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Alternatives to "leftist" or "progressive"? (lemmygrad.ml)

submitted 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Any tips for identifying oneself to new folks that let you "skip intro" and get into the results-focused conversations about improving our condition?

In union work I've identified myself as a socialist for awhile, but now just say communist if I'm friendly with the party or avoid it all together. The west has so poisoned the lexicon that I feel variations of "pragmatist" are all that reliably skip the small talk and moves us straight into serious convos.

In my opinion, left/right framing is standard eurocentric good/bad BS that creates an antagonistic stage from the outset that passively endorses the current system and linear thinking. If the language itself comes out of the failed French Revolution, are there not better terms we can use to distance ourselves from the ideological lib stench surrounding Left/Progressive today and simultaneously indicate we're here to get shit done?

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[–] [email protected] 17 points 9 months ago

I agree with others about not labeling oneself in if you're introducing yourself. Labels are useful exactly for the reason you stated:

identifying oneself to new folks that let you “skip intro” and get into the results-focused conversations

The problem is, you have no way to guarantee that when you say "leftist", "progressive", "Marxist", "Communist", or similar, they actually understand what you mean. If they have no idea what Marxism, Communism is, they will probably bring to mind the preconceived notions of bourgeois ideology, and they will either ask more useless and tiring questions or will completely shut off contact with you