Raising awareness of Communism

[Aurora]

I have no idea how I can teach people that communism is a good system,everybody I talk to dosnt take me seriously.They know nothing about communism but yet they dismiss it.There is a socialist party in my area and they are a joke if you quoted marx they would say "who's marx".
How come people don't want to learn anything anymore?Is it just a fact that people are stupid?

I have found a few people who will listen but they would never think of themselves as left or liberal as these seem to have become curse words.

[ReD_ReBeL]

dude i think the reason the people dont take Communism seriously/dont want to , is becoz the west has got usto have privelages and alot of people want this luxuries but if communism took power thy probly couldent get thm , plus i think people where turned off by the USSR and north korea, USSR had a history of famine, poor, food rationing etc, and north korea is very very strict, thy see the UK etc as a country of dreams so to say but capitalist dreams big house big car etc totally selfish luxuries wht the strive for, lets face it im a leftist, but i bet living in the UK is easier and more 'free' thn living in north korea or China

[anomaly]

It is a terrible mistake to take the position that most people aren't communists 'because they're stupid'. The fact is, the people with the least amount of education (the 'most stupid') are the very ones whom communism would most greatly benefit. Do not take this position.

Instead, my suggestion for you is to not mention the word 'communism' or 'socialism' or 'Marxism' or 'Marx', as most Americans have a very negative view of these words. So just describe what communism is, without saying 'communism'. That may help you out a bit.

[Aurora]

I just meant that most people think communism is represented by stalin who in my opinion was the worst thing that ever happened to it.Im not trying to get people to be communist just to learn about it and make their own mind up instead of just blindly following the rest of society.if people would think for themselves the world would definetly be a better place.

Thanks for the good advice i will try.

[Fidel Follower]

Originally posted by [email protected] 26 2005, 02:11 AM
dude i think the reason the people dont take Communism seriously/dont want to , is becoz the west has got usto have privelages and alot of people want this luxuries but if communism took power thy probly couldent get thm , plus i think people where turned off by the USSR and north korea, USSR had a history of famine, poor, food rationing etc, and north korea is very very strict, thy see the UK etc as a country of dreams so to say but capitalist dreams big house big car etc totally selfish luxuries wht the strive for, lets face it im a leftist, but i bet living in the UK is easier and more 'free' thn living in north korea or China
I am sure if they dont know any thing about Marx, or they have no idea at all, what communism is then the chances are that they wont know about the USSR, or the failure of the goverment, famine and so on... :huh:

The best thing to say if they have any idea what communism is and if they say something like "commuinst states suck, there poor" then simply tell them there has never been a true communist state..

And tell any one who asks that communism makes every one equal, and they would have to be a real stalinist nut job to not want every one to be fair!

[Delirium]

I agree with anomaly, i would refrain to use the word communism. At least in the begining. If you have ever heard the song Imagine by john lennon, this is what i'm talking about. He never says communism but it is obvious what he is talking about.

Ask them the questions and dont give them the answers. Make them think about it and come to thier own conclusions about society.

[mocommunist]

I point out the evils of capitalism

[Wanted Man]

Yes, do that. Anyway, where do you live? There are serious revolutionary parties in pretty much every country. To organise is important, prepare your country/state/whatever for the fall of imperialism, then all you have to do is give capitalism its "euthanasia" and put it out of its misery when it can no longer depend on the resources of the rest of the world.

[vladimirm]

I have gotten alot of people to admit that "communism is a pretty good idea, capitalism is wrong, but it just doesnt work" when i ask them why they say this, they mention the collapse of hte USSR and the fact that basically, tehre is no strong communist party in britain today.
The communsit parties of this country need to take a more active role

[Aurora]

I live in Ireland I don't think there is a serious revolutionary party I've already mentioned the socialist party I know there is an anarchist group but I think they are the type that want to stand out and throw molitov cocktails just to get attention.So I think im kind of stuck

[vladimirm]

At the G-8 summit there were anarchist adn communist protesters there but no mention of a party.
All parties within the realms of the united kingdom are taking the piss. they think that by siting and waitign for the revolution to happen they'll be ok. Bull.
The time for a 21st century communist party is now.

[TheComrade]

I agree - people should be taught the great but also bad things about communism. The only way to do it is through dicussion and debate (this forum is a good example!) you can't try and brainwash people or just make statements ("Communism = Equality! Therefore it is good!" "Capitalism is evil - look at America!") That is the rhetoric people expection from 'Pinko Commies.' If we prove Capitalism to be fundamentaly nonsensical through logical debate we can destroy its foundations and therefore bring the system down...

[anomaly]

Originally posted by [email protected] 27 2005, 12:36 PM
At the G-8 summit there were anarchist adn communist protesters there but no mention of a party.
All parties within the realms of the united kingdom are taking the piss. they think that by siting and waitign for the revolution to happen they'll be ok. Bull.
The time for a 21st century communist party is now.
Communist parties will never, ever be able to create communism. Therefore they should never be labeled 'communist' parties.

[Spartacus]

I live in the eye of the Capitalist Storm (America), and as I was doing sociological research in many of the communities of New York City..it is obvious that many people are too self-centered and materialistic. This is the root of the problem of why they oppose communism or anything to do with left-politics. Although there are a considerate amount of people who do wish for a better society, the majority of them in their lifetime will not protest, fight, or take any form of action to defend the cause. All this stems back to their childhood ..being raised in a capitalist mode of production, where every negative aspect of capitalism influences a citizen of a highly industrialized society. Even a lot who come from poverty are dragged into capitalistic way of living..just take a look at Commercial rappers. In turn, they influence millions of teenagers to follow their money-hungry mindset.

[KC]

Communist parties will never, ever be able to create communism. Therefore they should never be labeled 'communist' parties.

Communist parties as a vanguard will never create communism, no. Communist parties won't "create" communism by themselves. But they can really help speed up the process. Communist parties are a very powerful organizing tool and they should never be underestimated.

[TheComrade]

CPGB had a fundraising event over the Summer (the 'Summer Offensive' as they called it) and they, apparently, raised around £25,000...thats quite a lot considering....

[Aurora]

Ya that is a lot since most people in britain would stand firmly against Communism<_<

And I agree with Lazar they do speed up the process but what we really need is a strong revolutionary leader like Che Guevara

[anomaly]

Funny, Communist parties have only hindered the process in the past. Upon what evidence do you base your seemingly unfounded confidence, Lazar?

[KC]

Funny, Communist parties have only hindered the process in the past. Upon what evidence do you base your seemingly unfounded confidence, Lazar?

Well, I base my confidence on the fact that people join them and through these parties meet more people fighting for the same cause. They are brought together because of the political party. I am not supporting a vanguard here, nor am I supporting the party over the proletariat. What I am supporting is the use of a political party as an organizing and unifying body. The party is a tool that should be utilized by the proletariat. It isn&#39;t the other way around (and when it is, I don&#39;t support it).

[BattleOfTheCowshed]

Hmm, I spend a lot of time selling my group&#39;s newspaper, The Socialist Worker (socialistworker.org) and thus spend a lot of time talking to people who may not know a lot about Communism or Socialism. The main hindrances to talking about this (in America at least) is the legacy of McCarthyism and the existence of totalitarian states claiming to be Socialist, i.e. China, DPRK. My advice for you when talking to people is the opposite of what a lot of people here have said. I normally out-right tell people that I am a Socialist and that I am selling a blatantly, no-apologies Socialist newspaper. Are a lot of people turned off/away by that? Sure. But you would be SHOCKED to find how many people will not be shocked and will be willing to talk to you and hear out your ideas. My advice for you is to not go directly to theory. If you begin talking to people about class structure, revolutionary theory etc. right away they will probably be bored or not understand. Instead, I always try to tie things in to current affairs. Point out the current visible cracks and flaws in Capitalism. Talk about current events: racism, anti-immigration, the war in Iraq etc. and show them how this ALL stems from Capitalism and explain your reasoning for being a Communist. Be upfront about your dissaproval of Stalin and totalitarianism. At the very least you will help in breaking the taboo against Communism that exists in the West and open people&#39;s minds to at least be less dismissive of it. I have some experience in talking to people, so you can message me or post here if you have any more questions, I&#39;m also interested in other people&#39;s input on how they approach people about Communism. Also, I live in the US but I am positive there are Irish comrades on this board who could point you to a true Communist revolutionary group. And trust me, organizing with fellow comrades helps A LOT.

[Aurora]

Thanks BattleOfTheCowshed I suppose that telling people straight out that you are a Socialist would work if you were handing out a flier but I think I would have a better chance by not mentioning Socialism or Communism to people so that they do not immediatly dismiss it.
I hope there are some Irish comrades cause I am fucking annoyed with having no one to discuss things with,cause most people I know are not interested in politics.

I think the nearest true revolutionary party is the Scottish Socialist Party,I have read their manifesto and I think it is very good.
To bad it is in Scottland and I live in "We don&#39;t give a shit" Ireland famous for killing braincells with alchohol

[tatu]

"At that time there was also apprehension and fear that the word communist was too strong. In those days, talking about socialism or communism was scary for many people. Then it became natural and for a long time the world proclaimed these words, which rightfully was considered a great step forward. Minds were liberated and people were not so afraid to utter the words socialism or communism. Imperialists and capitalists trembled, but a large part of mankind heard those words with pleasure and satisfaction.

Today we are again facing times when talk about socialism or communism seems to be prohibited. We have gone backward. There is talk of capitalism, the great discovery&#33; There is talk of neoliberalism, the fifth essence of modern capitalism&#33; But just as people are afraid to call themselves socialists or communists-this is why many parties and organizations have changed their names-so are they also afraid to talk about imperialism.

Check whether today any newspaper of the former socialist bloc or the former USSR mentions the word imperialism. That is truly prohibited. But imperialism has not disappeared; it is more present and stronger than ever" - Castro (CAPITALISM IS A SOCIETY OF WOLVES, 1992)