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My argument would be that individual actions are useless or even harmful. Collective, smart action is required. This problem is bigger than any one of us but not bigger than every one of us.

Yes! Their positions and actions are suspiciously very demobilising.

No unity even in the most basic stuff. No willingness to hold a constructive conversation. Things have to be done in their way or you’re labeled an enemy. Doctrine above humanity. Incessant nitpicking.

How do they intend to build socialism if they can’t even have an honest, good faith conversation?

As if they would be there in the frontlines when shit hits the fan. It shows very clearly they don’t risk much (and lack the most basic level of empathy) if they really think Trump and Biden are the same. Ask our trans comrades. Or homeless people. Or journalists.

In abstention, they just found a way of feeling good about doing nothing at all. Voting is literally the least you could do and they won’t do even that.

We all are vast collections of harmonic oscillators.

Liberals tend to say that the system just needs a few tweaks here and there while the reality is that the entire thing is rotten to the core and the stuff they enjoy now in their “developed” countries was built upon centuries of exploitation of other people, which is still ongoing stronger than ever.

When confronted with these facts, some liberals act defensively and instead of learning and growing in their understanding, they start aligning with right wing thinking. That’s why the saying goes “scratch a liberal and a fascist bleeds”.

Yeah, this trumps all the recent intense propaganda about the IDF being professional and meticulous.

They can exploit the impulses of some vulnerable people.

Crack’s certainly involved in all this.

Be careful with this line of thought. It’s called Horseshoe theory and is usually parroted by right wing authoritarians to falsely discredit leftist points of view. Ironic that they are using some of their own beliefs to do it, isn’t it?

More information here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horseshoe_theory

That being said, there surely are authoritarian leftists and they do not deserve any of your time. However, their authoritarianism usually is not born out of hatred like right wingers but out of impotence against the hierarchies that dominate our lives. Of course, as in everything, YMMV.

Edit to add: it’s important to mention that a lot of pro China and pro Russia discourse is astroturfing so it’s not really people declaring earnest beliefs.

I’m reading The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco. The writing style is smart and absolutely enjoyable, it feels like it was written during the times it portrays.