MY FINAL MESSAGE TO THE 196 COMMUNITY
07/28/2026
Today I leave the 196 community and chat, both as a moderator and as a user. It has become overwhelmingly clear that I am no longer welcome here. I would like to preface this message with a request not to harass the current mods of this community. This is a difficult time with all the drama going on, and I do not intend to start another. The following message is not made to accuse anyone in particular nor to place blame. I simply wish to explain my side of the story and be done; consider this closure to the community that I have worked so hard to build up.
This started, well actually, months ago. I slowly began reading more theory, spending more time with other leftists I strongly disagree with, and finding myself having conversations with people that some in this community would consider off limits. I had overwhelmingly positive conversations with them because I was not outright hostile to them. I slowly began to realize that anarchists have much more in common with other leftists than libs.
Then the tesseract situation happened, and that truly opened my eyes. They did not see any difference between Anarchists, Communists, general leftists, or even just Queer people and minorities. It became clear to me that people like them view all of us through the same lens of hostility and anger. So I asked the question: if they see us all as the same, then why must we keep fighting? Just as we were all attacked on that day, the communists made noise to defend the anarchists. Despite how hostile we have been to them, they were more than willing to forgive and forget (I suspect they still are).
What broke the camel's back here was my open call in the 196 community that we should simply have a discussion. I called for a public discussion there, and I will call for a public discussion here as well. All I asked for is that we should discuss the possibility of not being hostile. I ask not that people here agree with the communists, I ask not even that people here accept them, I simply request that people here not be hostile or at least consider the possibility of not being hostile.
I understand and respect the decision made by the mods here; this will be my final message in this community. After this point, I will no longer engage in the chat or here. If anyone here agrees with what I have said so far, then I urge you to join my community. It's not a splinter of 196 nor is it a replacement; it is simply a different community with a different goal. I thank you all for the memories here. Goodbye.
Links: https://matrix.to/#/#FURF:catgirl.cloud
- Kittenzrulz123
Extremism should not be tolerated nor allowed to infect legitimate discourse.
Anyone who is supporting or defending authoritarianism and dictatorships is an extremist in my eyes. Authoritarian apologists and those who downplay or handwave away acts of genocide and tyranny are extremist in my eyes.
Stating that it's "hostile" to exclude such viewpoints is not a good faith position to take in my opinion. I'm tired of extremists on both ends of the spectrum insisting that their viewpoints must be tolerated in a given community's discourse, and I'd prefer that 196 continue to keep those voices out.
If anyone considers that a "hostile" position then they're not someone I care to interact with. This isn't something I care to debate, either, so don't expect me to engage with any replies.
As an anti-authoritarian, this is way too oversimplified of a reason to be against authoritarianism. 'Extremism' is a practically meaningless word that tends to translate to "this person's methods for enacting political change scare me, therefore they are Bad" and is usually used to incarcerate black and brown people who don't perform acceptability for white people. If you genuinely consider yourself for collective liberation, I implore you to think with more nuance here. There are plenty of reasons to dislike tankies that aren't just vague liberal sentiments
I agree that the word "extremist" is misused here, though I still agree with the points themselves. That said, please elaborate on the other reasons you mentioned!
Authoritarian communism is predicated on the contradictory idea that their government--which, being a state, is legitimized by its monopoly on violence--is able to accurately reflect the mechanics of dialectical materialism in its decision-making and attempts to serve the working class. I don't believe those two things can work together. You are inherently restricting the revolution by deciding that certain groups are allowed to use force while others are not.
We're on Lemmy. By some definition we're all extremists. This language is bad.
This is correct. This post is about Anarchists being more aligned with other leftists, which is true. However, Anarchists must be against Authoritarians, and I'd argue leftists in general should be. I don't consider tankies to be leftists, because they aren't advocating to protect the people over the elites/owners.
That's a lot of words for "I think we solve oppression with MY version of oppression" but hey, thats just me.
What makes you not one of those Nazis?
Historically, we Anarchists called left-authoritarians Red Fash, and have a long and bloody history of being betrayed and murdered by them once they see their chance at consolidating power.
But the left unity they said would happen... Surely this time they won't kill us.
Why would the people who want to be greedy with power until the ruse of workers empowerment lie to us?!
Red Fash is a useful term when applied toward people who simply cannot resist a tasty centralized state dictatorship (and who also can't ever seem to beat the 'don't murder your allies in cold blood' challenge).
Are you not symothising for an auyhoratirian regime? Like a Nazi?
You long winded whinge said nothing in general. There was not a single fact there.
Again, you've given me nothing to go off of, other than you think more opression is the solution to oppression. That's for sure something a Nazi would think.
Refusing to elaborate and instead insulting the maturity of a person who is simply responding to the thing you said is, ironically, very immature.
It's peak ML theory. If you can't be nice, insult them. Then kill them for questioning your authority.
What makes you qualified? You sound like a fucking dip shit.
Who said anything against violence? I just think tankies are as deserving of it as the scum on the right.
Fuck off tankie