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What does ultra mean to you? (vis-a-vis leftism) (hexbear.net)

submitted 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) by JustSo@hexbear.net to c/chat@hexbear.net

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I'm curious whether calling someone an ultra has a generally agreed upon meaning here.

Not to defend any accused ultras or whatever. Recent post got me thinking about it though. It feels like a very loaded word and using it seems like in-group/out-group differentiation signalling or .. I dunno.

Maybe another way to put it is often when I see the term being used it feels like its serves a similar purpose to the "tankie" label's utility for anarchists and liberals.

I might just be running up against tone parsing issues or something, and so maybe this is just me or a figment of my imagination, but it often seems to limit or shape discussion when it pops up early in a discussion.

Again I'm sure I'm just Wrong about this, but it almost feels like a mild thought terminating cliche at least some of the time.

Not trying to fight with anyone, I'm just curious about the nuances (if there are any) with the term.

What does it mean to you and do you have any thoughts you feel like sharing regarding the role it plays in online leftist spaces?

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[–] sharkfucker420@lemmy.ml 4 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

It's not a word I have put a lot of thought into. I've never run into someone I would call and ultra. It's a term I've only seen in reference to other people I have no connection to. It hasn't been defined to me by anyone either so this is entirely based on how I have seen it used.

Generally an ultra is someone who has unlimited critiques of revolutionary movements with no understanding or analysis of the material constraints placed upon them while contributing very little to their own. They are also people do the whole, "they weren't real communists" thing a lot.