if you’re in the imperial core (which I assume is where most leftists on the English side of the internet are living) I think you have to accept that there is no material basis for revolution in core countries or anywhere else where the majority of the proletariat belongs to a labor aristocracy. Like you’re just larping if you provide that answer without any real idea on how we’d even get there, it makes you kinda worse than the social democrats, cus at least some of them have actual realistic goals they have kind of acheived-ish. The principal contradiction in the core isn’t between bourgeoisie and proletariat, so advocating for the blind application of Marxism Leninism in unaltered form as if the conditions are anything at all like 1910s Russia is ridiculous and useless idealism.
Leftists in the core also can’t fight imperialism all that easily either, and are only realistically capable of creating hindrances at great cost. What leftists in the core are needed for – the thing that no other group can do for them – is furthering the contradiction between the labor aristocracy and the internal superexploited underclass of black people, indigenous people, immigrants, etc.
Queer and women’s liberation idk, though. I’m trans and, except for me, where I am in Canada I haven’t seen a single left-wing queer person (excluding rad-libs who pretend to be left-wing). The fact that this demographic is comfortable enough for like 95% of them to have not evolved beyond vibes-based idealist politics makes me doubt that they could be a base of support for change on their own. Any queer movement and women’s movement would have to be tethered to the main movement which would be black nationalism, indigenous liberation, etc. depending on your area (something you have to research).
I think this is defeatist and incorrect. I can see that your intention in writing this is good but unfortunately what this way of thinking does is unwittingly legitimize soc-dem/reformist propaganda. It is also a way of deflecting blame, a way of blaming the people for the lack of a revolution instead of looking at the errors and systematic failures of those who were supposed to lead the workers’ movement in the core.
There is always a material basis for revolution, and more of the imperial core’s proletariat is closer to destitution than to labor aristocrat status than you think. But you cannot make a revolution if you do not believe in the revolutionary potential of the masses. All you are doing by writing off the people of the imperial core as devoid of revolutionary potential is expressing an elitist attitude, it is a way of viewing yourself as above the people and more enlightened them, because you have developed class consciousness and they have not. That is taking the easy way out, shirking your own responsibility. Because if you could do it, so can they.
It is not the people who have failed the socialist movement, it is the socialist movement in the core that has failed the people, and it is up to us as the generation of imperial core leftists who are living through this turbulent time of transition to multipolarity to seize the immense opportunity provided by these historic changes in the world to rectify those past mistakes.
This does not mean blindly applying the model of past revolutions, because Marxism-Leninism does not require conditions identical to those of 1914 Russia. Pre-revolutionary China’s conditions were very different from those of pre-revolutionary Russia, and the task of the Chinese Marxists was to first correctly analyze and understand those conditions and then develop a suitable application of Marxism-Leninism to those specific conditions. This was by no means easy and it took them experiencing painful failures before developing the correct doctrine. We also have to learn from past failures and adapt to our own conditions.
What leftists in the core are needed for – the thing that no other group can do for them – is furthering the contradiction between the labor aristocracy and the internal superexploited underclass of black people, indigenous people, immigrants, etc.
Maybe you meant something else, but when you say “further the contradiction”, to me it sounds like you’re saying accelerate racism and exploitation in order to create a confrontation faster through sheer force of pain. Which I would hope you agree doesn’t make any sense; what is happening to people in the US with ICE, for example, may radicalize some people more, but it’s also very bad for the people it’s happening to and not something to encourage.
Perhaps you are meaning that consciousness needs to be raised with regards to the “superexploited” and organization centered around it? In which case, I would agree that it needs to be in focus, though my understanding is that it often already is to some degree, unless we’re talking about grifters like ACP. But it certainly can be better; there is a need, such as with the attempt of the Black Panthers, for the most exploited to have bases of power they can depend on, not just hope that those higher in the caste won’t betray them.
You are mistaking the lack of Qualitative Change for a lack of Quantitative Change. You need to get back to the fundamentals of Marxism and leave the questions of imperialism and labor aristocracy alone until you understand the foundation they are built on. You need to learn to crawl before you walk and learn to walk before before you can run.