What are the best Leftist discussion forums?

[JJM 777]

What are the best Leftist dicsussion forums? This YFIS forum is OK except that nobody ever writes anything here. So I am looking for such discussion forums where many people are actively writing.

I registered to the RevLeft forum, which was very active and full of people. But their leadership is very active censoring and limiting the user rights of people whose opinions they don't like. I wrote there for one week, until one of the feminist administrators banned me from the website. Normally they "restrict" users whom they don't like, or they give "warning points" to tell a person that he must change the style of his writing if he wants to continue at the forum. But I was banned (not "restricted") totally and without any warning points. The reason was that a feminist administrator didn't like me because I am not a feminist.

This is not an ideal Socialist way of running a discussion forum, because the admins of RevLeft forum are "owners" of the social forum (in a bourgeois style, it is their private property), the admins are not democratically voted by people to their positions, and also their policy of whom to ban from website and whom not to ban is based on their own private opinion about Leftist politics, not a democratically voted or publicly agreed policy.

RevLeft forum is administered in Stalinist style: destroy any political thinkers whose opinions you don't like.

[Rosa Lichtenstein]

Well, as a long term member of RevLeft I must speak up in its defence. No one there is banned out-right unless they are a fascist or a racist. If anyone is banned for other reasons (sexism, homophobia, trolling, etc) then this only happens after a debate and a vote in the CC. I don't recall the Stalinists of this world ever doing that.

So, you won't have been banned because an alleged feminist admin took a dislike to you. She would have had to have won a vote before she could do that, if she did it. And no one gets banned for being anti-feminist, unless this is expressed in extremely sexist or trolling terms.

What was your name at RevLeft? If you let me know, I can find out more details for you.

[Volkov]

This forum was quite active years ago, but most of us are now involved in real-life activity (in addition to having jobs, going to college, etc.), hence the overall lack of posting happening on this site (most of us are involved in building the International Marxist Tendency).  Come to think of it, the discussions some of us have happen in real life, for the most part.

I don't use social networking sites, so I have no idea if there are any good discussions that go on with leftists on places like Facebook.  In theory, there should be leftist groupings around there, but again, I don't use such websites, so I have no idea of the quality of the discussions that happen there.   

You can check http://www.marxist.com for regular Marxist news and analysis.  This can help raise your theoretical level and keep you in touch with current events.  It is not an internet discussion, but it does certainly help. 

Do you know of any other leftists you can hang out with around where you live?

I stopped being active at RevLeft a couple of years ago (IMO, the quality of that site has really gone downhill) and therefore I know nothing of the activity you caused to offend their administrators/moderators.     

[JJM 777]

What was you name at RevLeft?

I think it was the same as here, JJM777 or JJM 777. It had a photo of Fidel Castro as avatar.

I feel that what happened to me at RevLeft, just out of the blue without any warning, was a typical example of what happens when power in a political party is in the hands of few, and the few decide to silence someone whom they dislike for any reason whatsoever. If the few "vote" about the ban or not is unessential. The few are oligarchs in their community, a "vote" between the privileged few does not make their decision "democratic". A vote between all community members would make the decision democratic.

[Rosa Lichtenstein]

I can't find any reference to JJM777 or JJM 777. When were you banned?

The reason why only CC members have a vote is that the majority of members have only a fleeting membership of the board, and drop away after a few days or weeks. Moreover, many of those who stay are not leftists of any sort, and only post at RevLeft to cause disruption, and are thus restricted to the 'Opposing Ideology' section. If they were given a vote, everyone would end up banned!

Now RevLeft is not a party, but a discussion board. You must have done something to cause concern.

I have found a 'CheFighter777'; was that you?

[JJM 777]

I can't find any reference to JJM777 or JJM 777. When were you banned?

I joined the forum on 15 September 2009, and was banned on 28 September 2009.

I have found a 'CheFighter777'; was that you?

No.

I found with Google a direct link to the thread which was apparently the reason for my ban:

http://www.revleft.com/vb/breastfeeding-publici-t116300/index.html?p=1556714

[Christopher Hill]

By that I can see it two ways, it seems to me that you were saying that biologically females are the ones who normally feed the children, but I think with some of your examples you could have confused them in to believing that you believe women are "nothing but milk machines"

[JJM 777]

Guilty until proven innocent.

And even then, guilty for what? Guilty for unfortunately being in the wrong place at the wrong time when a female person had a bad day. Whatever you say and do in life, will harm the emotional balance of someone in the world. My wife is every other day as angry at me as these females, equally for no reason.

[Christopher Hill]

All I have said is that you were perhaps unclear in your statement which lead them to believe you a "Reactionary Sexist".

[JJM 777]

For me this situation is quite clear:

Trigger-happy people should not be qualified to lead any population of any size, in any ideology. Least of all in Socialism.

But in reality, leadership of societies and communities is based on first-come-first-served principle, not personal qualification to be exceptionally good at leading people. Whoever leads RevLeft website, is up there because they were first come and first served, not because they are exceptionally good and qualified at leading a community.

[Rosa Lichtenstein]

No, that is not so; the vast majority of those in the CC at Revleft have been members for only 18 months, and they come from a wide variety of Marxist and anarchist traditions.

In your case, you were banned because of your extreme sexism.

Can I invite you, therefore, to reveal to the good people here your reactionary ideas, and we'll see how long you last at this board, too.

[JJM 777]

your reactionary ideas

This is so pathetic. Maybe found a religion and write a Bible, if you know the Truth with infallible authority.

Let the light of your divine understanding shine upon us, and quote anything what I have written which is contrary to Socialism, and explain with divine Papal authority why your own version of the same issue is so inherently more right than mine, beyond any shadow of doubt and without any room for questioning or public discussion.

Not everything new is good, and not everything old is bad. What people want is what counts, go ask from people what they generally want. That is true Socialism, power and freedom of the people, not power of a small group of self-nominated oligarchs who intolerantly repress any free thinking among the population. Such cultures have been seen enough in the world.

[Christopher Hill]

While I do not agree with what you have said of women you have every right to say it.

[JJM 777]

This is the point of "discussion" forums, exchange of different opinions. Otherwise we can rename them as "agreement forums".

What kind of newspapers would be published in the ideal Socialist world? Only one issue of Pravda per day, and any dissident newspapers closed and their editors jailed? Sounds all too familiar in some countries, I don't like to see "Leftist" community leaders behave routinely in the same way. Sadly it is the natural way of life: "power corrupts", no matter what the ideology is.

[Rosa Lichtenstein]

JJM 777:

This is so pathetic. Maybe found a religion and write a Bible, if you know the Truth with infallible authority.

Let the light of your divine understanding shine upon us, and quote anything what I have written which is contrary to Socialism, and explain with divine Papal authority why your own version of the same issue is so inherently more right than mine, beyond any shadow of doubt and without any room for questioning or public discussion.

1) The more you post the more you confirm that the RevLeft CC was correct in what they did.

2) I have already challenged you to air your sexist ideas here; upon rising to that challenge I think the comrades here will agree that you are indeed a sexist pig and social reactionary.

We can already see some of your 'progressive' ideas here:

Not everything new is good, and not everything old is bad. What people want is what counts, go ask from people what they generally want. That is true Socialism, power and freedom of the people, not power of a small group of self-nominated oligarchs who intolerantly repress any free thinking among the population. Such cultures have been seen enough in the world.

This confirms you are no revolutionary, even if you substitute abuse for argument.

No one is stopping you from airing your reactionary ideas; you can do so to your heart's content on right-wing discussion boards. You'll fit in nicely.

Go ahead, abuse me some more -- it all adds to the case for the prosecution. :)