Why do anarchists not consider themselves part of "the Left"?

[sub lumpen filth]

It seems a bit dishonest when libcoms try to complete seperate themselves from the left. I understand the sentiment, but come on, there is no denying Marxism( and even ML) have a lot in common. Is it just out of guilt or?

[Slippers]

I wasn't aware that this was a thing to be honest; anarchists claiming to not be leftists?

[Creative Destruction]

i know that there are "post-left" anarchists who are just lifestylists... but i wasn't aware that all anarchists don't consider themselves "left". that's most likely not true.

[#FF0000]

Some people (anarchist and communist alike) don't consider themselves part of the Left because they see the "Left" as a part of the spectrum of liberal politics.

[bcbm]

i know that there are "post-left" anarchists who are just lifestylists...

this isnt a very substantial critique of postleft anarchism. bob black addresses these criticisms in his 'anarchy after leftism.'

[Skyhilist]

I have never seen this. If someone claims they're a libertarian socialist, they usually see themselves as part of the far left. One notable exception that comes to mind is people who say things like "the concept of left vs right is wrong/stupid/divisive/whatever" - this seems to occur in things like the Zeitgeist movement and people arguing for a "resource based economy" (basically a type of utopian socialism) - however, it seems weird that someone doing this would also consider themselves a libertarian socialist, since most of these types of people claim to "reject socialism, communism, and capitalism", whatever that's supposed to mean (and it usually means nothing, because in practice these people are generally either utopian socialists or some weird brand of right-wing libertarian).

[Sabot Cat]

I am an anarchist, and I am a leftist. Most of the people at the old anarchist forums identify as leftists.

[Broviet Union]

Basically the Right favors an increase in hierarchy, while the Left favors egalitarianism. Anarchist Socialism is conceived as the most extreme form of egalitarianism imaginable, and it belongs to the Left.

[bcbm]

Basically the Right favors an increase in hierarchy, while the Left favors egalitarianism. Anarchist Socialism is conceived as the most extreme form of egalitarianism imaginable, and it belongs to the Left.

this is a pretty absurd oversimplification

[TheFox]

I consider myself left, but only because right wingers throw me in that category.
I am opposed to ALL forms of government. From communism to democracy to capitalism. All of it is the same in my opinion. Every type of government exists to harm it's inhabitants. To control, to use, to disrespect.

[Psycho P and the Freight Train]

The funny thing is that, some people think that their ideology is "outside" of the spectrum and doesn't belong on our silly left-right line.

The fact is, you cannot be outside of the spectrum. It is an absolute. As much as one may not like being considered "right" or "left", if you have a particular set of beliefs, you have no choice but to fall somewhere on that line.

That being said, I never really see anarchists claiming this. I usually see it from those third positionist types, who are obviously on the far right.

[Alexios]

The funny thing is that, some people think that their ideology is "outside" of the spectrum and doesn't belong on our silly left-right line.

The fact is, you cannot be outside of the spectrum. It is an absolute. As much as one may not like being considered "right" or "left", if you have a particular set of beliefs, you have no choice but to fall somewhere on that line.

That being said, I never really see anarchists claiming this. I usually see it from those third positionist types, who are obviously on the far right.

You probably haven't been around radical politics very long then, or have just not encountered anything apart from the main tendencies. Fact is that there are a lot of communist groups that don't see themselves as part of the 'left' - Left Comms, councilists, communization-ists, the "Nihilist Communism" people, and some others. People who identify as leftist usually do so because they feel that they share a common base with others regardless of tendency, but you can look at just about any 'popular' left group and see where this leads.

[exeexe]

The only anarchist i see who would fall out of the left right spectrum would be primitive individualist. They just want to live by themselves alone and isolated from society.

As soon as you have some kind of economic interaction with another individual you are taking a standpoint that would put you somewhere on the spectrum.

[Psycho P and the Freight Train]

You probably haven't been around radical politics very long then, or have just not encountered anything apart from the main tendencies. Fact is that there are a lot of communist groups that don't see themselves as part of the 'left' - Left Comms, councilists, communization-ists, the "Nihilist Communism" people, and some others. People who identify as leftist usually do so because they feel that they share a common base with others regardless of tendency, but you can look at just about any 'popular' left group and see where this leads.

Right…. But my entire point is that it doesn't matter what you want to consider yourself. Like it or not, convenient or not, a specific set of beliefs will put you somewhere on the political spectrum. How can you not be on the political spectrum?

I mean I'm ok with being wrong, I'll just need further clarification.

[Sinister Cultural Marxist]

What anarchists have you been talking to? Aside from quite-understandable critiques of the left/right spectrum, I can't think of any Anarchists having traditionally seen themselves as "anti-leftist". "Anti-communist" maybe, but more in the sense of opposing the tactics and style of politics than opposing the socio-economic model of communism as such. At least not ones who weren't those weird rightwing "anarcho-capitalists", who are just a bougie joke.

I consider myself left, but only because right wingers throw me in that category.
I am opposed to ALL forms of government. From communism to democracy to capitalism. All of it is the same in my opinion. Every type of government exists to harm it's inhabitants. To control, to use, to disrespect.

First, what do you consider the distinction between government and the state, if there is any?

Second, are you familiar with arguments from folks like Marx, Engels and Lenin which discuss the state "withering away" under communism?

Third, why would governments exist to "harm its inhabitants"? Harming people for the sake of harming them doesn't sound very productive. The ruling class is more practically minded than you seem to think.

[bcbm]

there's seems to be some confusion that post-left anarchism sees itself 'outside' the spectrum. i don't think this is really true, it is rather a critique and attempt to move beyond 'leftism' as seen through the 19th and especially 20th centuries.

[Devrim]

What anarchists have you been talking to? Aside from quite-understandable critiques of the left/right spectrum, I can't think of any Anarchists having traditionally seen themselves as "anti-leftist".

It is quite common to hear the term 'leftist' used as a criticism in some anarchist and left communist circles. It is used to refer to 'the left wing of the bourgeois political apperatus' or the 'left-wing of capital'.

Personally I don't like the term myself.

Devrim

[Црвена]

The conventional political spectrum calls left "big-government," and right "small-government," and "no government," isn't an option there, so communists and communist anarchists aren't actually part of that spectrum since all communists want to abolish the state at some point. Also, the spectrum assumes an acceptance of capitalism: the conventional left want a big state regulating capitalism and the conventional right want the government to stay out of economics, and there is no option for abolishing capitalism as well as the state.

[Naroc]

Some of my friends and a lot of the other people i know from the left-"scene" here are anarchists, but they all do call themselves to be leftists. So this phenomenon doesn't seem to be an actual thing around here.

[The Feral Underclass]

Leftism defines a very specific kind of politics, characterised by traditional left tactics and strategies. Many libertarian communists and anarchists are trying to move beyond those kind of failed, stagnant practices.

I would never identify myself as a leftist.