That was part of why i joined, to learn more about and do organizing and direct action, but for now i haven't really learnt anything, or i don't feel like it and done little outside of going to protests. The only reading groups for theory are always for the manifesto, which is not useful to me anymore.
That sucks. If reading is stuck at the manifesto, then it's pretty clear to me (from what you are saying) that the group is essentially spinning it's wheels and kinda doing this for brownie points (from whom I cannot say, as I am not familiar with the social mileau of your city, but the point still stands).
If you choose to stay, it will be up to you to push through an agenda that dives deeper into the theoretical nonsense, if that is what you want. I would even recommend having the group start listening to the 'Revolutions' podcast (which is free) on the French Revolution so that way they will understand what Marx is talking about in his other writings. As well, you can listen to the Russian Revolution to understand better what Lenin is talking about as well. And then there is understanding the Weimar Republic and Rosa Luxembourg etc. etc. Understanding of theory comes from an understanding of history and there is alot of time and energy that has to be put into those subjects. The message is simple, but the pitfalls are many and understanding the pitfalls are what people like Marx, Mao, Lenin, Rosa etc. sought to do through their writings, but unfortunately they didn't think idiots like us would be reading this stuff a century and a half removed from context (except maybe Lenin because he was an egotistical nerd), so it's important to understand the material circumstances and reality that they were writing in.
If you don't want to stay, that's ok though. There are other groups and organizations out there that are better suited towards direct action and theory. Or take some time to explore stuff for yourself. PSL and DSA are always decent options, and if you want to hang with some cops, you can always join the CPUSA.
Edit: and that's just the European and Asian side of things. There is a history of organization in the U.S. and especially in Latin and South America, and you should learn about those as well and use them to think about how you should be organizing your labor in the current moment.
That was part of why i joined, to learn more about and do organizing and direct action, but for now i haven't really learnt anything, or i don't feel like it and done little outside of going to protests. The only reading groups for theory are always for the manifesto, which is not useful to me anymore.
That sucks. If reading is stuck at the manifesto, then it's pretty clear to me (from what you are saying) that the group is essentially spinning it's wheels and kinda doing this for brownie points (from whom I cannot say, as I am not familiar with the social mileau of your city, but the point still stands).
If you choose to stay, it will be up to you to push through an agenda that dives deeper into the theoretical nonsense, if that is what you want. I would even recommend having the group start listening to the 'Revolutions' podcast (which is free) on the French Revolution so that way they will understand what Marx is talking about in his other writings. As well, you can listen to the Russian Revolution to understand better what Lenin is talking about as well. And then there is understanding the Weimar Republic and Rosa Luxembourg etc. etc. Understanding of theory comes from an understanding of history and there is alot of time and energy that has to be put into those subjects. The message is simple, but the pitfalls are many and understanding the pitfalls are what people like Marx, Mao, Lenin, Rosa etc. sought to do through their writings, but unfortunately they didn't think idiots like us would be reading this stuff a century and a half removed from context (except maybe Lenin because he was an egotistical nerd), so it's important to understand the material circumstances and reality that they were writing in.
If you don't want to stay, that's ok though. There are other groups and organizations out there that are better suited towards direct action and theory. Or take some time to explore stuff for yourself. PSL and DSA are always decent options, and if you want to hang with some cops, you can always join the CPUSA.
Edit: and that's just the European and Asian side of things. There is a history of organization in the U.S. and especially in Latin and South America, and you should learn about those as well and use them to think about how you should be organizing your labor in the current moment.