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Learning where I stand
Hello forum, that I have just now discovered exists and am excited about. (Also intimidated by but I hope I wont be eaten alive or anything.)
Im someone who came to the Rev Left from humble Tumblr beginnings (oh boy did I have many stages to go through to get here) and generally can place myself as anti-capitalist for certain, but beyond that, I've struggled to find information on different political theories that wasn't heavily academic and inaccessible to me as someone with cognitive disabilities and neurodivergencies that otherwise make it *really hard* to understand a lot of the leftist "sub-groups" I guess I'll call them? Ideologies? Only the Pagan Anti-Capitalist Primer and the Gods and Radicals website in general has actually made any of this accessible to me so far, so Im hoping to find some #ExplainLikeImFive (as much as this is even possible, to be realistic) information on RevLeft history, ideologies, etc. Since I don't like floating in this position and not being able to really back myself up even though a lot of the info is just.
I can't follow it. I don't even know where to start.
And I don't like being ignorant. So here I am, hoping to learn, hoping to find a position I can stand behind and work toward.
For slightly less political info, Im nonbinary (they/them is fine), live in the USA, and I like horror games n movies, and Im autistic? Idk. Im bad at talking about myself unprompted. :B I've edited this post like 3 times trying to make it "perfect" so I guess this is as good as it gets? I really shouldn't have this much anxiety about a forum intro post I am hardly new to forums.
Last edited by regrettiquete; 29th September 2016 at 09:42.
Well, welcome. I usually don't do welcomes, but you're also introducing your position -- which is the point of RevLeft, I would say.
I think you're covering a lot of ground just by saying (hopefully to everyone you know) that you're anti-capitalist. You could always elaborate on that if you like, and maybe provide the historical incidents and reasoning that brought you to your position.
I think the best way to start learning is to look for subjects you're interested in and see how each tendency reacts to them. This way you can familiarize yourself with the language, key concepts, different positions towards certain issues and also put things in context for when you start more "heavy" reading.
Don't focus too much on where you are now though, instead focus on where you are going to, or rather, where you want to be (in this case knowing where you stand); because after all, whatever your position might be right now, if you learn it will change one way or another. It will change you too.
I don't want to assume to much since I don't know what kind of sources you've come across or what kind of handicap you're working with here but I have the feeling the problem isn't so much on you yourself, it might be just due to a lack of familiarity. Just push your limits without berating yourself when you reach an impasse. If you keep trying next time it probably won't be.
I've lurked these forums for a looooong time and was lucky enough at the time to have the time to devour thread after thread, one discussion after the other. Even when the content of the thread itself was subpar, I still gained something from it, when people talk they reveal a lot about themselves. For instance, one can notice an uncritical attitude of certain tendencies towards some subject or figure. Or the opposite, some irrational distaste/opposition of certain tendencies for certain subjects or figures. It's no substitute for theory but it's a good way to familiarize yourself with the lefty world.
Where do you think you stand closer to right now? The anarchist movement or socialist communist movement?
If you feel up to it give these sources a try:
Introduction to Marxism:
Marxism and Marxist
Socialism
https://www.marxists.org/subject/students/index.htm
Encyclopedia of Marxism (so you can look up any event, concept, author, historical figure...)
https://www.marxists.org/glossary/index.htm
Marxism on diverse subjects such as education, art, ethics, etc.:
https://www.marxists.org/subject/index.htm
Selected Marxists Archive:
https://www.marxists.org/archive/selected-marxists.htm
Bolshevik Authors:
https://www.marxists.org/subject/bolsheviks/index.htm
Main communist currents:
Note that outside these categories, some of us simply refer ourselves as Marxists
Left-Communism
https://www.marxists.org/subject/left-wing/index.htm
"Marxism-Leninism" (Stalinism)
Stalinism
https://www.marxists.org/subject/stalinism/index.htm
Trotskyism
Trotskyism
https://www.marxists.org/history/etol/index.htm
Maoism
Maoism (aka Mao Zedong Thought)
https://www.marxists.org/subject/china/
Syndicalism and Anarchism (in relation to Marxism)
Anarchism
Anarcho-Syndicalism
https://www.marxists.org/subject/anarchism/index.htm
Disclaimer: I think that these currents, while they are still somewhat useful at delineating one's political legacy or baggage, are partially outdated and as of now little more than labels since most of these tendencies belong to a specific historical context with specific historical events and controversies and the main reason the left is so irrelevant today is the inability to move past them, the inability to transcend the XXth century and start focusing on the many fights and the open fronts we have now. This is not to say that there is no discussion to be had about the events of the past century, just saying that it should not be our first priority. Even calling oneself a communist or an anti-capitalist is fucking meaningless nowadays, any idiot can do that. There still are social-chauvinists and anti-"cultural marxists" out there for fuck sake.
Last edited by Radical Atom; 30th September 2016 at 13:24.
Hello. Welcome to the forum. A lot of political ideology is purposefully heavily academic or inaccessible including leftism. I'm not sure what introductory material might be best for the cognitively disabled or neurodivergant.
General introductions
A new website has been created at
http://whatissocialism.net/
A new blog has been started here answered some common questions
http://askasocialist.blogspot.co.uk/...socialism.html
As for the left and different ideologies, there is a good series here
http://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/subject/against-left-series
