A Socialist in the American midwest

[Robespierre2.0]

Comrades, I'm looking for advice. I'm a student from Ohio living in Indiana. I also happen to be a Marxist-Leninist zealot. I think I'm going crazy due to the complete lack of leftism here.

There was a Young Socialists organization here, but apparently its been gone for about a year. There's a Students for a Democratic Society here, but I didn't find them to be that revolutionary (plus there were only like 10 of them).

What can I do? I think I'm going to give SDS another chance this year, as perhaps it has the potential to be hijacked and made explicitly Marxist-Leninist.

I'd like to join an actual existing communist organization but according to what I hear, CPUSA are the Democrats' *****es, the RCP are personality-cultist maoists (I'm warm to the idea of maoism, but wary of these folks), and the Socialist Party are reformist sissies.

Also, any ideas on how to create class consciousness in a bunch of ignorant college kids?

[bezdomni]

The RCP is not a bunch of "personality cultists" as you proclaim. That's a rumor and distortion spread by those who benefit from the libel of revolutionary communism.

If nothing else, try to meet up with a local party supporter and see where they're coming from. If they say something you think is fucked up, call them on it.

We aren't going to make a revolution by believing distortions on other party's lines or by judging an organization before you've actually met someone who supports them.

I seriously encourage you to meet up with a supporter of the RCP. They are one of the few seriously active communist groups in the U.S. and one of the even fewer that takes an actual revolutionary communist line.

Find out for yourself if they are "personalit cultist" weirdos. I can tell you from my experience though, that they are not.

[Rawthentic]

There is no personality cult around the RCP. In this forum, that criticism is refuted. If thats the only problem you have with the RCP, and its been dealt with, I think you see now what you should go with.

[Robespierre2.0]

Hmmm.. I should have lurked moar then. Sorry I was so mistaken.

The only other problem I have with the RCP is that they seemed kinda puritan to me with their "no drugs or alcohol" policy. I happen to love drugs and alcohol. But whatever, I'll check them out.

Any ideas on the other stuff? Spaypainting :hammer: all over the place? Should I walk around in a suit with a poster board spreading my ideas like a mormon?
As much as I'd like to meet communists, I'd like more to create them. : )

[Rawthentic]

That policy is for Party members, not supporters.

[BorisTheBlade]

I feel your pain I'm a 16 year old Socialist from the Deep South. I'm open to Marxist and Leninist ideas. And I joined this forum to learn more. :D

[bootleg42]

Originally posted by Marxosaurus [email protected] 13, 2007 07:48 pm
Comrades, I'm looking for advice. I'm a student from Ohio living in Indiana. I also happen to be a Marxist-Leninist zealot. I think I'm going crazy due to the complete lack of leftism here.

There was a Young Socialists organization here, but apparently its been gone for about a year. There's a Students for a Democratic Society here, but I didn't find them to be that revolutionary (plus there were only like 10 of them).

What can I do? I think I'm going to give SDS another chance this year, as perhaps it has the potential to be hijacked and made explicitly Marxist-Leninist.

I'd like to join an actual existing communist organization but according to what I hear, CPUSA are the Democrats' *****es, the RCP are personality-cultist maoists (I'm warm to the idea of maoism, but wary of these folks), and the Socialist Party are reformist sissies.

Also, any ideas on how to create class consciousness in a bunch of ignorant college kids?
I would suggest to study more and maybe move to inner city areas were people in the U.S. are actually suffering. Are you in a city or a suburb???

Also about the college kids........you can try but don't waste the majority of your energy on them, they're not the ones suffering, they only have that "college ambition to be someone which in translation means MAKE MONEY AND EXPLOIT PEOPLE". Trust me, I'm in college here in New York and well, the people in my college and the people I went to high school with are WAY DIFFERENT. I'm from the inner city so I've lived poor and with the poor all my life. The moment I went to college, all the kids were Suburbian spoiled, petty bourgeoisie white kids with that "college ambition" and well...i think you get the idea so try to convince them of socialism but don't waste TOO MUCH energy on it.

When you can, you can try to move to poorer areas and try to get involved with the people. It's not that hard if you're not ethnocentric. Convince THEM of socialism.

Also about the drugs thing, I'm for legalizing them and all but I don't take them and I suggest you but it's only my SUGGESTION. I would not dare IMPOSE such a belief on you.

[Led Zeppelin]

Socialist Alternative (http://www.socialistalternative.com/) is a pretty good organization. They are active throughout the country and non-sectarian (they work with other working-class organization such as the IWW), and are part of the international CWI organization.

I met up with several comrades from the SA in Belgium, and they were pretty awesome.:)

[rouchambeau]

Why do you need to be part of an organization that is explicitly Marxist-Leninist? The best thing you can do is organize and participate in good activist activities regardless of it's political affiliation.

[Robespierre2.0]

It doesn't have to be explicitly Marxist-Leninist. I'd join a student anarchist group if there were any. A Popular Front group including both communists and anarchists would be especially awesome.

What I was getting trying to emphasize was that most of the leftist organizations here were either bourgeois liberal or reformist wankers.

Also, I guess you guys are kinda right about college students here. People here buy into that 'Horatio Alger success story' bullshit so much around here.

I'm just a bit dissapointed. My wacko neocon relatives always mention how colleges are commie breeding grounds. I can't believe that the state that a man like Eugene Debs came from is now full of reactionaries.

[manic expression]

It's a difficult situation, but I'd recommend trying to work with a few groups and seeing how you like them.

First, you could contact the national Young Socialists and ask if there are any members in your area. The Young Socialists is a great organization, don't listen to people who tell you they're sectarian Trotskyists, because it's simply not true. If you're interested, contact a branch and ask them for info:

http://www.themilitant.com/direct.shtml#8

On the RCP, I've worked with them and they're generally a solid group of dedicated communists (who aren't like the stories that you hear). My impression of the RCP is positive (in spite of some disagreements I may have with their program). If it's possible, you might as well contact them and see what you can do, at the very least you'll learn about a branch of communism and get good experience.

SDS can be VERY frustrating (especially for communists), as they have a lot of liberal and anarchist tendencies (and do some pretty wacky stuff). Any group that tries to portray itself as "all-inclusive" is inherently unfocused and confused (as SDS is, IMO). If you work with them, which may be a good idea if there are few alternatives, remember that they're basically a collection of many different activists with no unified vision, which makes it a headache to deal with.

By the way, comrade, a group of communists and anarchists (and social democrats) is a United Front; a Popular Front can include non-working class tendencies as well. Good luck! :hammer:

[Robespierre2.0]

Very helpful post- I'll give both of those a try. Thanks a lot, comrade!

[Janus]

I think I'm going to give SDS another chance this year, as perhaps it has the potential to be hijacked and made explicitly Marxist-Leninist.
If that is your main intention for joining SDS, then I would strongly discourage you from doing anything of the sort not only because it would most likely not work but also because also because such "infiltration and opportunist" tactics would be quite detrimental to the leftist movement as a whole.


Any group that tries to portray itself as "all-inclusive" is inherently unfocused and confused (as SDS is, IMO).
It's certainly not as unified as a Leninist party but I wouldn't dismiss them as "unfocused and confused" simply because they lack such ironclad discipline. Although, they may not all have the same vision on the best/most desirable society, the membership is generally unified in their campaigns and actions which is really what SDS is based around. Of course, some people like this sort of democratic and autonomous environment while others are turned off by it. It's really a matter of preference and what the needs of the individual are.