I was an anarchist for a huge part of my life (most of my teenage years) and kinda began to get more connected with M-L and stuff like that, and I would call myself a marxist. Yet, everytime I talk with other leftist I either get called a tankie or an anarkiddie. If I recommend Das Kapital, I’m a state bootlicker or a left wing fascist. If I talk about how I prefer direct democracy but know that the process to communism is slow and needs some help of a state, I get called an anarkiddie. Anyway, I just find exhausting the infighting. I already struggle a lot with mental health just to be poorly treated by other people that, supposedly, want the same as all of us. Anyway you guys in lemmygrad have been always so nice, thanks btw. Have a nice week and thanks for reading my small rant.
I was part of the PSL (Party for Socialism and Liberation, a Marxist-Leninist political party in the U.S.) delegation to a local area coalition-building meeting w/ several other Left-wing orgs (DSA, SRA, CPUSA, IWW, + a couple others too unimportant to remember).
Only a few minutes into the meeting while discussing future additions to the coalition, one of the SRA guys said “Anyone but tankies”. I honestly burst out laughing. We’re the tankies! We’re already in your coalition! Ffs.