Action vs Theory

[Red Shaker]

Lenin said at one point that without revolutionary theory, there could be no revolution. Although this is true, I think it is also true that without class struggle there can be no revolution. I have noticed there are many reports on struggles around the world, but I see little discussion of what members of this forum are doing to organize class struggle. Are there any activists on this site and what type of struggles are we organizing? Are these struggles helping us build a revolutionary movement or are they just creating the illusion the system can be reformed? Let us discuss this.

[BIXX]

I once started a thread similar to this- though mine was far worse. Reminder to everyone, keep it vague.

I am starting an anarchist free school as an opposing force to the state and privatized school systems.

[Bala Perdida]

Does anyone know about anything in San Jose. I don't wanna get on a train to San Francisco, though I will if I have to, and San Jose is bigger than San Francisco so I figure there has to be something. Any anarchist groups that might be active in the area would be wonderful, I might have to settle for Marxist groups though. Whatever's around that shares our common thoughts/ideas. I feel so alone in this, and trying to educate my friends is only slightly working.

[The Idler]

There are activists on this site organising campaigns like Stand Against Foreclosures and Evictions (CWI US), an independent Scotland (RIC), defend DPRK (Maoists), Palestinian solidarity, industrial labour strikes to try in vain to stop factory closures, demonstrations, marches and protests (any group) etc. All these campaigns you will hear trumpeted over the Marxist call for the abolition of the wages system as far as these activists are concerned.

[tallguy]

Action without thought is pointless. Thought without action is worthless. You need both.

[Red Shaker]

Does anyone know about anything in San Jose. I don't wanna get on a train to San Francisco, though I will if I have to, and San Jose is bigger than San Francisco so I figure there has to be something. Any anarchist groups that might be active in the area would be wonderful, I might have to settle for Marxist groups though. Whatever's around that shares our common thoughts/ideas. I feel so alone in this, and trying to educate my friends is only slightly working.

I just heard the mayor of San Jose speak today. Although San Jose is one of the richest cities in the US, he was discussing the city's plans to cut the pensions of current and future city workers. This is a good example of how capitalism can not meet the needs of workers. It would be a good struggle to get involved in. If any of your friends work for the city (teachers, firemen, transit workers etc). You should try to involve them. San Jose is the 10th largest city in the country. If the capitalist can get away with this there it is a bad omen for all government workers.

[Bala Perdida]

I just heard the mayor of San Jose speak today. Although San Jose is one of the richest cities in the US, he was discussing the city's plans to cut the pensions of current and future city workers. This is a good example of how capitalism can not meet the needs of workers. It would be a good struggle to get involved in. If any of your friends work for the city (teachers, firemen, transit workers etc). You should try to involve them. San Jose is the 10th largest city in the country. If the capitalist can get away with this there it is a bad omen for all government workers.
Yeah I have some family that work/live in San Jose, but not for the city. Despite the rich in the city there are many working class neighborhoods, and a lot of homeless, street gangs, ect... It's a major city so it has all the features of one. I used to volunteer in the city for a non-profit dedicated to helping the homeless. The class struggle is really strong there, and I have a cousin with revolutionary socialist views (Marxist maybe?) in the city but I don't know where to contact him. So I figured there should be something there, but online I only find anarchist groups in San Francisco.

[motion denied]

I shout lots of radical things in students assemblies and shit

I'm like the new che guevara or something

[Loony Le Fist]

Lenin said at one point that without revolutionary theory, there could be no revolution. Although this is true, I think it is also true that without class struggle there can be no revolution. I have noticed there are many reports on struggles around the world, but I see little discussion of what members of this forum are doing to organize class struggle. Are there any activists on this site and what type of struggles are we organizing? Are these struggles helping us build a revolutionary movement or are they just creating the illusion the system can be reformed? Let us discuss this.

For me the first steps are going to be rebranding the ideas of the left. Socialism, leftism, Marxism have all been slandered. We need to create new terms, define them, and defend them against being tarnished again. Worker liberation, freedom, democracy all are terms that poll well in the public eye and would be harder to slander. When talking about healthcare, using the term "public option" works a lot better that "socialising medicine". Sure it means the same thing, but (to use dialectics loosely) these words have a that is negative association. I don't know if it's possible to reassociate the old terms with good ideas, but it sure is possible to come up with new terms and strategies to fix the problem.

I'm going to be handing out literature at big box stores in my area when the workers are going home. I'm expecting to be told to leave or be arrested. But I think it's important to inform people of what they can do to protect themselves and their families. It is time for the left to take action and take control of the narrative and get people informed on the issues. Once that is accomplished it is much easier and more meaningful to get people involved in class struggle, since they will know what they are fighting for. I don't know how much luck I will have, but I have to try.

Look at how the right took over? They used community organizing and education as the primary tool. They took control of the language and the narrative. We need to do the same. Admittedly they have an advantage. But I believe our advantage is that our narrative can reach more people. When you Republicans in the US what kind of wealth distribution they want, 95% of them point to Sweden as the optimal distribution when they are not told which country it is and only shown a graph. People can relate to leftist ideas, we just have to break out of the discourse that has been used against them.