Welp, I guess I’ve outed myself as a Communist. It’s been a long strange trip, from Green through Socialist, Jacobin, Social Democrat, New Deal Democrat, Libertarian Socialist, and aspiring God-Emperor (maybe most of them at once) to deciding just to call myself a Communist.
I waited for it to pass. But you know what? I get sick of people abusing the term, using it in ways where it doesn’t even make sense, just as an insult. So I decided to claim it, just to make the point that this is a real, positive thing and people have fought and died for it.
But then, by that measure, I’m a lousy representative. Heck, this time next year I could be calling myself a Fascist or a Radical Monarchist. Past a belief in sustainability, my political beliefs are somewhat fluid. Pragmatism seems practical.
The truth is, I really don’t care that much about the ins and outs of Marxist theory, I haven’t studied it, I have a pretty vague idea what it’s about. But pragmatically, I’m a lefty and Commies, historically, are lefties that win. (Greens are lefties that get high, I think. Libertarian Socialists confuse people or something.) And someone (on this board, I think) pointed out that Stalin’s industrialization of Russia may have stopped Hitler, which pretty much blew away my dislike of Stalin. Pragmatism wins.
But mostly it’s the twerps that call me a Leninist just because I believe in a progressive income tax. Fine! You want to call me (or anyone to the Sane side of Ayn Rand) a Commie? I’m a Commie. Your definition, friend. But if that’s sufficient to make me a Commie, than Communism can’t mean I want to abolish all private industry. That’s logic.
