Is Marxism-Leninism European?

"This is probably only funny to me as a first-gen American of Western European parents."

"I see a take sometimes that capitalism and Marxism-Leninism are both European imports which overshadow and undermine indigenous political thought, history, and practice."

"While it is true that they are imported, and that it is essential to people who want systemic change on Turtle Island to engage with local history rather than to valorize settler-colonial bullshit, if you want to give a capitalist from west of Russia an aneurysm, you should tell them Lenin was European."

A first-generation American of Western European parents finds humor in provoking Western capitalists by pointing out historical ironies. Capitalism and Marxism-Leninism originated in Europe and frequently overshadow and undermine indigenous political thought, history, and practice. People seeking systemic change on Turtle Island need to engage with local histories rather than valorize settler-colonial narratives. Acknowledging that these ideologies are imported is accurate, but deliberately labeling Lenin as European functions as a provocative tactic that unsettles those invested in Western capitalist perspectives. The humor comes from the clash between ideological origins and contemporary political loyalties.

Read at Portland Mercury