Approaching Proletarians

[Rawthentic]

A few times a week I go to places where workers congregate and walk around after work, where they sit and chat. I always take literature such as El Obrero[Comunista] to pass out, but what I have been wanting to do is engage in political discussions with them. The thing is that I find it somewhat random and rude to just go up to them and start talking about communism and about what the newsletter is about. I mean, imagine if you are just sitting or walking by and someone comes up to you and gives you a communist publication and then starts talking about communism and how it relates to them. Its a bit random and weird no? What do you think I should do to engage with this people and have some honest conversations?

And to add something, what does one say when these people tell you that they are just interested in making money for their families?

Thanks.

[Genosse Kotze]

You're asking the wrong person because I'm pretty shy, but just approach one of them, however it is all you social butterflies do, and in the middle of the usual 'gettin to know you' part of the conversation, ask about what sort of work they do, and take it from there.


And to add something, what does one say when these people tell you that they are just interested in making money for their families?

Well, everybody's got to work in this sort of society, but I don't see how knowing a bit more about Communism is going to get in the way of you feeding one's familly. I guess you could try explaining why it is society has to change and how it's going to take working people to do it, but yeah, this concern you've brought up is a real one and I think it's a close cousin of "No thanks, I don't want to get involved."
Like I said earlier, I'm not much of a conversationalist, but if talking comes more naturally to you, than I'm sure you'll be able to come up with something on the spot. Lot's of luck to you with this, comrade!

[Kropotkin Has a Posse]

And to add something, what does one say when these people tell you that they are just interested in making money for their families?
My response would be:

"But it's not always easy to do, and that brings us to the topic of..."

[arielle]

And to add something, what does one say when these people tell you that they are just interested in making money for their families?

You should then ask how long much they work a day, is the enviroment resonable, and why do they feel the need to break their backs just to live. Bring up points


I mean, imagine if you are just sitting or walking by and someone comes up to you and gives you a communist publication and then starts talking about communism and how it relates to them. Its a bit random and weird no?

People sometimes don't want to be bothered and I think I can almost 100% tell you that you are going to get a few angry responses but being weird and random? I don't think so, it's probably as weird and random as a jehova witness :D


What do you think I should do to engage with this people and have some honest conversations?

I find the greatest way to start a conversation like these with people is to connect with them on a personal note. Try your best to have something in common with that person, show that they could be fighting instead of submitting. It's a geat way to spark a light of rebellious spirit in the person. :)

[Leo]

A few times a week I go to places where workers congregate and walk around after work, where they sit and chat. I always take literature such as El Obrero[Comunista] to pass out, but what I have been wanting to do is engage in political discussions with them. The thing is that I find it somewhat random and rude to just go up to them and start talking about communism and about what the newsletter is about. I mean, imagine if you are just sitting or walking by and someone comes up to you and gives you a communist publication and then starts talking about communism and how it relates to them. Its a bit random and weird no? What do you think I should do to engage with this people and have some honest conversations?

My advice would be this: listen first, then talk. Don't try to convert them, don't try to recruit them. Listen to them, then honestly tell what you think.

[Rawthentic]

Thanks for the responses everybody. Yeah, I understand what you mean Leo, thats what I have been attempting to do when I get the chance to talk to these people.

[which doctor]

I would suggest you point out small things about things the worker's probably have never even thought about. Not just things that make them think about work or politics differently, but things that make them think about their life differently.

One of my favorite examples is this one:


If a household gets a washing machine, you never hear the family members who used to do the laundry by hand complain that this “puts them out of work.” But strangely enough, if a similar development occurs on a broader social scale it is seen as a serious problem — “unemployment” — which can only be solved by inventing more jobs for people to do.Proposals to spread the work around by implementing a slightly shorter workweek seem at first sight to address the matter more rationally. But such proposals do not face the fundamental irrationality of the whole social system based on market relations. While reacting to one manifestation of this irrationality (the fact that some people work long hours while others are jobless), they tend at the same time to reinforce the illusion that most present-day work is normal and necessary, as if the only problem were that for some strange reason it is divided up unequally. The absurdity of 90% of existing jobs is never mentioned.

In a sane society, the elimination of all these absurd jobs (not only those that produce or market ridiculous and unnecessary commodities, but the far larger number directly or indirectly involved in promoting and protecting the whole commodity system) would reduce necessary tasks to such a trivial level (probably less than 10 hours per week) that they could easily be taken care of voluntarily and cooperatively, eliminating the need for the whole apparatus of economic incentives and state enforcement.

And probably the most important note, don't just try to sell them another ideology. These people are bombarded with advertisements trying to sell them things all day, don't be another one with a communist guise.

[RNK]

I'm a more passive revolutionary "worker"... I'm not good with confrontational agitprop kind of stuff, but I do like to talk about it whenever I can, bring up how unfair something is, how undemocratic, etc... there've been a few vigorous political debates at my workplace, which I had a little part in..

The only suggestions I can give are to be educated and carry around a good amount of humility in your pocket. Start small; talk about what kind of changes you'd like to see in the workplace, how your fellow workers could be benefited by change -- but don't rush into "omfg we must kill all the managers and take control!", as most people are put off by such a... dramatic and sudden approach.

[Ultra-Violence]

My advice would be this: listen first, then talk. Don't try to convert them, don't try to recruit them. Listen to them, then honestly tell what you think.

amen to that, that is one of the most important things to know. I talk with people all the time and i love to talk with working class people of all different types of backgrounds and it is one of the biggest learning experiences youll ever have i have talked to Police officers,Lawyers meat packers migrant workers...etc you name it and all it takes is a little bit of patience and some humility and people will not only take the time to listen to you but it will get their brain rolling and they start qeustioning things a bit more Sure they wont be a communist or radical like we are but theyll understand were we are coming from and more importantly we will know were their coming from some times i feal like a good chunk of the left is out of touch of reality wich i dont blame em but sometimes we got to stop talking to only leftist about revolution and start talking to the people were fighting for