I see SO much hivemind thinking here and the whole “tankies” thing is a great example of it. The people at hexbear (and all people who have been beaten long enough by capitalism to think that communism would be better than profiteering from death) are not a monolith just as the people who support that orange guy are vast and varied

And just as wrong. No one here realistically has a problem with communism. The problem we have is with authoritarian groups just as bad as capitalists. Calling themselves communist while not being communist in any meaningful way, shape, or form. Leninism isn’t communism. And would itself have to be overthrown via another revolution to even become communist.

You are 100% correct in likening tankies to maga’ts. But you are absolutely incorrect to claim that either group is simply tired of people being downtrodden. They just want to be the ones doing the trodding. Nothing more, nothing less.

And on the topic of hive minds and echo Chambers. You will find no bigger hive minds and echo chambers than those of the Leninist or the modern fascist right. I would have to borrow the hands of many, many people. To count on fingers the number of times when debating a leninist or fashy neo-libertarian. How often it turns out I’m simply debating their reading list and not their actual understanding of any ideas of any sort.

I think reading is great. Even if it’s Engles, Lenin or Rand. What’s better is critical thinking and understanding. Being able to recognize bad arguments, bad ideas, and fiction. I’m less concerned with who said what. And more interested in how it worked out. And so far it’s full blown fascist state invading their neighbors. Brutal oppressive state capitalist silencing, slaughtering, and harvesting the organs of dissenters to enrich the powerful in the state party. Really wanting to invade their neighbors. And a backwards nepo-state. It’s not a good, or even better record than most capitalist states.