Advice on how to promote Communist views effectively without being pushy

[Engel]

I know of a few people in my area that definitely have socialist tendencies but only have the view of Communism as presented by the US government in history text books. I'd like to share with them the true nature of Marxism in hopes of drawing them over to the cause but how can one do this without being pushy or overbearing? I don't want to come across as the left-wing equivalent of the Tea Party, which is to say overbearing and abrasive, but at the same time want to clearly articulate what we believe. How should I do this? :confused:

:hammersickle: :che: :star2:

[Decommissioner]

I know of a few people in my area that definitely have socialist tendencies but only have the view of Communism as presented by the US government in history text books. I'd like to share with them the true nature of Marxism in hopes of drawing them over to the cause but how can one do this without being pushy or overbearing? I don't want to come across as the left-wing equivalent of the Tea Party, which is to say overbearing and abrasive, but at the same time want to clearly articulate what we believe. How should I do this? :confused:

:hammersickle: :che: :star2:

Depends on the person and situation.

I find myself converting everyone I know to socialism through osmosis. I do not present myself as "that socialist guy" and I do not wear it on my sleeve, though I do not hide that I am a socialist and anyone who gets to know me will be aware of that. This approach works for me because it's a non-approach...that is I do not wake up every day thinking "how can I further spread socialism to people?" but I do wake up every day thinking how the world can be made better, but I keep to myself when appropriate. It seems people I know get enough snippets here and there of my socialistic opinions, and since they see I am a normal, well adjusted person that isn't zealously foaming at the mouth, they actually take my opinions seriously and eventually adopt them as their own.

Basically, learn when and when not to step up on your soapbox. In the right setting (political rallies, when the subject is brought up, during a political debate etc etc), you'll have everyones attention and debate can established, but in a lot of settings people will look at you like you have you should be wearing tinfoil on your head.

[TheGodlessUtopian]

I would say just casual conversation about history and the means of production.

[Geiseric]

Don't debate, inform. Always make the arguement yours and have them defending. Bring things up like the bengal famine of 1943. be a prick, who cares? real politics have nothing to do with morality, it has to do with what will advance the human race.

[Geiseric]

Make your arguements have substance though, you can't be attacking unless you know really what you're talking about. Basically, don't give them the time of day unless you're actually wrong on something. Compromise is a vanity though, if you want to persuade people you need to not give any ground, you need to let them think that everything you say is truth, and that what the other person says is a lie. There is only one right answer to capitalism.

[Rusty Shackleford]

struggle.

[Dunk]

I want so badly to make a joke about proselytizing and prole-lytizing but every one I come up with is painful to read.

[Nox]

My usual tactic at reeling people is presenting 'unusual' (communist) arguments in my history or business classes at college, people gradually get more and more interested in my 'strange' (communist) way of thinking so eventually they ask, and I explain it.

Piece of advice: Don't mention the word communist until you already know that they like your views.

[Revolutionair]

Make your arguements have substance though, you can't be attacking unless you know really what you're talking about. Basically, don't give them the time of day unless you're actually wrong on something. Compromise is a vanity though, if you want to persuade people you need to not give any ground, you need to let them think that everything you say is truth, and that what the other person says is a lie. There is only one right answer to capitalism.

Syd stop doing all of that acid.


Depends on the person and situation.

I find myself converting everyone I know to socialism through osmosis. I do not present myself as "that socialist guy" and I do not wear it on my sleeve, though I do not hide that I am a socialist and anyone who gets to know me will be aware of that. This approach works for me because it's a non-approach...that is I do not wake up every day thinking "how can I further spread socialism to people?" but I do wake up every day thinking how the world can be made better, but I keep to myself when appropriate. It seems people I know get enough snippets here and there of my socialistic opinions, and since they see I am a normal, well adjusted person that isn't zealously foaming at the mouth, they actually take my opinions seriously and eventually adopt them as their own.

Basically, learn when and when not to step up on your soapbox. In the right setting (political rallies, when the subject is brought up, during a political debate etc etc), you'll have everyones attention and debate can established, but in a lot of settings people will look at you like you have you should be wearing tinfoil on your head.

This is the best advice you can get.

[Geiseric]

Decommisioner is pretty right actually. Osmosis is a good way of putting it.

[Black_Rose]

" I know of a few people in my area that definitely have socialist tendencies but only have the view of Communism as presented by the US government in history text books."

I don't know what do you mean by "socialist tendencies" but you should not be evasive (as in denouncing "communism" or "socialism" and presenting yourself as a "moderate" reformist/progressive/or left-liberal), especially if your friends/acquaintances are genuinely curious/open to socialism. As for myself, I do not consider myself a staunch socialist or communist economically, but I am an anti-imperialist and distrust the political influence of the bourgeoisie (capitalist class); thus I am not capable of giving anyone any advice on promoting communist views. Instead, I am going to argue that it is necessary to break the spell of anti-communism first (which doesn't necessarily mean becoming a communist).

This not insight particularly directed at anyone here as I want revolutionary leftists to adopt it en masse, but an obstacle that stymies any revolutionary political agenda in the United States is that the cultural milieu is virulently anti-communist, which is the legacy 50 years of the inundation of propaganda from reactionary conservatives and the liberal left during the Cold War. Perhaps it is better to adopt the position of anti-anti-communism instead of overt communism/socialism; presenting yourself as a "communist" usually evokes an interferon-like response in most Americans including liberals, and they'll just ignore you. (Of course, even being an anti-anti communist led me to be ignored by reactionary conservatives, but I had no intention of converting or persuading any of them; I merely found it amusing to see them incapable of engaging a political argument and cogently address my arguments, and only wanted to engage in circle-jerks with other reactionaries.)

The anti-anti communist position requires proficiency in world history, particularly contemporary world history and current events. Argument strategies available to an anti-anti-communists include exposing the hypocrisy of the United State's foreign policy by noting how it financially and military supported (not mere complicity) right-wing authoritarian regimes, pointing out how capitalism hasn't significantly improved the former Soviet satellite state and how the bellicose US fomented a "garrison-state mentality" among the socialist states that allocated their financial resources towards self-defense and to (legitimately) restricting civil liberties in the name of state survival, and how the "progressive" aspects of capitalism can be partly attributed to the salutary geopolitical presence of communist states during the Cold War that forces the bourgeois ruling class to give working class some concessions and made a huge bolus of labor inaccessible to the capitalist class to drive wages down.

To me, anyone outside of the ruling class who celebrates the Fall of Communism is a useful idiot to the ruling class. This includes the liberal left and working class Reagan Democrats. To be an anti-neoliberal is necessary to be an anti-anti-communist.


My class background is upper-middle class, and I am sympathetic with other people who are not as lucky as me. First, ask if these people are upper-middle class (like myself); if they are, then ask if these people express sympathy in improving the quality of life of those that are not as privileged as they are. If they seem primarily concerned with career advancement and consumerism (bourgeois attitudes) more than the objective state of the world or the welfare of others, these people would not be as receptive to socialism. In such as case, ask them why are they able to enjoy such comfortable lives. Is it due to the alleged superiority and immanent benevolence of capitalism, liberal democracy, and property rights? In my case, the answer is that I was born to a relatively intelligent father who can earn a considerable amount of money as a software engineer as his skills were valued by the labor market. Moreover, I was able to enjoy a relatively comfortable life as a consumer during my childhood due to immigrant labor domestically and the labor of disenfranchised natives in market-friendly nations that performs the drudgery of menial, under-compensated, under-appreciated, and, in some cases, dangerous labor. Even the lifestyle that I was able to enjoy as a child (and to a lesser as an adult since I live a relatively austere (by my own accord), but materially secure life), is inaccessible to a significant majority of Americans.
This little introspective exercise should make them realize that capitalism is exploitative, and most certainly not a morally superior economic or political system.

If they are from a working class background, they would be less likely to have a bourgeois worldview and have little rational self-interest to defend the current system. Just tell them how the political elites do not care about their welfare, and their primary political interest (and obligation) is to defend the private property class of the capitalist class.

[piet11111]

Always argue any topic they bring up from a socialist perspective.

[Philosopher Jay]

Everybody develops their own personal style. I'm not really good at direct confrontation. I try to be polite and clever. I emphasize the diversity of socialist views and its many accomplishments in many different areas of life.

[zenmaster]

Always argue any topic they bring up from a socialist perspective.

This

It's a lot easier to describe that you're Communist/Socialist in a country like the United States rather than actually mentioning the name of the ideology. That being said, there's a good chance that they won't even know what Marxist theory really is. They just know that it's 'bad,' or 'doesn't work.'