Best way to teach someone about Socialism?

[R_P_A_S]

I have a girl-friend of mine who recently I've noticed has been talking a lot about "how unfair the government is towards immigration" I never really heard her care or be political about anything. and the other day she surprised me because she sent out an E-mail to all her friends in which she talked about human rights and criticizing the government and talking about People should be free and have justice! etc. etc.

Her parents are from Nicaragua. she was born in Florida and it's pretty "Americanized" But this late rants and e-mails have really made me start looking more to her and maybe bring her in and tell her about Socialism. I think she is ready. BUT!.. I'm afraid that maybe she is against it. since her Family left Nicaragua.. maybe they believe all the lies about the Sandinistas and all the lies about communism? So I don't know how to talk to her or approach her.

any ideas?

[Raúl Duke]

hmm.... :unsure:

I don't know either....

This reminds me of some of my chats with my English teacher here in Florida. She came (or is descedent of immigrants from) Nicaragua and I mentioned that most likely its Reagens fault why she ended up here in Miami; explaining what the Reagen administration did to worsen the whole situation.

Maybe you should start with what you know she is interested in: mainly human rights and immigration. Slowly develop parellels (negative parrallels) between the 2 and capitalism. (like how in capitalism human rights are not worth anything: guatanamo bay, etc or how immigration is used to divided the people, or to distract from the fact that the jobs are mostly being outsorced, etc) In other words; start with an "anti-capitalist" stance (as in attack capitalism, but don't suggest anything concrete like socialism/communism yet) before pushing in the socialism. Once you feel ready to discuss "What is to be done?" you could mention communism, etc.

[R_P_A_S]

pretty good idea man. I guess I can start off by making her see the discrimination against her family and mine, our friends and others around. make her see we have something in common. our class does. and then maybe I can tell her how this system is not designed or intended to help people?? hmmm and so on

[Rawthentic]

After I have been reading on Humanism, I take a new outlook on practical activity. If I understood correct, Humanist practice is not bringing communist ideas to the proletariat and hoping that they are smart enough to accept them, but the proletariat practicing and doing the thinking at the same time.

So this basically has me confused on what useful practical activity really consists of.

[Janus]

Well, you already have one starting point already: immigrant rights and state power. It shouldn't be too hard to tie it in/work on a criticism of capitalism from there.

[FOREVER LEFT]

You can tell her about socialism by showing her how the U.S. government has tried to destroy socialism everywhere. Tell her to read "Killing Hope" by William Blum. www.killinghope.org

Or Read Chomsky or Michael Parenti or Howard Zinn.

[Tower of Bebel]

Just talk. Make sure you can do it for hours. Talk about the problems we have in our world. And at some point she wont be able to give any solution because you took your materialist perspective to counter her idealistic solutions. At the point she cannot give any solutions you could explain what socialism could do. This is only a small step to marxism or communism/anarchism. One step father could bring you to even Lenin (because everyone distrusts him (anarchists, left-communists not inlcuded)).

[The Grey Blur]

Just talk.
QFT.

Be there to give her some outlet for these thoughts and just talk.

[Demogorgon]

Yeah simply talking about politics is best. Don't drown her in theory at the start. Most people get bored witht hat. Just discuss politics and political issues from a socialist standpoint and take it from there.

[Lenin II]

Reel her in by saying the virtues of the philosophy, for example hw much better the humn rights would be unde a socialist government. Tell her how socialism means production to satisfy human needs, not as under capitalism, for sale and profit. In order to stop her from shutting down, be sure to mention that Stalinist Russia, China, Venezuela, etc. are not truly socialist.

[la-troy]

be sure to mention that Stalinist Russia, China, Venezuela, etc. are not truly socialist.

Yea, thats real important, whenever i tried to explain socialism to someone they bring up the bad side of Stalin and china. Sometimes it is practically impossible to convince them that that is not necessarily socialism.

[Question everything]

Originally posted by la-[email protected] 10, 2007 09:02 pm

be sure to mention that Stalinist Russia, China, Venezuela, etc. are not truly socialist.

Yea, thats real important, whenever i tried to explain socialism to someone they bring up the bad side of Stalin and china. Sometimes it is practically impossible to convince them that that is not necessarily socialism.
...They are socialist... technically... However I doubt that they are supported by your Ideology... Don't say they are not socialist though becuase then you will sound like an idiot, say that they are not communist/Marxist/Anarchist/ etc. ...

[The Grey Blur]

Originally posted by Question everything+May 10, 2007 09:26 pm--> (Question everything @ May 10, 2007 09:26 pm)
la-[email protected] 10, 2007 09:02 pm

be sure to mention that Stalinist Russia, China, Venezuela, etc. are not truly socialist.

Yea, thats real important, whenever i tried to explain socialism to someone they bring up the bad side of Stalin and china. Sometimes it is practically impossible to convince them that that is not necessarily socialism.
...They are socialist... technically... However I doubt that they are supported by your Ideology... Don't say they are not socialist though becuase then you will sound like an idiot, say that they are not communist/Marxist/Anarchist/ etc. ... [/b]
What he said. Venezueala is an excellent example of Socialism today so I don't really get that critiscism anyway.

And we don't believe in abstract "human rights", certainly none declared by bourgeois organisations like the UN or Amnesty International anyway.

[la-troy]

Isn't Venezuela on a socialist path and not yet fully socialist? It was not an argument against them, but rather an observation from my own experience that when trying to talk to someone about Marxism/socialism its best not to go into certain topics until they fully understand the philosophy. Like recently I was trying to talk to my cousin about socialism/communism and the first thing he mentioned was Stalinist Russia. It's my point of view that I don't want to start off arguing with anyone I am trying to educate.

[abbielives!]

it is very important to be honest
Don't waffle on the issue, tell her straight up what you think and why.
you are not a liberal after all
trust that her natural intellegance will bring her to the right conclusion
dont rant about the joys of socialism, if you can use short sentaces and avoid words like bourgeois and dichotomy like the plague, if you find it too akward to be this up front invite her to a rally about immigration or whatever this makes use not feels to alone and makes us more willing to explore new ideas. actions speak louder than words


ps -my friends think i am a lunatic/guru :unsure: so take all of this with a grain of salt