My story is boring since I’m in the US and it’s probably the same as so many other people here from the imperial core, but I’ll say it anyway to get the conversation going. In fact, this is all so similar to other people I’ve met, I don’t think any of this information on my political journey is going to doxx me lol.

I’m from the US, supported the Democratic Party but was very lib. Deprogramming consisted of various steps, not a single event. One was us going into Iraq, which made me start to question the official narratives that justify our foreign policy.

One was Obama’s campaign, which I know, he bailed out the billionaires and banks and dropped his huge movement as soon as he was elected, but also he actually made me believe something like healthcare for everyone was possible and our foreign policy didn’t have to suck for the first time, as his campaign promised an alternative to the wars and torture and spying of Bush. His failures also taught me the problem with trying to reach across the aisle all the time as well as the innate issues implanted into the US political system designed to stymie progress. The fact that they basically stole a supreme court justice from him and they could do nothing kind of proved the system was broken to me.

Then Bernie’s two campaigns made me believe the word socialism wasn’t as scary as I first thought and made me look into them. The connections formed during those campaigns I think are still sustaining the nacent socialism movement in the US today.

I’d also say this last election was pretty radicalizing as well. Their dogged determination to hold onto genocide and then losing to Trump made me lose hope in the blue party and finally give me the motivation to look into PSL, FRSO, DSA, etc. I’ll probably still vote for the most progressive Dems locally, but the national project seems incompetent and I don’t really believe they’ll help us so much as possibly slow the tide of fascism, while we need it to actually reverse. My hope is in parties like the PSL. They’re super small right now, but hey, so was the Bolsheviks at first.

The US, joined PSL a few months ago, hexbear played a big roll in radicalizing me but what really did me in was yellow parenti

I’m from the UK. I vote for the green party, because they’re the only party who share my values. The main things in their manifesto are:

Protecting the environment

Secure homes for all

Better NHS care for everyone and better pay for NHS workers

Better support for the elderly, disabled and children

Bringing railways, water companies and energy suppliers into public ownership

Wealth taxes on the very rich

Investment in green energy

A Charter of workers’ rights

Bosses should never be allowed to earn more than 10x what the workers earn

Increase in minimum wage

Equal employment rights for everyone from first day of employment

Make the benefit system fairer for the poor, including more livable amount of money and reform intrusive assessments

Animal rights - ban on blood sports, end to factory farming, ban on mutilating farm animals and tiny cages

Prevent environmental damage and regenerate nature

All children to get free school meals

Policies to ensure surplus food is not wasted

Defending human rights, democracy and justice

Right of self-identification for trans and non binary people

end violence

tackle hate crime

restore the right to protest and free expression

End arms sales to Israel and immediate bilateral ceasefire

And many other excellent policies.

What led me to deprogramming? Over 40 years of life experience and knowing people from all walks of life, experiencing the harsh reality of poverty and disability, wide range of reading material, and just my own personal core values and being able to clearly see right from wrong.