Uncritical identitarian ideologues are the bane of all movements. You’re committed to the identity of being a leftist/socialist/communist rather than the ideology, just like the Christian fascists that explicitly ignore every good idea in the Bible in favor of the worst ideas.

Over time, many supposed Marxists have decided to ignore the best principles and goals outlined by the man himself. You instead favor what “works” to build a “committed” movement. Unfortunately, “committed” means committed to the identity, while things only “work” if they ensure the group’s existence.

Accomplishing the stated goals of the group doesn’t matter so long as it has a stable niche. It basically works by evolutionary logic, with accuracy and ethics only mattering if it helps the group survive. It becomes cultish, often explicitly so if there is centralized power.

The parallels between Christianity and Marxism become more clear with how they reference the texts written by their great leaders selectively, highlighting whatever fits their current agenda. The most counterintuitive part is that we don’t think about ideas in the way that they actually behave, instead assuming they serve us.

People usually believe their own shit, but produce outcomes that look like sociopathic calculus. Liberals genuinely believe what they say about liberalism. Capitalists genuinely believe most of their nonsense arguments. It doesn’t matter that social programs create stability, or that regulations often benefit the unwilling companies in the long run. The saying “we often attribute stupidity to malice” is inaccurate. We really attribute evolution to intelligence.

People with nonsense ideologies almost never disbelieve everything they say. Fascist leaders buy most of their own bullshit. You believe in your own flawed logic. I probably believe bullshit about something, so I keep an open mind.