Two years later, I discover Communism wasn't actually evil, but I didn't get into it because I was never sent a verification email for my RevLeft account. I figured that meant Communism didn't want me. Almost exactly a year later, I randomly ended up reading about anarchism and I noticed that it matched my belief systems better than anything else I'd ever seen. I decided to re-register here (successfully this time) and I've been slowly finding my way around different types of anarchism. I think I'm anarcho-syndicalist, but I'm not absolutely positive about that.

[kitsune]

I'm naturally anarchistic, and I tend to favor that approach, though I don't think it's the only valid one or even the most appropriate in every situation. I'm okay with adapting to whatever conditions present themselves.

[Bad Grrrl Agro]

I am an anarcha-feminist and I don't remember how I got here. Where am I anyhow?

[black magick hustla]

i became a marxist when i realized i didnt care about the whole tauthoritarian/libertarian debate

[Rusty Shackleford]

i first looked to anarchism as an ideal but since mooved on to leninism. though im still developing my understanding of marxism and leninism i have come to accept them after having issues over the role of the state historically and the way forward from capitalism. I felt it was a bit too idealistic to believe that there would be a classless stateless society and having a non-non organization not-not leading it. ultimately leadership comes out of struggle. leadership isnt inherently bad. and organizing around building something capable of leading isnt bad either. so, another issue was the whole "vanguard or no vanguard" type deal.

Plus, Marx is good, but i sometimes get the feeling that without leninist work, it trends a bit towards eurocentrism. maybe its jsut the outdated anthropology and lexicon of the day but still. Lenin's contributions make marxism whole. at least thats the way i feel.

[human strike]

I didn't choose a tendency, it chose me...

Autonomist Marxist. I started off a bit of a Trot, though I didn't actually identify as such, then flirted with anarchist/libertarian ideas. Hardly surprising I ended up here then really. I often get thrown in with the narkos, like Psycho was saying about himself, and I don't usually contest that, despite loosely identifying as a (post-)Marxist.

[dernier combat]

Anarchist
http://www.rewardscentral.com.au/img/community/games/rpsImg.jpg

[¿Que?]

Anarchist
http://www.rewardscentral.com.au/img/community/games/rpsImg.jpg
I don't know what this means. In any case, I am enjoying all of your stories very much. I think this is the best thread I've ever started, although there's probably others like it.

[dernier combat]

I don't know what this means. In any case, I am enjoying all of your stories very much. I think this is the best thread I've ever started, although there's probably others like it.
See:
What is your tendency and how did it come about that you chose it?I assume you are familiar with paper, scissors, rock, no?

fuck, my attempts at humor become even more pathetic when I have to explain them

[Rusty Shackleford]

See:I assume you are familiar with paper, scissors, rock, no?

fuck, my attempts at humor become even more pathetic when I have to explain them
even i dont get this.

[Admiral Swagmeister G-Funk]

i get it now. its actually quite clever, would have probably worked better if you did it in person, i dunno.

[Omsk]

Marxism-Leninism.I dislike revisionism,but i don't condemn it to a decree where i am utterly against it.Still,it can be said that i am an anti-revisionist.There are exceptions though.
I chose it because it is the only working and possible one,the only logical and efficient one.
I got to it trough reading a short Lenin biography.From there,i got the basics of socialism and communism,i read the manifesto and Das Kapital.But from there,i started reading Lenin only,but,eventually,i read a bit of Stalin's works and from there i started to read a wide variety of things.

[Tablo]

Didn't choose it. Was in this position where I was obseessed with politics, but wanted to fight for what would be most logical and would best ensure a high quality of life for every human begin and I stumbled across anarchism. I would also say I am closely aligned with Marxists, despite the fact I disagree with a reasonably large part of Marxist theory. If anarchists got any more lifestylistic I would just label myself libertarian Marxist to save people from the confusion. xD

Though that might confuse people even more... fuck it, I'm just a fucking socialist.

[Obs]

You're really not supposed to "pick" a tendency like a toy from a shelf. I have read a number of works by leftist authors, and been active within struggles, and this made me form ideas that coincide with what happens to be named Marxism-Leninism.

[NoOneIsIllegal]

My friend got me interested in politics by pointing out the injustices in the world. I guess I picked up on it quick because I didn't really have an "interest" at the time besides music. I started off mostly on social issues (sort of like a social-democrat), where I supported issues like gay marriage, abortion, universal healthcare, etc. Typically stuff that wasn't economic but easy to adopt from a very basic understanding of politics. I embraced "socialism" quick, as that is what my friend and internet quizzes refereed to me as. As time went by, I read and tried to learn the aspects of socialism, different ideas, the people behind it, etc. I was always somewhere in the aspect of "democratic socialism" where I thought reform was possible, but it the workers (and the unions) were/are essential and will be the main driving force. As time went, more contradictions and ideas were popped into my head, how would the government help supply the workers with services, not become too bloated and bureaucratic, will it be possible that the state simply withers away, etc. I always had a flirtation with anarchist ideas, and already supported ideas of decentralization and unions, so I eventually came to the conclusion that I'm an anarcho-syndicalism. It (Anarchism) been an idea inside of me growing for years anyway, and it's starting to make even more sense as time goes on.

[Sentinel]

Ever since I became interested and active in politics, I've always at core been a democratic socialist and marxist. But while my support for historical materialism and marxist class analysis has remained constant, I've changed my views on the revolutionary method over time, from 'libertarian' to 'orthodox' marxism, upon becoming convinced over the democratic nature of the latter.

I was brought up in a family that was anti-revisionist marxist-leninist at heart, but still critically supported the pre-perestroika (tankie) USSR. Born in 1980, my first political memories are mostly of the fast decay and collapse of the Soviet system under Gorbachev and my parents disillusionment over it. Due to these events and the self proclaimed victory of capitalism, I shunned politics for a long time, but eventually became interested again after a few years on the labour market, when I was in my early twenties.

And now there was the Internet. :)

I was convinced from the start that the USSR model had mainly failed due to internal contradictions and errors in the system, a view I still hold, and thus wasn't very inclined to look up the 'stalinist' orgs. It was around this time that I joined Revleft. From reading the discussions of comrades online I soon drew the verdict that it was the lack of democracy and accountability that made the system unattractive and dysfunctional.

Unfamiliar with trotskyist theory as I was, this conclusion soon got me to paint all leninist currents with the same brush and to identify with the anarchist way of thinking -- and to eventually make the decision of joining anarcho-syndicalist SAC. I chose the syndicalist wing of the anarchist movement, as due to my roots my politics have always been class based, ie worker-oriented in contrast to certain insurrectionary, eco-radical and individualist anarchist currents. I became an anarchist, but with the emphasis on the red half of the anarchist flag.

After a while, though, I got quite disillusioned with the syndicalist method, which struck me as too narrow. It proved hard to organise workers into a militant union in a situation without a direct conflict, where their jobs would be actively threatened by the employers. At least the interest at my workplace was nearly non existent, despite a degree of left wing sympathies among some of my collegues there was a 'business as usual' -mentality that dominated.

I was frustrated, as I realised that a political party like the leninist ones can really do so much more, fight and be visible on far more fronts of struggle than that of the workplace -- while still supporting militant union action as well. I saw how the trotskyist CWI organised neighbourhoods to stop local cuts and closure of services, to stop fascist marches and deportations of refugees, etc; and how they through this active and broad struggle elevated class consciousness and increased their own support, entering city councils (where they always act as an opposition to the established parties) and dominating leftist events.

But there was the matter of the state, as well as that of democratic centralism rather than federalistic direct democracy within the parties. So I started investigating in this. What did Lenin himself, and the different tendencies that self-identified as leninists actually say about the state? And how does democratic centralism work in practice?

I came to the conclusion that what constitutes a state is really a matter of definition, and that the post-revolutionary state advocated by Lenin wasn't a proper state at all but a half-state, that it was democratic, and that it was bound to wither away by itself. I understood that this had not happened in the USSR due to a clique of bureaucrats hijacking it.
But most importantly I realised that the orthodox marxists, or trotskyists, of today advocate a fully democratic society with workers control over the means of production, and vehemently oppose an unaccountable bureacracy pulling the strings like it was in the USSR.

This made me naturally turn to the CWI, which is the largest and most visible trotskyist organisation around here. After being a member for 5 or so months now, attending to a party congress etc, I've become fully convinced over the method of democratic centralism being as democratic, but potentially more effective, than direct democracy within an organisation.

That said, while there are wide disagreements about the methods, I see syndicalists and other class war anarchists as comrades striving towards the same goal, a democratic socialist society. I also realise that there are many individual comrades in the stalinist orgs around the world sincerely strive for this, but unfortunately I see their organisations as ideologically bankrupt.