Only protests and they also immediately try to subsume their purpose into the "class is the only thing that matters message" and i don't think i can change that by myself.
If they are only doing protests and not actually talking about organizing around labor or actually creating systems with which to organize around labor (i.e. coordinating unions, working towards co-ops, figuring out temp work and prisoner issues), then they are basically doing things that have been historically ineffectual for the left in the U.S.
And if they are only talking, they should be allowing discussion around topics such as queer liberation, black nationalism, etc.
That being said, part of understanding leftist discourse is understanding that the class war matters not because of the morality of the working class, but because of the power that organizing labor allows the organizers to have over society writ large. Other organization methods are useful, but unfortunately they tend to be coopted by capitalism to elevate a few at the expense of fhe many, while effective labor organization requires buy in from alot of people in order to function effectivly. Having buy-in from POC, native and queer labor is absolutely essential to this end.
Idk if that is their point, but if they haven't conveyed that, then you might be better off going to more action oriented orgs that are less theory focused, because they don't seem very good at effectivly communicating theory.
That was part of why i joined, to learn more about and do organizing and direct action, but for now i haven't really learnt anything, or i don't feel like it and done little outside of going to protests. The only reading groups for theory are always for the manifesto, which is not useful to me anymore.
That sucks. If reading is stuck at the manifesto, then it's pretty clear to me (from what you are saying) that the group is essentially spinning it's wheels and kinda doing this for brownie points (from whom I cannot say, as I am not familiar with the social mileau of your city, but the point still stands).
If you choose to stay, it will be up to you to push through an agenda that dives deeper into the theoretical nonsense, if that is what you want. I would even recommend having the group start listening to the 'Revolutions' podcast (which is free) on the French Revolution so that way they will understand what Marx is talking about in his other writings. As well, you can listen to the Russian Revolution to understand better what Lenin is talking about as well. And then there is understanding the Weimar Republic and Rosa Luxembourg etc. etc. Understanding of theory comes from an understanding of history and there is alot of time and energy that has to be put into those subjects. The message is simple, but the pitfalls are many and understanding the pitfalls are what people like Marx, Mao, Lenin, Rosa etc. sought to do through their writings, but unfortunately they didn't think idiots like us would be reading this stuff a century and a half removed from context (except maybe Lenin because he was an egotistical nerd), so it's important to understand the material circumstances and reality that they were writing in.
If you don't want to stay, that's ok though. There are other groups and organizations out there that are better suited towards direct action and theory. Or take some time to explore stuff for yourself. PSL and DSA are always decent options, and if you want to hang with some cops, you can always join the CPUSA.
Edit: and that's just the European and Asian side of things. There is a history of organization in the U.S. and especially in Latin and South America, and you should learn about those as well and use them to think about how you should be organizing your labor in the current moment.
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Class reductionist Americans like these are actively hurting the left, not furthering their own cause.
Only protests and they also immediately try to subsume their purpose into the "class is the only thing that matters message" and i don't think i can change that by myself.
If they are only doing protests and not actually talking about organizing around labor or actually creating systems with which to organize around labor (i.e. coordinating unions, working towards co-ops, figuring out temp work and prisoner issues), then they are basically doing things that have been historically ineffectual for the left in the U.S.
And if they are only talking, they should be allowing discussion around topics such as queer liberation, black nationalism, etc.
That being said, part of understanding leftist discourse is understanding that the class war matters not because of the morality of the working class, but because of the power that organizing labor allows the organizers to have over society writ large. Other organization methods are useful, but unfortunately they tend to be coopted by capitalism to elevate a few at the expense of fhe many, while effective labor organization requires buy in from alot of people in order to function effectivly. Having buy-in from POC, native and queer labor is absolutely essential to this end.
Idk if that is their point, but if they haven't conveyed that, then you might be better off going to more action oriented orgs that are less theory focused, because they don't seem very good at effectivly communicating theory.
That was part of why i joined, to learn more about and do organizing and direct action, but for now i haven't really learnt anything, or i don't feel like it and done little outside of going to protests. The only reading groups for theory are always for the manifesto, which is not useful to me anymore.
That sucks. If reading is stuck at the manifesto, then it's pretty clear to me (from what you are saying) that the group is essentially spinning it's wheels and kinda doing this for brownie points (from whom I cannot say, as I am not familiar with the social mileau of your city, but the point still stands).
If you choose to stay, it will be up to you to push through an agenda that dives deeper into the theoretical nonsense, if that is what you want. I would even recommend having the group start listening to the 'Revolutions' podcast (which is free) on the French Revolution so that way they will understand what Marx is talking about in his other writings. As well, you can listen to the Russian Revolution to understand better what Lenin is talking about as well. And then there is understanding the Weimar Republic and Rosa Luxembourg etc. etc. Understanding of theory comes from an understanding of history and there is alot of time and energy that has to be put into those subjects. The message is simple, but the pitfalls are many and understanding the pitfalls are what people like Marx, Mao, Lenin, Rosa etc. sought to do through their writings, but unfortunately they didn't think idiots like us would be reading this stuff a century and a half removed from context (except maybe Lenin because he was an egotistical nerd), so it's important to understand the material circumstances and reality that they were writing in.
If you don't want to stay, that's ok though. There are other groups and organizations out there that are better suited towards direct action and theory. Or take some time to explore stuff for yourself. PSL and DSA are always decent options, and if you want to hang with some cops, you can always join the CPUSA.
Edit: and that's just the European and Asian side of things. There is a history of organization in the U.S. and especially in Latin and South America, and you should learn about those as well and use them to think about how you should be organizing your labor in the current moment.