Any tips on opening conversations without alienating people?

[Rusty Shackleford]

Well, im pretty green to the red movement :lol:
but in all seriousness ive had no chance to really talk to people about politics and im not too articulate when it comes to speaking. The only people ive talked to are my few friends some who are like "cool, but im just a liberal." or with my other friends (one who is somewhat far right and i wouldnt doubt a tad bit authoritarian) i try to explain to the best of my ability but i usually get the whole Human Nature crap.


i dont know how to defeat this question and is the major problem i have with trying to debate.

i just started college this week and and i read that thread in OI but there is not a place to get help like this.
I saw a kid with a wristband with an Anarchy A which i was really tempted to bring it up but i didnt know where i wanted to go with the conversation.

Also, if i do end up talking to people (just friends as of now) i tend to be a bit blunt in how i put things, and they may sound a bit extreme and that is my second issue.

my third issue is i have not really found a tendency that fits me well. im floating between Marxism(Marx and Lenin being the only ones ive read so far) and Anarcho-Syndicalism. so, this wishy-washy state of my arguments tend to back on themselves and fuck up my arguments.

Now, my question is... does anyone have any pointers on talking with people about general leftist subjects? like anti-capitalism/fascism and pro workers unionization and general revolutionary subjects?

[Comrade Ian]

As a Socialist on campus my leftist outreach mostly falls into two tracks, people who I'm involved with in movements on campus (Anti-War, Budget Cuts, Palestinian Solidarity and so forth) who I talk to and bring out marxist politics and marxist analysis of the situation (It helps to be a sort of model member, using your theoretical knowledge to articulate and push forward the politics of the group and staunchly stand for independent political action (no lobbying for Democrats) and group democracy. If you demonstrate through your actions and through your words that you have the best grasp of the situation and where the movement needs to go people will be attracted and open to your politics based simply out of respect for you and your activism.

The second category are basically strangers, who I talk to either while handing out leaflets, fliers for events or (and this is particularly helpful) when I'm out with the rest of my International Socialist Organization branch selling a newspaper like Socialist Worker. This is where it's particularly helpful to be part of a strong, organized Socialist group because I can point to a paper which has had contributions from people like Howard Zinn and Mike Davis that campus leftists may be interested in, and engage them in a conversation about what kind of politics and organization we need. If they're willing to get a copy of a newspaper with a name like Socialist Worker then that's a pretty strong statement of their politics and their willingness to hear out Marxist arguments.

It will be a bit harder for you as an individual especially when you don't have your political views completely sorted out, but it can be done. I'd recommend you look up a book by Barry Shepard: The Party Volume 1, which is available at his website for free as a pdf. While I don't agree with everything the Socialist Workers Party had in theory and practice I did find reading it to be a helpful experience for giving me ideas about diffirent things you can do to organize on campus. If they're aren't any socialist groups on campus or in the area already then I would highly recommend you start something like a Marxist study group or an Independent Socialist Club, make fliers for meetings and post it up around campus and on websites like indymedia. And hey, if you're interested I'd definitely recommend checking out the website for Socialist Worker (SocialistWorker.org) and if you agree with those sorts of politics the ISO has a lot of experience starting chapters on campus.

[willdw79]

It is difficult to spread ideas if you are not familiar with them. Probably there are groups around you that you could meet with. I am partial to Progressive Labor Party http://progressivelabor.890m.com/index.php/publications/36-pamphlets (Why We Fight for Communism is a good start). But any communist or anarchist organization should be able to help you with your understanding. Even if they are wrong, you can still learn from them. One major thing is to keep an open mind. After you read anything try to think it through a few times so that you can form new ideas sufficiently before trying to explain them.

Have lots of conversations with political people, even if they disagree with you, they will help you form a coherent and defensible set of positions on issues. I think like with most other things, the more you practice, the more comfortable you will feel about talking to people about it.

Make sure that all of the "truths" that you learn from different sources are provisional. Meaning keep collecting information and let your opinions change with new information if evidence and analysis leads them there. Don't fear making mistakes, but try to be careful to be thoughtful. Many experienced revolutionaries are afraid to say "I don't know" and that leads down a slippery slope.

The main thing is to continuously read a variety of writings, pursue your thoughts, and converse with all types (except fascists- punch them in the teeth), and stay dynamic.

[Organic Revolution]

Its easy. Speak in a very clear, concise, accesible manner. Ask them what they view the problems to be and go from there. If youplan on opening up your conversations with boring marxist jargin to show everyone how large of an intellectual giant you are, you are planning on not being an organizer. Maybe those tactics fly at protests, where you are gaining your 'street cred' but when trying to organize within the working class and oppresed communities they certainly do not want to hear some white boy (sorry to assume your 'race') telling them whats up, or trying to explain such simple concepts with such outlandish terms as "Dialectical Materialism".

It is very important to speak the language of your community, but before you can do that, you need to know who your community is. So do some self reflection and go from there.

[Sugar Hill Kevis]

One tip I'll give you is don't let the first thing that comes out of your mouth be politics. You're just starting college, so you're obviously meeting people for the first time, making friends. That's pretty important. You don't want to get classified as that kid;)

Also, are there any leftist groups active at your university? You should get involved if there are.

That aside, everything OR said.

[Rusty Shackleford]

Thank you all. and i do tend to get political when im with my friends. and yeah its ok to assume my race. and i understand the connotation what "white boy talking politics" gives off...

as for leftism at my college. it seems dead. utterly and completely dead. i decided to register to vote (utilize the power i can potentially have) and to do so, the only place i could find was a booth to join the god damn republican party. but i stated i was in no party and proceeded to register to vote without any party affiliation. and today i even saw a student wearing a shirt that said "Capitalist" and a kid who wore a shirt that said "communists have no class" and sadly i was a bit excited to see a shirt with marx on it. but i read it and sighed.

Also, i have a potential problem. the russian/ukrainian population in my area is very high. and most of them are from families that left russia because of the soviet union(causing a knee-jerk reaction to the word communism). i saw a person wearing a CCCP shirt with the emblem and proceeded to ask him his political views. turns out he didn't know what i was talking about and said he was just a member of the last generation to be born in USSR.

For now i will take the advice of not using jargon and being ultrarpolitical.

club day is coming up within the next week, so i might look into the politics club. im very nervous about it though because i have very little organization experience and im going to be going head on against people who have years of political experience.

[Sugar Hill Kevis]

club day is coming up within the next week, so i might look into the politics club. im very nervous about it though because i have very little organization experience and im going to be going head on against people who have years of political experience.

If there's no apparent communist/anarchist (whichever you end up digging) organisations, try finding a palestinian solidarity or anti war group. You might be able to find sympathetic people there. They might also be involved with a leftwing group who operate off campus/in the city.