I was all into electoralism up until the 1-2 punch of Corbyn and Bernie getting screwed (and just straight up losing) within the span of 2 months. From there I thought electoralism still had it's place but was thinking more about how we'll never get to "vote" for socialism, and started leaning towards being an ML. And then recently, I'm just really down on the hope for any sort of internal change within the imperial core. I think change is going to have to be forced upon the global north by the global south. And even though Iive in the US, I just feel more and more disconnected from this place. I find I'm way more interested in what's going on in places like Cuba, China, Good Korea, Peru, Bolivia, India, etc. I find myself not even really caring about US politics except for when it comes to issues of foreign policy.
And in my observation, it feels like a lot of comrades here seem to be following this trajectory.
Of course as I move along this path, I still don't seem to have a really good feel on what I'm supposed to do, you know?
I think Trot jokes are funny but also we only hurt ourselves if we completely ignore Trotsky's contributions or pretend like he had zero good ideas.
Guy organized the Red Army into a seriously powerful force, defeated the entire Entente, and did it all from a super cool armored train. Plus he was a Menshevik who realized "oh shit the Bolsheviks are actually going to do it, time to join them" in a show of left unity somewhat rare historically. Lenin trusted the hell out of him and his role in both 1905 and 1917 can't be denied. Fell of the wagon later, sure, but he was and will be an important figure on the left. Plus I love his history of the Russian Revolution, great piece of writing.
Not to mention being chairman of the St. Petersburg Soviet. And also, at least according to Ten Days that Shook the World, being in every single meeting to dunk on people