It is impossible to speak seriously about Marxism in the West without incorporating the role of Christianity in each social formation. “Western Marxism has taken a historic distance from the concrete experiences of socialist transition in the Soviet Union, China, Viet Nam, and Cuba.”
I would recommend reading this and sending this to any radlibs/DSA/anarchists you know
The problem with this article is that the author seems to think that western Marxists are some big group. Fact of the matter is, the left is very very small. We still have a lot of work to do in the US to build class consciousness and a movement around it. This kind of shit is what keeps dividing the left into petty infighting over... surprise surprise, stupid shit.
Well seeing how this is from black agenda report we might as well take as an example the Black Panthers . They were 10 times smaller than the DSA and other such orgs at best and were still 10 times more successfull in challenging the status quo and threatening the system and moving with great spead towards working class movement and revolutionary class conciousness. All in the midst of the cold war. Maybe self crit like this is meant to analyse why socialist organization in the west has gravitated away from the strategies and structures and ideologies that made such movements successfull both domesticaly and abroad and into an outright rejection of such practices or ideologies by large parts of the left.
DSA has no power at all. At most, you have "the squad" in the house and they hold several state offices, mostly in comfy blue states where they aren't really challenged. Most people outside of left subcultures, see DSA as a bunch of rich college kids just wanting free shit in the words of "socialism is when the government does stuff".
I dont understand the “the left is small so such attempts as analysis are counterproductive”. The “left” is much larger than it was in the times of the BPP or way larger than it has been for decades. Just amassing numbers without any ideological coherency and consistency and without an efficient and challenging to the status quo strategy and structure shouldnt be the priority. The american and western left is still in large part directionless, fragmented , cant muster strong anti-imperialist stances, without a plan or marxist strategy to approach electoralism and propaganda, entering this new cold war with a both sides position and getting swept up as a result in entryism to the democratic party and fighting for social democracy.
The left is very small. It's a fact. We don't have a party, we don't have a working class movement, our labor and worker's rights have been completely destroyed after decades of bipartisanship between both political parties absolutely destroying it. We don't have a left movement, instead what we have is a bunch of people arguing over identity politics, and that's what the author of this article is doing as he blames everything on Christianity.
We would have to start over from scratch building a new working class movement and there hasn't been any real push to that. No one wants to sit down and actually talk to the working class. That is proven time and time again with all the arguments about purity politics (only thing that the article gets right) and dividing everyone up with identity politics.
Hey maybe instead of spending hours on here talking about how amazing capitalist China is in the name of quote on quote "anti-imperialism" maybe start talking to people you work with? Talk to your coworkers about how you're all getting fucked by your boss and how we deserve better than living pay check to pay check, struggling to provide for ourselves and our families and how miserable this system is. You'd get a lot further with people if you actually relate to them and show them that it don't have to be like this. Most leftists don't seem to want to talk to working class out of fear that they are chuds or something. But if you don't talk to them, someone else will. And that someone else is going to be fascists. We should've figured that after Trump, but we didn't.
There absolutely is not going to be a leftist revolution here in the US for the same reason there isn't going to be one in Britain. There is no class consciousness. The left is too divided and infighting over stupid shit to actually pull their heads out of their collective asses and unite under the banner of working class. If we couldn't get a movement out of Trump and figure this shit out in the past 4 years, I don't see it happening in the next few years while the GOP is getting ready to run a competent fascist. We're counting down the days for when shit hits the fan.
You didn't get the point of the article if you think he's using identity politics. You're agreeing with the author when you say that we need to spread class conciousness by talking to coworkers. Thats an example of practical strategy, and also a dangerous strategy, if your boss finds out youre unionizing you get fired. Its easy to say these things but incredibly harder to actually do and face the consequences.
How to unionize without instantly getting fired? Thats an example of a very relevant and practical discussion that is absent in leftist circles. Instead we have Zizek talking about the hidden symbols in Hollywood movies, or Chomsky telling people to vote for Biden etc.
Is there anything specific that you don't disagree with? What part of his analysis leads you to believe that he thinks its a big group? I certainly did not get that impression. I do agree with you that inaction on the part of leftists is the main reason for its small size. I don't consider this infighting, Im not trying to make a chapo.chat2 and I'm not arguing in favor of any tendency. Just saying that there is a constant problem of lack of concrete action related to acquiring real political power
His whole part about Bolivia and the reaction to Morales coming back, is some serious nitpicking. He's looking for a reason to lash out at whatever he deems "western Marxists".
The problem with this article is that the author seems to think that western Marxists are some big group. Fact of the matter is, the left is very very small. We still have a lot of work to do in the US to build class consciousness and a movement around it. This kind of shit is what keeps dividing the left into petty infighting over... surprise surprise, stupid shit.
deleted by creator
DSA has no power at all. At most, you have "the squad" in the house and they hold several state offices, mostly in comfy blue states where they aren't really challenged. Most people outside of left subcultures, see DSA as a bunch of rich college kids just wanting free shit in the words of "socialism is when the government does stuff".
The left is very small. It's a fact. We don't have a party, we don't have a working class movement, our labor and worker's rights have been completely destroyed after decades of bipartisanship between both political parties absolutely destroying it. We don't have a left movement, instead what we have is a bunch of people arguing over identity politics, and that's what the author of this article is doing as he blames everything on Christianity.
We would have to start over from scratch building a new working class movement and there hasn't been any real push to that. No one wants to sit down and actually talk to the working class. That is proven time and time again with all the arguments about purity politics (only thing that the article gets right) and dividing everyone up with identity politics.
Hey maybe instead of spending hours on here talking about how amazing capitalist China is in the name of quote on quote "anti-imperialism" maybe start talking to people you work with? Talk to your coworkers about how you're all getting fucked by your boss and how we deserve better than living pay check to pay check, struggling to provide for ourselves and our families and how miserable this system is. You'd get a lot further with people if you actually relate to them and show them that it don't have to be like this. Most leftists don't seem to want to talk to working class out of fear that they are chuds or something. But if you don't talk to them, someone else will. And that someone else is going to be fascists. We should've figured that after Trump, but we didn't.
There absolutely is not going to be a leftist revolution here in the US for the same reason there isn't going to be one in Britain. There is no class consciousness. The left is too divided and infighting over stupid shit to actually pull their heads out of their collective asses and unite under the banner of working class. If we couldn't get a movement out of Trump and figure this shit out in the past 4 years, I don't see it happening in the next few years while the GOP is getting ready to run a competent fascist. We're counting down the days for when shit hits the fan.
You didn't get the point of the article if you think he's using identity politics. You're agreeing with the author when you say that we need to spread class conciousness by talking to coworkers. Thats an example of practical strategy, and also a dangerous strategy, if your boss finds out youre unionizing you get fired. Its easy to say these things but incredibly harder to actually do and face the consequences.
How to unionize without instantly getting fired? Thats an example of a very relevant and practical discussion that is absent in leftist circles. Instead we have Zizek talking about the hidden symbols in Hollywood movies, or Chomsky telling people to vote for Biden etc.
go back to /c/electoralism
Yeah fuck the Judean People's Front.
Splitter
Is there anything specific that you don't disagree with? What part of his analysis leads you to believe that he thinks its a big group? I certainly did not get that impression. I do agree with you that inaction on the part of leftists is the main reason for its small size. I don't consider this infighting, Im not trying to make a chapo.chat2 and I'm not arguing in favor of any tendency. Just saying that there is a constant problem of lack of concrete action related to acquiring real political power
His whole part about Bolivia and the reaction to Morales coming back, is some serious nitpicking. He's looking for a reason to lash out at whatever he deems "western Marxists".