> what's a leftist? who's a leftist? what's left movement? what is left
> struggle?
>
> i'm actually trying to avoid expounding on those questions myself. but
> in the avoidance, i keep thinking: do we have to answer that question?
> and how can we not answer it? or, in avoiding answering it, are we not
> giving an answer anyway?
One thing that's struck me about the one comparative case I follow somewhat, which is France, is how differently the term "Left" is used by the far left over there. In the US, among the far left, the word "Left" seems to be bestowed as an honorific; individuals and groups are evaluated as to whether or not they "deserve" to be deemed part of the "Left." There is always a search for heretics, a very American trait - "she's not *really* a leftist," etc.
In France, the term "Left," when applied by a speaker who is himself on the far left, connotes no stamp of approval. It's just a descriptive term. The Socialist Party is part of "la gauche," that's just a plain fact, not a judgment. The revolutionaries in the NPA categorize even the right-wing leaders in the PS as part of la gauche. The far left is distinguished from the center-left by the terms "extrême gauche," "gauche de la gauche," or "gauche radicale."
My hunch - just a hunch - is that the absence of a revolutionary tradition in the US has created an ominpresent anxiety among leftists. In France, no matter how centrist the PS gets, everybody knows it's at least descended from a party (the SFIO) that was officially revolutionary. But in the US, very few leftists (even very radical ones) are members of explicitly revolutionary groups (or groups descended from revolutionary groups). Worse, everyone is constantly forced to mingle dangerously with unreliable liberal and progressive elements.
In those conditions, how can you tell who's *really* a leftist? How do I know that guy in my group isn't *really* just a liberal? How do I know *you're* not a liberal? Oh my god, what if you *are*a liberal? Does that make *me* a liberal? Etc.
SA