Painting a new picture of communism

[Erratus]

I am sorry for what will likely turn into a ramble, but I have been reading a lot of stuff lately and I just want to see how it fits with what I already believed.

I like the idea of communism. My understanding of it is that there will be no wages or money, but every works and takes as needed. There would no greedy corporations doing horrible things to make money nor homeless people begging for food. Everyone would be equal, living in a classless society. I like this idea. If I were to conceive of a utopia, it would certainly be communist. But I also value other things. A large one being personal liberties. I want people to be as free as possible. I want the people to control what their society does. This is more to prevent a tyrant than anything else. I don't want anyone suffering for any other reason than they had to.

I am not sure if these ideas are completely contradictory with some of the finer details of communism or if they all just flow together perfectly. It is probably just being told about how evil communism is all my life, but when I picture communism I see a totalitarian government that kills anyone who steps out of line. I have realized this is wrong and learned that I agree a lot with what Marx wrote. Now I just need a new picture of communism.

[PC LOAD LETTER]

I'm not the type of person to promote sectarianism, so I hope Leninists don't take this the wrong way (I'll buy you all a beer later, I promise) ... but it sounds like you may want to steer clear of the "Lenin tree" of communist theory. Includes Lenin, Stalin, Mao, Trotsky, Hoxha ... They emphasize the transitional period ... incorporating varying degrees of authority and control over the population. All are much too authoritarian and controlling for my taste. Although I admit I'm nowhere near an expert on that branch of communist theory ... because it doesn't interest me.

You may want to look into anarchist communism ... Peter Kropotkin, et al. The Conquest of Bread (http://dwardmac.pitzer.edu/anarchist_archives/kropotkin/conquest/toc.html) is a good place to start.

Kropotkin Collected Works (http://dwardmac.pitzer.edu/anarchist_archives/kropotkin/KropotkinCW.html)

You may also be interested in Emma Goldman.

A lot of anarchists are influenced by Marx (myself included!), even though the two are traditionally portrayed as at odds with eachother.

[The Idler]

Personal liberties, freedom and democracy aren't contradictory with Marxism only with vanguardism.

[Tim Cornelis]

ITT: People attempting to win OP over to their tendencies.

[postanarchism]

I don't have the authority to post links, but you might be interested in the Open Marxism group of thought. You're not the first to re-picture or re-imagine Marxism but it's good that you do because it advances the Marxist project of class studies and class action beyond the stale, obsolete dogmas of the past.

I'd also recommend reading literature by Murray Bookchin, Michael Albert, and Antonio Negri.

[Franz Fanonipants]

Personal liberties, freedom and democracy aren't contradictory with Marxism only with vanguardism.

and v. compatible w/liberalism so

[Agent Equality]

and v. compatible w/liberalism so

So what? you're trying to say that personal liberties freedom and democracy are now liberal things?

[Franz Fanonipants]

So what? you're trying to say that personal liberties freedom and democracy are now liberal things?

i mean i don't think you can argue they aren't.

that said bros basically i don't think "personal liberties" or democracy are bad things, but we can't treat them like they exist as platonic ideals to be respected and worshipped cus that's dumb.

e: see also
http://www.versobooks.com/books/960-liberalism

[Drowzy_Shooter]

Sounds like you are an anarcho-communist to me.

[Franz Fanonipants]

Sounds like you are an anarcho-communist to me.

tendencies are the most hilarious club

[black magick hustla]

communism is not a matter of pr work. even if u dropped a couple of billions into all the weirdo left cults in the us, the gains will be marginal