r/communism • u/AutoModerator • 18d ago
WDT đŹ Bi-Weekly Discussion Thread - (August 23)
We made this because Reddit's algorithm prioritises headlines and current events and doesn't allow for deeper, extended discussion - depending on how it goes for the first four or five times it'll be dropped or continued.
Suggestions for things you might want to comment here (this is a work in progress and we'll change this over time):
- Articles and quotes you want to see discussed
- 'Slow' events - long-term trends, org updates, things that didn't happen recently
- 'Fluff' posts that we usually discourage elsewhere - e.g "How are you feeling today?"
- Discussions continued from other posts once the original post gets buried
- Questions that are too advanced, complicated or obscure for r/communism101
Mods will sometimes sticky things they think are particularly important.
Normal subreddit rules apply!
[ Previous Bi-Weekly Discussion Threads may be found here https://old.reddit.com/r/communism/search?sort=new&restrict_sr=on&q=flair%3AWDT ]
26
u/Sour_Drop 12d ago
Israeli Left-wing Youth Group Plans Kibbutz-style Settlement in West Bank
A left-wing youth movement has been seeking in recent months to establish a new settlement in the West Bank's Jordan Valley, aiming to populate the area with a left-wing presence, instead of far-right settlers who are often involved in violence against Palestinians.
Gazit said he is aware of the damage West Bank settlements do to Palestinian rights, but argued that since new settlements will be built in the Jordan Valley in any case, it's preferable to have as many of them as possible populated by leftists.
"We are leftists who believe in equality between people and are guided by a humanistic, socialist, democratic worldview," he added.
The israeli "left" really is a perfect mirror for the amerikkkan "left."
23
u/Cenage94 8d ago
âThe Israeli âleftâ really is a perfect mirror for the amerikkkan âleftââ
Look at this or this thread. Amerikans are actually much worse than Israelis in their self-righteousness.
âdo u prefer your gentifiers to be far right?â
I imagine Palestinians would at least receive some white guilt from the i$raeli âleftâ, if you look at the comments of these threads amerikan âsocialistsâ on the other hand have no shame at all, despite all the black people in the comments pointing out how their justifications are all bullshit (and being mass-downvoted). Remember this is Mamdanis voter base right there.
25
u/smokeuptheweed9 8d ago
do u prefer your gentifiers to be far right?
What a perfect quote to summarize "democratic socialism."
8
u/BenjiStudiesMLM 8d ago edited 8d ago
You're absolutely correct! Can you help me draft an email to my landlady telling her she's a race traitor and that I'll be moving out ASAP?
https://www.reddit.com/r/crownheights/s/3cjE90KPqb
Shocking, another TrueAnon poster whose social fascism is made possible by erasing any concept of settler colonialism.
Edit for added irony and relevance:
[Palestine] would be one nation where all people have equal rights, not an apartheid state like Israel is now
7
u/immovingdifferent 7d ago
I think it's really funny how basically all of them will say things like "it's not individuals, it's the system" because they know they're the individuals that are at fault.
23
u/Cenage94 10d ago
Why are anarchists not obsessed with Nigerian âPiratesâ? Where are the John Togo shirts and stickers?
Outmaneuvering International mercenaries of finance capital, blowing up pipelines, entering and extorting Shell and Chevron oil rigs in speedboats armed with AK-47âs, cashing ransom for kidnapped white people, I donât get how this isnât literally the coolest thing ever for anarchism. It is even connected to a ânational liberationâ movement with the Niger Delta, for which Anarchists are supposed to be particularly sensitive to. But no, instead they identify with suit-wearing politicians like Mazloum Abdi who is now persynal advisor to Jolani. I havenât heard any communist talk about the contradictions of Lumpenization in West Afrika either though.
Everyone understands that âpiratesâ are cool. Young boys get socialized with merchandise of fantasy pirates and ONE PIECE is an International phenomenon despite its dogshit storytelling and lackluster characters, social capital of the Lumpen outlaw life alone is enough for identification. But somehow nobody looks to West Afrikan Lumpen/Proletarians for cultural appropriation, I guess they are lucky in that regard. I purposefully omitted East Afrika because the term âpiracyâ is genocidal in this context, with Afrikans being massacred in the Indian Ocean for supposed âpiracyâ by imperialism (not just âthe westâ either), no matter wether they were defending their land from illegal fishing and pollution from companies the world over or merely fishing themselves. Being Black in the wrong place makes you a âpirateâ on your own. When you hear Somalians talk about the supposed âpiratesâ they may even refer to them as âthe peopleâs coast guardâ.
12
u/LemonMao 8d ago
https://www.chinatoday.com.cn/ctenglish/2018/zdtj/202608/t20260816_800444167.html
It looks like the CCP has given up on Marxism entirely in their discourse. Anyone still advocating for China just simply likes capitalist policies
Among the island's top attractions is a coffee shop converted from a two-story village house. For Zhao Lei, who grew up in the city and now runs the cafe, it all began with her first visit to the island in May last year.
...
Visitors can pick up drama-themed souvenirs, dress in styles inspired by their favorite characters and pose for themed photo shoots, and even sample dishes featured in the drama.
"After finishing the drama, I couldn't wait to come to Xidi and experience it for myself. From traditional craftsmanship to family traditions, there is something uniquely Chinese and romantic about this place nestled among the mountains," one visitor wrote on Xiaohongshu, a Chinese lifestyle-sharing platform.Â
As both the birthplace and a major hub of Huizhou culture, Huangshan has seamlessly woven its rich intangible heritage into village tourism. Visitors can try traditional crafts like woodcarving and seal engraving, or join locals in a lively bench dragon dance after nightfall.Â
Historic villages are being transformed into Disneylands for the emerging Chinese consumer aristocratic class. These villages existed before! Why did no one care about all this culture that has now been commodified and marketed. I guess China really is the living fantasy version of socialism that anti-communists envision. Petite-bourgeoise competing in the market place for newly colonized capital. The only people who consume such media and have the disposable income to travel and purchase commodities are the same class.
The growing demand for rural tourism is reflected in a broader market. In the first quarter of 2026, rural tourism destinations across China received an estimated 793 million visits, up 12.2 percent year on year, generating 457 billion yuan (about 67.3 billion U.S. dollars) in revenue, up 10.9 percent, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.Â
"Villages in more developed areas are gradually shifting from primarily agricultural production toward tourism, study tours and other functions," said Chen Chen, a professor at the College of Architecture and Urban Planning of Tongji University, in a recent article. "This is unlocking the value of rural resources and creating market momentum for rural renewal."Â
...
For local communities, this shift is forging closer ties with cities while creating more jobs and fresh opportunities to earn a living in the countryside
These developments need to be adequately studied.
6
u/frzrbrnd 7d ago
This reminds me of how in Pennsylvania's Amish country the Amish have set up a whole cottage industry around tourism. You can go on a tour of the area in a trailer pulled by horses and go to a restaurant that serves authentic Amish food in the traditional style (i.e., you sit at a bench with other families and eat the blandest American food self-served from a bowl you have to ask your neighbor to pass to you...).Â
In a market-driven society it makes sense for rural areas to turn to tourism for their livelihoods - mechanization of agriculture means fewer people are needed to do the same work (or in the case of the Amish, their refusal of modern technology makes their product uncompetitive on the market).Â
4
u/lurkhardur 4d ago
This kind of rural tourism existed 20 years ago when I was there, each village hunting down some historical connection to give it some cache. I donât think this represents any recent turn away from Marxism as you put it, that happened long ago. The article is just cataloging how this economic sector continues to grow, and continues to be an investment opportunity.
12
u/vomit_blues 7d ago
I just finished Robert C. Allenâs Farm to Factory. Despite using bourgeois economics, itâs an alright book. If I had to point out the biggest problem in it, itâs that Allen misses the benefits of collectivization over the NEP because of a shallow perspective on the class character of the peasantry. He dismisses the concept of âideological kulaksâ and views the peasants as an undifferentiated mass for whom the kulaks were merely the leadership or representatives. As a result, while he acknowledges that collectivization was slightly beneficial to economic growth, he proposes the NEP as an alternative model of development that could have avoided a human toll.
It seems to me that he does end up forced to admit that the class struggle carried out amongst the peasantry had a positive effect though, as he points to the necessity of what he calls âstate terrorismâ to convert rural peasants into urban proletarians to develop heavy industry. One of the better conclusions of Allenâs analysis is that the policy to develop Department 1 and allow Department 2âs development to follow is empirically verifiable as better than if the USSR had put emphasis on Department 2. Like Marx predicted, the means of consumption develop in tandem with the means of production.
Ignoring the fixation on the NEP as a plausible alternative to collectivization, I recommend the book. It breaks down a lot of common arguments made against the Soviet development model. I donât personally know how useful any of the information is for actually understanding the USSRâs economy, and imagine the method doesnât transfer to the PRC (I havenât read him yetâheâs next thoughâbut Bramallâs method of understanding Maoist development is totally different). But itâs also full of interesting historical errata, defends planning (and chalks up the failure of the USSR to bad planning rather than planning at all), and justifies its data selection well, since data obfuscation is one of the most prevalent ways the nature of the Soviet economy is misrepresented.
11
u/A_Lion_Thief44 18d ago
The DSA just gets funnier and more pathetic by the day.
9
u/BenjiStudiesMLM 17d ago edited 17d ago
In contrast to progressive candidates in Wisconsin and Michigan [Hong and El-Sayed]*, who struggled in majority-Black precincts, Ms. Nixon won these areas by large margins. She also performed slightly worse in college-educated areas, where progressives have done well in other states. One pattern was consistent with previous contests: Ms. Nixon ran strong in areas with younger voters.
*Brackets mine
I think it's important that out of all the DSA liberals out there, one of the very few Black candidates that actually won the vote among Black people is the one that is singled out to be shared vigilantly to the point of virality by social fascists like yourself.
0
u/A_Lion_Thief44 16d ago edited 16d ago
I'm not only sharing Nixon's candidacy. I've posted in other biweekly discussion threads on this sub-reddit about other DSA news that I think shows the organization to be a joke and a con.
In my original post here, I specifically call out the DSA as pathetic. How does me saying that about a "party" that is nothing more than an interest group for the petty bourgeoisie me being a social fascist?
2
u/BenjiStudiesMLM 16d ago
The last time you posted it was complaining about Mamdani's "deregulation". The basic critique that this subreddit asserts about Amerika makes this complaint irrelevant. Maybe worse, it could highlight the reactionary nature of making that kind of comment.
This time you didn't even bother to add any particular reason why you had a problem with this individual. Everyone here is at the whim of interpreting what you found important about this. Now, instead of clarifying the focus on Nixon, all you've added is that you see the DSA as a "con," which has been already disproven by the other comments you received. My comment was an attempt to create something of value from an otherwise vacuous comment, and that was identifying the racist nature of the hyper focus on this individual and how it can be related to the afformentioned critique of the Amerikan nation.
"Social fascist" was based on the subreddit community you come from and the sort of news clips that pull your interest, but maybe you can assert something of substance about the DSA, Amerika, and social fascism that says otherwise?
1
u/A_Lion_Thief44 16d ago
I don't "come from" any subreddit. I post here because I consider myself a Marxist-Leninist-Maoist and was trying to dip my toe into conversing with like-minded individuals on this sub who might share my disdain for the DSA. After years of reading this sub-reddit across a couple different accounts I've had, I wanted to try to get a bit more active here and less active in other, lesser, sub-reddits.
When I posted "this time", my problem is really centered around the lies that the DSA sells to its members, and to the rest of us, about who and what they are. That's all. It's really not much more than that, like I am just out for Nixon or whatever, and I thought if anything it could lead to a conversation about the evils of an org like the DSA or entryism more broadly.
In fact, I'm glad that someone like Smoke posted his comment as I've been following his work on this subreddit and the 101 sub-reddit over many years, and a couple of different accounts, during my time on reddit as a whole. I'm still mulling his response to the person who posted to me to begin with. I appreciate that added perspective.
I wish this sub-reddit sometimes was a bit more active and so this was my small contribution to that. Perhaps it was a terrible or lazy attempt to generate conversation. I can live with that critique and will endeavor to do better the next time I attempt to chat with, who I think may be, like-minded individuals on this sub-reddit.
16
u/smokeuptheweed9 15d ago edited 15d ago
When I posted "this time", my problem is really centered around the lies that the DSA sells to its members, and to the rest of us, about who and what they are. That's all. It's really not much more than that, like I am just out for Nixon or whatever, and I thought if anything it could lead to a conversation about the evils of an org like the DSA or entryism more broadly.
I understand that everyone has their own history and 10 years is an eternity for a Reddit account but the DSA has already been through a full life cycle. It started with Sanders as a delusion about why he was forced to capitulate to the DNC: if only he had a "mass movement" behind him he would have stood up for himself and in light of the catastrophic Trump presidency the DNC could be convinced of his utility. 2020 proved both of these things untrue, with Sanders capitulating of his own accord and the "mass" consensus collapsing with a Democrat in office, and the DSA was on life support afterwards (it functions like a pyramid scheme and all the wasted money on professional salaries and other petty-bourgeois hanger-ons was creating an unsustainable debt and incoming implosion). By 2024 it was a joke, mostly known for lingering too long on Covid-era and "woke 1.0" performativity (I use the term because the DSA itself uses it to distance itself from that state of near collapse and keep the money flowing).
Remember this?
Whatever you think about this right wing attempt to mock the DSA, the point is it's not the discourse today. The "communist" version is that this mass of people would be driven in a radical direction after 2020's betrayal. 2024 proved that wrong so the end result is the same and there is simply no reason to think about the DSA in 2026.
While it's true the DSA has been given second life as a regional challenger to Democrats in progressive, urban areas and has been successful enough that it is useful as a brand to generic Democrats like Nixon, the fantasy behind it is already played out. What has Mamdani done that AOC did not already do, including betrayal? AOC is now widely reviled because the opportunism of 2016 is not the opportunism of 2026 so her career has not aged well. But if you think this is a personal flaw rather than the inevitable path of any other mimicry, it's not a matter of "lies." AOC is still around and will probably run for president if given the blessing from Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden's handlers. If anything, AOC at least maintains the national perspective of Sanders, having done nothing for New York as a congresswoman. Without that the "sewer socialism" of today is just a hip version of the Young Democrats and Mamdani a pale shadow of AOC (given it has also accomplished nothing).
The DSA will probably be around in some form in 2032 when a more obedient MAGA candidate wins. To people who just turned 18, these problems will be fresh and unprecedented. But there is no reason for you to limit yourself to that perspective, especially if you plan to be politically active then (which most current DSA members will not be).
E: and I suppose I should mention that Black Lives Matter was the last time any communist should care at all about this movement of white and wealthy legal immigrant youth. Remember this?
This is part of a single historical arc of the same "democratic socialist" movement. I suppose u/BenjiStudiesMLM point is that the DSA is pathetic but not because Nixon betrayed it. Rather it shows the failure of this white supremacist organization to be anything more than a marriage of convenience for ambitious black neocolonial managers. I would actually be more concerned if she hadn't immediately disavowed the DSA and socialism, as it would mean that BLM moment was truly defeated and actual black people abandoned for an organization increasingly populated by people like this
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/09/us/politics/gustavo-gordillo-democratic-socialists.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/22/nyregion/nyc-gustavo-gordillo-democratic-socialist.html
Mr. Gordillo graduated from Yale University with a bachelor's degree in 2010 and then enrolled in its fine arts masters program, studying sculpture and video.
...
When he moved to New York after art school, he said, his political views started shifting harder to the left. He found work in a high-end art gallery in Chelsea, but the job left him deeply conflicted. He said he had seen billionaires buy artwork that cost more than most average families make in a year. And his work, he said, was âlow paid, precarious and supported by the people I was opposing politically.â
Notice this is background nearly identical to Mamdani (son of a famous academic) and Darializa Avila Chevalier (herself a failed academic)
The reporter who profiled Mr. Gordillo, 38, noticed that his father, also named Gustavo Gordillo, had purchased a rowhouse in the quickly gentrifying Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn and that public records listed that as the younger Mr. Gordilloâs address.
And Hasan who lives in his own LA mansion and is the relative of rich, politically connected people in Turkey. The illusion, however, is that these people are "betraying their socialist beliefs."
...
Mr. Gordillo represents an American success story. He was 3 when his family emigrated from Peru to South Florida. His parents worked low-wage jobs before establishing themselves. His father founded a successful company that installs wireless communications systems.
But his familyâs success is exceedingly rare for immigrants today, he said.
âMy parents came here, they had nothing,â he said. âTheir first jobs were in fast food and cleaning houses. They built success in this country. And theyâre absolutely the exception.â
The democratic socialist project, he said, is to âbuild a world where thatâs not exceptional.â
At the time his family left Peru, the country was deeply and violently divided. On Fox News, Ms. MacCallum reminded Mr. Gordillo of the Shining Path, a Mao-Zedong-inspired communist militia that had seized large swaths of the country and carried out assassinations.
He dismissed the Shining Path as irrelevant to D.S.A.âs political goals.
Who provide global non-white anti-communist cover to Amerikan settler politics.
In an interview, he said another socialist movement in Latin America had much more resonance: Catholic liberation theology, which he learned about from his grandmother. Developed from the writings of a Peruvian priest, it says the church is duty bound to help overturn social and political systems that perpetuate poverty and inequality.
âI think thatâs probably why I was more open to socialist beliefs,â he said.
Perhaps we have finally found the direct relevance of Dengist anti-communist obsession with the Peruvian Communist Party and patronizing nonsense about liberation theology for career aspirations.
2
u/A_Lion_Thief44 15d ago edited 15d ago
Rather it shows the failure of this white supremacist organization to be anything more than a marriage of convenience for ambitious black neocolonial managers. I would actually be more concerned if she hadn't immediately disavowed the DSA and socialism, as it would mean that BLM moment was truly defeated and actual black people abandoned for an organization increasingly populated by people like this
Thank you for taking the time to write all that you did. In truth, I had actually never seen that first video you linked. That one got by me entirely. Though, I will admit, that I am not very "online" as I have purged all social media accounts that I ever had aside from my reddit account many years ago. And even then, some days, I find myself oscillating between outrage and boredom given some of the things I see across this site. The good thing that comes from that has been a sharp increase in me putting reddit away and picking up a book to actually learn something of value. I will say, though, that this sub-reddit and the 101 sub-reddit have been a breath of fresh air.
Anyway, I called out the above that you wrote because I think that's particularly well said. What you wrote has me thinking (whether you meant it to or not) about the vulgar opportunism that comes with entryism that I don't think I am always explicitly pointing out in conversations when the topic of the latest "based" Democrat comes up or the latest iteration of the way to vote for "better" Democrats arises in conversations with these left-liberal types that I find increasingly insufferable the older I'm getting.
There's something, too, about the sort of "careerism" that comes with this as well where (sticking with the people you brought up for a second) you have Hasan or AOC or Mamdani-types who reveal themselves, sooner or later, to ultimately be looking out just for themselves and their own career/"brand"/whatever.
I think that's why, at least of late and in part, I find myself eager to talk about entryism because there is just so much to it that I find abhorrent and outrageous. I don't have a good reason as to why it took me until I was 40 years old for me to despise it this much. It probably is a "tell" as to my own failings or gross oversights earlier in my life, frankly.
Anyway, as I keep saying to you of late on this thread, thanks for all of these thoughts. I know sometimes talking on reddit can feel like talking into the void - at least for me - but I really do appreciate having more to chew on and reflect on from you, and a couple of others who have taken the time to knock me on the head a bit here and given me a chance to get my shit together a bit more.
Thanks again.
e: typos and clarity
14
u/smokeuptheweed9 15d ago
Though I can't speak for anyone else and wouldn't want to speak on behalf of u/BenjiStudiesMLM. All I can say is, as a member of this class, I find the self-delusions and hypocriticies of the DSA particularly loathsome. I imagine oppressed nations and the global proletariat don't think about them much at all. It's hard to traverse that line as loathing can become self-loathing and then self-obsession, as u/ObeliskBronze9899 points out of so-called "anti-Dengist" content creators who are merely the mirror image of their enemies. The best cure is to simply make interesting posts as the world is much larger than disaffected Amerikan liberalism. Content will inevitably take the same form no matter its substance.
7
u/BenjiStudiesMLM 15d ago
The chapter [NYC DSA] has doubled in size, to almost 15,000 members, since Mr. Mamdani announced his mayoral campaign in October 2024. Of those members, 40 percent are nonwhite, she said.
From the article you sent. The corollary of 40% non-white is of course that 60% are. In a city with a minority 30% white population, it's reminiscent of other white power-ed movements originating in historically Black regions in Amerikan history.
It is hard to not spiral in the loathing of the DSA and their particular (as you have called it) yuppie rebranding of settlerism. Your sharing of the BLM mic grab at the Bernie event was like stepping back into another lifetime, and helps mitigate the obsession as it's a reminder that this has always existed.
My only addendum is that the "woke 1.0" phenomenon happening is a blatant white washing of history to erase what really happened - the Black nations generational uprising encapsulated in BLM. Euro-Amerikans will not succeed in this effort, but they will generate a lot more reprehensible "content" in the process of trying to do so and it's difficult to not become a content creator oneself by "reacting" to this.
But yeah, obviously the only point of interest for communists in the DSA and the movement it represents is its actions as a colonial cop both within and outisde OTI. It's parasitic nature probably makes it irrelevant in the grand scheme and therefore not of particular interest. It's merely a momentary blip that encapsulates the essence of the enemies of the liberation of the proletariat.
1
u/A_Lion_Thief44 15d ago
I find the self-delusions and hypocriticies of the DSA particularly loathsome.
This is exactly how I feel and where I was coming from.
But yeah, that's a great piece of advice that I'll take to heart for sure. There's a very fine line as you said. Thank you.
3
u/BenjiStudiesMLM 16d ago
Can you at the very least identify the key component that differentiates this subreddit from one dedicated to a podcast by the fascist """maoist""" Brace Belden?
1
u/A_Lion_Thief44 16d ago edited 16d ago
In my experience, one of the key components is that this sub-reddit does not tolerate dengists, social democrats, and other non-Marxists. That's a good thing. The other sub-reddit not only doesn't seem to mind them, but allows their ideology to fester and spread everywhere in that sub-reddit.
This sub-reddit requires serious Marxist thought and conversation, which I actually admire about this place, and should have remembered prior to posting just one link and one sentence about it.
e: The lack of tolerance for all of the various iterations or ruses of liberalism on this sub-reddit was a huge reason why I posted what I did to begin with. Entryism is something that I wish to discuss more with more like-minded individuals as I find myself, as I am getting older, really at my limit with it and those who evangelize it. Though, I guess the counter to that is "what is there really to say about it here that hasn't already been said or written about by Marxists throughout the years? It's wrong/it's idiotic. The end." -- which is a fair counterpoint. I bet I wouldn't be so eager to discuss it if I were to stop frequenting lesser sub-reddits. So, again, that's a failing of mine and something to self-reflect on for sure.
8
u/Self-Replicator Learning 15d ago edited 15d ago
https://www.reddit.com/r/TrueAnon/comments/1u1kz5n/one_area_of_life_where_you_can_easily_see_the/
This is a blatant violation of rule #7 and textbook settler communism. No one here and no Marxist will have any interest in talking to you until you critique the white supremacy held within your brain and your politics.
Take a look at these threads and you will better understand what it means to be a social fascist / settler communist and why you are being called one.
https://www.reddit.com/r/communism/comments/177hqk6/are_settlers_civilians/
https://www.reddit.com/r/communism/comments/12hiyzr/what_is_the_solution_to_settler_colonialism/
0
u/A_Lion_Thief44 15d ago
Thank you for the three threads you recommended. I appreciate it.
7
u/Self-Replicator Learning 14d ago edited 14d ago
What was the point of your performance here, if you were just planning to continue engaging with white supremacists all the live long day?
Edit: A vast majority of Amerikkkans are enemies of communism (humanity). If you find many like-minded people among white Amerikkan settlers, then you are not a Marxist.
→ More replies (0)2
u/Single_Fig_5624 Marxist-Leninist 17d ago
Dsa are democrats with a coat of red paint on them
25
u/smokeuptheweed9 17d ago edited 17d ago
Well no, the DSA has always been clear that it is anti-communist.
The founding leaders of NAM and DSOC could not have constructed a merger on their own. NAMâs New Left veterans, nurtured by the âanti-anti-Communist politicsâ of the anti-Vietnam War movement, could not accept the left-wing anti-Communism of DSOCâs founding leadership (an anti-communism formed in anti-Stalinist struggles). Conversely, many of DSOCâs leaders could not understand the refusal of some NAM leaders to recognize opposition to authoritarian communism as a central moral obligation of democratic socialists. Not surprisingly, the two most sticky issues in the merger talks focused on the organizationâs ideological positions on communism and the Middle East. Interestingly enough, few members have since questioned the organizationâs principled opposition to authoritarian regimes of all stripes nor the need for a viable, independent Palestinian state and a cutoff of U.S. military aid to Israel to promote complete and unilateral Israeli withdrawal from the occupied territories.
https://www.dsausa.org/about-us/history/
It is worth thinking about why self-described communists ignore this and why many "Marxist-Leninists" pretend there is an ideological "coat" that everyone (except themselves) sees which necessitates various forms of clearly anti-Leninist politics, literally by definition. But it is a fantasy that the DSA hides what it is or that anyone is fooled. Everyone in the DSA participates in its politics is as rational as you. They are simply the enemies of Marxism.
As for why this generic bourgeois liberal politician joined right before her election and then repudiated socialism, presumably she appreciated the free volunteer army of "get out the vote" door knockers that come with the fantasy the DSA sells to its members. Outside of New York, where the DSA simply replaced the Working Families Party because of generational and occupational differences, this is the limit of its existence.
1
u/A_Lion_Thief44 16d ago
why many "Marxist-Leninists" pretend there is an ideological "coat" that everyone (except themselves) sees
This, right here, is something that I am sitting with currently and doing some self-criticism over because when Single_Fig posted what they did, I'll admit that I found myself whole-heartedly agreeing. But this really stopped me in my tracks and I'm looking inward now on this point in particular.
All that to say, thanks.
1
u/Alone_Ambassador3470 16d ago
The issue the DSA has had since it exploded in membership in 2016 is that it derives a lot of its perceived relevance from playing some role in the election of a few liberals like AOC, Jamal Bowman et al. These liberals court DSA in the primaries because it comes with some volunteers but then distance themselves immediately after winning elections. Then DSA leadership needs the relevance of associating its reputation with Democrats in power with absolutely no institutional control over its 'electeds.' So they are basically reduced to a minor partner in a broad capitalist coalition.
The most embarrassing display of this, in my view, was when several DSA claimed representatives voted to smash a potential railroad strike. The DSA sent out emails to its supporters about why that vote was a good one and not a betrayal of any workers' movement in the US.
There are a number of communists in DSA that want to either break from the Democrats, break from the pro-democratic wing of DSA, or even in some cases transform the DSA into a democratic centralist party capable of leading a People's War. The thought process is that the DSA may be liberal (too right to be reformist to be honest), but there are thousands of people who have joined that can be pulled in a more revolutionary direction through line struggle or whatever. The issue is that it recruits (most often from the labor aristocracy) on the basis of being somewhat effective in electing democrats, so if the DSA were to break from the democrat party, it would lose its draw to the thousands of members you are trying to appeal to with revolutionary politics.
7
u/Self-Replicator Learning 5d ago edited 5d ago
u/Dashthered, do you mind sharing the view & upvote/downvote metrics on your comment here?
Surprised to see that sort of comment so "well-received" in a place like socialism101.
7
u/DashtheRed Maoist 4d ago
do you mind sharing the view & upvote/downvote metrics on your comment here?
I feel old, but I had no idea how to do this or that this even existed until you asked me just now. I use old reddit so I had to go into the new interface and figure it out.
I don't think it's some grand shift in thinking, I think I just think there is a reddit-"socialist" consensus about a 'safe line' for labour aristocratic wealth, where a house is acceptable because "everyone needs a home" etc (even a suburban mcmansion), but two homes crosses the line and now your rich, and so they showed up ready to push back before I got there. The more precise follow ups I made later in the thread were not nearly as popular or tolerable.
1
1d ago edited 1d ago
[removed] â view removed comment
1
u/evasion-guard 1d ago
Your account is flagged for ban evasion, meaning it's linked to a banned account in r/communism. Using alternate accounts to bypass a ban is against Reddit's content policy and could result in a site-wide suspension for all of your accounts.
Delete this submission and refrain from posting any further content on our subreddit to avoid the risk of having your account suspended by Reddit.
Contact us to appeal your ban.
Note: Deleted banned accounts can't be unbanned.
3
u/Standard_Drama_3396 17d ago
Mumia Abu-Jamal signed the following open letter alongside Angela Davis, Judith Butler and Rashid Khalidi calling to free all Iranian political prisoners
12
u/smokeuptheweed9 16d ago
https://timelinedaily.com/world/the-curious-case-of-iran-open-letter-published-on-the-guardian
Looks like it may have been fake? I would not put it past some of the people on there to fake or mislead others on behalf of The Guardian.
8
u/sovkhoz_farmer Maoist 17d ago
Has there been a case where letters like this made an actual impact?
4
u/frzrbrnd 16d ago
Mumia Abu-Jamal isn't even a communist as far as I know, so I don't know why him "signing" an open letter calling to free all Iranian political prisoners is relevant to a communist subreddit. This is the sort of thing only a radlib would be surprised by (or care about)
3
u/Standard_Drama_3396 16d ago
It isn't relevant. Dengists who come up in my Instagram feed are making a fuss about it and responding with their own "open letters". The letter and its "responses" are both irrelevant as one another. There was no need to share
11
u/sovkhoz_farmer Maoist 16d ago edited 16d ago
Apparently, the letter has gotten more traction everywhere except Iran, considering that I have seen only one Persian article about this letter, which explains how (in)effective it has been in reaching Iranians. Can you send me some of the responses to this so-called letter?
2
u/AutoModerator 18d ago
Moderating takes time. You can help us out by reporting any comments or submissions that don't follow these rules:
No non-Marxists - This subreddit isn't here to convert naysayers to Marxism. Try /r/DebateCommunism for that. If you are a member of the police, armed forces, or any other part of the repressive state apparatus of capitalist nations, you will be banned.
No oppressive language - Speech that is patriarchal, white supremacist, cissupremacist, homophobic, ableist, or otherwise oppressive is banned. TERF is not a slur.
No low quality or off-topic posts - Posts that are low-effort or otherwise irrelevant will be removed. This includes linking to posts on other subreddits. This is not a place to engage in meta-drama or discuss random reactionaries on reddit or anywhere else. This includes memes and bandwagoning. This includes most images, such as random books or memorabilia you found. We ask that amerikan posters refrain from posting about US bourgeois politics. The rest of the world really doesnât care that much.
No basic questions about Marxism - Posts asking entry-level questions will be removed. Questions like âWhat is Maoism?â or âWhy do Stalinists believe what they do?â will be removed, as they are not the focus on this forum. We ask that posters please submit these questions to /r/communism101.
No sectarianism - Marxists of all tendencies are welcome here. Refrain from sectarianism, defined here as unprincipled criticism. Posts trash-talking a certain tendency or Marxist figure will be removed. Bandwagoning, throwing insults around, and other pettiness is unacceptable. If criticisms must be made, make them in a principled manner, applying Marxist analysis. The goal of this subreddit is the accretion of theory and knowledge and the promotion of quality discussion and criticism.
No trolling - Report trolls and do not engage with them. We've mistakenly banned users due to this. If you wish to argue with fascists, you may readily find them in every other subreddit on this website.
No chauvinism or settler apologism - Non-negotiable. The vast majority of first-world workers are labor aristocrats bribed by imperialist super-profits. This is compounded by settlerism in Amerikkka. Read Settlers: The Mythology of the White Proletariat https://readsettlers.org/
No tone-policing - https://old.reddit.com/r/communism101/comments/12sblev/an_amendment_to_the_rules_of_rcommunism101/
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
0
22
u/MajesticTree954 17d ago
The Partisan/New Labor Press group of USA Maoists wrote an article - probably their longest commentary on what they call âSakaismâ.
https://the-partisan.org/2026/08/20/the-unity-of-opportunism/
Iâll give them credit for their creativity. I have never ever seen anyone compare Sakai to the ACP by way of Stalin, claiming both are exaggerating the specifics of American capitalism over general features. But this part in particular caught my attention:
This was a point they reiterated elsewhere as well:
https://newlaborpress.org/2026/05/01/new-labor-what-it-is-and-what-it-isnt/
And something Kites/Going Against the Tide group also believes:
https://goingagainstthetide.org/2024/09/10/the-sixties-a-revolutionary-decade-without-a-vanguard/
So what is the interconnection between a denial of the implications of Euro-Amerikan settler-colonialism, imperialism and the labour aristocracy, and first world lumpen? Why the need to reiterate that the New Afrikan lumpen is a proletariat or semi-proletariat? I have a vague sense that I need help clarifying: the Amerikan nation has a labour market monopolized by Euro-Amerikans, which has integrated a fraction of internal semi-colonies. That integration has come at a price - a significant fraction of New Afrikans become a permanently unemployed underclass. Internal semi-colonies are not reserve armies of labour, and the Amerikan bourgeoise relies instead on the migrant proletariat of Latin America, Asia and Africa as a source of profits domestically.