Hello everyone, I decided to type up this small rant because I was feeling slightly anxious about having to help develop an organized Marxist-Leninist movement in America.
The issue I am having is that based on what I have read, I am not sure if any major party that claims communism or Marxism-Leninism actually can lead the proletariat to establish socialism; this leads to the conclusion that either someone else has to develop a Marxist-Leninist party or I would have to develop one (the latter is an even scarier proposition for me).
Why am I anxious? I feel as if I have very little to do with my life outside of helping communists (I have no jobs lined up at the moment and my mental illnesses do not help), yet my theoretical understanding is too weak at the moment to really organize anything, so I am left in a tough spot with no idea on what I want to do.
Honestly, I am currently just focused on trying to figure out what to do in life, where to go, who to talk to, etc. I think this mini-rant is also an expression of my lack of direction in life.
Context: I live in America, so I feel like I am isolated from any form of Marxist organization and Marxists in general.
Edit: I also do not have a consistent income I can use to pay the dues of party membership, and I do not know when I will be able to get a job.
Edit 2: I am thinking of joining a Marxist-Leninist caucus in DSA or PSL where I will be. Thanks for all the advice, comrades.
I found a YouTube link in your comment. Here are links to the same video on alternative frontends that protect your privacy:
Thanks for the video.
Communists in the United States don’t only have the challenge of organizing the workers, but also the obstacle of the fighting the Compatible left. Even if you manage to invoke anti-capitalist attitude among the masses, these Compatible-Leftists have been put as a anti-revolutionary measure. They call themselves socialists but regurgitate every redscare propaganda in existence and hate all AES countries.
It is a troubling thing indeed, considering the fact that that bloc siphons off socialists from revolutionary activity into opportunist and reformist actions, which weakens any possible communist movement in America. A leftist front is necessary to fight off fascism, but dealing with the aftermath (where leftist groups will clash) is not something I am sure I can prepare for.
I wish I could underscore this point enough.
Bro try being in the UK, our ML parties are even worse, at least you have the PSL
I have heard that pretty much all of your ML parties are transphobic (what is the UK’s problem with transphobia if even the ML parties are transphobic?).
Sorry for the late reply, still new to this site. But I think the main issue is that second wave feminism made some gains here compared to the USA for example, and so now a large part of the mainstream “voice” of feminism is essentially white, liberal, middle class women’s feminism, such as Rowling. As for the ML’s being transphobic idk how even they are, probably because their leadership is out of touch white feminists but I could be wrong. The other thing with them is that like half of the parties are Trots as well, or other like left com types. There appears to be a lack of historical materialism amongst them. It honestly depresses the fuck out of me tbh, cos I can’t even join a worthy party to organise in.
My advice would be to just accept that no one party is going to be perfect. Just draw a red line about what is most important to you and join an org that fits those criteria. Becoming politically active and learning how to organize and how to operate in a party setting working together with other people is an invaluable skill to learn. You can still leave and join another party or try to form your own group later once you have experience of how things are done.
For me the aforementioned red line that any communist or socialist must fulfil to get my support is very simple: they have to be anti-capitalist, anti-fascist, and comprehensively anti-imperialist (“both-sides-ing” is unacceptable). I am aware that there will be many imperfections and disagreements on other issues, but these three have to be the core of a communist party, otherwise you are just doing some controlled opposition, sheepdog bullshit.
This is just an awful spot to be in: not having any principled Marxist-Leninist party without some major controversies while also being a Marxist that is too theoretically underdeveloped to form a party. You are definitely right when you say that I should at least join one of the parties to get experience (and maybe scout out Marxist-Leninists in them).
I must also add that there should probably also be other red lines that should not be crossed, like supporting Israel (two-state solution or otherwise) or being pro-America (patsocs).
My point is that as long as the principal line of the party is solid, you can tolerate some controversies every now and then. Controversies show that there is still insufficient discipline within the ranks of party cadres, but that is something that can be addressed and fixed with enough pressure from below. Or maybe it can’t and the whole thing falls apart. But again, that is also a learning opportunity. We learn more from failures than we do from success.
Like i said, no party is going to be perfect, especially not in its infancy. Correct ideology is developed through practice and struggle.
If you are still having a hard time making a decision you could try to simplify it for yourself like this: pick three principles you think are most important for a party to fulfil such that you can join and feel like you are doing something good and productive, and see which ones meet that bar. Get in touch with them and ask if you can participate in a meeting or protest or other event of theirs. If you vibe well with the members, ask to join.
Of course you can still criticize the things you see in them that you think are wrong, but don’t let imperfections spoil the whole thing for you.
That is good advice. The main issue is with me and my social anxiety making communication difficult (alongside the fact that I am not sure if I will be able to take care of myself in this awful economy, so joining a party might be adding extra unneeded responsibility that my mind will not handle well). I guess anti-capitalism, anti-Americanism, and anti-imperialism are some of the main principles I should look for in the organizations I could consider joining.
Just adding on to the red lines, any ML org in the US Empire in particular needs a solid and principled analysis of settler-colonialism and decolonization. This is an additional hurdle to socialist organizing in the settler-colonies that can often give rise to patsocs if not addressed.
Hello rabbit! Something happened to your face and ears… did you get turned into sand?
I can’t say what is right for the US and its specific conditions, that is a struggle that US communists need to have. Of course any serious Marxist-Leninist analysis must include a theory of decolonization.
Of course! I just wanted to add an addendum from a Statesian perspective, as that’s a problem many orgs run into here.
what is the worst that could happen if you join an org?
My worry is that I am not sure which organization to join, since the possible options that exist are either placid (CPUSA and DSA), have had their top leadership reportedly covering up sexual assault allegations (FRSO and PSL), or are just trash (ACP).
FRSO and PSL are good. Every effective organization will have such allegations and worse made against them. You should see how they work in real life and approach them in good faith before you assume that what you’ve heard about the most principled communist organizations is true in the most anti-communist country in the world.
I did read from Red Clarion (a Marxist-Leninist newspaper from the Unity-Struggle-Unity press) about the controversies regarding FRSO and PSL, but I still need to do more research into them to determine what group is the best for me. I wonder if they have a presence where I am…
this may 1st is looking to be a huge organizing event, with large coalitions that will certainly include whatever local communist groups that are worth joining, so if you can find one of those that may be a good place to start. and if you’d like help finding the closest PSL branch, feel free to dm me.
I live in Florida for now, but I am planning on moving over to Georgia because of personal reasons. Could you tell me about PSL branches in both states in DMs?
DSA is very decentralized. There are solid branches in some areas, so it really depends what’s closest available to you. PSL is also really solid. I won’t know the details of how an org works before you join. That kind of information is not public. And if you don’t like it you can just leave. It’s not like you are giving your life to it.
There seems to be a Marxist-Leninist caucus in DSA (so they say), which is probably of interest to me. I will also consider PSL. I just need to figure out the monthly dues situation…
