on the other hand, there are a lot of orgs whose “praxis” is an utter dead end and squanders the potential of those passionate activists and end up burning them out after years of bashing their head against a wall with nothing to show for it. Their leadership of these orgs are often old heads who never got over the fact the cold war ended and love hearing themselves talk about “the good old days” when SDS “took over the campus” or just whoever had the most time on their hands and ran unopposed (usually the most online in the whole party too). If you do find an effective and active leader, more likely than not they’re an actual federal undercover who is so active because their ass is literally getting paid to be there and take notes on you. So you will spend your valuable time doing useless shit like trying to sell newspapers on the street corner (what fucking century is it?) or knocking on doors for your local “progressive” democrat who will immediately sell you all out anyway. Maybe you can co-opt a few protests somebody else organized, good work Lenin. And party discipline? yeah right. good luck getting people to show up to meetings with them also trying to manage their lives in hellworld, half the time the only thing keeping the org running consistently is because the leadership is all in some ridiculous clique/polycule that inevitably collapses in a shower of bitterness and maybe SA allegations that takes the whole org with them on the way out. Not every org deserves your respect, and moreover your energy, time, and money just because they call themselves communists.
Now not to be entirely cynical, there are definitely some notable exceptions. Ethnic identity orgs are some real disciplined heavy hitters in the American activist scene who know how to get shit done. Black Panthers, Brown Berets, AIM, hell look at groups like SJP causing congressional hearings right now. They’ve all learned valuable hard-won lessons from the white nationalist police state trying to roll them over, though if you’re a complete cumskin you’re probably going to stick out a little (a lot) trying to join one. DSA and PSL aren’t bad, it does really depend on the chapter it seems- it’s a good sign if they have more than 6 people in it and they aren’t all fucking eachother. Do not get into extremely online arguments about soviet agricultural policy, its annoying to everyone else and more importantly irrelevant to the current political struggle. Ironically anarchist groups tend to have their shit together more often because they don’t take themselves so fucking seriously like some trot or ML orgs do (who are nearly all completely irrelevant cranks and losers). FNB does real easy and good praxis and they have all been chill as hell. In reality if you are getting out to demonstrations in your locale you are probably going to eventually be meeting with other like minded orgs in your community, and you could and should be judging who has the most juice and invest your effort in them accordingly. rarely do they care about your “personal ideology” as long as you aren’t annoying about it and you are putting in work, everyone is desperate for more people like OP said.
So respect yourself and join orgs that respect you, its the people in them that matter and not whatever is on their pamphlet, we’re all just trying to fight against this rotting genocidal empire in our own ways. And until we get an honest to god revolutionary vanguard forming in this country I don’t think you should be afraid to walk away and stay away from an org that you feel is wasting your time or draining your fucking lifeforce. Left wing political organization is still very nascent and many of them will go the way of the Trudoviks (abandoned or absorbed into a more powerful party) once a legitimate class conscious proletarian force starts politically coalescing around whatever party (or whatever it will be called) in the future. You’ll know when you find some real comrades- they’ll earn your loyalty and you will earn theirs, and it will be beautiful. And that’s what will change the world.
(keep shitposting on hexbear in the meantime tho I need my slop)
A good sign is when the orgs have members who are also union reps etc etc, not because of entryism but because the party decided boosting local non party worker and activist orgs was the right thing to do.
There’s a reason a lot of organisations say you cant be member of a socialist org and that’s not because of entryism but because if you’re a committed and effective member of that org, people will start discussing your politics and where they can get them.
on the other hand, there are a lot of orgs whose “praxis” is an utter dead end and squanders the potential of those passionate activists and end up burning them out after years of bashing their head against a wall with nothing to show for it. Their leadership of these orgs are often old heads who never got over the fact the cold war ended and love hearing themselves talk about “the good old days” when SDS “took over the campus” or just whoever had the most time on their hands and ran unopposed (usually the most online in the whole party too). If you do find an effective and active leader, more likely than not they’re an actual federal undercover who is so active because their ass is literally getting paid to be there and take notes on you. So you will spend your valuable time doing useless shit like trying to sell newspapers on the street corner (what fucking century is it?) or knocking on doors for your local “progressive” democrat who will immediately sell you all out anyway. Maybe you can co-opt a few protests somebody else organized, good work Lenin. And party discipline? yeah right. good luck getting people to show up to meetings with them also trying to manage their lives in hellworld, half the time the only thing keeping the org running consistently is because the leadership is all in some ridiculous clique/polycule that inevitably collapses in a shower of bitterness and maybe SA allegations that takes the whole org with them on the way out. Not every org deserves your respect, and moreover your energy, time, and money just because they call themselves communists.
Now not to be entirely cynical, there are definitely some notable exceptions. Ethnic identity orgs are some real disciplined heavy hitters in the American activist scene who know how to get shit done. Black Panthers, Brown Berets, AIM, hell look at groups like SJP causing congressional hearings right now. They’ve all learned valuable hard-won lessons from the white nationalist police state trying to roll them over, though if you’re a complete cumskin you’re probably going to stick out a little (a lot) trying to join one. DSA and PSL aren’t bad, it does really depend on the chapter it seems- it’s a good sign if they have more than 6 people in it and they aren’t all fucking eachother. Do not get into extremely online arguments about soviet agricultural policy, its annoying to everyone else and more importantly irrelevant to the current political struggle. Ironically anarchist groups tend to have their shit together more often because they don’t take themselves so fucking seriously like some trot or ML orgs do (who are nearly all completely irrelevant cranks and losers). FNB does real easy and good praxis and they have all been chill as hell. In reality if you are getting out to demonstrations in your locale you are probably going to eventually be meeting with other like minded orgs in your community, and you could and should be judging who has the most juice and invest your effort in them accordingly. rarely do they care about your “personal ideology” as long as you aren’t annoying about it and you are putting in work, everyone is desperate for more people like OP said.
So respect yourself and join orgs that respect you, its the people in them that matter and not whatever is on their pamphlet, we’re all just trying to fight against this rotting genocidal empire in our own ways. And until we get an honest to god revolutionary vanguard forming in this country I don’t think you should be afraid to walk away and stay away from an org that you feel is wasting your time or draining your fucking lifeforce. Left wing political organization is still very nascent and many of them will go the way of the Trudoviks (abandoned or absorbed into a more powerful party) once a legitimate class conscious proletarian force starts politically coalescing around whatever party (or whatever it will be called) in the future. You’ll know when you find some real comrades- they’ll earn your loyalty and you will earn theirs, and it will be beautiful. And that’s what will change the world.
(keep shitposting on hexbear in the meantime tho I need my slop)
A good sign is when the orgs have members who are also union reps etc etc, not because of entryism but because the party decided boosting local non party worker and activist orgs was the right thing to do.
There’s a reason a lot of organisations say you cant be member of a socialist org and that’s not because of entryism but because if you’re a committed and effective member of that org, people will start discussing your politics and where they can get them.