I accepted a job as a teacher in a remote village somewhere in the middle of the Amazon Rainforest. Too much poverty, too many people living (or literally dying) without their basic needs met, and after 2.5 years I was simply too disgusted with our economic and social structures to not be radicalised.

Then I started to read and watch videos about Anarchism, Socialism, and Communism. I joined a union. I talked to some friends about politics, and they guided me into the basics. Eventually I narrowed my interest to Marxism-Leninism.

Moving from a developing country to “developed” thinking grass is greener this side only to find out ofcourse its greener, its synthetic turf

deleted by creator

It started with “fully automated luxury gay space communism” memes in 2015 or so. Up to that point I had considered myself a libertarian in my early 20s, and a progressive liberal in my late 20s. Those memes made an impression on me that lingered in the background, and I saw them as a counter to the growing support of white supremacy and fascism that Donald Trump represented.

I think the big turning point for me was 2020, with the George Floyd protests laying bare the fascism that already existed in the US, and the complete failure of the government to care for the citizenry while bailing out the corporations. Those events crystallized my feelings that capitalism was a failing system and led me to find out more about Marxism and the reality of socialist philosophy, as opposed to the propaganda about it that I had grown up with.

These days I proudly call myself a socialist and strive to explain the concept to people I talk to whenever it’s relevant. I think so many more people would think of themselves as socialists if they simply understood it better.