Necessary to join an org/party?

[Wonton Carter]

Hi comrades! I've been debating whether to join a party or not. I was wondering what everyone's thoughts on the matter were?

[#FF0000]

Join a party you agree with on some level and wouldn't mind being very involved with. I mean, I'm a member of the IWW despite disagreeing with the IWW on a lot of levels, but I like what they're working towards in my area, and so I joined them and work with them.

I'd say maybe even give it a try even if you're not sure about them off the bat. What party/org were you thinking of joining?

[Wonton Carter]

PSL. They seem to be the go-to M-L party anymore.

[Dialectical Wizard]

I’ve never joined a leftist organisation or party, nor do I intend to do so. I shiver at the thought that I should adhere to some kind of party line, I’m too much of an independent thinker to really join any kind of political club. Maybe in the distant future who knows? A lot of people do feel the urge to join a political party and they should do so then, as for me at the moment I detest that kind of herd mentality.

[#FF0000]

I’ve never joined a leftist organisation or party, nor do I intend to do so. I shiver at the thought that I should adhere to some kind of party line, I’m too much of an independent thinker to really join any kind of political club. Maybe in the distant future who knows? A lot of people do feel the urge to join a political party and they should do so then, as for me at the moment I detest that kind of herd mentality.

Well aren't you a special snowflake? :p

I do kind of see what you mean though -- socialist/communist orgs are really often dedicated to one really specific pet ideology. I think that's a particular sickness of Leninist parties tho, both Trotskyist and Marxist-Leninist. But I don't think a party or organization necessarily means having a party line to hold fast to.

[The Garbage Disposal Unit]

I think it depends a lot on your location (socially, geographically, etc.) and the specific organization in question - including what "membership" entails.

Some organizations (e.g. International Socialists "the I.S." in Canada) have a very low thresh-hold for membership, and anyone can join more-or-less regardless of their level of political development, their engagement, etc. In this case, in the case of an organization like this, unless there are very active members in your area, joining is pretty useless, since you're not likely to get much serious opportunity for political development or work. Some other organizations set the bar higher - they require a degree of developed analysis and political common ground, and there tends to be a higher caliber of internal debate and discussion. There also tends to be more serious support for individual members in carrying out work, and greater support for individual initiative. If you're not near other folk, this is for sure a better type of org to seek out.

Of course, on the other hand, there's no need to run to a formal established organization in order to start "building". Often, it's better to form a small collective, study and work together, and come to understand your local context through collective work with a tight crew. Once you've been active that way, and developed accordingly, you can then seek out to join an organization as a group. This is often better for all concerned - I think most organizations (except the most rigidly dogmatic and controlling) would prefer to bring in an active collective rather than an isolated individual, and an active collective is more likely to have real s(w)ay and be taken seriously in their understandings of their local situations.