Campus Politics

[Rosa Provokateur]

Started college yesterday and after some consideration, I think it lacks political radicalness. The College Republicans and College Democrats are already organized and I want to provide something that can be a challenge to them both. The YCLUSA does nothing but pander to the Democrats and the RCP has dis-banded it's youth brigades, from what I've read.

I've already contacted the YPSL to see if they do campus work but I'd like to know if there are any groups I can get in touch with that do college work. Doesnt matter if they're Socialist or Communist but they've gotta be serious about making a presence.

Thanks for the help, guys.

[manic expression]

Welcome to college, the Sahara Desert of political activity. Most campuses are devoutly a-political, it's not what we're told when we're applying but that's mostly how it works out in real life. College kids usually don't think or do anything useful unless they know they're being graded on it. Just do whatever you can, and if your campus is anything like mine, get used to doing it by yourself (or with a friend or two, if you're lucky).

By the way, carry out activity (publications, etc.) earlier rather than later. By the time you hit the second month of classes, people have midterms and don't care. By the time you get back from Thanksgiving/Fall break, finals are already a factor and no one cares then, either. Whatever support or participation you can get will best be utilized early in the semester.

[which doctor]

The two leading radical student organization in the US are the SDS (Students for a Democratic Society) and ISO (International Socialist Organization). I can't say I have extensive experience with either, but I know we have members on this board representing both groups who can tell you more. Neither of them are that strong, or even that radical, but what can you really expect working with college leftist groups. Both of these organizations are still running off the momentum of the anti-war/anti-bush movement and that's been dwindling lately. I know the ISO has been turning their attention to the economic crisis most recently and it will be interesting to see if the SDS can jump the anti-war ship before they fade into oblivion like their forefathers.

[Skooma Addict]

I'm heading off to college in about a week. I hope there are more than Republicans and Democrats.

[Lacrimi de Chiciură]

Haha "back to school season." Off to university with me in 2 weeks.

I would suggest organizing early and getting as many political contacts as you can as soon as you get there. Then start getting people to discuss with you and hold meetings/organize actions, etc.

[MarxSchmarx]

In the US (incl. Texas) despite their single issue name United Students Against Sweatshops is OK:
http://www.studentsagainstsweatshops.org/
Although they're focus is globalization-y stuff, do more than sweatshop work and tend to have a wide range of contacts.

[Havet]

College is full of reformists and apoliticals. Its a good starting point to start debating the apoliticals and convincing them, although this is impossible most of the times because they only care about partying and fucking...

[Bud Struggle]

they only care about partying and fucking... Not that there's anything wrong with those things. :D

[Qwerty Dvorak]

Not that there's anything wrong with those things. :D
Nothing wrong with them, but people who don't do anything else tend to be horrifically boring.

[cb9's_unity]

I'm starting college on Saturday. There's a coalition for social reform or something like that at my school, so while in no means is it radical, it may attract a few radicals to it. Also my school will be 30 minutes from Boston where some radical parties reside.

So at worst I can do politics in Boston and then party and fuck at school.

[Rosa Provokateur]

This is what I get for watching all those documentaries on the FSM:crying:

[Delirium]

Its worth going to some of the liberal groups and meeting people there, you will most likely find some radicals like yourself trying to find or create a left group. Environmental groups usually have some dissatisfied members also.

You probably will have to help make one from scrach. I'd suggest trying the sociology/political science department, history, and art departments.

Good luck

[Sarah Palin]

As previously stated by some people here, I think that party alignment in college is a lost cause and that it's better to just join a club for a specific cause. I'm with Amnesty International as well as Students for a Democratic Society. We have done many anti-war protests as well as passed out literature to students and people around the town. Also, check Axis of Justice's website, they list all of the activist groups in any given area.

[Havet]

Nothing wrong with them, but people who don't do anything else tend to be horrifically boring.

It makes me lose my faith in humanity every time i watch them...

[TROTSKY1917PROPHETARMED]

why do students buy che guevara t shirts do they not see the idiocy in this.
Fucking morons.

[Havet]

why do students buy che guevara t shirts do they not see the idiocy in this.
Fucking morons.

Why do primitivists use the internet to spread their message?

Why do anti-statists take advantage of many state programs?

Why do communists buy products of a capitalist?

What is the point in these questions? To show the hypocrisy present in many movements? It could be, but these movements have the option to diminish these actions. To the extent that they can, until a revolution, is an important goal, isn't it?

To the extent that they choose not to then they are worth being criticized.

[Conquer or Die]

Buy a T-shirt of Stalin and wear it often.

[Rosa Provokateur]

Buy a T-shirt of Stalin and wear it often.

Why? Is authoritarianism back in fashion?

[Conquer or Die]

Why? Is authoritarianism back in fashion?

Did it ever go out of fashion?

[1billion]

why do students buy che guevara t shirts do they not see the idiocy in this.
Fucking morons.
I find that funny aswell, but there are some people who are radical for the sake of being radical I guess.

[Ele'ill]

When I was younger and went back to school at a community college I found that they had absolutely NO network for students struggling with housing and their financial aid GPA appeals process was dusty. They literally had no contacts with any organization of any type.

Rather than attempt to create, say, an anarchist collective- I addressed the issue directly and worked with people one on one.

A lot of issues need to be dealt with without the political cape and superhero mask.

[Skooma Addict]

Well, I just started a few days ago. I like my roommate, but it is a little difficult to meet new people. I don't like to party as much as the others, so it is a little uncomfortable I guess. But at least there is an economics club and a philosophy club that might be cool, although i still have to check them out.

And my God, the people here listen to the WORST music.

How does everyone else like it so far?

[Conquer or Die]

And my God, the people here listen to the WORST music.

Hip Hop and Techno are all the kids listen to in college. You're not going to find a serious connoisseur of anything else who isn't a complete douchekind.

[genstrike]

Do you have a student union there, and one that does more than just plan parties and shit (I don't know if you have as big of student unions in the US)?

I've been involved with my student union for a while, and I find it alternatingly fairly good and incredibly frustrating.

[Rosa Provokateur]

Fuck it. I'll just enjoy college and do what I can in the Gay/Straight Alliance.

[1billion]

Started college yesterday and after some consideration, I think it lacks political radicalness. The College Republicans and College Democrats are already organized and I want to provide something that can be a challenge to them both. The YCLUSA does nothing but pander to the Democrats and the RCP has dis-banded it's youth brigades, from what I've read.

I've already contacted the YPSL to see if they do campus work but I'd like to know if there are any groups I can get in touch with that do college work. Doesnt matter if they're Socialist or Communist but they've gotta be serious about making a presence.

Thanks for the help, guys.
yup, college isnt as political as people think

[1billion]

Well, I just started a few days ago. I like my roommate, but it is a little difficult to meet new people. I don't like to party as much as the others, so it is a little uncomfortable I guess. But at least there is an economics club and a philosophy club that might be cool, although i still have to check them out.

And my God, the people here listen to the WORST music.

How does everyone else like it so far?

I like it, while I would like floormates who talk about intelligent stuff I cant complain, they are nice, and partying with them is pretty fun, even though im not a party animal.

[Havet]

Well, I just started a few days ago. I like my roommate, but it is a little difficult to meet new people. I don't like to party as much as the others, so it is a little uncomfortable I guess. But at least there is an economics club and a philosophy club that might be cool, although i still have to check them out.

And my God, the people here listen to the WORST music.

How does everyone else like it so far?

I don't really enjoy college so far, because I dont like the method of teaching: teacher saying shit during 3 hours and then we taking notes. That method is not the best, in my opinion. I already thought it was flawed back in High School, but to encounter it again at University? At least we don't have to ask permission to take a piss now...

I thought it would be a lot more practical and experiment-oriented, leaving room for students to learn most the things by themselves, and leaving the teacher as person to respond to doubts and questions

There's also the whole braindead people at university, that only care about having sex and dancing and going to parties. I don't think there's any good clubs (apart from, maybe, the chess club).

[Rosa Provokateur]

Well, I just started a few days ago. I like my roommate, but it is a little difficult to meet new people. I don't like to party as much as the others, so it is a little uncomfortable I guess. But at least there is an economics club and a philosophy club that might be cool, although i still have to check them out.

And my God, the people here listen to the WORST music.

How does everyone else like it so far?

It's ok I guess. A community/junior college so nobody lives on campus and there are no parties. My theology class is mostly geology, my government teacher is a cynic, and the only Christian group is full of evangelicals stuck on the whole "take back America" thing.

The library is amazing though and I cant complain about the schedule, two classes a day with up to three hours between classes.

I just need to get my crap together and actually show up to them on a regular basis.

[which doctor]

I don't really enjoy college so far, because I dont like the method of teaching: teacher saying shit during 3 hours and then we taking notes. That method is not the best, in my opinion. I already thought it was flawed back in High School, but to encounter it again at University? At least we don't have to ask permission to take a piss now...

I thought it would be a lot more practical and experiment-oriented, leaving room for students to learn most the things by themselves, and leaving the teacher as person to respond to doubts and questions
I'm not sure what class you're in where the teacher says shit for 3 hours, but I've been satisfied with the style of teaching in university. I've been in plenty of huge lecture halls where you just listen to the teacher and take notes, but these are usually science classes where the material is not "shit." You also have to understand these are usually introductory classes and there are lots of students who need to take the course. I've also been in really small classes where student input and discussion is a vital part of the class. These tend to be English/literature classes where the content is a little more open-ended.


There's also the whole braindead people at university, that only care about having sex and dancing and going to parties. I don't think there's any good clubs (apart from, maybe, the chess club).
Nothing wrong with having sex and dancing and going to parties.

[Orange Juche]

Started college yesterday and after some consideration, I think it lacks political radicalness. The College Republicans and College Democrats are already organized and I want to provide something that can be a challenge to them both. The YCLUSA does nothing but pander to the Democrats and the RCP has dis-banded it's youth brigades, from what I've read.

I've already contacted the YPSL to see if they do campus work but I'd like to know if there are any groups I can get in touch with that do college work. Doesnt matter if they're Socialist or Communist but they've gotta be serious about making a presence.

Thanks for the help, guys.

In my personal experience, modern "leftist" campus politics has, for the most part, been reduced to "VOTE OBAMA! CHANGE! HOPE! YAY DEMOCRATS!"

Blah.

[manic expression]

Nothing wrong with having sex and dancing and going to parties.

As if college kids could dance! :lol::lol::lol::lol:

But yeah, nothing wrong with any of those things, as long as you do them right. Come correct with the dance and the romance or don't come at all.

[Schrödinger's Cat]

Three hours of class? Are we talking weekly?

[Dooga Aetrus Blackrazor]

Try to write philosophy or political science essays from a leftist slant. If you make a statement like, "most people know communism is impossible," they might let it slide. If you say, "workers are exploited by the capitalist system" you have to justify it like it's some sort of statement of "opinion."

Have of my essays end up being my attempts to reword the works of famous theorists because the system of justification requires I make my points "agreeable" before moving on to larger arguments.

I'd love to write essays where I take communist ideals for granted and build off of them. Unfortunately, it's very unrealistic. We argued for and against the merits of voting in a class. Everyone took it for granted that voting "had" to be just despite the clearly superior arguments made against its merits.

University is full of mainstream dogmatism. You avoid Christianity for the most part, but the new dogmatism is classical liberalism. At least Rawls brings some new ideas to the table. I'm so sick of John Stuart Mill's On Liberty, Locke's defense of property rights, and the study of Marx that involves praising his views on alienation while simultaneously rejecting the merits of his communist philosophies. Seriously, every class on Marx turns into how we can reform our current system to deal with the problems Marx reveals on capitalist systems. Really, you're just going to ignore the entire point of Marx's work?

Modern academic institutions have turned Marxism into an ideology relevant only with respect to reforms, and anarchism is tossed aside as simply not worth mentioning. I've only ever read Nozick, a moderate libertarian, as someone who argues against statism (excluding Marx).

I've never read a single anarchist author in 3 years of university courses. I believe I only had one academic textbook that had anarchism featured at all. And this is supposedly the choices of liberal, open-minded academics.

Marxists and communists rightly complain about their ideology being thrust into the sidelines. Anarchism has it far worse. Chomsky isn't much hope. I think Bakunin is a classic example of an overlooked philosopher. He arguably predicted the fall of the soviet union and has theoretical undertones that often go overlooked.

[Havet]

Three hours of class? Are we talking weekly?

Yes, one class I had is usually once a week. But most classes are 1.30h - 2 h...

[Havet]

I'm not sure what class you're in where the teacher says shit for 3 hours, but I've been satisfied with the style of teaching in university. I've been in plenty of huge lecture halls where you just listen to the teacher and take notes, but these are usually science classes where the material is not "shit." You also have to understand these are usually introductory classes and there are lots of students who need to take the course. I've also been in really small classes where student input and discussion is a vital part of the class. These tend to be English/literature classes where the content is a little more open-ended.

Yes I understand they are introductory classes, but they largely teach material that won't be relevant to my course (which is environmental engineering btw). Specific stuff like some types of mathmatical knowledge, programming knowledge, drawing knowledge, etc. And I can see how some of this has to not be relevant because all other courses have the same kind of classes in the first 3 years.

When I say i'm dissatistfied, its because I expected it to be a kind of teaching that would give more autonomy to the student and more room for invention, imagination, exploration, etc, and relied on the teachers to explain possible doubts and to orient students with more difficulties.


Nothing wrong with having sex and dancing and going to parties.

Well of course not, except that's the only things these people think about the whole time, even if they do not admit it. Most of them don't care about politics, or philosophy, or reason or logic, everything to them is just an opnion, so they can never be proven wrong.

[Kronos]

Some footage of a confrontation I had with a Harvard student at a bar, years ago.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4PiVMasO6s

He dropped a hundred and fifty grand on a fuckin education he could've got for a dollar-fifty and late charges at the public library.

[Havet]

Some footage of a confrontation I had with a Harvard student at a bar, years ago.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4PiVMasO6s

He dropped a hundred and fifty grand on a fuckin education he could've got for a dollar-fifty and late charges at the public library.

awesome clip