Here in PDX, the IWW is the best org in town. Up in Tacoma ILPS has the same politics as PSL but a healthier organizing culture. JBGC is also strong in PDX and Tacoma.
Ah, interesting. Every IWW group I've ever worked with has been explicitly anticommunist. How about in PDX?
It's a mix, leans anarchist but is revolutionary and has multiple contracts including the first fast food contract in the US.
That's a fair criticism, litmus testing is shitty thing that can harm groups.
But here's the speakers list for the other event: https://rageagainstwar.com/#Speakers
The highlights are: Ron Paul, Tulsi Gabbard, Jill Stien, and Jimmy Dore. If that's not raising the wrong kind of red flags unno what to say.
You need to turn the opportunities into your advantage, and not let the chuds seize them.
I agree, but how do you promote and defend nuanced takes in todays political climate? How many times have you been called right wing for including Bidens lack of action in East Palestine? Or being a Putin bot for being against the war in Ukraine?
I feel like the American left wing movement is so lacking in self-esteem that they are afraid of even facing the chuds.
How do you build confidence if you are a POC or Trans or any marginalized group when you are their enemy and your mere existence is a wedge issue and political to them? I'm privileged that I can (and enjoy) doing it. I'm a white, het passing, cis man with a love of rural bullshit. I have a lot of common ground to start with, and it's still fucking hard and wearing a mask for a long time takes a lot of self discipline and energy.
And ironically, if I were the Deep State, this is exactly the predicament I would want to see. How convenient.
Yeah, unironically yes. It's a victory of the status quo that we're demoralized, exhausted, poor, desperate, and afraid to be ourselves in our own homes, let alone with someone who inexplicably hates you.
Ultimately I agree. And I'm Canadian but fully under Americas cultural and political influence.
I do my best on focusing on things I can do and impact my community positively.
But not everyone can. And the notion that they're not for the cause or are actively harming it is... kinda bullshit and just further discouraging and disenfranchising people.
Being able to organize , and convert people is hard, not as hard as some think, but there still maybe barriers in their way. If someone can't do it, that's fine, it doesn't make them enemies of the "movement". And if it does, it's not a movement I'm willing to be a part of.
I know you're not saying they are. I'm more venting at this point. I don't want to be a doomer. I try, and try to convince others to try. But it's an uphill battle, and I understand those that don't want another battle on their hands.
I feel like the American left wing movement is so lacking in self-esteem that they are afraid of even facing the chuds. There used to be a time when communists were so confident in their ideology that they sincerely believed that they could get the rest of the world follow them. But nowadays, it’s the opposite, it’s like they’re afraid they themselves would get converted by the chuds or something if they talk to them.
A lot of the criticisms here that's directed towards the pathetic bad anti-war rally is motivated by complete insecurity that the good anti-war rally is going to be as pathetic (or perhaps even more pathetic) than the bad anti-war rally. Yes, the bad anti-war rally is filled with reactionary grifters, LaRouchites, and a US psyop officer, but would we really have multiple 100+-comments posts if everyone was secure that the good anti-war rally would draw in 60k people? Or would we just have a single post on /c/the_dunk_tank laughing at how the bad anti-war rally are full of reactionary clowns who can't even organize a decently sized rally?
I saw footage of the bad anti-war rally and it's about what I would expect: a crowd of like 3k people huddled around to hear a bunch of speakers with bad audio speaking outdoors. Like, this shit here is what people here are freaking out, some loser grifter crying about how the audio sucks? I've been to Bernie and union rallies with at least 10 times the amount of people these clowns managed to rope into their shitty rally.
Surely the good anti-war rally could do better than this.
That was true of the Vietnam war for years and it was true of the Iraq war for years. Even the Afghan war with the “justification” of revenge for 9-11 lost support.
Opposition to war is usually going to become the more popular policy the longer the war continues.
If you speak out today you’ll get some heat but in 5 years you’ll be able to point at how you stood for something that has become mainstream, and opposition to this war will likely become mainstream if it continues to drag on which appears likely.
So opposing the war today isn’t about getting an immediate cease fire. I mean, that would be great because that would end the human misery but of course that decision isn’t going to be made on the basis of popular protest. It’s out of our hands.
But what we can do is plant the flag. “If you oppose war, gather here.”
It really troubles me that opposition to this war is mostly coming from MGT and Tucker Carlson because they’ve planted their flag and the left hasn’t clearly planted theirs. Which means there’s only one very visible place for peaceniks to gather and it’s with the tea party which is a fucking tragedy.
If you are really that cynical and disparaging of the people of the US then just give up! There's no point! This is not an appropriate or useful attitude for a communist.
Fully agree. I enjoy talking with chuds because I can get them to agree on a lot of things and I can sympathize with a lot of their understandings, and challenge them on hate.
A lot of their mentality stems from being shit on by capital. And it's just about getting them to think critically and challenge the reactionary thoughts.
But an entire struggle session stemming from defending promoting a Libertarian rally is... exhausting.
If you hold an "anti-war rally" where one of the keynote speakers is an active duty commissioned officer in the US Army, meaning that the Pentagon could tell them not to go (or explicitly gave them permission to make that speech), I am making fun of your rally, I don't care what the politics are.
there is no left in America. even the self described leftists in this country are liberals
Death to America
Missed that but someone else got to it I've been going through some shit recently and I think this was posted while I was at work
It's cool! Hope the shit your going through turns out okay. Sounds rough.
https://reddit.com/r/PoliticalHumor/comments/117bv2i/this_is_the_autobiography_of_the_b_word_to_your/
Please tell me this is a parody?
You are now about to witness the strength of political courage.
Straight outta Washington, crazy POTUS named Joe Biden.
From the US givin' weapons for fightin'.
When he's called soft, he took his plane aloft
Zelensky's his greeter, and Ruskies are fought off.
You too, Putin, if ya stay in Ukraine.
M1 Abrams are gonna hafta come and cause pain.
Off to Kyiv, that's why he's flying out
For the tough Ukraine fighters that're holdin' out.
Pro-Putin MAGAs start to mumble, they wanna grumble.
Trick em and mock em into a political stumble.
Goin off on Fox News like that
With a lie that's spouted by an ass.
So give it up smooth
Ain't no yellin when Biden's got nothin' to prove.
Here's a wartime visit to keep Ukraine free
While resisting like Sparta at Thermopylae.
I mean there's a bit of a gap between "someone who does not 100% agree with you on every single thing" and literal proud boys
There's also a gap between "We will fight Russia to the last Ukrainian" and "We should not do that"
There is yes, but whatever Ron Paul said on the issue on the rally i'm pretty sure his problem isn't with the war itself or war in general
The more left wingers would have showed up, the more left wing the rally would have been.
Seemed like a pretty good opportunity to bring people closer to our cause.
Good thing anti-war rallies are so effective then.
If they weren't you might need to judge them by other criteria.
This argument would be really cool if it fuckicng mattered. Go to the rally where some chuds agree or don't. Maybe if a significant leftist coalition could be established in time to attend a leftist voice against the war may get some degree of attention. People worried about it maybe 'showing we're on the same team', it's a chance to prove we aren't and the DMC'A Russophobia should be questioned as well as American imperialism and it's not a right wing platform to have. Sometimes people are for the same rhing for totsllyndifferent reasons and that can't be pointed out by staying home. If nothing is accomplished at least you tried. I'm not American but it's an anti war rally for a war you don't want...so like...show up.
