Political Influences Thread

[Yet_Another_Boring_Marxist]

I thought it would be a good idea to try to understand our political orientations beyond just our tendencies and political rants so I decided to make a thread for just that purpose. So please format your posts something like this

(I added more categories, because why not?)

What's your Tendency: Marxist-Leninist-Maoism (Canadian)

What tendency would you be interested in if you weren't that one?: Tinquinism seems interesting, Left Communism, I do love Bordiga, well only the things he wrote in the 30's and prior to that. If not for Left Communism then maybe I'd be a hardcore ML. Not one of those lame ones that you have today who take Left-Wing Communism: An Infantile Disorder as some sort of holy text descended from Lenin himself on lameness. I mean hardcore ML's like the Worker's Communist Party that used to beat class enemies up and blow crap up.

Who/what are your political influences: Huey Newton, Bordiga, Herman Gorter, Rosa Luxemburg, Enver Hoxha, Max Steiner, Mao Zedong (kinda obvious there) Lenin, (no big woop), Gramsci, JMP, various Indian Marxists I read, also I've been reading alot of Freudo-Marxism recently, I just started The Mass Psychology of Fascism and afterwards I intend to read The Sexual Revolution.

What are your philosophical influences?: Author Schopenhauer, Plutarch's Lives Spinoza, Thomas Paine, and Roseau.

What are you doing politically? What are your goals?: Well right now I'm not doing anything but when I get to college I do intend to try to start an MLM party since there are no good MLM parties in America.

What are your intentions for further study?: Well I used to scuff at decentralized planning due to my disdain for Kruschev however some of my reading on China has made me interested in the idea so I intend on studying Kroptin's Fields, Factories and Workshops. Then I'll try to study Sam Adim's works on imperialism and perhaps do some reading from libcom since they have cool stuff, even though I am an "authoritarian".

[DDR]

What's your Tendency:

Marxist-Leninist, Mao Tse-Tung Thought.


What tendency would you be interested in if you weren't that one?:

Anarcho-communist, I find very interesting the thoughts of Kropotkin and also I do most of my political work with anarcho-communist and anarcho-syndicalist.


Who/what are your political influences:

The Classic 5 (No surprise here), Pitr Kropotkin, Malatesta, Rosa Luxemburgo, Huey Newton, Fidel Castro, Slavoj Zizec, James Conolly, Ho Chi Minh, Iñaki Gil de San Vicente, Manuel Muñoz Navarrete. Right now I'm doing some readings about the GRAPo and the PCE(r).


What are you doing politically? What are your goals?:

Right now I'm "on holiday", recently move to a place where there's no movement so I'm not doing that much.

[Goblin]

What's your Tendency: Trotskyist

What tendency would you be interested in if you weren't that one?: Anarchism. Maoism is also very interesting.

Who/what are your political influences: Marx, Engels, Lenin, Trotsky and to some degree, Mao.

What are you doing politically? What are your goals?: Nothing:( Im thinking of joining a party though. Then i could participate in discussions and stuff IRL.

[LOLseph Stalin]

What's your Tendency: Leninist(Not Marxist-Leninist or Bolshevik-Leninist but if I had to choose one I would be closer to Bolshevik-Leninist.)

What tendency would you be interested in if you weren't that one?: Either Maoist or Titoist. I don't know much about Maoism as of yet but I do feel like it's having success in the third world. I'm not sure how well it would do here in Canada and other first world countries though. As for Titoism I have a huge amount of respect for it. Keeping Yugoslavia united was certainly no small feat(plus the fact that they had one of the highest standards of living out of all the old socialist states).

Who/what are your political influences: Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, Vladimir Lenin, Leon Trotsky, Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez, Josip Broz Tito, Mao Zedong(to a minor extent), Joseph Stalin(also to a minor extent).

What are you doing politically? What are your goals?: I'm currently an armchair revolutionary(sadly) but I'm currently geographically isolated so it is beyond my control. I want to hopefully join a party when I move, most likely CWI unless I can find a better one. I tend to embrace ideas from many ideologies so I think I would be comfortable in most parties except for a hardline tankie party.

[Art Vandelay]

What's your Tendency: 'orthodox' Marxist.

What tendency would you be interested in if you weren't that one?: I'll always be somewhere in the range between Bordigism and Trotksyism. I think left-coms have solid analysis, just horrid organizational strategies.

Who/what are your political influences: Marx, Engels, Kautsky, Plekhanov, Lenin, Trotsky, Bordiga.

Who are your philosophical influences: Max Sirner, Albert Camus, Friedrich Nietzsche, Arthur Schopenhauer, R.D. Laing.

What are you doing politically? What are your goals?: I am a member of socialist alternative (CWI-Canada) and am working at getting an active branch, set up in my area.

[Anglo-Saxon Philistine]

What's your Tendency: Bolshevism-Leninism (Trotskyism); of the prominent Trotskyist theoreticians and leaders I am probably closest to Grant, but my skepticism about entryism and the fact that I consider that the revisionist bureaucracy exhibited a definite tendency toward becoming a capitalist class are probably heterodox. I also consider myself an orthodox Marxist; I do not think Trotskyism is strictly speaking a subset of orthodox Marxism (since certain theories that come from the Trotskyist tradition, like the theory of the deflected permanent revolution, seem revisionist to me), but I sincerely hope I am in the intersection of those two sets.

What tendency would you be interested in if you weren't that one?: Anti-Revisionism, probably. It seems like quite the stretch, since I do not think socialism in one country is a plausible idea, but if I had to pick, the Hoxhaist emphasis on preserving the revolution against revisionism, and the absolute rejection of attempts to conceal the existing class struggles and further "normalise" the situation in dictatorships of the proletariat undergoing bureaucratic degeneration is appealing to me.

Who/what are your political influences: Engels, Bebel, Kautsky, Lenin, Trotsky, Preobrazhensky, Stalin (the Leninist theory of nations in particular), Cannon, Grant.

What are you doing politically? What are your goals?: I am doing bugger all. I am trying to do something that can not be described as "bugger all", but so far I have achieved... well...

[Raúl Duke]

What's your tendency?: Anarchist, or Left-Com, or some shit; IDK. Maybe nihilist communism is the most accurate. I usually label myself as anti-capitalist to others and sometimes anarchist (but increasingly less inclined since many American anarchists I've met are usually stupid and tend to misunderstand contemporary anarchism).

What tendency would you be interested in if you weren't that one?: Something like the RCPUSA, as long as I'm the Dear Leader. Or a ruling CP, as long as I'm head of the secret police. Or a primitivist. Maybe an insurrecto, as long as we were blowing up banks and assasinating politicians and CEOs. This is a strange question.

Who/What are your political influences?: Marx, nihilist communism, the Situationists, revleft, Anarcho-Communism

What are you doing politically?: I live in Florida, so nothing (except maybe the Imaginary Party if you know what I mean). Was in Occupy for a bit, realized the problems and stupidity of activism. I would probably join the IWW if I could. I'm more concerned with playing a role, however minute, that contributes to an increasing working class militancy.

What are your goals?: The end of capitalism. The interests of the working class. My own interests as a member of that class. If we're talking goals in the political/economic sense.

[Os Cangaceiros]

My first influences were egoists and individualist-type anarchists, and certain other non-anarchists who influenced that current of anarchism, like Stirner and Nietzsche. Later on I explored more communistic anarchism, esp. Malatesta and Rudolf Rocker, up until the modern era with people like Alfredo Bonanno. That still influences me a lot...it's stayed with me as a political influence over the last seven years or so, even though I've moved away from it in some respects.

Later on I read Marxist writings and decided that I didn't agree with some of anarchism's portrayal of Marx and Marxism as an ideology. I've read some writings by Karl Marx and Lenin, but I actually don't read that much "theory". *shrug* I've been somewhat interested in left communism, as reading Gilles Dauve was one of the turning points for me, as I moved away from anarchism. I still consider him to be one of the best communist writers ever, in that he has a very good ability to cover some heavy topics but do it in an accessible, understanable way. (I've never been particularly thrilled over Bordiga-style Italian left communism, though...)

There are a few other random influences, too...Italian autonomism and postmodern radical currents like Tiqqun, to name a couple. Also I find some figures of national liberation movements to be somewhat inspiring (against my better judgement), like Amilcar Cabral. Also revolutionary syndicalism, nihilist communism, a host of personal things like my parents and their influence, could go on and on...

[JPSartre12]

What's your tendency: Existential Marxism, and I'd also consider myself both a libertarian socialist / libertarian Marxist and somewhat of a left communist (German-Dutch, not Italian). I'm much more influenced than the anarchist-style, libertarian, and councilist traditions than not.

What tendency would you be interested in if you weren't that one? : Probably the Italian Bordigist tradition if anything else, but if it wasn't that then it would be some sort of egalitarian anarchism. I can't really see myself supporting Marxist-Leninism or Bolshevik-Leninism, or Mao Tse-Tung Thought or the Marxist-Leninist derivates in east Europe; they all seem a tad too substitutionist for me.

Who/what are your political influences: Marx, Luxembourg, Pannekoek, De Leon, Lenin, Chomsky, Sartre, Kierkegaard, de Beauvoir, Zizek, Heidegger, Gorter, Rühle, Proudhond, Kropotkin, Bakunin.

What are you doing politically? What are your goals?: I'm doing my best to spread the socialist message on my campus by writing in our university newspaper.

[L.A.P.]

What's your Tendency: just a Marxist really. I like a lot of "continental theory" stuff but I don't really see myself as some post-structural radical or philosophical type, I think their critique of society takes the problems Marx (along with Freud, Nietzsche, and some others) raised in an interesting direction

Who/what are your political influences: Marx, Engles, Lenin, Foucault, Lacan, Debord

What are you doing politically? I live in SW Florida, what can I do? I just hope to be able to join a decent labor organization one day

[Kalinin's Facial Hair]

What's your tendency: Marxist.

What tendency would you be interested in if you weren't that one? : Don't know.

Who/what are your political influences: Same old and boring fellows, Marx, Engels, Lenin. Trying to get a grasp of Lukács, Gramsci and Ruy Mauro Marini.

What are you doing politically? What are your goals?: Doing rigorously nothing. Personally, just to get by.

I'm boring as hell. Damn.

[Brutus]

What's your tendency: Anarcho-Communism/Libertarian Marxism

What tendency would you be interested in if you weren't that one? : Left Communism

Who/what are your political influences: A rather wide and non consistent bunch. Marx, Engels, Kropotkin, Bakunin, Subcomandante Marcos and the Zapatista's, the invisible committee, probably some more but I forget.

What are you doing politically? What are your goals?: right now, I'm writing for http://Acatheunderground.wordpress.com. My goals? Finish school with good GCE's

[Nevsky]

What's your tendency: Marxist-Leninist

What tendency would you be interested in if you weren't that one? : Anarchism (left-wing obviously)

Who/what are your political influences: Marx & Engels, Lenin, Stalin, Mao, Hoxha, Rosa Luxemburg, Gramsci, Anna Louise Strong, Sacco & Vanzetti

What are your philosophical influences?: Aristotle, Kant, Schopenhauer, Ernst Bloch, Slavoj Zizek

What are you doing politically? What are your goals?: I am not doing anything spectacular right now, just converting as much of my schoolmates to communism as possible.

[Skyhilist]

What's your tendency: Anarcho-communist, Anarcho-syndicalist, and Eco-socialist.

What tendency would you be interested in if you weren't that?
I'd have to say De Leonism most likely. If I had to completely go outside the realm of libertarian socialism though, I'd probably say Trotskyism.

Who/what are your political influences: Peter Kropotkin, Murray Bookchin, Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, Noam Chomsky, Marx, Nestor Makhno

What are your philosophical influences?: Thoreau, Hegels, Murray Bookchin (for his thoughts on ecocentrism), Aristotle, Nietzsche

What are you doing politically? What are your goals?: Haven't been doing a hell of a lot. I go to animal rights protests occasionally but they aren't necessarily political. I also want to get involved with a solidarity alliance near me but haven't been able to make it out to any of their events. In terms of goals, I'd like to join and become active with the IWA and IWW once I'm out of high school and also any sort of radical student groups that they might have where I go to college.

[Durruti's friend]

What's your tendency: Anarchist-communist, syndicalist

What tendency would you be interested in if you weren't that?: Luxemburgism or council communism, probably.

Who/what are your political influences: Marx, Bakunin, Kropotkin, Luxemburg, Makhno, Chomsky, Rocker, Pouget.

What are you doing politically: Being active in a local antifascisct organization and getting more active with the anarcho-syndicalists. Going to protests, writing for an antifa magazine... As much as my young age lets me do.

[human strike]

I hope OP doesn't mind if I ignore their categories a bit.

I don't consider myself to have a tendency - I actively reject political ideologies as well as permanent organisations.

I am and have been influenced by communisation theory, including theorists such as Tiqqun, Théorie Communiste, Gilles Dauvé, and others. Also, situationism (Debord and Vaneigem), "autonomist marxism" (more specifically Negri, Holloway and Federici), post-left/post-anarchism, radical and intersectional feminisms (bell hooks), insurrectionary anarchism, anarcho-communism, Lacanian psychoanalysis (to an extent), Giorgio Agamben, Michel Foucault, Karl Marx.

Over the last few years I've been involved in the student movement as well as on the peripheries of the anti-cuts movement, and some other stuff like anti-racist and anti-fascist actions. I'm involved in all sorts of things on campus, including feminist stuff, anti-arms trade stuff, anti-cuts, and generally agitating for communism. :)

[The Douche]

What's your Tendency: Insurgent communism.

What tendency would you be interested in if you weren't that one?: Maoism/ultra-left Maoism in the tradition of Gauche Proletarienne

Who/what are your political influences: Marx, Malatesta, Tiqqun, Bonanno, Mao, The Black Panther Party

What are your philosophical influences?: Stirner, Deleuze, Foucault, Sartre, Fanon

What are you doing politically? What are your goals?: Building relationships, making connections, developing networks. To build a material base for desertion from empire and the construction of the war machine(s).

What are your intentions for further study?: Further development of the understanding of communism as an insurgent politics, and present capitalism as counter-insurgency.

[MP5]

What's your Tendency: I guess mine would be Anarco-Communism though i generally just call myself a Communist.

What tendency would you be interested in if you weren't that one?: Well i was a Marxist-Leninist before i was a Anarchist Communist. Other then that Luxemburgism and the Irish republican Connolly style Socialism are 2 tendencies that have influenced me a great deal.

Who/what are your political influences: Rousseau, Marx, Engels, Kropotkin, Connolly, Lenin, Trotsky, Luxemburg, Fannon, Malcolm-X, The Black Panthers, Mao, Nietzsche and countless others.

What are your philosophical influences?:Hmm now that's a tough one to narrow down. The Conquest of Bread and Anarchist Morality by Kropotkin would be the 2 major works the moved me towards Anarchist Communism. However i am every bit as influenced by the works of Fannon and Connolly which is why despite being a Anarcho-Communist i still believe that national liberation is the right off all people and is just a stepping stone towards the bigger goal of a world wide Communist revolution.

What are you doing politically? At the moment nothing as i am completely cut off from any Socialist organization of any tendency due to my location. The student lefties at the local university are nothing more then wishy washey liberals who denounce violence of any kind and are little more then pacifists. I really cannot stand that type at all. I wouldn't mind getting into some real actual radical Communist organization sometime in the future though.

What are your intentions for further study?: I am thinking of studying Maoism alot more. Even though i am anti-stalinist i do admit to having alot of sympathy for Maoists.

[Mackenzie_Blanc]

What's your tendency?: Anarcho-Communist/Syndicalist

What tendency would you be interested in if you weren't that one?: Left-Communism, and other non-Leninist forms of communism.

Political influences?: Kropotkin, Bakunin, Goldman, Berkman, Proudhon

Philosophical influences?: Stirner, Marx, Rousseau, Hume

What are your intentions for further study?: I've been keen on understanding Transhumanist theory and the impact that the progression of technology has on the revolutionary potential of the proletarians.

[Leftsolidarity]

What's your tendency: "Marcyist" (ha). I don't know what I'd be considered. Trotskyists/Anarchists call me a Stalinist and Stalinists call me a Trotskyist. I usually call myself a Marxist-Leninist.
What tendency would you be interested in if you weren't that one? : insurrectionary anarchism

Who/what are your political influences: Marx, Engels, Lenin, Trotsky, Mao, Marcy, Huey Newton, Fred Hampton, a little Kim Il-Sung

What are your philosophical influences?: I don't fucking know.

What are you doing politically? What are your goals?: Lately I've been running classes on Marxism which usually have between 5-15 people but there's a lot of other stuff I'm involved with. My goal? Communist revolution I suppose.

What are your intentions for further study?: I want to read more by Kim Il-Sung. I also want to read more Trotsky.

[TheGodlessUtopian]

What are your intentions for further study?: I want to read more by Kim Il-Sung. I also want to read more Trotsky.

What do you know: same here. Just wait for those Kim study guides (they're coming... eventually).

[AConfusedSocialDemocrat]

1. Guess I'm left libertarian, with more of a Marxist bent.
2. Influenced by everyone from John Stuart Mill and Thomas Paine to Trotsky, to Chomsky and Carson, to the wonderful Zizek (though Rousseau is probably my biggest influence).
3. Empedocles, Thomas Aquinas and Hegel at the moment.

[Leftsolidarity]

What do you know: same here. Just wait for those Kim study guides (they're coming... eventually).

When I was in Baltimore doing some party work I stayed with someone who had tons of Kim Il-Sung. I found his works very eye opening into understanding what Juche actually means and the foundations of the DPRK.

[Danielle Ni Dhighe]

What's your Tendency: Libertarian Marxist or Marxian Anarcho-Communist with a side of Irish Republican Socialist.

What tendency would you be interested in if you weren't that one?: I've always had affinities for Council Communism and Left Communism, even if there are aspects I disagree with (mainly around national liberation).

Who/what are your political influences: Marx & Engels, Daniel Guérin, James Connolly, Daniel De Leon, Rosa Luxemburg, Paul Mattick, Anton Pannekoek, Rudolf Rocker, Seamus Costello, Thomas "Ta" Power, Lenin.

What are your philosophical influences?: Is the philosophical really separate from the political?

What are you doing politically?: Organizing, educating, and agitating as a member of the IRSM, and arguing for communism wherever I can.

What are your goals?: Overthrow capitalism and build communism.

What are your intentions for further study?: Just to keep learning wherever I can.

[zoot_allures]

What are your philosophical influences?: Is the philosophical really separate from the political?
It pretty much is for me. Philosophy (well, contemporary analytic philosophy) is my primary interest, and as far as I'm concerned, my philosophical interests and influences are to a large extent divorced from my politics (political philosophy, applied ethics, and so on, are among my least favourite parts of the field). In fact, I think I tend to use philosophy as a form of escapism.

Is the scientific really separate from the political? In general, no, but there are many individual scientists whose scientific work has no connection to their politics.