• Cowbee [he/they]@lemmy.ml
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    3 months ago

    Marx and Engels were called “authoritarian” so frequently by their contemporaries that Engels wrote On Authority. What’s considered “authoritarian” is a moving target, an arbitrary line in the sand just for people who succeed in revolution, or at least in throwing off western Imperialist powers.

    If your argument is that Marxism isn’t Leftist then that’s hilarious

    • random@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      3 months ago

      my argument isn’t that marx isn’t left (especially since I’ve read his later works), nor that auth-left isn’t left… just that I’m an anti authotitarian leftist

      • Cowbee [he/they]@lemmy.ml
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        3 months ago

        Gotcha, you’re just anti-Marxist then. Can’t say I agree with that, but that’s less nonsensical than saying Marx isn’t left.

        • random@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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          3 months ago

          I don’t belive marx to be really auth, since he was striving for a stateless society, I just disagree with him on how we get there

          so I’m not exactly an anti marxist, but neither a marxist

          • Cowbee [he/they]@lemmy.ml
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            3 months ago

            What Marx calls the “State” and what Anarchists call the “State” are different concepts, ergo what Marx calls “Stateless” would still have hierarchy, and what Anarchists call “Stateless” would still have implementations of class oppression. Marxists and Anarchists do not want the “same thing.”

            If we take your statement that your only major aggreement with Marx is a “Stateless” society, but you’re working off the Anarchist definition of the State, then you are necessarily anti-Marxist. I’d rather you say that openly than try to twist Marxism despite being an Anarchist, so I hope it’s just a misunderstanding on your part.

            • random@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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              3 months ago

              well, then I’m an “anti-marxist” I wouldn’t really like to put it that way tho, since I agree with him on a lot of things

              also sry for twisting things, it’s been a long time since I read marx

              • Cowbee [he/they]@lemmy.ml
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                3 months ago

                That’s fine, I would just focus more on your “pro-Anarchist” identity than your “anti-‘authoritarian’” side. You can be whatever you want to be, your political views are your own.

                also sry for twisting things, it’s been a long time since I read marx

                It wasn’t a moral judgement! Just wanted to clear up a clear misconception. I obviously recommend reading more Marx. What do you agree with about Marx?

                • random@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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                  3 months ago

                  > What do you agree with about Marx?

                  just off my head:

                  • the labor theory of value
                  • surplus value
                  • freedom
                  • that the means of production should be owned by the community
                  • democracy (from what I remember he was kinda democtratic, please correct me)
                  • Cowbee [he/they]@lemmy.ml
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                    3 months ago

                    The LTV is based on Materialism, so I’d read up more on that. Same with Surplus Value.

                    Freedom is one that is a bit different from Anarchists. Marxists believe that the individual is free when the community is free, Anarchists tend to believe the Community is free when the individual is free.

                    As for “communally owned,” there’s an important nuance. Marxists are in favor of public ownership and central planning, Anarchists are in favor of communal ownership and mutual aid. Different systems entirely.

                    Democracy is a bit vague. All Marxists are democratic, the structure of the democracy is different, and not direct democracy like most Anarchist systems.