what if anarchists got together to fight marxists in a muddy pit and wrestled together in skimpy clothing and then had sloppy angry makeout sessions... haha jk. . . unless?

any chance you could explain your perspective on the rift between anarchists and MLs/communists/socialists/etc? i understand there's some methodological disagreements, like anarchists would never place their hope for revolution in a socialist/communist/etc political party, but i've genuinely heard self-proclaimed anarchists refer to "communists" with such disdain and it just makes me go ?????? we (anarchists) are also communists?? we ultimately want the same things - communism is a STATEless classless moneyless society. just, what's going on here??? surely this is not the best use of our time?

I used to be pretty hardcore about hating on MLs etc. in my defence, some of them can be pretty annoying, but I’m sure much the same is true of anarchists if you’re stood on the other side of the argument.

One thing that is almost certainly and provably true is that the overwhelming majority of radical leftists believe what they believe because, at their core, they think the current state of society is unjust, and want to work to build a better one.

But I also don’t think the argument that runs something like “we’re all just communists with different methods of getting to communism” holds much water. I don’t think anarchists can completely work with their ideological opponents; the belief that hierarchies are unjust and need to be dismantled is fundamentally incompatible with the idea that you need a centralised proletarian vanguard that derives its power from the representative democracy of workers councils. There has been significant and bloody conflict between both camps for a reason.

On the other hand, right now, those conflicts are petty and ridiculous when neoimperialism and neoliberalism continue their stranglehold over society and economy. I have worked and do work with many MLs/Trots/Maoists etc., and we need some serious solidarity with the left right now.

When millions struggle to meet their basic needs, when the proles are beaten and killed in the streets simply for asking for their basic rights, when the rights of minority classes are routinely and systematically infringed upon and reversed, when the whole planet is choking and dying, what does your opinion on a worker’s vanguard matter? People don’t even have their basic rights. It’s petty and useless to badmouth obvious allies in a struggle that is right on our doorstep.

punk is an inherently left wing subculture.

it grew out of the collective disillusionment of marginalised communities the world over. whether you were a person of colour, working class, a part of the LGBTQIA+ community, or any combination of these and other communities, punk was and still is for the most part a scene which welcomes everyone.

right wing politics are, by their definition, opposed to everything punk stands for: anti-establishment belief, radical acceptance, and anti-consumerism.

so don't forget what dead kennedy's said in that absolutely amazing song, 'nazi punks fuck off':

"You still think swastikas look cool

The real Nazis run your schools

They're coaches, businessmen and cops

In a real fourth Reich you'll be the first to go"

and if any right wing 'punks' see this post, all i can really say is cope harder lmao.

Harm reduction means getting into unity with your fellow leftists. Work together on the things that we can all agree on. Work separately but support each others personal methods. Maybe I don't want a strong vanguard party but if a honest Marxist-Leninist is getting the word out that there is a better alternative to capitalism and works towards socialism that is work that still supports me in my drive to improve material realities.

Comforting to know that in the face of fascism and eugenics and an overall ableist and sanist society that some of y'all would turn on one another over online slur discourse in two seconds

If you'd throw me and others under the bus, don't be surprised when we only show up for each other and not for you

[This post is about lateral aggression between the mentally ill and physically disabled communities as well as mind body dualism, but can also apply to p much any oppression olympics]

commission done by @/scozpol on insta! left unity (an-acc/tankie) real forever and ever ^_^!! (s/i uses qui/quem, tankie uses he/him)

I’m fairly against “Left Unity” as a concept. The conversations overlap very heavily with discussions of infighting. I *do* have comrades of various affiliations that I am not a part of. I *can* work with people whose ideologies I’m not very compatible with. Hell, part of being an anarchist is taking issue with the ideologies of other anarchists. Working together short term on common goals with likeminded enough people is crucial, but the framing of “Left Unity” is so flawed.

There is a pervasive idea that if you have a similar want you should “put aside your differences” and just like your favorite movie, the enemy of my enemy is my bestie and we work together and defeat evil. This simplistic idea allowed Boog Boys to be considered comrades. Allows cults to take center stage in organizing spaces. Allows people to protect abusers. And folks who take issues with aligning with fash, protecting abusers, taking things in dangerous directions are cop jacketed. Oh, you are being divisive? Clearly you are an op.

There is wholeheartedly fighting over hypothetical post-revolution societies that have no bearing on the now, but to a point, what groups want for the future DOES impact now. No, I don’t want to work with groups of communists who want to “purge” anarchists, because they dox people when they get annoyed over petty shit. No, I don’t want to work with groups who will eagerly throw the most disenfranchised among us under the bus to secure crumbs from the establishment. No, I don’t want to work with groups who want to work with the cops. No, I don’t want to work with groups who are comfortable working with fash because ‘we can sort it out later.’

I want the abolition of the state. So I can work on short term goals with people who want to reform the state, but eventually, (and not too far into the future) it becomes a problem. Of course people who are anti-hierarchy will take issue with people who want to organize as a power-grab. Of course people who want to reimagine the police will be looked at with suspicion by those seeking abolition.

So much that is labeled “infighting” is fundamental differences that will get people killed. Some red fash set up a table at an anarchist bookfair and someone flipped over their table. Their response? Call the cops. At a protest someone chopped up some bricks on the sidewalk to throw at cops and liberals in the crowd performed a citizens arrest and dragged him to the cop line to turn him in. Someone who got sexually harassed by a ‘leader’ in organizing spaces spoke out about it, so the leader told people she was a cop, and at a protest where shit went south, everyone boxed her out and tried to isolate her, putting her in danger. Boogs invited into organizing spaces have helped to dox leftists. Authcoms jerking off to the Russian invasion have tried to sell out folks in organizing spaces. RevCom is a literal cult. PSL protects abusers and smears people who come forward. Black Hammer is wildly and violently antisemitic.

Differences in fundamental values and risks to safety that people prioritize is not petty infighting or childish divisiveness. It’s not as simple as “we hate the cops so anyone who hates the cops is my friend”, it’s not as simple as “I want systemic change so anyone who wants systemic change we can set aside our differences”. If the “differences” includes setting aside your core tenets of your beliefs that is not unity, that is not an alliance.

I do not ally with people who want to sell out the “undesirables” among us. I do not ally with people who will put people at risk the moment they are challenged. I do not ally with people who want to be the oppressor instead of the oppressed.

I have comrades of so many backgrounds and with so many different ideologies and so many different goals, but we have similar core values. The idea that the left is aligned by similar values is a dangerous blanket assumption.

Fuck “left unity”, more small collectives working together towards liberation.

☭ LEFT UNITY Ⓐ

checkmate, commies

this did NOT turn out how I wanted it to and I'm too lazy to fully shade it soo here's a sloppy unfinished leftunity drawing

left unity? why do you support hierarchy and authoritarianism while you yourself are an anarchist?/genuine question

basically, while i don't support those things, nor do i think that anarchist and non-anarchist leftists should just ignore all ideological differences, i do believe that, on issues where both of our goals are aligned, we should work to form a united front in order to achieve these goals.

imo, right now, considering the social, political, economic and ecological crises we are facing as a species, its just not productive for the left to be focusing on infighting instead of fighting the causes of said crises.

that's not to say that we shouldn't critique leftist theoretical standpoints, provided its in good faith of course, just that even if said unity is only applicable for single issues (e.g. anti-fascist direct action), having more people working in unison to achieve a goal would be a far better way to do so than having 10-20 different organisations constantly at eachothers throats.

idk if i explained that well i literally just woke up lmao

above: a few screenshots of similar perspectives i found.

a motto for left unity

The funny thing about left unity is that it is most viscerally realized in the violent ambitions of the far right. What I mean is that anarchists, leninists (etc) are all equally considered targets for extermination.

Comic and description via the artist's Facebook page, Kimchi Cuddles.

White dude laying on the ground: "We need UNITY!"

Crystal pointing at trash piles of racism, systemic inequality, antisemitism, transphobia, bigotry: "OK well can you get up and help clean up some of this mess?"

White dude continuing to lay on the ground: "Why do you have to be so DIVISIVE??"

link to artist's website: tikvawolf.com.