this post was submitted on 18 Jan 2026
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askchapo

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Do liberals adopt leftist personas to avoid confronting the consequences of liberalism? (hexbear.net)
submitted 1 day ago by yunqihao@hexbear.net to c/askchapo@hexbear.net
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This might be a silly question, so I want to preface it with an apology in advance and if you think there is a better place to ask please let me know.

I’ve come across a large number of self-described “anarchists” or “non-communist leftists,” or the like, mostly online,thanks to where I live (谢天谢地). But whenever you look a bit closer, the pattern is the same: underneath the aesthetics and language, it’s just liberalism. Pro-NATO positions, contempt toward the global periphery, and extremely reactionary responses when imperialism or capitalism are seriously questioned.

So my question is: Is adopting these leftist identities a kind of defensive mechanism (an attempt to distance themselves from the real-world damage caused by liberal ideology) or am I misunderstanding what’s actually going on?

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[–] Le_Wokisme@hexbear.net 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

For example, their material position in the imperial core gives them a real incentive to avoid disrupting the system that benefits them.

we see that in our analysis but i don't think (and will probably never be convinced) that very many liberals know and understand geopolitics and economics enough to come to that conclusion.

[–] CascadeOfLight@hexbear.net 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I agree with that, there is certainly an element that the material abundance from superexploitation allows the liberal middle classes to be completely ignorant and incurious about the world and geopolitics, in a way that they treat it as an optional interest or almost a personality trait, unlike those suffering under the boot who have no choice but to be confronted by imperialism.

[–] Le_Wokisme@hexbear.net 3 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 18 hours ago)

i think you're still going too far on it in both directions. all those times americans couldn't find whatever other country on a map aren't just well-off liberals. We aren't even taught the liberal myths about how the world works in school, much less the truth.

the minimum wage worker living in a one-bedroom apartment with two roommates doesn't know it either. When a whole population suffers the boot of imperialism some will manage to get an education despite their oppression and it will be more accurate than western highschools, but it's not everybody there either.