I've got no doubt that marxist literature could be a powerful resource for change and radicalisation within the prison population, but not because it's advocated for by some new inmate who sees themselves as a Revolutionary or enlightened Teacher. I've been to prison, have you? My experience was that it was paramount to your survival to keep your head down and avoid standing out. My abiding memory of that time is constant 24/7 wariness, learning not to trust anybody, and how fragile and precarious your safety was. The wrong word, or joke, or look, or even sitting in the wrong chair could get you marked down as a victim, and if that happened you were fucked because safety in prison is entirely a social construct. If people decide that you're vulnerable, you are.
So that's why it annoys me when I see people posting shit that looks like fantasy wish-fulfilment about preaching to the receptive, confined masses. It might be because of the unit I was in, but I never met anyone inside who would be receptive to even the concept of a communal society or self-sacrifice for a stranger. A lot of comrades talk about the prison population like its some stereotypical, token group that are all there for selling weed. They talk about them the same way libs talk about Black people. A lot of prisoners are, frankly, fucking horrible human beings who are fundamentally broken inside by trauma.
I never met anyone inside who would be receptive to even the concept of a communal society or self-sacrifice for a stranger.
I managed to radicalise a grand total of 2 people in my entire time in prison and i would bet money that I would have got 0 (and my head kicked in) if I wasn't a pretty hench working class bloke in for a 5 stretch for gbh
This is less "prison authorities making an arbitrary judgement" than it is " prison authorities trying desperately to cover up a big glowing video game weak point."
I've got no doubt that marxist literature could be a powerful resource for change and radicalisation within the prison population, but not because it's advocated for by some new inmate who sees themselves as a Revolutionary or enlightened Teacher. I've been to prison, have you? My experience was that it was paramount to your survival to keep your head down and avoid standing out. My abiding memory of that time is constant 24/7 wariness, learning not to trust anybody, and how fragile and precarious your safety was. The wrong word, or joke, or look, or even sitting in the wrong chair could get you marked down as a victim, and if that happened you were fucked because safety in prison is entirely a social construct. If people decide that you're vulnerable, you are.
So that's why it annoys me when I see people posting shit that looks like fantasy wish-fulfilment about preaching to the receptive, confined masses. It might be because of the unit I was in, but I never met anyone inside who would be receptive to even the concept of a communal society or self-sacrifice for a stranger. A lot of comrades talk about the prison population like its some stereotypical, token group that are all there for selling weed. They talk about them the same way libs talk about Black people. A lot of prisoners are, frankly, fucking horrible human beings who are fundamentally broken inside by trauma.
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I managed to radicalise a grand total of 2 people in my entire time in prison and i would bet money that I would have got 0 (and my head kicked in) if I wasn't a pretty hench working class bloke in for a 5 stretch for gbh
Not to take away from the validity of all that, but if the prisons themselves have decided that it's a risk worth acting on, there's something there.
I also uncritically accept the judgements of prison authorities. No way those guys could be wrong about something.
This is less "prison authorities making an arbitrary judgement" than it is " prison authorities trying desperately to cover up a big glowing video game weak point."