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ziq wrote

I feel like I've always been an anarchist, even before I knew what it meant. I've always been incredibly uncomfortable around authority figures and avoided enabling any kind of hierarchy.

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zer0crash wrote

To be considered a Capitalist, one must own the means of production. A Consumer is not a Capitalist. I strongly doubt many people on raddle could qualify as Capitalists unless they own a business or factory.

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Defasher wrote

You can be a capitalist without being a bourgie. It's an ideology, not a class.

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zer0crash wrote

One does not need be a member of the Bourgeoisie Class to be a part of the Capitalist Class, such as middle-class business owners, but it certainly helps. Participating in the Capitalist Mode of Production alone does not make one a Capitalist (by that logic all people under feudalism were feudalists). If you don't own the means of production you can be a Capitalist Sympathizer/Advocate/Proponent/Apologist, but not a Capitalist.

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jaidedctrl wrote (edited )

About two years ago, I read a collection of Aaron Swartz'es essays-- I read all of them, but avoided the socialist ones. I'd read some of them, then say, "oh no, not more socialist bullshit, I don't want to go off the deep end."
I ended up reading one of those essays that was about how "socialism" being this ideology no-one even thinks about was very intellectually dishonest, and that accepting the world for how it was is closed-minded. I was convinced, and then read his socialist essays... and it's been uphill from there.

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Defasher wrote (edited )

Looks like he's continuing to affect lives long after his death. High praise.

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chaos wrote

Every time I had an interaction with a smarmy guy riding a Benz or a Jag.

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sudo wrote

I never really was a capitalist. My parents were liberals, so I was liberal for a few years once I became old enough to think for myself. But, I always had some problems with some things liberals said; for example, I didn't agree with the "free speech, even for terrible people" thing. Eventually, I was introduced to feminism, and quickly became one. Then, I met a feminist who was also a communist, and they convinced me to read some communist books. I've been communist ever since.

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bigOther wrote

Being broke (which really, makes it impossible to be a capitalist)

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zorblax wrote (edited )

Well, I was a social democrat when I first started thinking about political stuff, mostly because my parents were steadfast liberals. I think the thing that turned me really anti-capitalist and anti-state was free software and the file-sharing scene, respectively. They both really are proof that anarchism works. You just do stuff for the community because you feel like it, and everyone benefits.

Helps that one of my best friends growing up had Marxist parents, so I had a lot of exposure to left-wing ideas before I accepted them.

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Defasher wrote

Yeah, that's why f/freeasinfreedom is really the most important forum we have to spread awareness. Liberals are all about the libre software - the just need a little push to associate that with libre life.

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tnstaec wrote

I started off a pretty liberal, angsty Bush-hating teen. Was involved in the anti-war protests for a couple of years, but saw it was going nowhere. I purposely explored different ideas in college: Marxism, libertarianism, etc. It wasn't until I came upon the anti-civ stuff that I really found something that grabbed me. From there I got deeper into anarchism as a whole.

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captain_commerce wrote

I flirted with collectivism/Marxism but then I became an entrepreneur. Now I'm a capitalist.

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