this post was submitted on 31 Jul 2024
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An international (English speaking) socialist Lemmy community free of the "ML" influence of instances like lemmy.ml and lemmygrad. This is a place for undogmatic shitposting and memes from a progressive, anti-capitalist and truly anti-imperialist perspective, regardless of specific ideology.
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Admittedly, I only read the first couple of sentences, but that's because, intentionally or not, you're still avoiding and deflecting from my main point.
You admitted Trotsky was a bastard. You now basically admitted that Lenin supported Trotsky and wanted to be succeeded by him. But you refuse to admit that Lenin was a bastard and seem to want to paint him as some sort of martyr or misunderstood saint.
Do you do that same for people who support Netanyahu? After all, it's not them who are responsible for the horrible things done to Palestinians, it's Netanyahu! They just happen to support him.
Is it that hard to just say, "Lenin was a bastard"?
I think you're polemically correct to say that the flaw in my argument is that I attribute too little influence to Lenin over the Bolsheviks. However I stand by all of the points that I've made, and without having read the same books as each other, comparing notes and passages, etc., which I might be persuaded to do in good faith, I think we've exhausted our differences on this topic.
To be clear if I was alive in that place at that time, I probably would have been a victim of either violent repression of anarchists (I don't identify as one but I might have at that time, like I said I'm deeply sympathetic to them,) and if not I would have definitely been purged by the late 1930s at the height of the Stalinist purges. But where I am now and from the history I've studied diligently for years, the discussions I've had, and the realities of organizing that I've done, I'm afraid I can't see Lenin the way you do, and in fact I remain critical of your views on him. So yes it is hard to say, because I won't lie to myself. At one time I saw Lenin and the Bolsheviks as you seem to think I see them: untainted by avoidable tragedy and justified in all their transgressions. But i've grown since then, as I hope to continue to grow; and I hope your perspective expands as well.