The Intransigent Faction
18th April 2012, 19:37
So someone posted a link to an article from the joke that is the Communist Party of Canada. I replied rejecting their vanguardism and saying Occupy, a movement of "the 99%", is intended as a spontaneous mass movement where people should not be daydreaming of being the next General Secretary "leading the masses to communism", etc. and got this beautiful response.
I think it's important to be realistic about vanguardism.
Not everyone can be an activist.
Even during periods of major political engagement and mobilisation, most mobilised people make it out to one, maybe two major protests a week. Maybe attending a protest every day (for a short time) during pre-revolutionary circumstances.
And that's it... That's all you can expect from the vast majority of people. They have lives, obligations, distractions, etc...
That group of people doing the work, day in an day out. The activists, the cadre, the "bottom liners" are the vanguard. That's all the term really means.
It doesn't mean the activists have to be paid for what they do (though, realistically, the vast majority of activists will burn out if expected to do more then 10 hours a week of activist work on top of 40 hours a week of survival work.)
It doesn't mean the activists aren't responsible for working democtratically, and listening to the desires of the masses.
But if you're waiting for a day when 99% of the 99% is actively engaged in political activism... you'll be waiting forever.
All this while they call for a general strike! I wasn't sure where to post this but I felt the need to vent. "Oh look at me, I'm so much smarter than those sheepish masses who will never understand. It's up to me to act on their behalf to make things change"...ugh. I don't even know where the stuff about "paying" activists came from, but that says a lot...
I think it's important to be realistic about vanguardism.
Not everyone can be an activist.
Even during periods of major political engagement and mobilisation, most mobilised people make it out to one, maybe two major protests a week. Maybe attending a protest every day (for a short time) during pre-revolutionary circumstances.
And that's it... That's all you can expect from the vast majority of people. They have lives, obligations, distractions, etc...
That group of people doing the work, day in an day out. The activists, the cadre, the "bottom liners" are the vanguard. That's all the term really means.
It doesn't mean the activists have to be paid for what they do (though, realistically, the vast majority of activists will burn out if expected to do more then 10 hours a week of activist work on top of 40 hours a week of survival work.)
It doesn't mean the activists aren't responsible for working democtratically, and listening to the desires of the masses.
But if you're waiting for a day when 99% of the 99% is actively engaged in political activism... you'll be waiting forever.
All this while they call for a general strike! I wasn't sure where to post this but I felt the need to vent. "Oh look at me, I'm so much smarter than those sheepish masses who will never understand. It's up to me to act on their behalf to make things change"...ugh. I don't even know where the stuff about "paying" activists came from, but that says a lot...