where do you stand on the socialist spectrum? i’ll start: my socialist views are a fusion of market socialism, welfarism, georgism and left-libertarianism - i took the leftvalues quiz (as shown in the photo attached in this post), and i got “centrist marxism”. you DON’T have to take the quiz though.
EDIT: i just added the link
I’m a Marxist-Leninist, here are my results.
This test isn’t to tell you what you are, but instead what the test maker thinks you are. What you are is ultimately up to you. If you or anyone else wants to get started on reading Marxist-Leninist theory, I made an introductory reading list.
This one isn’t too bad for an internet political test, though i would said that eco-marxism is pretty misleading since all the notable ML parties are proecological nowadays and in 1910’s that question was much less pressing.
I did get ML result so lol.
Yea, they require you to pick nationalist answers to get ML but the ML stance on nationalism depends on if you’re in the global north or global south, ie does your nationalism work against imperialism or towards perpetuating it. It also requires the person to pick production over ecology.
the ML stance on nationalism depends
It’s almost as if there is context and these quizes always have simple questions without such context.
Yep, they’re neat as novelty but not as a perscription of ideology.
the ML stance on nationalism depends on if you’re in the global north or global south, ie does your nationalism work against imperialism or towards perpetuating it
Yeah
I don’t think any actual MLs can get the ML result lol
This contradicts the sentence above, just look at AES states. I mean nationalism will always be a crutch for socialist states but its an useful crutch at least as long as imperialists are out there.
Yes, but the questions are framed in a way that make it seem odd.
“Nationalism and patriotism are impulses that are unacceptable in socialist society” is phrased in a manner that either means you agree with nationalism within socialism or you don’t, not if they have context. It has nothing to do with your present country, that’s entirely on the user’s interpretation. Someone in the global south and the global north both see the same question the same way, as it doesn’t tie the answer to the north or south. The correct answer is that it’s useful in resisting imperialism and horrible if used to perpetuate it.
There’s also the fact that it requires you to take a productvist approach over an ecological one, and the way those questions are phrased are bad as well. We should work to increase production in a green manner, not become an anarcho-primitivist, yet the quiz hints like those are the counterposed ideas.
Agree, it’s the same reason why nobody ever lands in red sector in the cumpiss test, although to much lesser extent.
Agreed, I always got lib left and back in my non-Marxist days I assumed that meant I was more aligned with anarchists. Thankfully reading theory helped me understand more.
I doubt the person who wrote this test has read any of John Bellamy Foster’s work, or examined the writings of the CPC or CPV on ecological civilization, let alone the wider academic conversation in China and Vietnam
No surprises here, just about where I was last time iirc
so you’re an eco-marxist?
That’s what it placed me as yeah. While I agree that I am a marxist who has a focus on ecology it specifies “orthodox marxist” which I am not
Seems about right I think, there were a few questions that were phrased in a way that I couldn’t easily agree or disagree with, but I suppose that might have been the point.
I’m a vegan anarchist so this is pretty accurate.
Woo-hoo! A kindred spirit. Let’s team up on terms of local autonomy, self-sufficiency, and mutual benefit!
more ecological than the last time, because of you know waves hand at the everything
“if al gore read the communist manifesto”
in all seriousness, i think you’re probably an orthodox eco-marxist
the test says the closest tendency to my result on this particular test is eco-marxist, but nope, i’m a marxist-leninist
i read (primarily) marxist-leninist theory, subscribe to a marxist-leninist worldview, and am involved with marxist-leninist organizationsso you’re eco-marxist-leninist?
i see these tests as just a bit of fun, i take them more seriously than “what pokemon are you?” and the like, but not by much
Another “Eco-Marxist” reporting for duty 🫡
Fair enough, some of the questions were kind of ambiguous tho
Yeah, some of them I would give totally different answers if imagining the question as applying to billionaires vs. workers, developed vs. developing countries, today versus a long-term objective, etc.
In the end it labeled me an eco-anarchist which I’m not mad at.
We have nearly the same stats
And yet your closest match shows you are a different kind of leftist so I must hate you 😔
/s
Fr i must absolutely destroy you anarchist beaucouse… beacouse yes
/S
Funny, I wouldn’t consider myself an “Orthodox Marxist,” I’d say that my positions have been influenced more by Lenin, if anything I tend to view Marx as somewhat dated and inaccessible. I just mean to say, a lot has happened since Marx was alive and it’s important to look at what has been tried and what has succeeded and failed rather than rigidly adhering to, well, “Orthodox” Marxism.
so you’re a simple leninist?
I would still call myself a Marxist-Leninist. Lenin was obviously heavily influenced by Marx, and it’s not like I have a particular problem with Marx. And I would say that Lenin is also a little dated, less so than Marx, but no matter who you’re talking about, they existed in specific material conditions and their ideas do not necessarily apply to all times and places - that’s a big part of what Marxism-Leninism is all about, adapting policy to specific material conditions, and not adhering rigidly to theory.
Really, the specific label is not that important. An ideological label is only a rough descriptor of a person’s views, and there can be a lot of differences between people who use the same label, because it is not trivial to figure out how to adapt their ideas to the modern day. Marxism-Leninism gives people the gist, without worrying about the obscure nuances of terms like “Orthodox Marxism” or “Centrist Marxism” that most people won’t be familiar with.
I definitely agree with this - the point of Marxism is that your exact policies should depend on your material conditions. The Bolshevik Party is a good example of this. At some points, they advanced workplace democracy; at others, they returned Bourgeois managers to the factories. At times they supported individually owned farms, and at others forcibly collectivized ones, and at still others allowed for privately owned plantations. Lenin called for the party to participate in Bourgeois elections, but the vast majority of Bolsheviks took the ultra-left position and boycotted them. Sometimes decentralization is preferable - but centralization is often necessary! These are all dialectics that cannot be resolved dogmatically.
do you have any videos on marxist theory that i can watch without losing focus quickly?
i went with the shorter 10-minute one (with subway surfers), and i think michael parenti has a point: if you look past the authoritarianism of countries such as cuba, china, vietnam, laos or north korea, you’d find that there’s much more to these countries than their government; pyongyang is a pretty interesting city - it had an unfinished hotel that looks pretty cool, some of the apartment buildings reminds me of those eastern kentucky university dorm buildings in richmond, ky, and mount paektu is beautiful. cuba, china, vietnam, laos also have beautiful sceneries.
one thing you have to know that you DON’T see anyone begging for money or runaway people asking for sex because socialism helps solve economic inequalities by giving production to the people. seriously!
To explain my positions:
While sometimes reform can make advancements, the important part is that a Marxist must advocate for Revolution. Participation in Bourgeois elections is necessary to build a mass movement, but Marxists should never give them the legitimacy of claiming that their power will come from winning those elections.
Utopian Socialism is infantile. Socialism must be based in scientific, Marxist principles or you are at best a progressive Liberal. When your ideology is based in utopian ideals instead of scientific processes, you will make yourself unable to take the necessary steps to shepherd a Socialist society when it sometimes requires concessions.
Centralism is necessary, at least in the developing stage of Socialism, in order to combat reaction and quickly advance productive forces. Similarly to the Utopian vs. Scientific debate, perhaps decentralized authority would be preferable in a perfect world, and may be pursued in the latter stateless stages of Communism, but spells death and inefficiency in the short term. The failure of the Spanish Republicans to effectively ensure their mutual defense is the chief historical example
I don’t believe that Nationalism or Patriotism are inherently un-Marxist concepts, and can be encouraged among the masses to increase loyalty to the Socialist state. But Communists, especially those within the imperial core, must always remember that Imperialist oppression inevitably turns inward - and that when you preserve those Imperialistic policies under a Socialist state, you are preserving systems of oppression that will eventually demand expansion back into the motherland. In other words: flags and military parades are fine, but you must also support your international brethren, at least within the imperial core.
Under Socialism there should be a dialectic struggle between trade unions and the Party. Trade Unions, being non-ideological entities, will inevitably become a reactionary force under a Socialist government. In the stage of international struggle, the needs of the party must come first. But after, they must settle into a dialectic struggle - the Party ensuring the health of society as a whole with the Unions ensuring the rights and happiness of the workers.
I do not believe in silly notions about the value of the natural world beyond what is supported by scientific principles. So long as we have parks for the people to enjoy, the climate is stabilized, and the trees are producing enough oxygen for our breath and industry, the natural world has no inherent utility. Believing that the natural world is more important than building the productive forces necessary for the victory of Socialism and the happiness of the people is Eco-Fascism, even if those who believe in it paint themselves with an Anarchist or Socialist veneer.
I won’t spend too long on this point. Social progress is good and I do not need to explain why. But, especially in the early stages, Socialists must not turn too hard against traditional ways of life that practiced by the majority of people or cultural minorities. Crush the power of religious institutions, but do not demolish the churches. Encourage secular cohabitation, but do not outlaw marriage. Create public cafeterias to end kitchen slavery, but do not ban the sale of cookbooks.
- i’m very conflicted between revolution and reform - i do think if voting CAN’T help, a revolution will have to do.
- i think socialism should be a cross between scientific and utopian
- communism should be decentralized, as seen in council communism - i also think organic centralism is a bit better than democratic centralism
- it’s true that nationalism and patriotism are NOT unmarxist - one can be proud of their country, even if it’s a socialist country. however, internationalism is necessary
- i agree with you on that - the parties and the unions should go hand-in-hand
- i think saving the environment is important in socialism
- i’m pretty much progressive and such, and i agree with you. seriously!
Some people were right, apparently I am indeed a council communist.
Idc thou I am a still communist at the end
I’m a self-described anarcho-syndicalist, but anarcho-communist was in the next closest matches with 91%. I’ll take that 🏴
Mine were probably similar to most people’s here. I wasn’t sure about a lot of the more nuts and bolts questions. I tend to call myself a Marxist. I strongly believe that you need a state to fight a state, and that anarchism is skipping some steps. My ideology is yellow parenti lmao
I’ve never even heard of “council communism” tbh, but then again I’m only just learning about all this. Looking up the meaning and stuff for “democratic centralism” made me realize how little I actually know, but in a positive way if that makes sense?
Council Communism was a small movement centered around councils (go figure). Democratic centralism is typically described as diversity in thought, unity in action, ie consensus is built and voted on, and the results are binding on all members. If you want a place to start with theory, I made a Marxist-Leninist reading list. Check it out if you like!
I know you did, I’ve actually shared it forward with some friends irl recently! Yeah I needed to go and look up these meanings for the quiz, which is something I generally like to do and often end of going down rabbitholes on wikis so no harm in that.
Awesome, thank you!
