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1w
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hello again

where do you stand on the socialist spectrum? i'll start: my socialist views are a fusion of market socialism, welfarism, georgism and left-libertarianism - i took the leftvalues quiz (as shown in the photo attached in this post), and i got "centrist marxism". you DON'T have to take the quiz though.

EDIT: i just added the link

Cowbee [he/they] - 1w

I'm a Marxist-Leninist, here are my results.

This test isn't to tell you what you are, but instead what the test maker thinks you are. What you are is ultimately up to you. If you or anyone else wants to get started on reading Marxist-Leninist theory, I made an introductory reading list.

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PolandIsAStateOfMind - 1w

This one isn't too bad for an internet political test, though i would said that eco-marxism is pretty misleading since all the notable ML parties are proecological nowadays and in 1910's that question was much less pressing.

I did get ML result so lol.

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Cowbee [he/they] - 1w

Yea, they require you to pick nationalist answers to get ML but the ML stance on nationalism depends on if you're in the global north or global south, ie does your nationalism work against imperialism or towards perpetuating it. It also requires the person to pick production over ecology.

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∞🏳️‍⚧️Edie [it/it/its/its/itself, she/her/her/hers/herself, fae/faer/faer/faers/faerself, love/love/loves/loves/loveself, des/pair, null/void, none/use name] - 1w

the ML stance on nationalism depends

It's almost as if there is context and these quizes always have simple questions without such context.

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Cowbee [he/they] - 1w

Yep, they're neat as novelty but not as a perscription of ideology.

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PolandIsAStateOfMind - 1w

the ML stance on nationalism depends on if you’re in the global north or global south, ie does your nationalism work against imperialism or towards perpetuating it

Yeah

I don’t think any actual MLs can get the ML result lol

This contradicts the sentence above, just look at AES states. I mean nationalism will always be a crutch for socialist states but its an useful crutch at least as long as imperialists are out there.

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Cowbee [he/they] - 1w

Yes, but the questions are framed in a way that make it seem odd.

"Nationalism and patriotism are impulses that are unacceptable in socialist society" is phrased in a manner that either means you agree with nationalism within socialism or you don't, not if they have context. It has nothing to do with your present country, that's entirely on the user's interpretation. Someone in the global south and the global north both see the same question the same way, as it doesn't tie the answer to the north or south. The correct answer is that it's useful in resisting imperialism and horrible if used to perpetuate it.

There's also the fact that it requires you to take a productvist approach over an ecological one, and the way those questions are phrased are bad as well. We should work to increase production in a green manner, not become an anarcho-primitivist, yet the quiz hints like those are the counterposed ideas.

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PolandIsAStateOfMind - 1w

Agree, it's the same reason why nobody ever lands in red sector in the cumpiss test, although to much lesser extent.

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Cowbee [he/they] - 1w

Agreed, I always got lib left and back in my non-Marxist days I assumed that meant I was more aligned with anarchists. Thankfully reading theory helped me understand more.

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Vupware @lemmy.zip - 1w

For some of these questions, I felt I lacked a sufficient understanding to provide a confident answer. That led to more neutral/unsure answers than I would have preferred.

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CleoCommunist - 1w

Same

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DylanMc6 [any, any] - 1w

so you're a centrist marxist?

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Vupware @lemmy.zip - 1w

I would say I’m uneducated first and foremost.

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Cowbee [he/they] - 7day

Do you have an example of some questions you felt you were unprepared for?

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ComradeSharkfucker - 1w

No surprises here, just about where I was last time iirc

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DylanMc6 [any, any] - 1w

so you're an eco-marxist?

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ComradeSharkfucker - 1w

That's what it placed me as yeah. While I agree that I am a marxist who has a focus on ecology it specifies "orthodox marxist" which I am not

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determinist - 1w

@DylanMc6@lemmy.ml This is me: Eco-Anarchists unite.

Seems right

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shiftymccool - 1w

I was 3.2% from joining you 😁

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blindbunny - 1w

I'm a vegan anarchist so this is pretty accurate.

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BreadstickNinja @lemmy.world - 1w

Woo-hoo! A kindred spirit. Let's team up on terms of local autonomy, self-sufficiency, and mutual benefit!

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Horse {they/them} - 1w

more ecological than the last time, because of you know waves hand at the everything

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DylanMc6 [any, any] - 1w

"if al gore read the communist manifesto"

in all seriousness, i think you're probably an orthodox eco-marxist

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Horse {they/them} - 1w

the test says the closest tendency to my result on this particular test is eco-marxist, but nope, i'm a marxist-leninist
i read (primarily) marxist-leninist theory, subscribe to a marxist-leninist worldview, and am involved with marxist-leninist organizations

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DylanMc6 [any, any] - 1w

so you're eco-marxist-leninist?

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Horse {they/them} - 1w

shrug-outta-hecks
i see these tests as just a bit of fun, i take them more seriously than "what pokemon are you?" and the like, but not by much

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PM_ME_VINTAGE_30S [he/him] - 1w

The quiz nailed the fact that I'm an anarcho-communist. I think my numbers "suffered" a bit because there are questions where I personally hold beliefs about which choices are easiest to implement, but I also believe that a collective of reasonable people could make some other choice and implement it in a liberatory way. In particular, I'm not against planning certain segments of the economy (e.g. electrical power distribution) as long as we do it with the continuous consent of the people and we don't kill people/collectives who go their own way. Similarly, I'm pretty staunchly anti-markets, but I'm not closed to the idea that reasonable people could live happy lives under genuinely anarchistic market socialism if for some reason a community chooses to continuously consent to that mode of living.

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Saeculum [he/him, comrade/them] - 1w

Seems about right I think, there were a few questions that were phrased in a way that I couldn't easily agree or disagree with, but I suppose that might have been the point.

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𝕆𝕔𝕦𝕝𝕚 - 1w

Here are mine. I don't think about (or know?) what ideology i'd adhere to, but i'm not sure it matters much. Imo it's my views/opinions of the concepts themselves that are important, not a big-tent name of an ideology.

I am still not comfortable enough with my grasp of marxism/anarchism/etc (still reading theory to understand them all. I've been progressing well) to the point i could answer properly to these questions so it's probably not reflective of my actual views,

Nonetheless i of course get this is just a fun little online test, nothing serious ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

image

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Cowbee [he/they] - 1w

Congrats on your studies! Anything stand out to you particularly, whether it's anarchist or Marxist? As in, particularly useful, enjoyable, etc?

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𝕆𝕔𝕦𝕝𝕚 - 1w

Thanks!

I don't like to tackle more than one subject at once, so currently I'm just focusing on Marxism, which i have unfortunately limited time for, but i still try :) iirc I've read/am reading currently:

  • How Marxism Works (Trotskyist pamphlet, but still pretty good even by anti-Trotskyist standards),
  • Principles of Communism (still reading, but easily digestible, thankfully)
  • The Three Sources and Three Component Parts of Marxism

And thanks to the last text, I think I have a good framework of what i should focus on while studying; i.e.:

  • Dialectic materialism (I've grasped the laws, but I've yet to learn how to apply it to analysis of the world),
  • Labor theory of value (understood!)
  • Class struggle, which from a first impression, sounds like a basic "no shit Sherlock" concept, but I'm sure it ties back to materialism, and the transition of feudalism -> capitalism -> socialism, though I've yet to reach the relevant reads for that.

I've actually been using your reading list as a good starting point (thanks for that, by the way!) so far, I'm only loosely using it to know what I should read next, since i already recognize a ton of the material there anyway, but it is still very useful for it to be organized well. But eventually I'll probably follow it more strictly for the sake of accuracy.

After I'm finished with the principles of communism, I'd have completed my current 3 'to read' texts and move on to the next one, which would probably be: What is to be Done, The Wretched of the Earth, and (tediously 🫠) all volumes of Capital.

Although, an important point now for me is trying to re-understand history/figures. I've found it easy to like Marx+Engels/Castro/Ho Chi Minh (and by extension, more fairly analyze Cuba/Vietnam + read their works without a negative bias), since there's very little hatred towards them in my region/on the online spaces i regular, but a lot of material that most Marxists today consider crucial, I have negative/mixed views towards the authors; but in fairness most of my negative views have been earned years before, and I'm no stranger [now] to how propaganda can reframe even good people into being "scary baby eaters", so my goal as of now is trying to read on important figures and change my opinions on them, for better or worse. Of course, I'm not saying my views are wrong and I should force them to be positive, but a critical re-analysis of them all would be very useful. If they are bad people, then that's that, and there's nothing I could do about it, but otherwise, it would help me a lot in reading their works, and in general, change my world-view.

Okay, this comment is getting long lol. Thanks again for the reading list :D

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Cowbee [he/they] - 1w

That's awesome!

Harman's How Marxism Works, outside of the weird misogyny and Trotskyist parts, is legitimately a good place to start. It's clear and concise.

You've nailed the 3 core areas, those being dialectical materialism, the law of value, and class struggle. Dialectical materialism applied to history becomes historical materialism, and broadly ties to class struggle, which you correctly point out as the driving force behind the progression of historical modes of production.

Class struggle also informs class ideology, ie the petite bourgeoisie tends to go for more individualist ideologies while the proletariat understands the importance of collectivization, because how we live and produce informs how we understand the world. Mao's On Practice & On Contradiction is probably the single best pair of shorter essays on driving this home and developing it.

If I may make a suggestion, skip What is to be Done? for now. That's more of an article talking about strategy, and while useful, isn't very important for grasping the basis of Marxism. I'd say Imperialism, the Current Highest Stage of Capitalism and The State and Revolution are both more immediately important, but before them I would suggest more than any other single work Socialism: Utopian and Scientific (or better yet, Anti-Dühring). This right here is what will dramatically expand upon and tie together everything you've learned thus far.

Capital can honestly be postponed for quite a while, I consider it critical but quite advanced. Excellent choice with Fanon though, The Wretched of the Earth is a banger.

As for the figures I'm assuming you're referring to, I highly recommend Domenico Losurdo's Stalin: The History and Critique of a Black Legend. Stalin wasn't a saint, and this book doesn't make him out to be one, it tries to correctly separate the "black legend" from the man in reality and place him in his correct historical context, using only western, anti-communist sources. Sadly I don't know of a book of a similar caliber for Mao, but I also find Mao isn't as heavily demonized as Stalin is. The closest is Nia Frome's short essay "Tankies."

Anna Louise Strong's works, such as This Soviet World, are excellent ways to expand your knowledge of what the USSR was actually like from someone on the ground reporting on it. Also beloved by me are Michael Parenti's Blackshirts and Reds and the "Yellow Parenti" speech.

And thanks for the kind words on the reading guide!

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∞🏳️‍⚧️Edie [it/it/its/its/itself, she/her/her/hers/herself, fae/faer/faer/faers/faerself, love/love/loves/loves/loveself, des/pair, null/void, none/use name] - 1w

Every time I look over and refresh the comment seems to change.

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Cowbee [he/they] - 1w

I'm a perfectionist over the smallest things, and get lazy with larger projects 🫠

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𝕆𝕔𝕦𝕝𝕚 - 1w

Good to know my understanding to this point has been correct! And as for dialectics, I've been trying to figure out good examples on how to apply it to understand a situation but did not understand how. Based on your comment, are dialectics in Marxism only really used for Historical materialism, or is it used for more applications? If so, then I see I was wrong in trying to understand dialectics without looking at historical materialism 🙃

And the class struggle explanation makes sense. Just a question, do the labor aristocracy count as petite bourgeoisie, or are they the non capital/land-owning equivalent? That would explain on why more middle class people I meet (even the progressives/leftists sometimes :/) are more likely to support imperialism / liberalism to preserve their own material conditions, at the cost of others. And I'll read the two texts, thanks

Thank you very much for the suggestions ❤️ I've always wanted to read wretched of the earth/how Europe underdeveloped Africa, but I knew I should at least get familiar with Marxism first, since both books are Marxist, the majority of national liberation movements are Marxist. These books/facts are very important to me personally, since before I even considered myself a socialist, I was still firmly anti-imperialist/anti-colonial since that's the only solution the turmoil in the middle east, and the rest of the global south.

And yup, Stalin and Mao are the ones I take issue with. I used to do so too for Lenin, Castro (not a huge extent but there is still a lot of BS around him, unfortunately) but my views toward them softened, since Lenin's work emphasizes democracy but the USSR was in big turmoil, but it was the very first, and only in its time Marxist state that had to face WW1 which they suffered hugely + a devastating civil war where there was a huge coalition against the reds, the economic turmoil due to both these wars and new governance at once and that he had an assassination attempt on his life, it's easy to see why things turned the way they are for his time. Ultimately though the USSR under Lenin was incredibly progressive in comparison to the Tsar a few years ago, and the strides in literacy, healthcare and him giving more rights for the minorities in the Union was very admirable despite all his faults. I have the same opinion here about Fidel, lots of errors but the CIA was constantly attempting to kill him, the bay of pigs, and worst of all the embargo, comparing him to Batista the difference is astonishing. The mark twain quote about two reigns of terror applies pretty well.

But Stalin? From what I've heard, i don't think much good of him. I will read the book you recommended about him, though! As for Mao, I think the same reasoning applies above too somewhat, but the mismanagement of the cultural revolution, great leap forward and four pests campaign is hard to ignore. I definitely haven't done enough reading on these events and hope I'll learn more soon.

This Soviet world, along with the book "Soviet democracy" I see you comment a lot about definitely sound like good books to get hands on. Thank you! And damn I love Parenti. I listened to his 'Imperialism and Drugs' speech and fell in love immediately lol. I haven't watched the yellow parenti speech (yet) but I adore the quote about how countries are rich, not underdeveloped; its their working classes that are overexploited :)

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Cowbee [he/they] - 1w

Good questions!

First off, dialectical materialism is the single greatest tool of Marxism. Marx used it when writing Capital, it's critical to class struggle, it's why we have historical materialism. Dialectical materialism is a way of thinking about forces and change, and the motions of change in the world. Not to keep sending book recommendations, but Engels' work Dialectics of Nature goes over the immense applicability of dialectics to everything (though this is a more advanced text IMO, and quite lengthy). Same applies to Lenin's Materialism and Empirio-Criticism.

Mao's On Practice & On Contradiction are critical for understanding dialectical materialism because the former goes over the dialectical materialist approach to understanding the unity of theory and practice, and the latter helps us understand the nature of contradiction. Contradiction is what compels movement, in a way, and by identifying imperialism as the primary contradiction, it's useful for identifying what movements to support in overthrowing that, such as Palestinian liberation.

As for the labor aristocracy, they are ultimately the upper stratum of the proletariat. They are kind of like a subclass, if you will. Petite bourgeois relations push towards individualism and fascism as they fear being proletarianized, but the labor aristocracy are already proletarianized, just bribed by the spoils of imperialism into supporting it, or opposing anything that meaningfully represents an alternative. A good look at class ideology is the incredibly short essay Stalin's Shoemaker, which traces a worker that finds himself in different occupations and thus his mindset changes until ultimately being proletarianized and naturally adopts a more proletarian mindset.

Your third paragraph is excellent, and Ho Chi Minh's The Path Which Led me to Leninism describes exactly why so many anti-imperialists come to Marxism-Leninism. Marxism-Leninism's strong stance on national liberation struggles and effectiveness in leading them is exactly why it is so prevalent. Both Fanon and Rodney are excellent reads, great choices.

One thing about Lenin and the progressive achievements of the USSR under him is that Lenin died very early on, and it was ultimately Stalin that had to take on that task. Sverdlov, the most likely candidate for General Secretary, was dead, and Trotsky distrusted the peasantry and had menshevik tendencies towards splitting and infighting. For all of Stalin's faults, it was ultimately Stalin that carried on Lenin's legacy in the midst of siege and incredible turmoil. The CPC rates Stalin and Mao both at 70% good, 30% bad, and I think that can help contextualize that we don't idolize these figures just because we agree with much of what they wrote and did. There's also much to critique.

For Mao, the CPC is very negative on the Cultural Revolution and Four Pests Campaign. The Great Leap Forward is more mixed, but the prior two were seen largely as mistakes even if the reasoning for attempting them were solid. Marxist-Leninist-Maoists uphold the Cultural Revolution and believe it universal to successful socialism, they just believe Mao failed. I'm not an MLM though, and neither was Mao, Mao was an ML. Hope that tangent made sense!

I love that you love Parenti, haha. The "Yellow Parenti" speech is honestly responsible for creating countless MLs, as is Blackshirts and Reds. Anna Louise Strong wrote This Soviet World in the 1930s, so it's a good look at what the early USSR was like, as was Soviet Democracy. A good intro though to some of the history and context of AES are the Prolewiki pages on The USSR and on The PRC before you delve deeper into these.

Awesome work on your journey so far!

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𝕆𝕔𝕦𝕝𝕚 - 1w

Thank you very much for your kind words and guidance ☺️ I'll definitely try out the suggestions and recommendations!

Besides the writers of the works themselves, you've probably been the single most influential person to me in my learning lol. As always, have a great week! C:

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Cowbee [he/they] - 1w

That's way too kind of you, in reality it was your own willingness to learn that's been the primary mover. See, that's the fun bit about dialectical materialism, you can't just shout theory at someone and have them desire to learn it. Your environment shapes you by responding to that which is internal to you. A seed only becomes a tree because it's placed in soil with good water, nutrition, and light, but placing a stone in the soil won't create a tree no matter what conditions you put it in.

Just a cheeky example of Diamat, haha.

Have a great week, and thank you so much!

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алсааас [she/they] - 1w

Another "Eco-Marxist" reporting for duty 🫡

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OBJECTION! - 1w

Funny, I wouldn't consider myself an "Orthodox Marxist," I'd say that my positions have been influenced more by Lenin, if anything I tend to view Marx as somewhat dated and inaccessible. I just mean to say, a lot has happened since Marx was alive and it's important to look at what has been tried and what has succeeded and failed rather than rigidly adhering to, well, "Orthodox" Marxism.

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DylanMc6 [any, any] - 1w

so you're a simple leninist?

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OBJECTION! - 1w

I would still call myself a Marxist-Leninist. Lenin was obviously heavily influenced by Marx, and it's not like I have a particular problem with Marx. And I would say that Lenin is also a little dated, less so than Marx, but no matter who you're talking about, they existed in specific material conditions and their ideas do not necessarily apply to all times and places - that's a big part of what Marxism-Leninism is all about, adapting policy to specific material conditions, and not adhering rigidly to theory.

Really, the specific label is not that important. An ideological label is only a rough descriptor of a person's views, and there can be a lot of differences between people who use the same label, because it is not trivial to figure out how to adapt their ideas to the modern day. Marxism-Leninism gives people the gist, without worrying about the obscure nuances of terms like "Orthodox Marxism" or "Centrist Marxism" that most people won't be familiar with.

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Drewfro66 @lemmygrad.ml - 1w

I definitely agree with this - the point of Marxism is that your exact policies should depend on your material conditions. The Bolshevik Party is a good example of this. At some points, they advanced workplace democracy; at others, they returned Bourgeois managers to the factories. At times they supported individually owned farms, and at others forcibly collectivized ones, and at still others allowed for privately owned plantations. Lenin called for the party to participate in Bourgeois elections, but the vast majority of Bolsheviks took the ultra-left position and boycotted them. Sometimes decentralization is preferable - but centralization is often necessary! These are all dialectics that cannot be resolved dogmatically.

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DylanMc6 [any, any] - 1w

do you have any videos on marxist theory that i can watch without losing focus quickly?

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DylanMc6 [any, any] - 1w

i went with the shorter 10-minute one (with subway surfers), and i think michael parenti has a point: if you look past the authoritarianism of countries such as cuba, china, vietnam, laos or north korea, you'd find that there's much more to these countries than their government; pyongyang is a pretty interesting city - it had an unfinished hotel that looks pretty cool, some of the apartment buildings reminds me of those eastern kentucky university dorm buildings in richmond, ky, and mount paektu is beautiful. cuba, china, vietnam, laos also have beautiful sceneries.

one thing you have to know that you DON'T see anyone begging for money or runaway people asking for sex because socialism helps solve economic inequalities by giving production to the people. seriously!

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AnarchoEngineer @lemmy.dbzer0.com - 1w

Fair enough, some of the questions were kind of ambiguous tho

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BreadstickNinja @lemmy.world - 1w

Yeah, some of them I would give totally different answers if imagining the question as applying to billionaires vs. workers, developed vs. developing countries, today versus a long-term objective, etc.

In the end it labeled me an eco-anarchist which I'm not mad at.

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CleoCommunist - 1w

We have nearly the same stats

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AnarchoEngineer @lemmy.dbzer0.com - 1w

And yet your closest match shows you are a different kind of leftist so I must hate you 😔

/s

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CleoCommunist - 1w

Fr i must absolutely destroy you anarchist beaucouse... beacouse yes

/S

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Drewfro66 @lemmygrad.ml - 1w

To explain my positions:

While sometimes reform can make advancements, the important part is that a Marxist must advocate for Revolution. Participation in Bourgeois elections is necessary to build a mass movement, but Marxists should never give them the legitimacy of claiming that their power will come from winning those elections.

Utopian Socialism is infantile. Socialism must be based in scientific, Marxist principles or you are at best a progressive Liberal. When your ideology is based in utopian ideals instead of scientific processes, you will make yourself unable to take the necessary steps to shepherd a Socialist society when it sometimes requires concessions.

Centralism is necessary, at least in the developing stage of Socialism, in order to combat reaction and quickly advance productive forces. Similarly to the Utopian vs. Scientific debate, perhaps decentralized authority would be preferable in a perfect world, and may be pursued in the latter stateless stages of Communism, but spells death and inefficiency in the short term. The failure of the Spanish Republicans to effectively ensure their mutual defense is the chief historical example

I don't believe that Nationalism or Patriotism are inherently un-Marxist concepts, and can be encouraged among the masses to increase loyalty to the Socialist state. But Communists, especially those within the imperial core, must always remember that Imperialist oppression inevitably turns inward - and that when you preserve those Imperialistic policies under a Socialist state, you are preserving systems of oppression that will eventually demand expansion back into the motherland. In other words: flags and military parades are fine, but you must also support your international brethren, at least within the imperial core.

Under Socialism there should be a dialectic struggle between trade unions and the Party. Trade Unions, being non-ideological entities, will inevitably become a reactionary force under a Socialist government. In the stage of international struggle, the needs of the party must come first. But after, they must settle into a dialectic struggle - the Party ensuring the health of society as a whole with the Unions ensuring the rights and happiness of the workers.

I do not believe in silly notions about the value of the natural world beyond what is supported by scientific principles. So long as we have parks for the people to enjoy, the climate is stabilized, and the trees are producing enough oxygen for our breath and industry, the natural world has no inherent utility. Believing that the natural world is more important than building the productive forces necessary for the victory of Socialism and the happiness of the people is Eco-Fascism, even if those who believe in it paint themselves with an Anarchist or Socialist veneer.

I won't spend too long on this point. Social progress is good and I do not need to explain why. But, especially in the early stages, Socialists must not turn too hard against traditional ways of life that practiced by the majority of people or cultural minorities. Crush the power of religious institutions, but do not demolish the churches. Encourage secular cohabitation, but do not outlaw marriage. Create public cafeterias to end kitchen slavery, but do not ban the sale of cookbooks.

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DylanMc6 [any, any] - 1w

  1. i'm very conflicted between revolution and reform - i do think if voting CAN'T help, a revolution will have to do.
  2. i think socialism should be a cross between scientific and utopian
  3. communism should be decentralized, as seen in council communism - i also think organic centralism is a bit better than democratic centralism
  4. it's true that nationalism and patriotism are NOT unmarxist - one can be proud of their country, even if it's a socialist country. however, internationalism is necessary
  5. i agree with you on that - the parties and the unions should go hand-in-hand
  6. i think saving the environment is important in socialism
  7. i'm pretty much progressive and such, and i agree with you. seriously!
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Meltyheartlove [love/loves, comrade/them] - 1w

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klep - 1w

I'm a self-described anarcho-syndicalist, but anarcho-communist was in the next closest matches with 91%. I'll take that 🏴

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CleoCommunist - 1w

Some people were right, apparently I am indeed a council communist.

Idc thou I am a still communist at the end

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HiddenLayer555 - 6day

A lot of those are open ended questions being forced into a 1 dimensional spectrum of agree or disagree, and/or have weakly defined terms whose meaning are not consistent between individuals.

I wanted to provide just a few examples but got carried away, so here's every question I personally found some problem with:

Society is chiefly driven by individuals and ideas.

Define "chiefly driven." I could argue that it is by definition because society is made up of individuals so that's the only driving force, like how ocean currents are the convergent result of molecular interactions because that's what the ocean is made of. But I suspect they're trying to get at the idea that convergent actions of groups of individuals can't be accurately modeled by studying the behavior of an individual in isolation. Both are valid IMO.

Bureaucracy and inefficiency are always inherent in centrally planned economies.

What does it mean to be bureaucratic or inefficient?

Marriage is a patriarchal social construct that should be phased out.

It's fine to have marriage if that's what both consenting adults want, but it shouldn't be the only option. On the other hand, things like common law partner legislation can get messy when it automatically applies to people living together that fulfill some arbitrary criteria, regardless of whether they actually intend to be partners. An alternative thought is that romance and reproduction between consenting adults should be a purely social phenomenon, not a legal one, and the government should not get involved whatsoever.

Industrialized farming practices must be abolished even if it leads to lower outputs.

Depends on what you're farming and which industrial process you're using. Something like a vertical hydroponics facility should be treated differently from spraying synthetic fertilizer and pesticides on fields should be treated differently from factory animal farming, etc. "Industrialized farming practices" is too general for a single agree/disagree answer.

Local planners, rather than national planners, are more efficient at running a planned economy.

I don't know of any socialist or capitalist country that only has one and not both.

Prisons are oppressive and antiquated institutions that need to be abolished.

Define "prison." You can assume it's like a Soviet gulag, or a Western prison, or something else, and your assumption influences your answer because you likely have different opinions of them.

It is acceptable for humanity to suffer to some notable extent in order to preserve the natural ecosystem.

Define "suffer." Are we culling overpopulated regions? Are we denying Indigenous groups their cultural practices such as whaling or seal hunting? Are we limiting recreation like camping and hiking for the sake of ecological protection? How you interpret suffering significantly influences your answer.

A highly centralized planned economy is not socialism but rather state capitalism.

Depends on how it's implemented and what it's inspired by, and it's not a binary "socialism" or "state capitalism." Just saying "centralized planned economy" with no further context is insufficient to make a decision.

A centrally planned economy based around computers is a concept worth investigating.

Again, computers or no computers is not the important part here. What are the actual policies and structure of the economy in question? I doubt there are any economies today, socialist or capitalist, that doesn't use computers.

The negative consequences of a revolution generally outweigh the advantages.

There's no way to generalize negative or positive societal consequences without clarifying what types you're referring to. What specific ones are we talking about? A revolution impacts every single facet of society and vague questions like these are not helpful. It's like asking if a mainframe is objectively "better" than a smartphone, you can't reduce it to a single answer and it depends on your priorities.

Socialist organizations are generally better off when organized loosely and decentrally.

Define "better off." There are advantages and disadvantages to both decentralization and centralization.

Any socialist country should be dedicated to exporting their ideology abroad.

Define "export abroad." Are we printing pamphlets and mailing them over or are we going full America and doing regime changes on countries we disagree with? Your interpretation will determine your answer more than your actual opinions on any given form of ideological export.

Measures to address environmental issues are unacceptable if they result in significant decreases in production and quality of life.

What kinds of production? What aspects of quality of life? To what kinds of people? For how long? Are we reducing just the quality of life of people already with the highest quality of life down to some middle level while bringing everyone lower than that level up to it? Or are we flat rate dropping everyone's quality of life by some amount, meaning the people already most disadvantaged will be disproportionately affected? There's a difference between preventing a developing country from obtaining advancements that the developed world has, and banning cars meaning you have to use public transit or banning plastic meaning you have to use less convenient/durable organic polymers.

Some small scale destruction of nature is acceptable if it notably benefits humanity.

Again, define "destruction of nature." Nature isn't the opposite to human built environment. We and everything we do are part of nature by definition so it as a label is unhelpful for determining if some action is ecologically beneficial or detrimental or whether we "should" do it. Also, this question honestly gives me the vibe that the author thinks densifying a suburb of single family houses into a vertical city is "destruction of nature" simply because there's less green per square meter.

Anyway, I tried my best to answer truthfully and apparently I'm an Eco-Marxist.

You know what, pretty accurate. I seriously "got into" socialism during my time in university studying ecology.

3
Cowbee [he/they] - 5day

I agree that the quiz is bad, just wanted to add that the bit on society being driven by individuals and ideas is asking if you're an idealist or a materialist. Marxists posit that it's material conditions that drive those ideas and movements in society. "It is not consciousness of men that determines their being, but, on the contrary, their social being that determines their consciousness."

As for being an Eco-Marxist, the quiz is guessing what you are, it isn't telling you what you are. It says that for me too, but I'm a Marxist-Leninist. People don't typically answer quizzes based on their current ideas and see what they should also agree with, people's politics are their own choices to support and follow.

3
DylanMc6 [any, any] - 6day

okay, i just had to do that leftvalues quiz again, i'll talk about what i think about the questions you listed (in no fixed order):

Q: 'Local planners, rather than national planners, are more efficient at running a planned economy.'

A: i prefer national planners - neutral/unsure.

Q: 'It is acceptable for humanity to suffer to some notable extent in order to preserve the natural ecosystem.'

A: maybe, maybe not - for the most part, we should work together to help our environment - neutral/unsure.

Q: 'Society is chiefly driven by individuals and ideas.'

A: fascism is NOT even an idea, but a very violent individualist ideology that resulted in the mass murder of millions of people in the Holocaust, one of the most tragic events that has ever happened in history. that said, society is actually driven by collective work - neutral/unsure.

Q: 'The negative consequences of a revolution generally outweigh the advantages.'

A: after the october revolution, russia did recover under socialism and such - neutral/unsure.

Q: 'Any socialist country should be dedicated to exporting their ideology abroad.'

A: amen to that - strongly agree.

Q: 'Industrialized farming practices must be abolished even if it leads to lower outputs.'

A: farming is an important part of a socialist society, as long as it's NOT industrialized completely - neutral/unsure.

Q: 'A highly centralized planned economy is not socialism but rather state capitalism.'

A: some people considered china and vietnam among other socialist/communist countries to be 'state capitalist', me included. i think china's economy is technically state capitalist because much of the economy goes to the state through state-owned enterprise - agree.

Q: 'Bureaucracy and inefficiency are always inherent in centrally planned economies.'

A: maybe a participatory economic system, perhaps? agree.

Q: 'Socialist organizations are generally better off when organized loosely and decentrally.'

A: some should be decentralized, some should not - agree.

Q: 'A centrally planned economy based around computers is a concept worth investigating.'

A: chile's cybersyn comes to mind - strongly agree.

Q: Marriage is a patriarchal social construct that should be phased out.

A: marry who you want, as long as you're both consenting adults - neutral/unsure.

Q: Prisons are oppressive and antiquated institutions that need to be abolished.

A: prisons should be for rehabiliative justice - neutral/unsure.

Q: Measures to address environmental issues are unacceptable if they result in significant decreases in production and quality of life.

A: no comment - neutral/unsure.

Q: Some small scale destruction of nature is acceptable if it notably benefits humanity.

A: no comment - neutral/unsure.


still got "centrist marxism".

revolution vs. reform: very conflicted - i think socialism starts at the ballot, but if NOT the ballot, then we all must reluctantly use force.

scientific or utopian?: sort of a cross.

central or decentral: who cares if it's decentralized or NOT? everyone should have their own say in a socialist government.

international or national: international revolutions are the way to go.

party or union?: both!

production or nature: protecting our environment should be an essential step to a socialist country.

conservative or progressive: progressive. seriously!

1
Narri N. (they/them) - 6day

I've never even heard of "council communism" tbh, but then again I'm only just learning about all this. Looking up the meaning and stuff for "democratic centralism" made me realize how little I actually know, but in a positive way if that makes sense?

3
Cowbee [he/they] - 5day

Council Communism was a small movement centered around councils (go figure). Democratic centralism is typically described as diversity in thought, unity in action, ie consensus is built and voted on, and the results are binding on all members. If you want a place to start with theory, I made a Marxist-Leninist reading list. Check it out if you like!

3
Narri N. (they/them) - 5day

I know you did, I've actually shared it forward with some friends irl recently! Yeah I needed to go and look up these meanings for the quiz, which is something I generally like to do and often end of going down rabbitholes on wikis so no harm in that.

2
Cowbee [he/they] - 5day

Awesome, thank you!

3
HubertManne - 1w

just started but man I find the questions already a bit wierd. "has no right to" with options that are neutral agree/disagree and strong version. Its hard to answer that without it being extreme due to phrasing. if the instead said like shouldn't then you could click agree without it sounding like there are no exceptions. no right to makes the stronly options sorta pointless.

3
HubertManne - 1w

yeah the link does not apparently send me to the area where you elaborate. I gave up at a certain point. Using group names and such when it should be more generically phrased just makes it wierd. Environmental concerns are not something about being socialist, its about seeing whats happening and having some intelligence. I don't view socialism and capitalism the way these are like im much more of a spectrum person with socialism/capitalism and democracy/authoritarianism.

1
Cowbee [he/they] - 1w

Socialism and capitalism aren't really a spectrum, if anything they are bimodal. Socialism is a mode of production where public ownership is the principle aspect of the economy and the working classes in control of the state, capitalism is where private ownership is the principle aspect and capitalists in charge. Democracy and authority aren't contrary to each other, what matters is which class holds that authority, the working classes or capitalist class.

4
HubertManne - 1w

yeah see all that is exactly why these things don't jive with me. Its like you have to buy in to the definitions of things in a very specific way. basically for me socialism is a spectrum of social democracy where maybe the far end is what socialists call socialism and capitalism is along the same spectrum. Then for me democracy is about each individual having an equal hold to authority to another. This actually is one thing about communities. So few define themselves in the sidebar and two communities could have the same name but the makers/moderators could be viewing what it should be like very differently. I wish more would spend some time to figure out what will go there before they even make the community.

1
Cowbee [he/they] - 1w

People value and use definitions that accurately describe reality and its relation. Democracy is quite literally rule by the majority, and it isn't counterposed to the working classes forcibly nationalizing industry held by capitalists. Such an action is "authoritarian" yet absolutely democratic. Socialism and capitalism aren't a spectrum, because you can't have classes sharing power over the state equally. As such, either public or private ownership will be principle, either the bourgeoisie or proletariat will be in control of the state. There's variance in socialization, but fundamentally the "centerpoint" doesn't exist.

4
HubertManne - 1w

A democracy deciding to nationalize an industry is not authoritarian to me. I do believe in individual rights and such but that again has to be determined in a democractic process. So any restriction to democracy must come from a democratic process. We are just going to disagree on the spectrum thing because we define them differently.

0
Cowbee [he/they] - 1w

It's absolutely authoritarian, but that doesn't make it bad or not democratic. Authority is using the power of the state to certain ends.

4
DylanMc6 [any, any] - 1w

i'm actually non-binary, and i prefer gender-neutral and feminine terms. seriously!

1
machiabelly [she/her] - 1w

Mine were probably similar to most people's here. I wasn't sure about a lot of the more nuts and bolts questions. I tend to call myself a Marxist. I strongly believe that you need a state to fight a state, and that anarchism is skipping some steps. My ideology is yellow parenti lmao

sowwy its wide idk why that happened

3
Lor - 1w

3
Clot - 1day

I havent read much theory but here goes

2
king_comrade @lemmy.world - 1w

Here's mine.

Eco anarchism I think isn't quite right, I'd actually identify as an anarcho-communist, maybe anarcho-syndicalist. I do love communism and it's literature but I think history teaches us that central authority is simply too easily abused. I'm still reading and learning though, anyone wanna shill their views to me? Maybe share a book?

2
Cowbee [he/they] - 1w

I'd argue history proves the necessity of socialist countries to adopt a state and a centrally planned economy to protect against outside terrorism. The USSR was invaded by over a dozen capitalist countries right as it was being formed, that shaped their defenses and structures going forward. If you or anyone else wants to get started on reading Marxist-Leninist theory, I made an introductory reading list.

4
king_comrade @lemmy.world - 1w

Without coming to blows arguing historical fact I just can't swing ML. I've read Marx (or better yet, continuing to read Marx) and the man spits straight fire, so does Lenin, hell even stalin at times. But! I'm too disgusted by the atrocities wrought in their names, intended or not it's just too many dead for me. I'm much more interested in how ML can evolve and change into something that's much more adaptable to outside pressure without falling victim to the corruption of centralised power. Keen to know your thoughts.

-1
Cowbee [he/they] - 1w

What specifically are you referring to as "the atrocities wrought in their names?" Who are these "too many dead?" Capitalists love framing Nazis killed by the Red Army and the like as "victims of communism," or deaths from famines that were primarily driven by forces outside communist control like adverse weather conditions. I'm not saying no excess has ever happened under communists, but I am saying that westerners distort it to a cartoonish degree in order to maintain cultural hegemony.

2
king_comrade @lemmy.world - 1w

Hard agree capitalists and westerners hold more fear over communism than Nazism/fascism and that the truth of their history is often distorted however after reading Ivan's War I've become a lot more critical of how communism was executed in Russia. Additionally, there were a few extremely rotten individuals that were allowed to rise to prominence within the communist party that I think undermined its efforts. People like Beria and Lysenko terrify me and reveal how the wrong people in the wrong place can cause mass death in an authoritarian system.

-2
Cowbee [he/they] - 1w

It's important to recognize that works like Ivan's War are common in the west, and often exaggerate or even fabricate narratives about the soviets. I'm not sure what the author said in that book, or with what evidence, but it sounds like the author repeats "human wave" myths. Good resources on the Red Army include books like The Soviets Expected It by Anna Louise Strong, who actually lived in and reported on the soviet union. There's a lot of bias going on that you would do well to work through.

5
king_comrade @lemmy.world - 1w

Catherine merridale uses accounts from red army veterans and personal accounts of those who worked in the work houses as the foundation of her book. I find it insightful despite present biases. And of course, identifying biases is inherent to good research which is why I'm aware that communist literature has its very own to be wary of. Thank you for the book recommendation! Keen to get through it

1
PolandIsAStateOfMind - 7day

Beria

Just FYI, Beria's black legend is nearly entirely fabricated between Khrushchev (who couped, murdered and smeared Beria to legitimise his powergrab) and anticommunist hacks like Simon Sebag Montefiore who is a pedofile himself yet he specialise in accusing socialist leaders of the same. I mean sure Beria wasn't nice guy, no head of security apparatus ever will be a nice guy, but the numbers like arrest falling by 90% and executions by 99% after he took over NKVD or his actions post-war and during the Khrushchev coup are by itself enough to refute the most obvious accusations of tyranny, paranoia and cruelty.

5
king_comrade @lemmy.world - 7day

So you disagree that the wrong man in charge does not lead to catastrophe? Even if Beria is more mild than he is made out to be surely you still can understand the flaw of having a singular point of failure in any system. Is it not possible to improve upon what the Lenin started? Is he truly the best we can hope to achieve?

1
PolandIsAStateOfMind - 7day

So you disagree that the wrong man in charge does not lead to catastrophe?

Not necessary, stable systems, even authocracies, can survive having even a string of bad leaders. And unstable ones will fall even having generations of decent ones, it mostly depends on the material condition of society (compare for example Ottoman Empire with Tokugawa shogunate), not who is at the top, though good leaders naturally give better results.

Even if Beria is more mild than he is made out to be surely you still can understand the flaw of having a singular point of failure in any system.

Heh, even if we really see the Khrushchev coup decided by "singular point of failure", then it wasn't even Beria. More impactful was of courde Khrushchev decision of enacting the coup, or Zhukov siding with him, or Malenkov passivity, or Molotov being sidelined.

What does that pile of pretty vague Great Man theory questions even have to do with topic? I was just trying to deprogram you a little from the "It is Known" bullshit anticommunist media and education systems are keeping everyone immersed. I recommend reading Grover Furr "Khrushchev lied".

Is it not possible to improve upon what the Lenin started? Is he truly the best we can hope to achieve?

Again Great Man, but i'll bite, since the question is general enough - of course it is possible to improve, this is the core idea of Marxism-Leninism and it's refutation of leftcom dogma. It was even done, in various areas, just look at Stalin or even somewhat later USSR which was not devoid of great achievements despite having revisionists at helm, at Cuba or DPRK incredible resilience and advances, finally at China which managed to improve Lenin idea of NEP and lifted itself to greatest power on Earth (albeit not without sacrifice but Lenin also promised hardships).

5
DylanMc6 [any, any] - 1w

i prefer de leonism, council communism and other stuff like that because those forms of communism are more libertarian than marxism-leninism or maoism and such.

the althistory story "reds! a revolutionary timeline" would probably give you an idea on what a de leonist government would be like. seriously!

0
king_comrade @lemmy.world - 1w

Ooh wonderful thanks for the recommendation! De leonism is entirely new to me.

2
DylanMc6 [any, any] - 1w

basically, de leonism is like what if the parties work with unions, NOT the state?

1
lemonwood - 6day

I got Eco-Marxism and I like, that the quiz prominently features questions on the environmental crisis. But I feel like, there is not much on reproductive labor or on how imperialism and racism should be addressed. These areas of struggle are every bit as central and contested as the environment. The quiz is leaning towards a white, western, cis-male perspective, but it should be possible to add a few questions and categories to address that. Maybe inspired by Marxist Feminism, Black Marxism, Afro-Marxist traditions, decolonial struggle and anti-imperialist praxis.

2
DylanMc6 [any, any] - 6day

do you think that socialism (like marxism-leninism and the likes) failed to address racism and environmental problems (because that's the point of "socialism of the 21st century")?

1
Aeri - 5day

It's a tricky quiz because my answers to a lot of these questions aren't simple enough. This quiz makes sparks when you bump it against nuance. I'll just highlight a few of these, a lot of them didn't sit well with me. A lot of these questions feel like they're "baiting" you for a specific view you don't actually hold. Several questions on the quiz strike me as abstract and half-baked. Honestly screw this test tbh... Too much "Only", too much "Must", this quiz deals in ludicrous absolutes.

"Some small scale destruction of nature is acceptable if it notably benefits humanity."

This question, it is a nothingburger, it's too vague to have any value to the test whatsoever. It could mean literally anything depending on how its framed. Cutting down a hedge that spoils my view is a "small scale destruction of nature". The same argument could be used to justify building a Walmart over a protected wetland. This question compresses trivial gardening and corporate ecological devastation into the same moral bucket. My REAL answer, in real ethics language, is:

“Sometimes limited ecological modification may be necessary but the framing ‘acceptable if it benefits humanity’ is dangerous, underspecified, and historically abused.”

"Foreign officials have no right to dictate policy in another country."?

I reject foreign control over domestic policy, but support external pressure when human rights are violated. Where does that put me? Neutral would understate my conviction, strongly agree implies that foreign officials should NEVER influence another country. Disagree would imply support for dominance, coercive intervention, or global governance overriding nations

"Socialist organizations are generally better off when organized loosely and decentrally."

Loose & decentralized organizations protect values better, but tight & centralized organizations win fights better. There are tradeoffs.

"Revolutionary violence is acceptable as long as the final outcome is positive."

This is a toughie, the problem is this part: “...as long as the final outcome is positive”. The problem is that this assumes three things that do not exist in reality:

  1. Completely reliable foresight

  2. Objective agreement on “positive”

  3. Controlled causality between violence and outcome

History shows that everyone who commits political violence believes the outcome will be positive. Many of the most catastrophic regimes in history have justified their violence with “The final outcome will be good.”. I feel this question is a trick, my key issue is that I believe the question is not asking:

“Is violence ever justified under extreme circumstances?”

It is asking something much more dangerous and much broader:

“Is revolutionary violence acceptable as long as someone believes the final outcome will be positive?” This is blank-check consequentialism which could be used to justify Mass violence, Terror campaigns, Political purges, Civilian casualties and Authoritarian crackdowns to name a few. I hit disagree on this because I will explicitly state that sometimes violence may be tragically necessary, but it is never automatically justified by promised futures or ideological certainty. This rules out "Strongly Disagree" but I also don't necessarily agree either.

"Mass spontaneous actions are more effective than carefully planned actions."

I reject the forced comparison. Treating this as an either/or is bad systems thinking. Spontaneous mass action and careful planning are complementary, not competitors.

"Nationalism and patriotism are impulses that are unacceptable in a socialist society."

This lumps things that are NOT THE SAME together. I reject the idea that all nationalism and patriotism is inherently unacceptable in a socialist society. Blind flag-worship and authoritarian nationalism are toxic, but a critical, value-based patriotism rooted in equality, equity, liberty, and holding a nation accountable to its own best ideals is not only acceptable, it’s often necessary for meaningful change. Loving a country enough to challenge its failures is not the same as excusing its power.

Revolution is the best way of achieving a socialist society.

Three huge problems:

“Revolution” is undefined. Do you mean:

Violent uprising? Mass general strike? Electoral rupture? Legal-constitutional overthrow? Elite collapse under pressure?

These are not the same thing at all.

"Measures to address environmental issues are unacceptable if they result in significant decreases in production and quality of life."

This question is built on fear-framing and absolutism.!

Here are my test results:

Reformist (60.3%) vs Revolutionary (39.7%)

This is Accurate, but for the wrong reasons. I believe this test badly compresses reality.

This one is numerically close, but it misunderstands why. I’m not anti-revolution because I think the system will gently fix itself if we ask nicely. I don’t believe that for a second. I’m skeptical of revolution as a romantic default because history shows over and over that violent rupture is just as likely to midwife a new tyranny as a just society. What I actually believe in is coercive reform via strikes, mass disruption, taxation, seizure through statute, regulatory clamps, and public force that is structural rather than chaotic. This axis treats “revolution” as passion and “reform” as politeness, which is just inaccurate. I don’t want polite. I want effective without becoming monstrous.

Scientific (57.8%) vs Utopian (42.2%)

Accurate

I don’t believe in destiny narratives or historical inevitability. I believe in thermodynamics, logistics, climate models, infrastructure bottlenecks, and failure modes. I don’t think history has a moral arc that saves us by default. If anything, systems rot quietly when they aren’t constrained. My politics are grounded in constraint, not prophecy. I care about what works under pressure, not what sounds righteous on a poster. So many of these damn questions are "ALWAYS" this and "MUST" that.

Decentralist (65%) vs Centralist (35%)

Basically correct. I deeply distrust monoculture power; single spines of authority, single ideologies, single parties, single command centers. They’re fragile, corruptible, and catastrophic when they fail. At the same time, I’m not an anarchist who thinks we can coordinate climate engineering and continental power grids with vibes and community meetings alone. I believe in layered systems: local where possible, centralized where necessary, never unified where it becomes unaccountable.

International (57.1%) vs National (42.9%)

This one is technically right and emotionally wrong. I reject ethno-nationalism and imperial supremacy completely. I also believe planetary ecological coordination is non-negotiable. But I don’t believe belonging, culture, and civic identity should be erased in the name of abstract globalism. I believe in international responsibility and local moral inheritance at the same time. The test treats those as opposites. They’re not.

Party (53.8%) vs Union (46.2%)

This one reads me as “torn,” which is true only if you assume purity is the goal. I don’t trust any single institution to carry the entire weight of social transformation. Parties drift. Unions fracture. Movements exhaust themselves. Dipshits who are part of a union voted for Trump even though he makes actively destructive choices for their way of life at every turn. This test can’t distinguish strategic pluralism from indecision.

Ecological (72.2%) vs Productivist (27.8%)

If anything, this undershoots me. I don’t treat the biosphere as one interest among many. It’s the substrate everything else runs on. Production that destroys the future is a high crime. We need to safeguard our habitable biosphere at any and all costs. I accept that output may fall. I accept that comfort may shrink. Infinite growth is not sustainable in any natural system.

Progressive (85.3%) vs Conservative (14.7%)

This one is obvious and almost too easy to include. Equity, minority protections, gender freedom, movement across borders, disability access, and dismantling inherited hierarchy aren’t “trendy politics” to me—they’re baseline justice in a world that can absolutely afford it even if it pretends it doesn't.

Overall, the label “Democratic Socialism” is not wrong, but it is far too small for what I actually believe. Structurally, this test has a deep problem: it constantly confuses values with mechanisms and mechanisms with outcomes. It uses a constant barrage of absolutist language "must", "only", "always", "inevitable" as if the whole of human history were a simple logic puzzle. It treats ideology like a form of astrology instead of something that has to survive contact with physics, ecology, corruption, human fear, greed, and institutional decay. It cannot represent someone who believes in equality of dignity, equity of outcome, coercion through law rather than violence, decentralization without fragmentation, and global coordination without global absolutism.

And don't get me wrong, I fucking LOVE a good violent fantasy game/movie/etc, it's just rare that such a thing actually goes super well in reality.

But yeah here's my god damn "Here's my facebook personality quiz results :o!" Sorry, this made me weirdly super mad for some reason I'm off my meds today.

2
Cowbee [he/they] - 4day

Regarding this section:

Scientific (57.8%) vs Utopian (42.2%)

Accurate

I don’t believe in destiny narratives or historical inevitability. I believe in thermodynamics, logistics, climate models, infrastructure bottlenecks, and failure modes. I don’t think history has a moral arc that saves us by default. If anything, systems rot quietly when they aren’t constrained. My politics are grounded in constraint, not prophecy. I care about what works under pressure, not what sounds righteous on a poster. So many of these damn questions are “ALWAYS” this and “MUST” that.

It seems your results betray your analysis. Historical materialism doesn't rely on prophesy, but on analyzing trends. It doesn't know the future, but it predicts likely outcomes based on historical trends. If you care more about what works under pressure and less about sloganeering, then you should've scored higher on the scientific scale.

I agree that the quiz is bad, but I'm not sure you had the background knowledge that the utopianism vs scientific socialism sections were testing on.

3
DylanMc6 [any, any] - 4day

i had to take that leftvalues quiz again for this comment:

Q: Some small scale destruction of nature is acceptable if it notably benefits humanity.

A: don't destroy nature, please - disagree.

Q: Foreign officials have no right to dictate policy in another country.

A: i think they should - strongly disagree.

Q: 'Socialist organizations are generally better off when organized loosely and decentrally.'

A: maybe, maybe not - neutral/unsure.

Q: Revolutionary violence is acceptable as long as the final outcome is positive.

A: i think government reforms should be necessary for the switch to socialism, but if the government tries to suppress it, we might as well reluctantly use force in a revolution - neutral/unsure.

Q: Mass spontaneous actions are more effective than carefully planned actions.

A: i think actions should be planned - neutral/unsure.

Q: Nationalism and patriotism are impulses that are unacceptable in a socialist society.”

A: you can be socialist AND support your country - neutral/unsure

Q: Revolution is the best way of achieving a socialist society.

A: ...if the government tries to suppresses socialist reforms - agree.

Q: Measures to address environmental issues are unacceptable if they result in significant decreases in production and quality of life.

A: no comment - neutral/unsure.


here are my results - still got 'centrist marxism':

basically:

revolution vs. reform: NOT anti-revolution, but i support reform (with revolution being an option for when the government suppresses socialist reforms) - leaning towards reformism. shoutout to eduard bernstein.

scientific or utopian?: scientific, probably

central vs. decentral: who cares? everyone just want a say in the government

international or national: very internationalist

party or union?: still both!

production or nature: leaning towards ecology

progressive or conservative: progressive


oh and what meds were you taking, and is there any reason why?

1
DylanMc6 [any, any] - 1w

so you're less centrist?

2
NimaMag - 1w

Yep.

1
VoxAliorum - 1w

no link, no good

2
DylanMc6 [any, any] - 1w

i just added the link

2
VoxAliorum - 1w

Too many questions for me :) I don't know much about socialism, but if anything I am a market socialist, social democracy fan and can only support "social ownership of the means of production" in the most narrow sense.

I am a fan of "everybody who can has to work" (i.e. against carrying poor people who could contribute and against people so rich they don't need to work). I am a fan of supporting those who can't work. I am a fan of people being able to make an obscene amount of money through their work and dedication. I am not a fan of people making a lot of money through money (though this is sadly necessary in the current capitalistic system) or through inheritance.

The biggest problem I have with establishing this is how such a system is able to compete with other countries and prevent external companies offering more money or buying companies, but through extreme regulation.

0
DylanMc6 [any, any] - 1w

are you a left-libertarian?

2
VoxAliorum - 1w

there have been times where I would have agreed with that assessment, but who knows.

3
GraniteM @lemmy.world - 1w

"Inefficiency and bureaucracy are inherent in a centrally planned economy."

I mean... I'm pretty sure inefficiency and bureaucracy are inherent in any system that includes human beings with free will, so...

0
sephallen - 7day

Fun quiz, thanks for sharing. I got Left-Wing Nationalism which is weird because I wouldn't say I'm a nationalist at all 😅

0