Status of World Socialist Party (US)
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I don’t believe that socialism is the sole responsibility of the WSM/SPGB.
And I can’t speak for any other organisations; I’ve only been a member of one. I’m a newcomer to the world of politics. I was driven into it by a refusal to be apathetic any longer to the horrors of capitalism and that is still what energises me.
Thank you all for indulging me over the last few days; it has been insightful.
I think there are enough reasons to be positive. Robbo203 mentions putting “our own house in order”, and there’s already been some good progress towards this, not only with revamping the website and IT system, but also exploring alternative ways of organising. Once we’re a bit further down the line sorting things out, we’ll be better placed to focus on how to get our views out there.
Already, our message has a wider reach now than before, with easy access for anyone online to the Socialist Standard, videos, publications and social media. Terms like ‘capitalism’ and ‘socialism’ are spoken about more in the mainstream media and by people in general now than they were just a few years ago. Our role, of course, is to push our understanding of capitalism and a future socialist society, which is a challenge, but also an opportunity in a climate where people are more receptive to questioning the system.
I still don’t feel like anything the Party is doing is actually making any difference.
For what it’s worth, the SPGB Twitter account has over 26,800 ‘followers’ — almost 500 of which ‘joined in’ during the last 28 days. See the latest
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Neil, “First do no harm” is a saying particularly popular amongst those involved in the medical field. The takeaway point of “first do no harm” is that, in many cases, it may be better to do nothing rather than intervening and potentially causing more harm than good.
Our principle that we are not a vanguard party that assumes a political leadership role is an important one since it means that if and when we make mistakes we have not demanded that our fellow-workers follow us in our error.
Our principle is another medical-related one. We foremost advise our fellow-workers, “Physician heal thy self.”
Frustrated? Of course we all are. Discouraged? Of course we all are. Conceding? Never. Capitulating? No chance.
William Morris once explained:
“One man with an idea in his head is in danger of being considered a madman: two men with the same idea in common may be foolish, but can hardly be mad; ten men sharing an idea begin to act, a hundred draw attention as fanatics, a thousand and society begins to tremble, a hundred thousand and there is war abroad, and the cause has victories tangible and real; and why only a hundred thousand? Why not a hundred million and peace upon the earth? You and I who agree together, it is we who have to answer that question.”This all may seem to be a distraction from the thread of the WSPUS, but if it is to progress, it requires to have a response for all those who seek easy answers and limit themselves with some tweaking of the system, regardless of how radical that appears to the present public
The Green New Deal is an example of something that seems very stirring but when broken down, only mitigates the problem and doesn’t cure it and in real-politik terms has little chance of success with the Republicans joining the Democratic Party middle to kill any eventual legislation, even if it does reach the floor of Congress or the Senate and at the moment there is not even an attempt at any bill to vote on. It is a wish list, that is all.
I still don’t feel like anything the Party is doing is actually making any difference.
For what it’s worth, the SPGB Twitter account has over 26,800 ‘followers’ — almost 500 of which ‘joined in’ during the last 28 days. See the latest
Great stuff Max.
“The educators must be educated”, I once saw, I think, in Paolo Freire’s ‘Pedagogy of the Oppressed‘, is the one I like to remind myself of.
Feedback like Neils and all of the other contributors to this thread has been very illuminating for me personally.
We need a civilised discourse like this between comrades from time to time, to revisit approaches, as well as all hands on board the good ship socialism as it weathers the stormy seas of political ignorance and obfsucation sown by capitalist politics, to blow the workers off course, gulling them into surrendering their political power to leaders.
I haven’t read the whole of this thread but the SPGB needs more members like Neil and more open and comradely discussions on where the party is going wrong.
We can be critical but we don’t have to twist our principles to enlarge our membership.
With our limited resources we are doing more than enough
I have seen organizations larger and with more resources who have vanished from the face of the earth
We are moving and advancing paralell to the working movement( if there is any movement ) and its actual consciousness
This is what the WSPUS is up against
Nobody should be fooled about the term “democratic socialism,” because that’s just the politically-correct term for “communism” being used by people that “want to take away your hamburgers.” Also your house and your pick-up truck.
“This is what Stalin dreamt about but never achieved,” Gorka blustered. “You are on the frontlines on the war against communism.”… “That is why Ocasio-Cortez has introduced the Green New Deal, which is, which is — remember this one, use it — it’s a watermelon,” Gorka said. “Green on the outside, deep, deep red communist on the inside.”Just another example of what we are up against in America. Anti-vaxxer politician from Arizona
“I read yesterday that the idea is being floated that if not enough people get vaccinated, then we are going to force them to. The idea that we force someone to give up their liberty for the sake of the collective is not based on American values but rather, Communist.”
The Bretch forum in Brooklyn is another place where the wspus would be able to present the socialist case
There was a radio soap opera.propagated by the cia during 1960 and at the peak of the Cold War, where it was indicated that communists were going to take your chairs, your bed, your table , your house , your horse, and your bicycle and that love was a petty bourgeois sentiments for the communists and they did not love their families
There was a peasant lady who said in a radio program They don’t have to take anything from me because I am so poor that I eat on the floor when I find something to eat , and my dinner is my breakfast , and something I am able to have it at 11:00 o’clock at night before going to sleep on the floor , after I walk 10 miles everyday Many of my children has died due to hungers and diseases and I don’t have anybody to love me
The rich had taken her burgers ,French fries , potatoes chips, and soda , and they had expropriated the peasants from their small piece of land before the arrival of their so called communism , They used to eat more healthy foods than hamburgers and much better than the peoples from the city They can fool The fools
This website and its content must be updated
They also have a website in the Spanish language which must be updated
The WSPUS has two websites in Facebook which must be updated too. I do not know why they have two websites, probably both should be combined into one, or eliminate one of them.
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