What's It Like Being a Party Member?

[trivas7]

What's it like being a commited party member in a Leninist group (or any other you're familiar with)? After a period of initial acquaintance, dues-paying, study, etc. are you expected to folllow orders? Whose? How close to the party line must you be? Do you socialize outside of party work? How much time does it take up? Is it personally satisfying/frustrating?

[Trystan]

What's it like being a commited party member in a Leninist group (or any other you're familiar with)? After a period of initial acquaintance, dues-paying, study, etc. are you expected to folllow orders? Whose? How close to the party line must you be? Do you socialize outside of party work? How much time does it take up? Is it personally satisfying/frustrating?

You will not have to "follow orders" lol. You might just get asked to do things now and again if possible (e.g. arrange a place for a meeting, deliver pamphlets, sell the party organ).

[F9]

There arent and rules how party's work,you will face a lot different things in different parties all around the world,nowhere will be the exactly same thing!The only way to find out is to join one but i dont recommend it to you!:rolleyes:

Fuserg9:star:

[RHIZOMES]

What's it like being a commited party member in a Leninist group (or any other you're familiar with)?

Awesome. :)


After a period of initial acquaintance, dues-paying, study, etc. are you expected to folllow orders? Whose?

It's not some sort of military discipline thing... we just help any way we can.


How close to the party line must you be?

Our basic platform.


Do you socialize outside of party work?

Yes.


How much time does it take up? Is it personally satisfying/frustrating?

It is satisfying as I believe my party is the best party for a communist in NZ to be in. It takes up like 2 hours on Monday and a 3 hours on Saturday, and I go to protests and the like.

[Joe Hill's Ghost]

I assume it involves putting in a few hours and going to a few meetings. Now cadre...that's the level where the weird shit prolly starts to pop up.

[OI OI OI]

What's it like being a commited party member in a Leninist group (or any other you're familiar with)?

It is very satisfactory as you put all the energy you have into something you believe in. For example you have energy as I see you posting alot of stuff here. But this is not too productive as it is just a forum(although you learn some stuff). When you are in an organization you do something productive for what you believe in. So it feels good



After a period of initial acquaintance, dues-paying, study, etc. are you expected to folllow orders?
In a Leninist group you don't follow orders. Democratically the group makes decisions so ya you "follow the orders" of the majority.

Whose?
The majority's.

How close to the party line must you be?
Well you need to agree on all the basics. Or else you join another organization! So basicaly you need to find an organization that you agree with in most of the shit. That is the hard part if you are already advanced. To tell you the truth I feel very happy that I found the IMT..

Do you socialize outside of party work?
With other members? Off course, if you like them as people that is. But you can socialize with whoever you want. Except if you are a member of the IS where they don't allow you to talk to others:lol:

How much time does it take up?
Less time that people spend on the internet usually!!

Is it personally satisfying/frustrating?
Satifying for the most part.

[BIG BROTHER]

its pretty cool being one. and yea oi is so right, the internet takes much more time than the party

[Sam_b]

Being in a left organisation or party isn't like being in a bog-standard, top-down capitalist or establishment party, in the sense you don't just pay your dues, go to a few meetings and thats it.

I see being a socialist and part of an organisation as a commitment. If you work long hours, can't make t along to meetings and paper sales etc then thats fine, but there is no excuse if you have free time. The job is to buld the party and the movement: organise meetings and protests, ring rounds of your contacts, selling your paper at sales and also in your workplace, and fighting within your trade union for activist politics. The list is far from exhaustable, but thats the general idea.

[Redmau5]

but there is no excuse if you have free time.

Yes there is. It's called having a life.

Do you honestly expect people to use every ounce of their free time to help build the party? I'm quite active with the Socialist Party in Ireland, but I certainly don't dedicate every free minute I have to doing party work. I've found that people who throw themselves completely into party work often burn themselves out (unless they are full-time party members of course).

Of course, if a big event is approaching, such as an impending imperialist war or a large strike, it's expected that party members should help as much as possible. But it's important that people strike a balance between their jobs, social life and party work.

[Q]

Yes there is. It's called having a life.

Do you honestly expect people to use every ounce of their free time to help build the party? I'm quite active with the Socialist Party in Ireland, but I certainly don't dedicate every free minute I have to doing party work. I've found that people who throw themselves completely into party work often burn themselves out (unless they are full-time party members of course).

Of course, if a big event is approaching, such as an impending imperialist war or a large strike, it's expected that party members should help as much as possible. But it's important that people strike a balance between their jobs, social life and party work.
I agree. There is a delicate balance of having a commitment and live up to it (we are talking about changing society after all) and having a personal life (family, social, etc, although the two could mix up a bit of course).


What's it like being a commited party member in a Leninist group (or any other you're familiar with)? After a period of initial acquaintance, dues-paying, study, etc. are you expected to folllow orders? Whose? How close to the party line must you be? Do you socialize outside of party work? How much time does it take up? Is it personally satisfying/frustrating?
It has nothing to do with following the "party line" like a mindless robot. There is of course commitment involved; if you're not willing to be active, then you shouldn't whine if things don't go your way. In that way, revolutionary parties are more akin to meritocracies: active people have a say, people who stay home... stay home.

[Wanted Man]

In the organisation that I'm part of, I like that new members are approached in person to see what they can and want to do. Nobody should just be a paying (or possibly paper-selling) cog in a machine where nobody knows each other.

There aren't 'orders', things are decided collectively and democratically. You go to a local meeting, decide together what you want to do over the next period, divide the tasks (writing a pamphlet, making a banner, arranging speakers, a venue and equipment if necessary, contact other organisations). Then you fucking do that shit. Then there's the aftermath: evaluation, deciding how to build on it, seeing if there have been any gains (new members, media, etc.), criticism and self-criticism of the action, the group as a whole and individuals, and writing a report for the website if necessary.

As for 'following party line'; well, people are welcome to join the organisation if they agree to its basic principles. Not much use joining a communist group, and then telling people on the street: "Actually, I think capitalism is pretty cool."

Socialising, sure. You already have something in common, anyway, which leads to some interesting discussions. But that aside, of course it's nice to go for beers together.

Being active is about 10 hours a month for me, I think. Which is peanuts. It's the amount of time that most people probably spend video gaming, watching tv, or, indeed, posting on RevLeft daily. It's satisfying to me, because I think the organisation has its priorities in order, and actions are rarely futile.

Or, as the people who boo and hiss from the sidelines say: gather up and have shady backroom meetings about how to best institute the evil leninist bureaucratic dictatorship. :rolleyes:

[Sam_b]

Yes there is. It's called having a life.

Well yes thats obvious.

But when you've got a spare week free, would you not do anything to build the movement? :rolleyes:

[Redmau5]

Well yes thats obvious.

But when you've got a spare week free, would you not do anything to build the movement? :rolleyes:

Of course, I think I may have misunderstood what you meant by free time. I thought you were implying that it was our duty as socialists to dedicate any free time we had to building the movement.

[Dr Mindbender]

i want to get involved in a party again, but my present circumstances dont make it practical.
:(

[Sam_b]

I thought you were implying that it was our duty as socialists to dedicate any free time we had to building the movement.

Definitely a misunderstanding then :) Far from it, I think that all comrades who are in an organsation should spend as much time as they can on revolutionary activity, rather than encroaching into personal space and relaxation.

[Q]

i want to get involved in a party again, but my present circumstances dont make it practical.
:(

Why is that?