I guess it’s one of the ways in which capital maintains its own checks and balances, but it’s very hard how, as contradictions heighten, your family that at some point might have ignored what you say, now will ostracize you for your views.

My parents have called me saying that me supporting Petro (a socdem at best) is akin to supporting murderers and thieves and they won’t support me with that (which ofc I think the same about the people they support, but I won’t antagonize them over it cause I know they won’t change their views).

Now it’s a sister of mine, married to an american, that considers that my criticisms of gringos also applies to her husband (which, to a point but not really).

I’m now understanding that there is a non zero chance that I will end up shunned out of my family altogether at some point.

Some friends and acquaintances have also cut contact from their end and some from my end.

Basically, being a communist means you will very likely lose a good percentage of your initial social network. It’s probably one of the ways that capital maintains its control on society, forcing you to choose between community or your ideals, while you build a new leftist community (which is likely to be ostracized from their families as well).

And I’m not alone, my comrades in the area in which I organize are basically in the same position. In most of their families they don’t know they are in the communist party for fear of their reactions. Or in the case of one of them, they consider it will be a phase they grow out of.

It’s exhausting but enlightening to see how the left continues to be attacked through so many mechanisms.