TheBucklessProphet

“Who controls the past now controls the future. Who controls the present now controls the past.” - “Testify”, Rage Against the Machine (also Orwell in 1984, but I wanted to mention the RATM song since it slaps so hard)

I thought I replied to this message, but it doesn't appear to have posted.

I'm thrilled that the worker's got sick time and credit where it's due to anyone in the admin who helped make that happen. It doesn't change the fact that the admin, with the help of AOC and others in Congress broke a strike. That's a terrible, dangerous, anti-worker precedent to set, and shame on anyone who voted for it and Biden for signing it.

If I ask someone for $20 bucks for lunch and they kick me in the shin before giving me the money, am I supposed to be thankful and forget the fact that they just kicked me in the shin? Congress kicked workers in the proverbial, collective shin by blocking them from their right to strike.

Here's a decent article from Jacobin written by an RWU representative making exactly that point: https://jacobin.com/2023/04/railroad-workers-united-aoc-strike-vote-rank-and-file

And here's a decent rundown of the situation from a decent socialist source (even if it is Trot): https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2023/04/19/jaco-a19.html

Listen, I'm thrilled that the workers got their sick days and credit where credit's due to anyone in the admin who helped secure that, but that doesn't make my point inaccurate. The Biden administration helped deny railroad workers their right to strike. That counts as breaking the back of the strike, even if after breaking their back they turned around and gave them (at least part) of what they were asking for. Breaking strikes via a literal act of Congress is a deeply upsetting, dangerous, and anti-worker move. Full stop.

In contrast to the IBEW statements you've quoted up above, look at the contrasting tone from the RWU in a recent Jacobin article:

RWU made crystal clear by our words and actions throughout contract negotiations that, while we were of course in full support of seven days of paid sick leave for railworkers, RWU would never be in favor of any legislation denying railroad workers our human right to withhold our labor when all else fails in our struggle for safe working conditions and dignity, regardless of whatever concessions may be dangled.

RWU was and is in favor of any legislation that would grant any relief to the barbaric working conditions we contend with — but we would never concede our right to strike. We thank Ocasio-Cortez and other members of the House of Representatives and the Senate for their votes in support of sick leave. But we are not happy at all with her or others in both chambers who voted to deny railroad workers the right to strike.

(Emphasis added by me)

Saying that these places are socialist isn’t gonna work because these people don’t know what that word means either.

True. Exactly why these people need to shut up until they read more (or any) theory lol

Anyway, you can argue that these countries are communist because they’re working to build communism, the same way that a communist party is communist.

Indeed, good point. I do think it ought to be an educational priority to get people to understand and more commonly use this definition of "communist" as opposed to the "classless, moneyless" definition.

True, fair points. When I see the "real communism has never been tried" type statements, my head tends to get stuck on the definition being used by the person making the statement (i.e. as the classless, moneyless society). I do, however, recognize and stand behind the definition you're pointing out.

The quotes you've provided illustrate perfectly the value of reading theory.

What I want to see is for her and anyone else calling themselves a socialist to work to be a socialist power outside of the Democratic Party. The DNC is rotted to the core by the money and influence of the capitalist class in a way that, if not irreversible, is hopeless in the short to medium term. Just look at all of the explicitly capitalist Democratic leaders, including younger ones like Buttigieg.

If you want to pursue socialism, the DNC is the wrong place to do it. Hell, looking at history I think putting eggs in the electoralism bucket is fundamentally flawed. Look at the failed German revolution that helped make room for the ascension of the Nazis thanks to “socialists” making extreme compromises and undercutting socialist revolutionaries to instead work within bourgeois political parties.

I think part of the problem is that most people (including self-professed socialists and communists) don’t read any theory.

AES isn’t communism, that’s kind of the point. Socialism is the next stage on the road to the theorized end stage that is communism. Communism will never sustainably be the organization of society 5 minutes (or even 5 years or probably 5 decades) after the revolution. That shit takes time and a lot of work, and AES systems were/are the attempts at doing the necessary work to reorganize society and eliminate the bourgeoise and their influence through socialist (as opposed to capitalist) proletarianization.

Same boat here. The thing is, though, that I think being a Marxist communist is (in a way) just as punk as being an anarchist. I think it comes down to different interpretations of what the punk ethos even is. Anarchists tend to cling strongly to anti-authority as a universal, but I’m with them in being anti bourgeois authority. However, I do believe in the authority of the proletariat. That is, of freeing workers from our chains and allowing ourselves to organize society for the benefit of the masses. I think collective organization of the disenfranchised and oppressed is punk, and I think it’s a fundamental misunderstanding of Marxism/communism that scares away a lot of my fellow punks.

Try working out to the Gimp version. I imagine the experience will be significantly different lol

I can do it!

Could also put the subreddit in restricted mode so that anyone who wanted to continue posting would have to either move or create an alternate sub.