Losing your mind? Or just me?

[BrokenHeart]

I've been actively studying/participating in the radical scene for a long time now and honestly everything just seems to fucking useless.


Is anybody else losing their mind, or is it just me?


There are no options, no real availability to truly stunt any systematic practice or corporate growth. I feel that were chess beneath a much more taller group playing chess.

I dream of chances, of structured protest, or punching police in riot gear.
Where's the opening? In the U.S. the state never quotes direct disagreeance with federal in proposed bills, and without just one mistake there can be no chance, no organization, if even for a day.

Sitting with cigarretes and 15 beers does nothing to make these thoughts go away anymore.

How is it that we just disagree with one another, blame theoretical thoughts and shun ideological newcomers?
What the fuck is the point if the structure is of concrete and solidified by everything that we thought we held?


Losing my mind.
You?

[Invincible Summer]

Losing my mind for the past year

[Spawn of Stalin]

I'm definitely losing my mind but probably for different reasons

[bcbm]

we're definitely all fucked and most of our actions will probably amount to shit but it isn't like there is anything better to do.

[ÑóẊîöʼn]

Even if the world is going to Hell in a handbasket, I don't see the point of sinking into a pit of misery. That's just unpleasant.

[Il Medico]

Even if the world is going to Hell in a handbasket, I don't see the point of sinking into a pit of misery. That's just unpleasant.
Indeed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3o0ExGXfs2o

[Blake's Baby]

Sometimes it's hard not to though. I know there have been times when I've looked at the state of the world and thought, no, it's too little too late, we're going to lose and it's going to be horrible. That sort of attitude can lead to self-destructive hedonism or self-destructive pessimism.

At the moment, however, I'm rather of the opinion that things are moving our way. There seem to be more strikes about than at any time since the 1980s. The economic crisis is I believe causing many more people to question the fundamentals of society, and I'm hopeful that extended class consciousness will be the result. And, I hope, socialist organisations will be able to rise to this challenge, but if they can't I think they'll be swept away by history. Some may not make the grade, but some will be able to 'raise their game'.

So I'd say, if you can BrokenHeart, hang on; internationally, things are looking up and you may detect glimmers that point in the right direction. Even if you can't see the glimmers where you are, studying the big picture might make you hopeful. Big strike waves in Greece, Turkey and Spain, strikes in Russia and China, India, Bangladesh and Iran, and even strikes in the USA all point to the working class becoming more militant. Try to stay focussed on what the working class is doing to combat the global crisis.

And if you can't... I hope you get your head together and find some inner calm.

All the best.

[Invincible Summer]

we're definitely all fucked and most of our actions will probably amount to shit but it isn't like there is anything better to do.
:lol: Couldn't have put it better

[Jimmie Higgins]

It's a long climb for us and it's frustrating to know how things could be but then have to go to work everyday; to have to listen to casual racism/sexism/homophobia from fellow workers; to have to accept your bosses belief that they can get away with pushing people around since unions and working class confidence are low; to see in the media a pro-business warmonger like Obama regularly called "too liberal" or even "socialist".

Reading history is a comfort for me: reading how things have been different, how situations and the balance of forces in the class war have shifted dramatically and quickly. Being in an organization helps too because I can talk through momentary frustration with people dealing with the same shit (hopefully we on RevLeft can do this for eachother too). Being in an organization also allows me to be involved in one struggle at the ground (which can be rewarding or frustrating - or both at once), but if that movement becomes demoralized I also can celebrate the victories of my comrades working on other campaigns.

Basically I think the key is having perspective. Know that we are in a long fight and that the people we win over will be in the handfuls in all times other than the occasional great upsurges that happen. Radicalism always comes in explosions in the US with big periods of retreat in-between. In the US, radicalism has always been like a pot boiling over - if you watch and anticipate it too closely, it seems like the boil will never happen.

It can be overwhelming if you thing about how much things need to change. IMO look at what is immediate and can be influenced while always making sure these immediate tasks are helping put you in the right direction for influencing the big changes in the future.

[piet11111]

No its not just you i too think you are losing your mind :tt2:

[Q]

I've been actively studying/participating in the radical scene for a long time now and honestly everything just seems to fucking useless.


Is anybody else losing their mind, or is it just me?


There are no options, no real availability to truly stunt any systematic practice or corporate growth. I feel that were chess beneath a much more taller group playing chess.

I dream of chances, of structured protest, or punching police in riot gear.
Where's the opening? In the U.S. the state never quotes direct disagreeance with federal in proposed bills, and without just one mistake there can be no chance, no organization, if even for a day.

Sitting with cigarretes and 15 beers does nothing to make these thoughts go away anymore.

How is it that we just disagree with one another, blame theoretical thoughts and shun ideological newcomers?
What the fuck is the point if the structure is of concrete and solidified by everything that we thought we held?


Losing my mind.
You?

It just goes to show that having chances, structured protests or beating up cops isn't actually a method for building our movement. We need less spontaneism and more long term political mass party-movement builders, with its own cultural institutions run by workers and aimed at building the class as an entity in and for itself.

The mass strike is dead, long live the party!

[leftace53]

I have no mind left to lose.

[praxis1966]

My thoughts on the matter...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGXdXcpNsv4

[ContrarianLemming]

I've been actively studying/participating in the radical scene for a long time now and honestly everything just seems to fucking useless.


Is anybody else losing their mind, or is it just me?


There are no options, no real availability to truly stunt any systematic practice or corporate growth. I feel that were chess beneath a much more taller group playing chess.

I dream of chances, of structured protest, or punching police in riot gear.
Where's the opening? In the U.S. the state never quotes direct disagreeance with federal in proposed bills, and without just one mistake there can be no chance, no organization, if even for a day.

Sitting with cigarretes and 15 beers does nothing to make these thoughts go away anymore.

How is it that we just disagree with one another, blame theoretical thoughts and shun ideological newcomers?
What the fuck is the point if the structure is of concrete and solidified by everything that we thought we held?


Losing my mind.
You?

Did you think it would be easy to save the world?

[Stand Your Ground]

This world is what drove me to the left wing nutcase I am. :bored:

[Spawn of Stalin]

It's pretty easy to find something to keep you sane. I spend most of my time reading comics and listening to Lady Gaga. Smoke a bunch of cigarettes and listen to Eminem's 'I Just Don't Give a Fuck' on repeat for a few days straight and there's a good chance you'll feel better.

[praxis1966]

It's pretty easy to find something to keep you sane. I spend most of my time reading comics and listening to Lady Gaga. Smoke a bunch of cigarettes and listen to Eminem's 'I Just Don't Give a Fuck' on repeat for a few days straight and there's a good chance you'll feel better.

If I had to listen to Lady Gaga and Eminem for a few days straight I'm pretty sure that would drive me right up the bell tower.:p

[Walt]

I feel that I should visit a country that is in the process of developing a socialist government and get involved in anyway possible, perhaps moving up through the ranks, and who knows, possibly become the head of the American embassy within the country.

I can dream, right? :laugh:

[9]

It's pretty easy to find something to keep you sane. I spend most of my time reading comics and listening to Lady Gaga. Smoke a bunch of cigarettes and listen to Eminem's 'I Just Don't Give a Fuck' on repeat for a few days straight and there's a good chance you'll feel better.

For some reason, I find it virtually impossible to visualize a Stalinist listening to Lady Gaga.

[Dimentio]

In one hundred years, capitalism will be gone.

The world will either be a paradise or a hell.

I believe that capitalism will lose all its prevailing "legitimacy" between the period of 2030 and 2050. I also believe that even some politicians and capitalists will see that HM/s Earth is moving toward an iceberg and will join the progressive forces before its too late.

In short, the future is - despite everything - bright.

[Os Cangaceiros]

OP: Stop being, as my grandfather would say, a "whiny peehole".

You think you've got it bad? Imagine being an activist in the mid-90's before you start *****in'. The biggest thing people had on their mind's back then (at least in the USA) was OJ Simpson and the president getting a BJ from an intern and then lying about it.

Today we have 10% unemployment (which is actually higher (http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/learn-how-to-invest/The-real-unemployment-rate.aspx) than that; some economists even put it in the 20th percentile), a massive crisis of capitalism that's spreading on a global scale, an environmental catastrophe in on the Gulf Coast, two wars and expanding military fronts, and some (http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/general_politics/february_2010/only_21_say_u_s_government_has_consent_of_the_gove rned) interesting (http://www.gallup.com/poll/125645/socialism-viewed-positively-americans.aspx) changes of opinion. I actually consider myself lucky to be alive and conscious at this point in time, as I think history is progressing rapidly and in very interesting ways.

So, to re-iterate: quitcha *****in'.

[GPDP]

Only time I feel like I'm losing my mind is when I hear people who think everything is more or less fine. Mostly those damn annoying bleeding-heart Obama-supporting liberals. At least the loony right-wing Tea Partiers are fun for a laugh. The liberals just make me want to throw myself off a cliff.

[black magick hustla]

one of my uncles was tortured by the state and one of my step cousins was tortured by the state too. i cant whine about my situation right now, id rather have this than mr. good cop and mir. bad cop surgically removing my nails

[Admiral Swagmeister G-Funk]

What a lame thread. "Wah-fucking-wah, nothing good will come of this, we're just wasting our time.". "Yeah, but its something to do."

I can't believe this nihilistic bullshit, stop wallowing in self-pity!

[9]

meh, I don't think its helpful to be pricks. Things could always be worse, it doesn't mean any negative feeling about the present is invalid and you should shut up about it. It's like when you ***** about your job and somebody tells you how you should just be thankful you're not a sweatshop worker in the thirdworld - I hate people that say shit like that.

[CountryKid]

Meh

[#FF0000]

words

I know what you mean and we've all felt burnt out and despondent over the state of things at least once.

Thing is, as useless as the things we do may seem, doing nothing is worthless without a doubt.

Even if it's all futile and we can't stop capitalism and the world burns and all that, it's much better to go out struggling anyway.

(This reminds me of a baller passage from Notes From Underground.)

[Blake's Baby]

Yup, I think that kinda sums it up.

It is hard; and it might not work; but the alternative is worse. Keep your revolutionary pecker up, or some other inappropriately jolly phrase.

[Kirien]

I remember one of my first days on RevLeft, someone said in a post, 'it is better to fight for what you want and not get it, than to fight for what you don't want and get it'. It's definitely influenced me in spite of my usual cynicism.

We either struggle against capitalism or submit to it obediently. Regardless of whether we are successful in the long run, I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I suddenly decided to accept everything about this world that I've despised for as far back as I can remember.

If the destination is yet too obscure, then focus on the journey. Every one person we bring awareness to is an achievement. Every time we continue to broaden our horizons and knowledge. Many internal struggles will be conducted - within oneself, between comrades, etc - before being fully ready to take on the 'enemy' in the outside world. These should be seen and treated as opportunities for valuable growth, it's just that we forget to, too often.

Our movement is kept alive by us - and in a time where we are so few and far in between, each one of us does make a difference. I suppose this is to myself as well; don't lose heart.

[Tyrlop]

geh its not like we're going to save the world :rolleyes: is it?

[praxis1966]

I know what you mean and we've all felt burnt out and despondent over the state of things at least once.

Thing is, as useless as the things we do may seem, doing nothing is worthless without a doubt.

Even if it's all futile and we can't stop capitalism and the world burns and all that, it's much better to go out struggling anyway.

(This reminds me of a baller passage from Notes From Underground.)

Good points, and they remind me of a conversation I had whilst working in a liquor store. One of my customers was buying lottery tickets, and he was telling me about a conversation that he had with another cashier. "So she says to me, 'Do you know what the odds of winning are if you buy those things?' So I say to her, 'Do you know what my odds of winning are if I don't?'"