This community seems to be a curation of news articles, so I’m not sure if a discussion question is supposed to be here.
So anyways:
I really liked this term, but unfortunately, it has been used by authoritarians (particularly the people that call themselves “Marxist-Leninists”), so the word has a negative connotation amongst people living in countries with a democratic system, to be associated with those authoritarian regimes.
Given this negative connotation with the term, should Non-Authoritarian Socialists/Leftists use this term? Why or Why Not?
I live in France, and the term “camarade” is daily used in my union instead of the first name, or when you talk about several members of the union. It has no negative connotation, it’s not used as a reversal of stigma.
It’s also used in several left parties, but not all. It’s quite common between people who primarily fight for the workers rights, but it’s much less common between other progressive/leftist activists (feminists, climate activists, LGBTQIA+ rights activists…).
For me, it makes sense to use it this way, according to the context.