There’s no need to apologize. Not knowing things is not a sin. We were all at one time where you are now. If you grew up in a western country it’s almost impossible not to have been indoctrinated with liberal dogma. What’s important is that you are willing to learn and to understand that the framing which you have been exposed to so far when it comes to these topics is one that our imperialist ruling class deliberately cultivates - including in leftists - such that we do not pose a threat to their status quo.

Their messaging apparatus is very powerful as it includes not just the media and educational institutions, but even co-opts progressive groups and causes, and uses leftist sounding rhetoric to prevent the formation of anti-imperialist consciousness and solidarity. There are immense social (often even legal) pressures against actually dangerous dissent, and one of the main ways this pressure is applied is by accusing those who stand with the enemies of imperialism of “supporting authoritarian regimes”.

What is most sinister is that in order to have your tacit consent they don’t have to get you to outright support their imperialist aggression, it is enough to get you to be afraid to side with the target of their aggression by making it seem like you will be morally tainted by association if you defend the other side (e.g. if you support armed resistance to the Palestinian genocide). This is why you hear all of these buzzwords thrown around like “authoritarian”.

What i want you to understand first and foremost is that this notion of moral taint by association is counter-productive. As materialists we must look at how something helps or hinders the cause of socialism and anti-imperialism, how it helps or hinders liberation in the context of the broader struggle. You also need to understand that this struggle is a global one because the world now is so interconnected, so we cannot look at individual actors and actions in isolation; they are part of an interconnected system.