[lbo-talk] "Authoritarian" -- define, please

[Chuck0]

John Lacny wrote:

> And since the "anti-authoritarians" are always in favor of revolution except
> where it succeeds, they consider leftists who want to actually win to be the
> most anti-American -- er, "authoritarian" -- of all.

Anti-authoritarians are in favor of revolutions that succeed and end up 
empowering working people, as opposed to failed revolutions which set up 
a new regime that oppresses and slaughters millions of working people.

But you know that, which is why your e-mail is another trollbait.

The answer to your obvious question is quite simple. Anarchists, 
anti-authoritarians and other leftists call other leftists 
"authoritarian" because it accurately describes their pro-statist 
politics. It's very important for us to make this distinction, because 
many people think that authoritarian leftists and libertarian leftists 
have something in common. In fact, there are irreconcilable differences 
between these political groups. "Authoritarian" leftists seek power and 
embrace the state. Anti-authoritarian leftists desire to abolish the 
state and place power in the hands of working people. "Authoritarian" 
leftists seek to seize the state and use it to change things for working 
people. As we saw in the twentieth century, this strategy failed and was 
rejected by billions of working people around the planet.

That leaves us with the remaining option for a leftist revolution: one 
that is based on anti-authoritarian ideas, methods, tactics and principles.

Excuse me if I lapse into a bit of historical determinism that is 
popular on this list--authoritarian leftism has been rejected and 
anarchism and/or libertarian Marxism are the only options left for us.

;-)

Chuck
Infoshop.org