Just thinking about what quick, digestible document I could throw at libs who are panicking and desperate for something to hold on to and i can't really think of something that's written for treat demons but still actually communist.
Any thoughts?
I have to flesh it out but I keep being struck by the contradictory nature of American elections and how frankly nonsensical it all is and it returned me to this (from Wikipedia)
If this and similar studies are accurate it means a significant number of Americans can read what's on a page and repeat it back to you, but couldn't tell you what it means or draw anything from it. If it is the case that people can read but not understand than no wonder Americans are so clueless - they're thinking at the level of twelve year old children.
I think coming out of this election one of the things we should be doing is organizing for the collective education, both political and general. It's no wonder that communists of yore prioritized workers schools, study groups, newspapers, etc. Illiteracy is a tool of the imperialist because it allows people to wallow in ignorance and uncritical thought. We should be organizing study groups (and schools where possible) for the people in our lives to study, appreciate, and create not just theory but also art, music, literature, etc. of both the expressly political and seemingly apolitical varieties. As long as we are engaging with people and challenging them to think for themselves they will come closer to socialism.
These groups can also serve as the basis for actual organizing which is the second thing that we as a society need to learn. We must make change if we want it, politicians and bureaucrats will not do it for us. This is especially true in the workplace where workers have come to rely on government intervention or legal contracts for far too long into a time when capitalists do not care and will only respond to actual labor action.
I think organizations built around solving more pressing needs will do better. You won't be able to get a person that you are describing to show up to a reading group or to get educated just for education sake. Maybe you could get a person but not many. If you are giving them food when they need food, or helping them get their car lights fixed so they don't get pulled over and have to pay tickets, or helping them fight their landlords and bosses through organizing legal clinics, or helping them get their power back on, you create a captive audience who have the same issues in life and have come to you willingly because you help them to survive. This is more powerful than helping them to be educated or literate, things they don't likely see these as issues of importance in their lives, no matter how wrong they may be about that.
Teach a person to read and they have a powerful weapon they can use to help solve problems facing their community.
And from what I've heard from adult literacy teachers, people very much do want to learn. It's an enormous handicap and isolates you greatly.
Since written words were developed all the people who encounter them come to value reading as one of the most desirable skills a person can have. And in our world where being able to operate a computer is the difference between work and unemployment having a good foundation of reading skills is critical.
I'm not arguing in favor of illiteracy I'm saying that the average person won't make time to get more literate between their three jobs but they will show up to get free groceries or a dental exam
Thank you for bringing this up. Just handing someone a book of leftist theory isn't going to do anything if the person isn't able to understand what they're reading. I've seen a lot of recommendations for leftist books. But every book I've seen recommended is well above the reading level of a majority of the US. Relevant to current events, liberal media talked down about how basic Trump's speeches were, literally calling him a "low grade elementary schooler". However, talking in such a basic manner meant that people could understand what he was saying. It should be unsurprising that people will support a message they can understand over one they can't.
I know I'm an outsider here, so please let me know if this out of line, but this is something I care a lot about after my neighbors tried to read The Communist Manifesto in their first semester of college and were completely unable to understand any of it (relatedly, if anyone knows of any leftist works of any type that would be accessible with only basic literacy skills, I would love to hear about them.)
Nah, you're good and this is good information. Welcome to Hexbear.
US Democracy is officially dead now (according to Blue MAGA rhetoric), so maybe they are receptive to revolutionary agitprop again. BLM uprising occurred during Trump's first term, so just need an issue to unite people under to mobilize again.
Blue MAGA has been running into the arms of right-centrism for a while, so it will be interesting to see where the new faultlines emerge. Effective leftist rhetoric needs to draw a clear line between Democratic Party and real leftist organizing separate from Dem machine. As long as libs keep thinking Dems are the only viable org in US politics, real leftist orgs will continue to be considered ineffective in the lib brain.
The rhetorical trick is to convince libs that Dems have failed by their own framing, and that means to try something else. Libs that can't accept this were never going to be leftists anyway.
- Holy shit this worked REALLY REALLY WELL. STRIKE NOW COMRADES (shoutout to @Sickos)
- I also had good luck with this so far.
I've also had success with: "The disenchantment with the Democratic party will pave the way for a true 3rd party that represents regular folks instead of rich donors."
Another thread: Lit for your weeping lib neighbors
EDIT: I also slip in that half the voters didn't vote in 2020, and that this cycle looks no different, and that the party with a ground game has an opening that neither party is using.
:posting: :posting: :posting:
Don't mind me just banging the sign again...
:posting: :posting: :posting:
Liberals are outnumbered 2-to-1 by non-voters. 50% of the electorate did not vote in 2020, so if they aren't doorknocking they are not serious.
From
and 
talking about 3rd partiesthat workers’ candidates are nominated everywhere in opposition to bourgeois-democratic candidates. As far as possible they should be League members and their election should be pursued by all possible means. Even where there is no prospect of achieving their election the workers must put up their own candidates to preserve their independence, to gauge their own strength and to bring their revolutionary position and party standpoint to public attention. They must not be led astray by the empty phrases of the democrats, who will maintain that the workers’ candidates will split the democratic party and offer the forces of reaction the chance of victory. All such talk means, in the final analysis, that the proletariat is to be swindled.
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That is a great idea. We should be doing all we can to provide solutions for the dissolutioned at the moment
More modern theory would be a godsend no matter what work you decided to update.
antimaterialist french anarchism is the best i've got to offer you. anything sufficiently materialist is too threatening and too much historical reading for treat demons that will make them feel uwu sad
We gotta get them hooked on materialism though. It's far and away our strongest weapon bc once you know it tthe way you see the world totally changes and you can't go back, your old worldview gets obliterated by understanding what's happening. Somehow we've got to get them on materialism.
"Without Revolutionary theory, there can be no Revolutionary Movement."
- Vladimir Lenin, What is to be Done? | Audiobook
It's time to read theory, comrades! As Lenin says, "Despair is typical of those who do not understand the causes of evil, see no way out, and are incapable of struggle." Reading theory helps us identify the core contradictions within modern society, analyze their trajectories, and gives us the tools to break free. Marxism-Leninism is broken into 3 major components, as noted by Lenin in his pamphlet The Three Sources and Three Component Parts of Marxism: | Audiobook
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Dialectical and Historical Materialism
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Critique of Capitalism along the lines of Marx's Law of Value
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Advocacy for Revolutionary and Scientific Socialism
As such, I created the following list to take you from no knowledge whatsoever of Leftist theory, and leave you with a strong understanding of the critical fundamentals of Marxism-Leninism in an order that builds up as you read. Let's get started!
Section I: Getting Started
What the heck is Communism, anyways? For that matter, what is fascism?
- Friedrich Engels' Principles of Communism | Audiobook
The FAQ of Communism, written by the Luigi of the Marx & Engels duo. Quick to read, and easy to reference, this is the perfect start to your journey.
- Michael Parenti's Blackshirts and Reds | Audiobook
Breaks down fascism and its mortal enemy, Communism, as well as their antagonistic relationship. Understanding what fascism is, where and when it rises, why it does so, and how to banish it forever is critical. Parenti also helps debunk common anti-Communist myths. You can also watch the famous "Yellow Parenti" speech.
Section II: Historical and Dialectical Materialism
Ugh, philosophy? Really? YES!
- Georges Politzer's Elementary Principles of Philosophy | Audiobook
By far my favorite primer on Marxist philosophy. By understanding Dialectical and Historical Materialism first, you make it easier to understand the rest of Marxism-Leninism. Don't be intimidated!
- Friedrich Engels' Socialism: Utopian and Scientific | Audiobook
Further reading on Dialectical and Historical Materialism, but crucially introduces the why of Scientific Socialism, explaining how Capitalism itself prepares the conditions for public ownership and planning by centralizing itself into monopolist syndicates. This is also where Engels talks about the failures of previous "Utopian" Socialists.
Section III: Political Economy
That's right, it's time for the Law of Value and a deep-dive into Imperialism. If we are to defeat Capitalism, we must learn it's mechanisms, tendencies, contradictions, and laws.
- Karl Marx's Wage Labor and Capital | Audiobook as well as Wages, Price and Profit | Audiobook
Best taken as a pair, these essays simplify the most important parts of the Law of Value. Marx is targetting those not trained in economics here, but you might want to keep a pen and some paper to follow along if you are a visual person.
- Vladimir Lenin's Imperialism, The Highest Stage of Capitalism | Audiobook
Absolutely crucial and the most important work for understanding the modern era and its primary contradictions. Marxist-Leninists understand that Imperialism is the greatest contradiction in the modern era, which cascades downward into all manner of related contradictions. Knowing what dying Capitalism looks like, and how it behaves, means we can kill it.
Section IV: Revolutionary and Scientific Socialism
Can we defeat Capitalism at the ballot box? What about just defeating fascism? What about the role of the state?
- Rosa Luxemburg's Reform or Revolution | Audiobook
If Marxists believed reforming Capitalist society was possible, we would be the first in line for it. Sadly, it isn't possible, which Luxemburg proves in this monumental writing.
- Vladimir Lenin's The State and Revolution | Audiobook
Excellent refutation of revisionists and Social Democrats who think the State can be reformed, without needing to be replaced with one that is run by the workers, in their own interests.
Section V: Intersectionality and Solidarity
The revolution will not be fought by atomized individuals, but by an intersectional, international working class movement. Intersectionality is critical, because it allows different marginalized groups to work together in collective interest, unifying into a broad movement.
- Vikky Storm and Eme Flores' The Gender Accelerationist Manifesto | (No Audiobook yet)
Critical reading on understanding misogyny, transphobia, enbyphobia, pluralphobia, and homophobia, as well as how to move beyond the base subject of "gender." Uses the foundations built up in the previous works to analyze gender theory from a Historical Materialist perspective.
- Frantz Fanon's The Wretched of the Earth | Audiobook
De-colonialism is essential to Marxism. Without having a strong, de-colonial, internationalist stance, we have no path to victory nor a path to justice. Fanon analyzes Colonialism's dehumanizing effects, and lays out how to form a de-colonial movement, as well as its necessity.
- Leslie Feinberg's Lavender & Red | Audiobook
Solidarity and intersectionality are the key to any social movement. When different social groups fight for liberation together along intersectional lines, the movements are emboldened and empowered ever-further.
Section VI: Putting it into Practice!
It's not enough to endlessly read, you must put theory to practice. That is how you can improve yourself and the movements you support. Touch grass!
- Mao Tse-Tung's On Practice and On Contradiction | Audiobook
Mao wrote simply and directly, targeting peasant soldiers during the Revolutionary War in China. This pair of essays equip the reader with the ability to apply the analytical tools of Dialectical Materialism to their every day practice, and better understand problems.
Congratulations, you completed your introductory reading course!
With your new understanding and knowledge of Marxism-Leninism, here is a mini What is to be Done? of your own to follow, and take with you as practical advice.
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Get organized. Join a Leftist org, find solidarity with fellow comrades, and protect each other. The Dems will not save you, it is up to us to protect ourselves. The Party for Socialism and Liberation and Freedom Road Socialist Organization both organize year round, every year, because the battle for progress is a constant struggle, not a single election. See if there is a chapter near you, or start one! Or, see if there's an org you like more near you and join it.
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Read theory. Don't think that you are done now! Just because you have the basics, doesn't mean you know more than you do. If you have not investigated a subject, don't speak on it! Don't speak nonsense, but listen!
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Aggressively combat white supremacy, misogyny, queerphobia, and other attacks on marginalized communities. Cede no ground, let nobody be forgotten or left behind. There is strength in numbers, when one marginalized group is targeted, many more are sure to follow.
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Be industrious, and self-sufficient. Take up gardening, home repair, tinkering. It is through practice that you elevate your problem-solving capabilities. Not only will you improve your skill at one subject, but your general problem-solving muscles get strengthened as well.
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Learn self-defense. Get armed, if practical. Be ready to protect yourself and others. The Democrats will not save us, we must save each other.
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Be persistent. If you feel like a single water droplet against a mountain, think of the Grand Canyon. Oh, how our efforts pile up! With consistency, every rock, boulder, even mountain, can be drilled through with nothing but steady and persistent water droplets.
"Everything under heaven is in utter chaos; the situation is excellent."
- Mao Tse-Tung
We should write an updated Communist Manifesto for 2024.
All of that "combine the rural and the urban" shit honestly looks silly today
I work in a university and have some curriculum Input even though I'm a non tenure track faculty. We are reworking the textbook this year and I'm one of the writers. Curent stuff is very libbed "rhetoric is like the courts, look at this good lib decision" shit.
Needless to say I'm gonna cook because the courts won't save the libs now. The "what is to be done" framing is going to be front and center.
I think this article I shared earlier in the week on /c/history is a pretty good piece to send to people, especially those at least sympathetic towards socialism. It outlines how the abolitionists actually managed to achieve lasting change in the United States, despite its 2 party system and powerful slave-owning aristocracy.
Basically it lays out what was done by the abolitionists to achieve a better world. That could help us start a serious discussion on what is to be done in our time.
The Abolitionist Dirty Break by Ben Grove
From the introduction of the piece:
How can a small movement challenge the Leviathan? How can it find strength in its independence? How can it topple a power that seems omnipotent and achieve a revolution?
In 2024, these tasks may seem hopelessly difficult to socialists in the United States. But defying the powerful has never been easy, and we will always have lessons to learn from our predecessors. One of the most important, yet also misunderstood, is the American abolitionist movement.
It’s easy enough to celebrate abolitionists for their righteous principles: activists of every stripe invoke their legacy. Yet abolitionists and their Radical Republican allies were more than just moral idealists. They were also cunning revolutionary strategists. Using principled independent politics, they successfully attacked America’s slaveholding oligarchy and the two-party system that protected it. Their insights and debates have tremendous relevance for modern socialists, because abolitionism helped to ignite the most important revolutionary rupture in U.S. history: the Civil War and the downfall of chattel slavery.
And these were the conditions that their movement built itself in:
By the 1820s, a two-party system of Whigs and Democrats was developing, nurtured by the brilliant New York politician Martin Van Buren. Van Buren’s explicit goal was to use the excitement of party politics to distract the masses from more dangerous conflicts over slavery. Whigs and Democrats would have fiery conflict and genuine power struggles—but both sides suppressed opposition to America’s true ruling class: the planters of the South, the Slave Power.
I read it as folks who are blind to the ills of their ruling class because of their relative material comfort
We use "treats" as a catch all for conspicuous consumption in the west. So shlocky movies, expensive pickup trucks, oversized mcmansion houses, funco pops. It's not just luxury goods, it's people basing their whole view of the world on the "treats" they consume, to the point where it dominates their world view. A common accusation is that as long as they get their treats they'll never engage in active resistance or even notice how the world works.
I'm serious down to help write new theory with other terminally online comrades.
