> For those of us who don't know what ultra-leftism means, this is the
> best explanation I've found:
> http://www.anarchistblackcat.org/index.php?topic=8816.0
>
> One thing which stuck in my mind was how absurd it is to sound like
> you're insulting someone for being even more leftist than you are.
> (Not to mention the other reasons not to use that insult, even if the
> person's philosophy deserves to be criticized.)
Needless to say, I was using 'ultraleft' strictly in the technical sense and intended no moral judgment. :)
It's one of those 'know one when you see one' categories, and the definition at Wikipedia gets the gist: "a position which is adopted without taking notice of the current situation or of the consequences which would result from following a proposed course—leftist positions that, for example, overstate the tempo of events, propose initiatives that overestimate the current level of militancy or which employ a highly militant tone in their propaganda." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultra_left)
It's also characterised by a degree of cognitive dissonance, patching up the cracks between the belief that the organised left is holding back the spontaneous desire of the masses to throw off their chains, and the failure of the masses to display such militancy. Finally, it tends to be associated with self-righteousness, e.g. an ultraleftist is likely to take the term as a compliment because it implies that they are more left than everybody else.
Mike