How to utilise my potential as a revolutionary.

[Broletariat]

Basically I'm feeling entirely frustrated like there's nothing I can do to help our cause out. There are no groups local to me, and even if there were, I'd have to put it past my parents to at least have them give me a ride (I'm 17 and have no license/car). I speak out openly in my classes at school concerning relevant issues and I've even converted a few people. But after the conversion.. what now. I just feel like I get people to agree with me, okay yea gotta decommission capitalism and eventually the State... how do we do that again? I just don't know what to do now and I'm feeling largely frustrated and restricted by my parents due to the fact that they're both incredibly right-leaning so they wouldn't exactly support anything I would want to do. I'm also probably getting a job at a local Wendy's, how could I make a difference there? All of my efforts just seem to have abstract results of making people more sympathetic which I can't see as productive.

[Q]

Be active, patient and open to learn. Try to organise workers wherever they are, if they can have a sense that together they stand stronger you have done a superb job.

We're in it to organise the class, not organise one small group that is living in their own bubble and try to just recruit more to their group. Joining a group only really has sense if you can answer the question "does it have value for me to be a part of this group? Can they help me in my understanding or in my activity to organise workers?" in a positive sense.

I hope this helps.

[Lenina Rosenweg]

If you're in an isolated area, with no transportation, and right wing parents, there may be limits to what you can do right now. Some things you can do now

Learn and read as much as you can. There's a lot of material online. Find left blogs you like-Counterpunch, World Socialist Website, Democracy Now, etc. and keep up with them.

Find an area or issue that you resonate with you-immigrant rights, US sponsored devastation of Haiti, lgbt rights, the list can be endless. Research a topic well and then write an article on. it Many revolutionary left organizations, regardless of tendency, would appreciate someone taking the time to write a well article from a left perspective.

You could try to organize something in your high school. If there's a student union, even if its very lame and limited to organizing the junior prom, you may have an opportunity for an intervention..

If you work at Wendy's, my organization puts out the "Manifesto of the Fast Food Worker" about organizing in fast food places.

http://www.socialistalternative.org/publications/fastfood/

The IWW might also be able to give you advice on this, if you're interested.

I understand it can frustrating having to wait. Try to develop yourself as much as you can for the next few years. The class struggle will certainly still be here when you're 21. As Q said, its best to join an organization as a way to develop your own activism, not the other way around.

[Absolut]

You could try to organize something in your high school. If there's a student union, even if its very lame and limited to organizing the junior prom, you may have an opportunity for an intervention..

Im not really sure how the system works in the USA, but I think theres quite a few things you can do at your school, especially if you have a few comrades, as you said, to help you. Always a good suggestion, as other people have said, is to educate yourself and write articles on stuff that interests you from a leftist perspective. More concretely, you could start some kind of a club in your school, where you can discuss problems that concern and affect you. In my experience, you can probably get hold of some empty room in your school that you can use, but the circumstances may vary between the USA and Sweden. You could get a group of people and watch leftist movies, of which there are quite a few good ones out there, and then discuss them and share your impressions of the movie. If you cant do this at school, try and see if you can occupy someones living room for an hour or two.

[DaringMehring]

My own experience is, don't waste too much time caring about political questions like line towards Venezuela, etc. all that bullshit platformism is just people trying to tell workers what to think, like any other talking head, not playing a part in the self-development of workers class consciousness. Ultimately its pointless. What matters is organizing militant workers and in my experience to succeed in this, which is very hard, you need to be focused on the immediate class struggle that is directly effecting them. Not on some crap about Mumia that they don't know about or want to know about.

Concentrate on expanding your knowledge of theory.

Work on talking to your friends and trying to build up a group of close co-thinkers.

Try to get in contact with workers, but don't come in like a struggle-vulture trying to tell them what to do in whatever battles they're fighting. Instead let the workers lead, and observe and learn their instincts and ways of expressing themselves. This knowledge is the basis of revolutionary organizing.

If you follow these steps, then eventually you'll be a skilled, veteran organizer with the ability to actually exert influence in the class struggle.

It's a painful road, in my experience, but a rewarding one in the end.

[MarxSchmarx]

Those doubts you have TWI never really go away. Ultimately you have to organize not for the sake of a clear conscience but what will actively and actually advance the class struggle. Don't rush to join some organization just for the sake of it. Obviously learning all you can is important, not only about leftist history and theory but about the politics of your co-workers at Wendys, and how to speak to them effectively about organizing. And learn how a capitalist business is really run - it will serve you well going forward. You seem to have learned something about how to speak to fellow students about the movement, believe me that is a real step in the right direction. But at this stage I'd encourage you to just absorb as much as you can both here and elsewhere, and try to come to your own understanding about how capitalism works, and what you'd like to see at least in the early to mid stages of socialism. Based on that, you can come to formulate a plan of action.

[Jazzhands]

I feel your pain, comrade. 16, same situation. Except you're probably not known for having the nickname "Creepy Mike," are you? :blushing: This makes it harder for me to do anything, let alone identify my friends with the thing we spent a good 50 years fighting against in my country.

Anyway, never think for a single second that gaining sympathy is unnecessary. SYMPATHY from the Internationals is what allowed Spain to hold out for another year against fascism. SYMPATHY is what got John Reed to write "Ten Days That Shook the World" which probably converted countless Americans. SYMPATHY is what will ultimately drive the world after the revolution.

Keep it strong.

[Q]

Anyway, never think for a single second that gaining sympathy is unnecessary. SYMPATHY from the Internationals is what allowed Spain to hold out for another year against fascism. SYMPATHY is what got John Reed to write "Ten Days That Shook the World" which probably converted countless Americans. SYMPATHY is what will ultimately drive the world after the revolution.
I don't you mean sympathy, but solidarity.

[scotchwallace]

Why don't you produce a revolutionary leaflet and pass it out to students as they come to school. If you get a few students together, you might even be able to start a socialist club, or at least try. Even if they don't let you start a club, you could make a few waves, maybe even get a little media coverage. You might give a socialist education to a few of your teachers while you're at it.