That name is a Trotskyist party name. In my humble opinion, left-wing means being against the hegemonic status quo. While you described a [European] stereotype/cliche.
Politics and life is about your actions and output than what you nominally say out loud. “literal communist” is a label. Labels in isolation are not meant for serious convos. The actions of many Trots is and was to collaborate with the right, collaborate with western hegemony, attack the left, and trash actual existing leftism in the world.
If your ex is a Nazi leftist (Strasserites etc) or a communist Zionist who loves apartheid you’d presumably understand how useless political labels can be and not wonder “Sooooo… who's the in-group?”
> In my humble opinion, left-wing means being against the hegemonic status quo.
Originally it was literally just a seating plan. The left wing was the wing of the assembled politicians that were *physically on the left*.
But if that's your definition, it would make capitalists the "left wing" of Cuba.
> The actions of many Trots is and was to collaborate with the right, collaborate with western hegemony, attack the left, and trash actual existing leftism in the world.
That far left is a circular firing squad, IMO.
(I assume the same about the far right, except the bits of the far right that get in the news seem to have "circular firing squad" less metaphorically and more literally).
But her actions were, and continue to be, doing everything in her power against the right wing. I think she even managed to get arrested for some protest or other against, IIRC, a US defence sector company. She happens to find the left of the Overton Window to be too right wing. As do I, but then, I moved from the UK to Germany to get away from the politicians and politics I can't stand, while she works in a trade union (in the UK) to support the workers who need help and make a positive difference.
> If your ex is a Nazi leftist (Strasserites etc) or a communist Zionist who loves apartheid you’d presumably understand how useless political labels can be and not wonder “Sooooo… who's the in-group?”
I was doing hypotheticals. Not specifically talking about your ex.
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You’re right about my definition. The other addition is being against unjustifiable hierarchies (yes some will say Cuban regime is unjustifiable but I disagree and it’s not the same as capitalists) and being critical of capitalism.
That aligns with the French Revolution and left wing being progressive tho obviously that was a different stage of societal development and times.
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“She happens to find the left of the Overton Window to be too right wing.”
Yes that’s what a lot of people say. Ultras, left coms, anarchists etc.
I feel similar to all of you except for me I find all these people to primarily be chauvinists masking that behind pretending to be too left for the left.
I have my own personal criteria for “true” left-wing which is how you are thinking of people not in your in-group. European fascists historically want to help the workers of the in-group people they care about.
It’s why I despise Europe. Always going on about social democracy being so left-wing and how Europe is so left wing compared to America as if European fascism doesn’t want to help their own too.
I will never put worth into someone helping their own in-group. To me it matters if you care about the global south if you’re a westerner or European. And most western leftists and European leftists don’t really care.
Politics and life is about your actions and output than what you nominally say out loud. “literal communist” is a label. Labels in isolation are not meant for serious convos. The actions of many Trots is and was to collaborate with the right, collaborate with western hegemony, attack the left, and trash actual existing leftism in the world.
If your ex is a Nazi leftist (Strasserites etc) or a communist Zionist who loves apartheid you’d presumably understand how useless political labels can be and not wonder “Sooooo… who's the in-group?”