Educating my girlfriend

[redcannon]

Ok, so I have always believed it is the responsibility of those who know to teach those who don't know, or at least those who are willing to learn. My girlfriend just so happens to be in the "willing to learn" crowd. And so, I am going to be educating her in communism and the like, the best that I can.

Herein lies the problem. I'm a pretty seasoned leftist. I know my manifesto and my theories of decandence and I can look at a story in the newspaper and quickly identify what is really going on.
However, I am by no means a teacher. This is where all of you come in. It would help a lot if I could get a lesson plan together, but I have no idea where to start.

I'm going to focus mainly on how Capitalism began, and what Communism is and Anarchism and important figures and theories in both fields. I will also be putting a lot of teaching into the current state of the United States and the media it has. In this country, it is damn near impossible to get a real story in the news paper that hasn't been carefully chosen and edited before it hit the press. Because of this, most people in this country are ignorant pricks, and I don't want her to end up like that. Also, I'm going to suggest to her that she join RevLeft and ask some questions of her own to all of you, because I know for a fact that I am far from knowing all about communism.

To be perfectly honest, I'm really just trying to open the doors to freedom through knowledge.

Thank a lot to all of you. You have all helped me learn a great deal. Although one never stops learning, one always has to start learning, and the beginning of education is the best part of life.

[Pawn Power]

wtf? lesson plan?

[Wanted Man]

Why make it so formal? Just take her to actions and demonstrations and the like, and go on from there. It's more fun, and activity is still the fastest way to learn. Besides, I'm sure she's had enough of school already, I don't think it would be a great experience to her if you would try to "teach" her as well. Although that differs from person to person.

[Boriznov]

Sign her up on revleft, explain communism in simple words, explain the differences between leninism, anarchism, ...

[Wanted Man]

Are you kidding? She'd dump him in a moment. The last thing I'd want to tell a girl is that I post here! :lol:

Also, why exactly should he start with all the different isms? The revolutionary left is an exciting world, it would be a real turn-off to introduce it by starting with all the sectarian bullshit.

[redcannon]

Originally posted by Dick [email protected] 06, 2007 08:36 am
Are you kidding? She'd dump him in a moment. The last thing I'd want to tell a girl is that I post here! :lol:


hah! well, she already knows I post here. In any case, I wanted to make a lesson plan-ish type thing because the concept as a whole really does compose of a lot of information, and somethings you can't understand without realizing other things. So I just thought it would be better to organize it a bit instead of shouting out random things that wouldn't entirely make sense.

besides, she wants to become a teacher so I'm sure she won't mind.

[PRC-UTE]

How much does she get already?

From my own experience, when I'm at a march or demo and people see our banner and ask me about socialism, I say that socialism is the working class owning and democratically controlling our society and economy, all of us together. I describe capitalism as a few people owning everything and making the rest of us work for them.

It's better to use specific, concrete examples if you can.

I would avoid anything formal. And politics go down better with pints.

[redcannon]

Originally posted by PRC-[email protected] 06, 2007 10:29 am
How much does she get already?

From my own experience, when I'm at a march or demo and people see our banner and ask me about socialism, I say that socialism is the working class owning and democratically controlling our society and economy, all of us together. I describe capitalism as a few people owning everything and making the rest of us work for them.

It's better to use specific, concrete examples if you can.

I would avoid anything formal. And politics go down better with pints.
that's a good idea. what kind of examples can I use to show Global Capital?

also, amen to the pints, brother. amen to the pints.

[An archist]

best idea would be to take her to protests etc. and introduce her to you leftist friends for a night of drunken discussions.

[Mariam]

Yeah taking her to a protest would be a good start..get her in contact with other comrades and such..let her form her own ideas by putting her close to every-day struggle..

Don't start with books..she'll probably freak out..short right to the point essays would be better.

[redcannon]

Originally posted by [email protected] 06, 2007 12:43 pm
Yeah taking her to a protest would be a good start..get her in contact with other comrades and such..let her form her own ideas by putting her close to every-day struggle..

Don't start with books..she'll probably freak out..short right to the point essays would be better.
she's reading Trotsky's "If America Should Go Communist" right now. I thought it would be good to kind of clear out the negative connotation our public school system puts on "communism".

[Mariam]

Well take it easy on her..i'd say you'd better guide her with what you know and let her see for herself.
Good luck in what you're doing!

[Yardstick]

Well I have found the most succesful way I have converted friends is a dual attack of getting rid of negative connotations of anarchism/communism with historical examples, current examples, and theoretical instances.

While at the same time relating anarchism and communism to their lives and to their beliefs. I find this to be the most important part of all. However only you will know how to do this as only you know the person.

Good luck comrade, I know my girlfriend is the only one besides my family who disagrees with me so strongly about the left.

[abbielives!]

i suggest giving her resources like http://www.marxists.org/ and http://dwardmac.pitzer.edu/Anarchist_Archives/index.html and letting her loose on them, suggesting some yourself of course
maybe something like Infoshop.org to show it's relevance to now
you could watch a documentary together i suggest "The Take" or "Manufacturing Consent" (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5631882395226827730&q=manufacturing+consent&total=98&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0)

or if fiction is more her speed i suggest " Salt of the Earth" or "Battle of Algiers"

and tone down down the preachiness!!!

[midnight marauder]

Take her for a drive down through the most impoverished part of your city and explaining everything you see, and why it is that way.

I always think it's a lot more effictive to make people understand the problems with capitalism and then give them the alternative of communism, as opposed to the other way around of teaching both at once.

Talk with her about the origins of capitalism and it's effect on peoples lives in your country. Take her through the different economic classes (homelessness, unemployment, lower middle class, the social effects capitalism creates on the middle class and upper middle class, and how that heirarchy empowers the upper class), and then introduce her to what creates these classes and the marxist interpretations. You can talk about CEOs, politicians, etc. or if you like, take a newspaper like you said and show how ruling class ideology influences what you find in the major media.

Has she read the manifesto? That's always a good place to start.

Whatever you do, make sure your beliefs aren't some abstract philosophy. Relate them to her world.

[Labor Shall Rule]

Have her read Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-Tung and memorize it from page to page; have her recite them thousands of times daily.

[redcannon]

Originally posted by [email protected] 07, 2007 01:14 am
Take her for a drive down through the most impoverished part of your city and explaining everything you see, and why it is that way.

I always think it's a lot more effictive to make people understand the problems with capitalism and then give them the alternative of communism, as opposed to the other way around of teaching both at once.

Talk with her about the origins of capitalism and it's effect on peoples lives in your country. Take her through the different economic classes (homelessness, unemployment, lower middle class, the social effects capitalism creates on the middle class and upper middle class, and how that heirarchy empowers the upper class), and then introduce her to what creates these classes and the marxist interpretations. You can talk about CEOs, politicians, etc. or if you like, take a newspaper like you said and show how ruling class ideology influences what you find in the major media.

Has she read the manifesto? That's always a good place to start.

Whatever you do, make sure your beliefs aren't some abstract philosophy. Relate them to her world.
oh that sounds like a great idea.
I was going to have her read the manifesto, but I think I'll first introduce her to the basic concepts of Capitalism and Communism. I had to read the manifesto a few times before I fully understood it, I think it would have really helped if I had had some background info.


but i definetly should take her on a drive to some bad parts of town. All poverty and crime (i'm not suggesting the two are related) are connected, directly and indirectly, to Capitalism, and the great Global Capital machine.

[midnight marauder]

Yeah I agree with you. I think when I first got into politics and economics I picked up a copy of the manifesto, and it definitely is a dense little book. There's a lot I understand now that I didn't pick up on the first time I read it. Overall I do think it's a great place to start though, there's so many ideas in such a short reading, and so much history behind the work that there really isn't a question as to why it's on so many Great Books curriculum lists....there's almost something metaphysical about its materialist prose. :lol:

Good luck comrade and future comrade!

[Kropotkin Has a Posse]

I don't consciously try to "educate" my friends. That seems really paternalistic. I just talk about the world as I see it, and make it clear that they don't have to agree.

[Rosa Lichtenstein]

Get her to read this basic guide to Marxism (one of the best I've ever read):

http://www.comcen.com.au/~marcn/redflag/ar.../hmw/index.html

[Spirit of Spartacus]

Rosa, it seems that link isn't working. :unsure:

[Rosa Lichtenstein]

Ok, I'll fix it!

Try this:

http://www.comcen.com.au/~marcn/redflag/ar.../hmw/index.html (http://www.comcen.com.au/~marcn/redflag/archive/harman/hmw/index.html)

I have just checked it, and it works.

[Spirit of Spartacus]

Oh. I've seen this anyway. :D

Yeah its good.

[Rosa Lichtenstein]

The first version of this was one of the things that helped win me over to revolutionary politics 25 years ago!

[Tatarin]

Maybe it's a bad idea, but one suggestion I have (during a rainy day) is to watch any movie that describes the abuse of the overclass. For example, how do they control media (ex: Orwell Rolls in his Grave and Outfoxed)? Why do workers work for longer hours but for lower wages, despite all this "beautiful" globalization?

Search on Google Video or YouTube for Michael Parenti, who is a damn good speaker (and with a good sence of humour).