[platinumrad]

I'm not a communist (I'm not an ML(M), to be specific) but I do have a self-destructive compulsion to put up tepid contextual defenses of western adversary states like China, Russia, and Iran. I don't think they're universally wonderful places with perfect benevolent rulers, but the way most people here are completely delusional about these countries, from history to present conditions and motivations, can be frustrating. It's a soft (and sometimes hard) chauvinism which is a little sad coming from a group that likes to think of itself as fair and critical thinkers.

Also the implicit dehumanization ("they have no culture") of the people who live in these places can be really disgusting.

[lucian1900]

Exactly. Even the barest minimum of anti-imperialism gets pushback.

Western chauvinism is quite something. It's more noticeable if you're in any way "Eastern", even European.

[enaaem]

You are one public forum. People can disagree with your messages just as you can disagree with others. If you don't want pushback write a blog and disable comments.

[platinumrad]

There is a difference between "nobody should be allowed to disagree with me" and "it's regrettable that most people hold what I consider to be very regressive positions on this topic." I don't think anyone is expressing the former.

[lucian1900]

Surely I can critique the collective behaviour of a particular public forum without excluding myself from it? Different fora differ drastically in behaviour, after all.