hi there!!!

[Sidagma]

hi! i'm from olympia, washington, and i was radicalized over the greek riots in december 2008 and the communiques that were translated into english in that time. since then i've been perpetually disappointed in american leftist movements which feel like more of a fashion or music scene than a legitimate platform for political change, but since im a lot more mature than i was last time i tried to get involved in this sort of thing, maybe i'll have better results?

i wouldn't describe myself as an anarchist, necessarily, so much as a lumpenproletariat queer kid in a very progressive town where it's kind of common sense to realize that capitalism is a steaming load and a cultural background that very much encourages the same. but as much as this town rules there isn't any real leftist organizing that i can see which is a situation i'd like to remedy.

[Q]

Welcome :)

If you have political questions, you can ask them in the Learning forum. That's why it's there after all!

If you have questions about your account, don't hesitate to send me a PM or ask here.

[LeonJWilliams]

Maybe you can try and set some group up, find like-minded people, local online forums, local radicalised friends, posters etc

[Sidagma]

The situation in Olympia isn't so much that people need to be radicalized. Everyone here already knows that capitalism blows. It's more an issue of like, welp, we're all here! Now what do we do? Should we find a band of ten or so plucky, ethnically diverse misfits and start a vanguard party or what's the deal here? Arrrrgh :tt2:

The problem isn't finding people. I can pretty much just like, go outside or talk to my friends. Unfortunately, this doesn't equate to a meaningful alternative to capitalism. Alas.

[Q]

The situation in Olympia isn't so much that people need to be radicalized. Everyone here already knows that capitalism blows. It's more an issue of like, welp, we're all here! Now what do we do? Should we find a band of ten or so plucky, ethnically diverse misfits and start a vanguard party or what's the deal here? Arrrrgh :tt2:

The problem isn't finding people. I can pretty much just like, go outside or talk to my friends. Unfortunately, this doesn't equate to a meaningful alternative to capitalism. Alas.

I can sympathise with your situation. In my region there is also no far left scene and starting from scratch is extremely hard.

The question is indeed one of programme: What should we fight for? This then is a foundation for building a new or shaping an existing organisation.

If you don't want or can't start from scratch, it might help to look to existing groups and organisations and start influencing them. My blogpost here might be helpful (http://www.revleft.com/vb/blog.php?b=18849) :)

[JPSartre12]

Welcome to Revleft, comrade. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.

[Sidagma]

Q, I don't have access to your blogpost for some reason. Is that because I just have to post more, or?

Oh, and how come I'm making a bunch of posts but my post count is frozen at 3? I'm sure I've made more than that at this point.

Also, I remember there used to be a newsfeed or something way up top there. Where'd that get off to?

[Q]

Q, I don't have access to your blogpost for some reason. Is that because I just have to post more, or?
Really? That is a weird restriction. Even non-revlefters can read my posts!


Oh, and how come I'm making a bunch of posts but my post count is frozen at 3? I'm sure I've made more than that at this point.
Posts in non-politics aren't counted.


Also, I remember there used to be a newsfeed or something way up top there. Where'd that get off to?
That is gone for quite a few years now... Been on Revleft before?

[Sidagma]

Long time ago. I was just a lurker, and it was my sort of newswire for keeping tabs on the situation in Greece during December 2008.

[Charles Marxley]

Welcome!

I'm from your next of the woods, albeit on the other side of the state, but I share many of the same critiques that you have. Often it does feel like merely a scene around here. I'm actually going to be attending college in your town in a few months, and I had fears that Oly would be about the way you described it. It seems anarchism is much more fashionable than Marxism (which is how I identify, though I used to consider myself an anarchist.) I understand there is a branch of Socialist Alternative of the CWI in Oly, have you been in touch with them? Anyway, welcome to the board, always nice to see like-minded folks in my hood.

[Sidagma]

The situation in Olympia is much more complex than I've said here so far, and I would love to talk about it in more depth. Should I make a new thread for it? In which forum?

[Brutus]

I sent you a message

[La Guaneña]

Yeah, dude, RVIVR is from Olympia, Washington and they are awesome. Stay awesome, Olympia.


Edit: I was under effect of something while writing this. But still stay awesome, Olympia.

[Q]

The situation in Olympia is much more complex than I've said here so far, and I would love to talk about it in more depth. Should I make a new thread for it? In which forum?

Practice & Propaganda (http://www.revleft.com/vb/practice-propaganda-f17/index.html) is probably the best place.

[Sidagma]

What is the Socialist Alternative of the CWI?

[Q]

What is the Socialist Alternative of the CWI?

Socialist Alternative (http://socialistalternative.org/) the US section of the Committee for a Workers' International (http://www.socialistworld.net/), a Trotskyist organisation active in over 40 countries around the globe.

[Sentinel]

Sidagma, the blog issue should be sorted, you should be able to view them now.

Also, welcome to RevLeft! :)

[Red Commissar]

It really sounds like you're passionate about politics. We've all been through episodes of disappointment with political groups and movements, I hope though you'll find somewhere that you can contribute to and feel like a worthwhile use of your time.

There is a 10 post threshold (I think) where your posts have to be approved. This is to check on spammer and troll signups, just make some posts in the political forums and you'll get past that in no time.

[Danielle Ni Dhighe]

hi! i'm from olympia, washington
Welcome, almost neighbor (I'm from the Seattle area)!

[Sidagma]

Man, just an observation, but it seems like literally every thread here eventually degenerates into some irrelevant dead horse bullshit about old dead Russians, that's nigh-indecipherable to people who haven't been on RevLeft arguing about old dead Russians for the last decade. I feel like maybe there should be some sorta.

Idk.

Like, moderation of that sort of thing.

Like I'm not saying people of different tendencies shouldn't be allowed to disagree with each other? I'm just saying that there's only so much discussion to be had of fundamental 101-level shit where Trotsky and Kautsky butted heads or whatever and sometimes it might help to talk about other things.

[Q]

Man, just an observation, but it seems like literally every thread here eventually degenerates into some irrelevant dead horse bullshit about old dead Russians, that's nigh-indecipherable to people who haven't been on RevLeft arguing about old dead Russians for the last decade. I feel like maybe there should be some sorta.

Idk.

Like, moderation of that sort of thing.

Like I'm not saying people of different tendencies shouldn't be allowed to disagree with each other? I'm just saying that there's only so much discussion to be had of fundamental 101-level shit where Trotsky and Kautsky butted heads or whatever and sometimes it might help to talk about other things.

That kinda depends on how each and every introduction works out.

You haven't seen Learning yet ;)

[Sidagma]

Naw yeah though, Learning is where it's kind of the biggest issue because someone asks a simple question and eventually it degenerates into historical cockfights about shit nobody cares about outside of a small, irrelevant subcultural mileu that the person who originally asked the question can't even follow anyway.

Like, I was at Occupy in NYC, and if someone started to do some infighty bullshit that had nothing to do with what we were talking about we would have the facilitator move the conversation in a more productive direction. That's what we should do here.

[Fourth Internationalist]

Welcome to RevLeft! :D