The antidote to infighting in my experience is organizing in ideologically diverse spaces. I've organized with liberals and all types of different leftists. It has left me with the perspective that all these people are good people that just want better for the world. It's hard to get angry at them once you know them. Per usual the solution is to touch grass.

The idea that all "leftists" should just work together is stupid.

Leninism, Anarcho-primitivism and Social democracy (for example) are not different approaches to "leftism" that ultimately want the same things; they are completely separate ideologies that naturally come into conflict. The people who follow them disagree with each other because they want and value completely different things. If they were to put aside their differences there would be nothing left.

That doesn't mean arguing on the internet about ideology is meaningful, or that there can't be common goals or enemies, just that you should give up the idea that all "leftists" are somehow natural allies, because it doesn't make any sense.

The only thing that matters is policy, I'll work with anyone as long as it's toward an egalitarian society with wealth redistribution.

Labels are nice for classifying, but not for executing. I don't care if you identify as leftist, or liberal, or progressive; I care if you support good policies.

It's why ranked choice is the only sane voting approach. First past the post heavily favors right wing authoritarians.

Yeah, pretty much this.

Going over the comments I already see boat loads of people completely missing the point where right wing extremism is taking hold thanks in part due to the constant bickering.

This is what happens when hyper-individuality becomes a core of your (western) society. It’s also a byproduct that inadvertently benefits the ruling class. They want division and leftist pockets are already doing it themselves in a lot of cases. Purity tests can fracture communities and needlessly push away potential allies.

It’s why I tend to quote Fred Hampton often. He correctly understood that it was a working class versus ruling class situation and that arguing amongst ourselves was detrimental to organizing. It’s a vertical fight and horizontal attacks waste energy. You can still point out errors in what a comrade says. Criticism, self-criticism, and debate are all components of democratic centralism.

this is terminally online behavior. Marxists I've run into in actual organizing work are generally pretty chill and more interested in the work than trying to tell me I have the wrong opinion.

Anyone complaining about "tankies" when there's actual Nazis around is doing their work for them.

This thread keeps popping up and it just clicked and I had to ask:

Is the guy in the red shirt supposed to be Vaush?

Taps sign again...

A professor in college once said something that stayed with me. He said that "bad ideologies will always find ways to self implode".

This stuck with me because it's true. Good ideologies tend to be pragmatic and flexible, and so they're able to adapt and evolve. However, bad ideologies tend to be more rigid and focus mostly on theories and ideals, and therefore they're unable to adapt or evolve. Far left ideologies firmly fall in the latter category which is why they are where they are.

Definitely more of a problem online where everyone is competing to be "right" as if there is any one actual answer.

Even empathetic people still want simple answers and are willing to be pretty cruel to protect theirs.

Oh also really funny comic, love the punchline timing. Can really feel it.

I'm anti authoritarian and anti right. Tankies are leftists that I have no interest in getting along with. They are just as excited to be holding the gun in this comic

This is an odd take just considering World War 2 is like the example of unity against a common genocidal threat: the Nazis.

I think the premise here is flawed. It assumes infighting is the reason why we can't coalesce around a single candidate but the real reason why that isn't happening is because the DNC keeps backing right wing candidates who don't represent any of us. Too many people are under the false belief that being a Democratic politician makes one the "good guy" in the face of "evil Republicans" when in reality we've just been given two Republican candidates to choose from at the ballot box for quite some time now. They all work for the same masters and don't give a shit about fixing this broken country. They aren't two different sides, they're all on the same side against the American people.

Ok seriously, on a comic level, I just cant stop looking at the action bubble of that fight and just love it. Would look so good on a shirt or pin. Its got classic pop art vibes.