Anecdotally, at my most troubled, lonely, self-hating times, I was a libertarian type who thought I could learn the secrets of success by learning from Ayn Rand, Ronald Reagan, the Koch Brothers, the Roman Empire, and (misunderstanding) Nietzsche. It was only after I started dating, got therapy, got my degree, got a job, and traveled more to “tankie countries” that I became a communist.