Is there anything that can be learned from cases like Buttigeg and Harris where at least one of their parents was ostensibly a proponent of Marx? Have any of you known or had communist parents?
I'm trying to avoid my own kids becoming reactionary and the only thing I know to do to avoid that is show them internal consistency with my own views(valuing consent, consistency, openness, compassion, reason, creativity, and an unbreakable will), educate them on class conflict and historical materialism, and give them opportunities to reinforce the innate kindness within them while also introducing them to various other groups so that they grow up to feel a human connection to anyone regardless of differences in age, gender, nationality, etc.
I'll be closely involved in their school work to help counter imperialist propaganda in their public school education.
I'll be involving them in programs like 4H so they don't become alienated from the means of production and their environment.
I'll be insisting they get part time service industry jobs when they're old enough to help radicalize them against the inhumanities of capitalist exploitation
Additionally, the only communities I can think to raise them as a part of are SRA, and UU. If y'all have any suggestions I would love to hear them.
what do they say/do?
Frequently saying fuck the police, fuck America, fuck this shithole country, and how they want to burn all the American flags on display around here. They're obviously getting it from me, but to hear these things spoken by children can be pretty striking. I'm also their dad, so I don't want them getting into trouble.
What's funny though is that they're all talk, at the moment, anyway. I try to do a little praxis every day, and this has taken the form of occasional shitty anti-capitalist graffiti. One of my kids was with me when—after making sure the coast was clear—I changed the selection of a local book club from some boring novel to The Communist Manifesto. My little dude was freaking out the whole time and telling me to stop, even though this definitely was not a big deal. (I was writing on a paper.) It's pretty remarkable to see the contradictions play out like that, like how much influence I have with them: being unafraid to say "fuck America" with your dad, but being terrified of writing some pretty harmless and shitty graffiti in the real world.
We also didn't get caught and the book club took down the paper within a few days, which I also found pretty funny. I was hoping that a bunch of old millionaire white ladies would show up to their meeting with half of them clutching a copy of Marx.