@Cowbee@lemmy.ml thanks for the summon

Everything he said in his comment is correct, so I’ll just build from there.

If you’re a self-identified anarchist, then your onboarding conversations will involve a lot of discussion about the difference between your positions and the party’s. You’re not going to be brought in as a member if you have deep, fundamental disagreements with our program, so you should read it and see how you feel. More than your take on China or the USSR, they’re going to want to know about your views on how to build a revolution and what sort of organization is appropriate for that. They’re far less concerned about your ideas than your willingness to operate as a party cadre per the party’s expectations.

It’s a different approach than the anarchist style of organizing. The focus is on training, education, discipline, and building the revolutionary vanguard party, which we see as a necessary weapon in the class war. You will be given specific roles and responsibilities, schedules, expectations, and will occasionally just need to follow orders. Though I don’t want to overemphasize that. It’s still an organization made of people who want to abolish all oppression and who take human dignity and liberation as their primary task, and everyone in the party has a lot of agency in what and how they want to do it.

I have seen two anarchists join my branch and both were great additions. One has been in for almost two years now and speaks in glowing terms about their work. They definitely don’t identify as an anarchist anymore. The other was in for a few months and did great, but her whole social circle was the local anarchist scene and they threatened to cut her out of their lives for joining a “tankie cult”, so she left due to external pressure. We’re still on good terms with her and she helps with events semi-regularly.

Really, you just gotta talk to some party members. Apply to join and you’ll start that conversation.