dangerous to be a leftist/communist.

[mannetje]

I'm not sure if this thread belongs in learning or chitchat. but i post it on learning.
I'm curious about how dangerous it could be to be a lefty/communist in america. What happens if your openly promote communism. I know how paranoid the american state is about communism. but are y if Iou maybe in danger that one of the many secret agency's is watching all your moves.
Or die you have to fear violence from rightwing-bastards.
I'm a leftwing-sympathisant i'm in the learning stage about it. but in my environment if i talk about my leftist preference, I feel that people don't take me serious and that I'm some kind of tree hippie. But I'm don't have the feeling that i have to fear here what people gonna do to me because of my opinion. but i noticed that in dutch rightwing versus leftwing demonstrations that the lefty's always getting arrested and beaten up by the pigs. But i thinkt that if i was a leftist in america i would be very cautious about expressing my leftistfeelings.

[☭World Views]

By America do you mean the United States?

If all you do is discuss communist theory you shouldn't get in trouble. You'll have to be more specific on what you mean by "openly promoting communism". I don't think official communist clubs in schools would sit very well, and would probably be highly monitored.

I don't think right wingers would attack you unless you interrupt their activities.

There is no question that the NSA might be monitoring your online activities.

Unless you are planning a tactical operation against a factory or trying to incite violence among workers I don't think you will be arrested.

[mannetje]

By America do you mean the United States?

If all you do is discuss communist theory you shouldn't get in trouble. You'll have to be more specific on what you mean by "openly promoting communism". I don't think official communist clubs in schools would sit very well, and would probably be highly monitored.

I don't think right wingers would attack you unless you interrupt their activities.

There is no question that the NSA might be monitoring your online activities.

Unless you are planning a tactical operation against a factory or trying to incite violence among workers I don't think you will be arrested.

by example being very active openly with spreading the communistic propaganda and always going to demonstrations and I thougt that you'll get noticed by "big brother" and that you get a 'red mark' behind your name. and that the authorities will treat you different from other people who do live according to what their nation wants from them. to say it short aren't you afraid to be treated unequaly a results for your way of thinking?

[Q]

The state does watch us. Does this mean we should be terrified and organise in an underground fashion? Not in general. The west does allow some extent of political freedom in which we can operate. The US, despite their "anti-terrorism" laws of the past decade would still be among those.

In the end our only strength is numbers: the stronger the workers movement is, the weaker the state is.

[rebelmouse]

how much the state is dirty, you can read in book "Strike!" in which is described fight of workers in USA in last 150 years. but you should learn from it, not to be afraid from it.
book review: http://www.nefac.net/node/1255
book (pdf):
http://books.google.dk/books?id=uoCNcKLzM_sC&dq=Strike!+%28Brecher%29&printsec=frontcover&source=bl&ots=lqEWCJ8C-Q&sig=5gyjb5FQ92AbwIZ-qbR7S0Wo1KY&hl=da&ei=QguxSo55ien5BoaguLMG&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1#v=onepage&q=&f=false

[Robocommie]

In the US, your life isn't really in danger, though if you make a name for yourself you can expect your very own FBI dossier, you may be put on some government lists and perhaps get your very own wiretap! Of course, you'll never know about any of this, probably.

But if you're a labor activist and you actually get involved in fucking with Capital, they might actually shoot you and bury you in a ditch. Look at Karen Silkwood. Capital doesn't like it when you fuck with their money.

Course, that's true everywhere.

As far as private citizens go, most Americans tend to say the same, "Communism is a nice idea on paper, but it just doesn't work in reality!" They mostly say the same thing because they're mostly told the same thing, and most people are satisfied by that and don't look much deeper into it. Most people dismiss Commies in the US as naive idealists. Conservatives regard them with a more extreme version of the contempt they hold for liberals. Nazis and Klansmen just might try and stomp your ass.