A tankie I follow on fb is explaining that authoritarianism isn't real, because "all societies have authority" or whatever.

The distinction I have come to understand has to do with how much power the bureaucracy holds over those who are not state employees, and how hierarchy functions within that bureaucracy.

idgi

like
there's some old story about Che's visit to the USSR

and when he got there, he called all those CPSU guys out on eating fresh veal and drinking champagne or whatever, while the proletariat just got..... bread lines

and party members remained in the party until they died, stepped down, or were purged

so if you were a well-behaved cult-member, you got fine wine and 100 million slaves

to me, that seems authoritarian
that is a clear hierarchical class distinction

compare this to the EZLN

there are term limits for public office, and you can't hold the same office more than once until literally everybody else in the community has held that position

rather than being a desirable position of authority, it is a voluntary task that people do out of obligation and communal responsibility

and while there are some people dedicated to the cause, who commit to politics moreso than others, they do it out of merit rather than desire for fine wine

@ThisIsLeeloo
The EZLN has such a great model for what can be done in a dual power framework considering how long they have managed so far