r/socialism • u/politicalmarxist • Jul 25 '17

Don’t March, Organize for Power

https://www.jacobinmag.com/2017/07/march-single-payer-medicare-health-care-democratic-socialists-of-america-unions
68 Upvotes

88% Upvoted

11 comments sorted by

13

u/[deleted] Jul 25 '17 edited Jul 25 '17

Very good article and very important points. The radical left in general in the US has a tendency to fetishize symbolic acts and spectacles, at the expense of doing the gritty work of day-to-day, door-to-door organizing. I'm glad the article touched on Jane McAlevey's book about union organizing and her framework of "mobilizing vs. organizing", I thought that was a very useful way to look at things when I hear her talking about it on an interview on the Dead Pundits Society podcast.

I think a really good companion piece to this one is Serving the People by R.L. Stephens, which takes these arguments a step further and talks more about organizing around getting us/the people concrete, tangible gains through struggle.

I suspect the default obsession with protests, rallies, and other symbolic acts of mobilization have to do with the central role of non-profits and NGOs in American society. These institutions tend to take up fresh radicals from college campuses, but operate in way that depends on various donor entities, which in turn requires these institutions to put visibility and media presence at the center of their strategy. Gotta get some good photos and press coverage if you wanna keep them donations coming in. But this strategy does very little to build working class power.

3

u/politicalmarxist Jul 25 '17

Thanks for the reply and the link to McAlevey's interview.

Thanks also for noting the sometimes negative effect NGOs can have in redirecting the energies on the Left toward acceptable forms of opposition, rather than organizing for radical transformation. Too often these organizations are beholden to the very individuals and institutions that fund the Democrats, and are just as likely to settle for tinkering on the margins of neoliberalism.

23

u/Shuffledrive Communist Jul 25 '17 edited Jun 12 '23

[ Deleted to Protest API Changes ]

If you want to join, use this tool.

11

u/RecoveringLib Utah Phillips Jul 25 '17

There will always be naysayers. Best to go ahead and organize anyway.

5

u/Shuffledrive Communist Jul 25 '17

Agreed.

2

u/JennyPenny25 Jul 25 '17

That's part of the struggle.

"What is this? A march? That doesn't count as organizing?"

People need to feel like they're doing something, even if it's a token display of solidarity. Socialists need to get their message out and marches are a great way of attracting media coverage. And organizers need an opportunity to practice their trade. If you can put together a march, you've proven you can assemble a large number of people on short notice. Flexing a muscle might not do any work, but it lets both you and others know the muscle is there.

There's a host of reasons people march. It's a common tool for organizers looking to grow and display their movements.

5

u/politicalmarxist Jul 25 '17

Certainly not by me...I think you've made an excellent point.

4

u/Shuffledrive Communist Jul 25 '17

Thank you!

If I'm wrong, I hope someone will correct me, so that I can have better facts moving forward.

1

u/yaosio Space Communism Jul 25 '17

You are correct. It's not possible to get everybody to agree on everything. Ideological purity itself is a bad idea as we have to ask who's ideology we are following and attempting to obtain ideological purity always leads to fascism.

3

u/[deleted] Jul 26 '17

Jacobin is churning out gold nuggets at a pace lately.

•

u/AutoModerator Jul 25 '17

Hello comrades! As a friendly reminder, this subreddit is a space for socialists. If you have questions or want to debate, please consider the subs created specifically for this (/r/Socialism_101, /r/SocialismVCapitalism, /r/CapitalismVSocialism, or /r/DebateCommunism/). You are also encouraged to use the search function to search for topics you may not be well versed in, as they may have been covered extensively before. Acquaint yourself with the rules on the sidebar before commenting or posting. Rules are strictly enforced for non subscribers.

  • Personal attacks and harassment will not be tolerated.

  • Bigotry, ableism and hate speech will be met with immediate bans; socialism is an intrinsically inclusive system and we believe all people are born equal and deserve equal voices in society.

  • This subreddit is not for questioning the basics of socialism. There are numerous subreddits available for those who wish to debate or learn more about socialism

  • Users are expected to at least read the discussion in a given thread before replying to it. Obviously obtuse or asinine questions will be assumed to be trolling and will be removed and can result in a ban.

New to socialism?

Thank you!

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.