Second, and more importantly, by virtue of our numbers, we have options available that they do not. Something like 20 million people participated in BLM protests this summer. With the right organization and agitation, that is more than enough people to organize truly massive political strikes, the strike being the single most effective weapon working class people have in our arsenal.
Eh, I’d much rather have 20 million unarmed people engaging in militant and conscious class struggle than 20 million people armed with weapons but lacking strategy.
Guns will be there, and in many cases the target audience for our class struggle politics are already armed. It’s a question of how and why to use the tools at our disposal.
The political power of the working class is a collective power that flows from our role in production. Society only functions by “the kind permission” of the working class—If we withhold our labor, everything grinds to a halt.
Political power flows from the barrel of a gun. They will put us in chains and work us as slaves if we don't defend ourselves. The option will be work or torture. And indeed, that is literally what they are trying to do by charging protesters with felonies, they want to put them into prison-slavery. I don't think work stoppages alone will be enough under current conditions. There is an ongoing war of aggression being waged by capitalist militarized police against the workers in the streets of most major cities right now. Thousands have been arrested with the end goal there being to make them literal state-owned slaves.
Expecting an unarmed strike to turn the tide seems like wishful thinking at this point. The striking workers will just all be arrested, charged with felonies (right-wing states have already passed oppressive new anti-protesting felonies) -- they can't be stuffed into the already overcrowded prisons, they will have to build literal camps to house them. Shit gets ugly quick. There is some hope here for jury nullification, but it's still a grueling process. No chance a 6-3 supreme court is going to side with the protesters.
If you can organize 20 million people to be class conscious then might as well take the last step and organize a full revolution.
Society only functions by “the kind permission” of the working class—If we withhold our labor, everything grinds to a halt.
DeLeonism might interest you
but anyways general strikes like this have never worked in history while revolutions have, sure organize for it, but strikes get broken through violence and we need a lot more than to just say i dont consent, especially in the era of financial capitalism
but anyways general strikes like this have never worked in history while revolutions have
What if I told you that both of these things are on the spectrum of working class struggle? The point of strike agitation isn't to argue that strikes are the end all be all, but to make the point that the working class needs to take power and it can do so using working class methods of struggle. Strikes are uniquely good opportunities to raise the political level, because the tactic requires workers to think and act in their capacity as workers.
Like sure, the need for self defense is there, but self defense isn’t the goal, the goal is to win power. If there’s no strategy or objective, taking up arms doesn’t magically allow you to improvise.
That means we need an organizational strategy that accounts for them having rifles.
For one, it’s not like we don’t have access to weapons. See, for example, Louisville the other day, or the early days of the George Floyd protests in Saint Louis.
Second, and more importantly, by virtue of our numbers, we have options available that they do not. Something like 20 million people participated in BLM protests this summer. With the right organization and agitation, that is more than enough people to organize truly massive political strikes, the strike being the single most effective weapon working class people have in our arsenal.
20 million BLM protesters with their own rifles might be a more effective weapon
Eh, I’d much rather have 20 million unarmed people engaging in militant and conscious class struggle than 20 million people armed with weapons but lacking strategy.
Guns will be there, and in many cases the target audience for our class struggle politics are already armed. It’s a question of how and why to use the tools at our disposal.
The political power of the working class is a collective power that flows from our role in production. Society only functions by “the kind permission” of the working class—If we withhold our labor, everything grinds to a halt.
Political power flows from the barrel of a gun. They will put us in chains and work us as slaves if we don't defend ourselves. The option will be work or torture. And indeed, that is literally what they are trying to do by charging protesters with felonies, they want to put them into prison-slavery. I don't think work stoppages alone will be enough under current conditions. There is an ongoing war of aggression being waged by capitalist militarized police against the workers in the streets of most major cities right now. Thousands have been arrested with the end goal there being to make them literal state-owned slaves.
Expecting an unarmed strike to turn the tide seems like wishful thinking at this point. The striking workers will just all be arrested, charged with felonies (right-wing states have already passed oppressive new anti-protesting felonies) -- they can't be stuffed into the already overcrowded prisons, they will have to build literal camps to house them. Shit gets ugly quick. There is some hope here for jury nullification, but it's still a grueling process. No chance a 6-3 supreme court is going to side with the protesters.
If you can organize 20 million people to be class conscious then might as well take the last step and organize a full revolution.
deleted by creator
DeLeonism might interest you
but anyways general strikes like this have never worked in history while revolutions have, sure organize for it, but strikes get broken through violence and we need a lot more than to just say i dont consent, especially in the era of financial capitalism
What if I told you that both of these things are on the spectrum of working class struggle? The point of strike agitation isn't to argue that strikes are the end all be all, but to make the point that the working class needs to take power and it can do so using working class methods of struggle. Strikes are uniquely good opportunities to raise the political level, because the tactic requires workers to think and act in their capacity as workers.
Like sure, the need for self defense is there, but self defense isn’t the goal, the goal is to win power. If there’s no strategy or objective, taking up arms doesn’t magically allow you to improvise.
yeah sure, but the ability to defend the strike or whatever movement is the biggest issue is the point id make
and of course building dual power through unions and just general worker solidarity is based and good and very much something i support