culture of individualism that 'empowers' workers.

[R_P_A_S]

I want you guys to tell me what are some elements and set beliefs working class people have acquired throughout the years that prevents them from being open to marxist, anarchist or any other working class politics that can give them class and social consciousness.

From personal experience, most people are not keen to over loads of information deriving from any socialist or communist theory, facts, examples and whatever else is out there.

The main form of resistance I get from people is their pride to be "individuals". "I work hard!" there's no we.. it's just me.

It's hard for me to transition from that staunch opposition to issues like.. why workers are told to be individuals and how the capitalist system works for bosses and the upper class if we keep believing that we can all be wealthy and climb the pyramid if "I" work hard and don't depend an any "help". etc.

I know that in America at the whole notion of the "American Dream" is the propaganda that drives people into believing that they all have a shot at it. There for dismissing any possibility of banding together and challenging the current system and it's discrepancies.

Do you guys feel that this culture of Individualism is the biggest obstacle in reaching working class people?

[ed miliband]

I started out with the viewpoint (I'm not American though), and then I realised that no matter how hard I work I will still be working for somebody else. I don't see how one can truely be an individual when they must sell their labour in order to survive, and in this sense I think communism allows the individual to be properly realised.

That said, I don't like the idea that their is a choice between "individualist" capitalism and "collectivist" socialism, firstly because of the reason outlined above (capitalism doesn't really allow people to be individuals), but also because I think socialism goes beyond this vague egoistic / altruistic or individual / collective divide. I like this quote:


when we think about co-operation. . . we tend to associate the concept with fuzzy-minded idealism. . . This may result from confusing co-operation with altruism. . . Structural co-operation defies the usual egoism/altruism dichotomy. It sets things up so that by helping you I am helping myself at the same time. Even if my motive initially may have been selfish, our fates now are linked. We sink or swim together. Co-operation is a shrewd and highly successful strategy - a pragmatic choice that gets things done at work and at school even more effectively than competition does. . . There is also good evidence that co-operation is more conductive to psychological health and to liking one another."

It isn't 100% apt but I think it sort of applies.

Ultimately though, whatever ideas people have right now cannot dominate material conditions can it? Like this capitalist individualism shit only lasts so long as one has a job and is living relatively comfortably.

[Across The Street]

R_P_A_S: "Do you guys feel that this culture of Individualism is the biggest obstacle in reaching working class people?"

I think the main problem with the modern world is a lack of education, and I don't mean in a classroom setting, education begins with a conscious decision to teach oneself and others. If people don't even want to crack open a book and read, how are they going to be exposed to ideas that don't fit in to the whole culture of individualistic domination and capital accumulation? How will we debate amongst each other about the changes that need to take place? In most respects we need people who think for themselves, even though there needs to be common mutually agreed upon basics for the foundation of any kind of changes to take place, and this begins with education. But you may be right, individualism seems to be pervading everything, from the propaganda some call music that the radios blast, to the treatment of anyone who speaks out about injustices and negative aspects of american society, to the struggle for survival on an individual basis that we all experience everyday, even when we have jobs. I think it boils down to most people barely even being able to support their own families, let alone worry much about their brothers and sisters in the same situation. I don't know how to bridge this divide, maybe I'm not trying hard enough to reach people, maybe we just have so much indoctrination and propaganda in our minds that it will take a very long time to undo the damage.