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Many still refuse to interrogate what they consider the basics of “life” or “society” (re: “America,” capitalism, hierarchy, etc.), no matter what.
Because to go back to “Step One” (re-trace humanity’s “steps”) and interrogate feels like a lot of “work” with scary implications…
Because to go back to “Step One” (re-trace humanity’s “steps”) and interrogate feels like a lot of “work” with scary implications…
Why go explore “over there” if it’s just going to unearth and even delegitimize so much of what you’ve built your identity and life around?
Isn’t it easier and better to just hold on to the mythologies and facades, even as they’re unraveling and crumbling in our very hands?
No.
Isn’t it easier and better to just hold on to the mythologies and facades, even as they’re unraveling and crumbling in our very hands?
No.
As a matter of fact, to try and hold on to those “integral and assumed things that never really did serve [you] all that well” is a futile attempt to prolong the inevitable: systems collapse.
Not only this, but it also leaves you unprepared for what is to come on the other side.
Not only this, but it also leaves you unprepared for what is to come on the other side.
“Left unity” is a farce, not only because a monolithic “Left” doesn’t exist, but because “Left” is also defined by what millions with varying ideologies are AGAINST, not FOR…
Many find the “Left” so exhausting because they insist on holding on to an illusion in “big tent” orgs.
Many find the “Left” so exhausting because they insist on holding on to an illusion in “big tent” orgs.
Those who know better need to:
1) Define (and stick to) their *core* principles and objectives (which go beyond mere sectarian categories or labels).
2) Begin building with people who are on the same page around principles and objectives.
3) Win “the people” over via practice.
1) Define (and stick to) their *core* principles and objectives (which go beyond mere sectarian categories or labels).
2) Begin building with people who are on the same page around principles and objectives.
3) Win “the people” over via practice.
The brutality of the State of Israel is a brutality endemic to settler-colonialism as a whole, and reinforced by the authoritarian dimensions of the nation-state model.
The State of Israel, the United States, and *all* other states must be transcended for this brutality to end…
The State of Israel, the United States, and *all* other states must be transcended for this brutality to end…
The ethnic nation-statism, white supremacy, theocracy, and capitalist relations that define these projects have something in common:
Hierarchy.
Only a global movement against hierarchies, and for radical/direct democracy + cooperation, can confront authoritarianism and fascism.
Hierarchy.
Only a global movement against hierarchies, and for radical/direct democracy + cooperation, can confront authoritarianism and fascism.
Now let’s be more concrete:
See the thread below for introductory ideas/methods around how we can relate to one another democratically at the intersection of the social, economic, and political.
See the thread below for introductory ideas/methods around how we can relate to one another democratically at the intersection of the social, economic, and political.
That fiat is gone.
We need to organize to win a parallel social, economic, and political system ourselves that isn’t reliant upon the richest guys or the gov't.
Let’s use our limited time, energy, and resources to build our own domains instead of just fighting deeper in theirs.
We need to organize to win a parallel social, economic, and political system ourselves that isn’t reliant upon the richest guys or the gov't.
Let’s use our limited time, energy, and resources to build our own domains instead of just fighting deeper in theirs.
This whole machine needs to stop if we want a future on this planet.
That means now is the time to fundamentally question where we are deciding to struggle and why.
Should more in the confines of an exploitive MACHINE and logic that has us facing extinction be our priority now?
That means now is the time to fundamentally question where we are deciding to struggle and why.
Should more in the confines of an exploitive MACHINE and logic that has us facing extinction be our priority now?
An extremely relevant and important text that we won’t stop sharing.
theanarchistlibrary.org/library/david-…
theanarchistlibrary.org/library/david-…
Even if Rittenhouse had been found guilty, what would that have done? Proven the system “works”?
For those saying they’d rather just see him “pay” via the “justice” system, isn’t that just reinforcing what emboldened him to begin with?
Maybe it’s time to think outside the box…
For those saying they’d rather just see him “pay” via the “justice” system, isn’t that just reinforcing what emboldened him to begin with?
Maybe it’s time to think outside the box…
Those saying “vote” or discussing political parties in response to this are thinking “cart before the horse.”
The political is shaped by capital as power.
Until we organize via our labor and build new, directly democratic power, it’s rinse and repeat.
The political is shaped by capital as power.
Until we organize via our labor and build new, directly democratic power, it’s rinse and repeat.
“Abolition” has become a buzzword in these last few years, but abolition isn’t happening without an alternative. We now have to speak to the imagination if we wish to transcend these oppressive systems, and we have to organize + BUILD on that imagination.
The fact that both Russia and China have invaded various territories aside:
To speak on nation-states in this manner disregards how capital (and, subsequently, imperialism) works globally.
Russian, Chinese, and American Capitalists are all doing great business with one another.
To speak on nation-states in this manner disregards how capital (and, subsequently, imperialism) works globally.
Russian, Chinese, and American Capitalists are all doing great business with one another.
The sentiments espoused in the clip above are steeped in a dangerous, neoliberal logic of competitive, industrial expansionism, as opposed to a social logic of cooperation for ecologically sustainable democratization of productive forces for the commons.
Nothing “Left” about it.
Nothing “Left” about it.
Please see the clip below for a quick introduction to how/why the sentiments expressed in the clip featured at the top of this thread are an issue.
Also consider looking into the concepts of “hard” and “soft” power – very crucial for this specific topic.
Also consider looking into the concepts of “hard” and “soft” power – very crucial for this specific topic.
Anarchists (Libertarian Socialists) are perceived as a threat and attacked by all sides of the political spectrum (if you will) because what all other sides have in common (Left or Right) is an acceptance of top-down hierarchy and coercive authority (even if some try to hide it).
Anarchists understand Capitalism as not only a system of exploitation, but a system of domination as well, and they understand that domination (in some form or another) has essentially existed since human beings have been around (well before Capitalism even had a name).
Anarchists believe production must be controlled by the people themselves in service to the commons, just as most self-described Socialists/Communists do.
But they have never believed that production must first pass through the hands of some bureaucratic body for this to happen.
But they have never believed that production must first pass through the hands of some bureaucratic body for this to happen.
Technology should not be a minor footnote in our discussions around how we get free.
The designs of the technologies we now use in our day-to-day communications and organization – even just amongst comrades – are not conducive to cooperation, communalism, direct democracy, etc.
The designs of the technologies we now use in our day-to-day communications and organization – even just amongst comrades – are not conducive to cooperation, communalism, direct democracy, etc.
This has an insane influence over the organizational methods and approaches that we employ within the digital age.
Even if you aren’t tech-savvy, you should be joining in with @DualPowerApp, as questions around governance options are being explored.
This has wider implications.
Even if you aren’t tech-savvy, you should be joining in with @DualPowerApp, as questions around governance options are being explored.
This has wider implications.
If we want more offline and doing work for systems change, we must engage online in ways that allow us to prefiguratively and radically reorient values and attention toward democratic social processes and projects for decentralized, autonomous building of #DualPower structures.
Just like our problem isn’t just one particular “thing,” our solution can’t be one particular “thing” either; anyone serious about systems change must have a holistic, “every-tool-in-the-toolkit” approach that utilizes various institutions to produce a better, superseding system.
There is no need to create false dichotomies around institutional vehicles (ex: “unions vs. co-ops”).
Our #DualPower method leaves strategical room open around worker co-ops, unions, electoral politics, and more.
But we know what we want and, thus, pinpoint limits of each area.
Our #DualPower method leaves strategical room open around worker co-ops, unions, electoral politics, and more.
But we know what we want and, thus, pinpoint limits of each area.
Unions can bring workers together in various ways and at different scales/levels, but may not necessarily lead to something more than mere agitation for more (in wages or rights) within the capitalist logic, or abandonment of unnecessary and ecologically unsustainable industries.
When are we going to confront the reality that countless “Left” media personalities are directly and indirectly complicit in perpetuating the narrative that there is no way out, simply by critiquing *what is*, without exploring (in very practical, accessible terms) *what can be*?
One of the most insidious elements of this phenomenon is that it is actually driven by the logics of these social media platforms most of us use to communicate.
Talking heads channel our righteous rage into low-hanging-fruit “takes” instead of informational seeds for liberation.
Talking heads channel our righteous rage into low-hanging-fruit “takes” instead of informational seeds for liberation.
“Organize locally,” “join a union,” and “make sure to vote in your local elections” are frequently empty, meaningless, vague, footnote talking points anchored in zero political programs, and in what are typically broader discussions about horrible recent events, or personalities.
As much as “progressive,” Social Democratic politicians talk about “democracy” and throw around the word “grassroots,” you’d think more of them would be interested in moving campaigns that help poor and working-class people build grassroots, direct democracy in their communities.
The “politician” role is an inherently *top-down* role under our current socioeconomic paradigm and system of governance.
Therein lies the contradiction for “progressives.”
Even amongst so-called “progressives,” the implicit/assumed orientation is an orientation of paternalism.
Therein lies the contradiction for “progressives.”
Even amongst so-called “progressives,” the implicit/assumed orientation is an orientation of paternalism.
“Democracy” is a concept only spoken to in the context of “representative democracy.”
“Grassroots” is a concept only spoken to in the context of “grassroots” efforts to elect new “representatives” or “leaders.”
Very few politicians are interested in addressing these conundrums.
“Grassroots” is a concept only spoken to in the context of “grassroots” efforts to elect new “representatives” or “leaders.”
Very few politicians are interested in addressing these conundrums.
For years, Liberals, left-Liberals (“progressive” Social Democrats), and baby Leftists have looked at us as too “radical” or “unrealistic.”
Now it is becoming more clear to many that things are going to get more and more “radical” and “surreal,” whether they want them to or not.
Now it is becoming more clear to many that things are going to get more and more “radical” and “surreal,” whether they want them to or not.
Anyone who has studied 20th-century German history knows *exactly* what is happening right now.
Anyone who has studied events all throughout Latin America within the last century knows *exactly* what is happening right now.
Not only is it not shocking...
It has been predicted.
Anyone who has studied events all throughout Latin America within the last century knows *exactly* what is happening right now.
Not only is it not shocking...
It has been predicted.
Get with the program.
The program is #DualPower.
It’s not just one thing. It’s not just one tool.
It’s every tool in the toolkit.
And it’s grounded in principles of cooperation, communalism, direct democracy, consensus, prefigurative politics, internationalism, and much more.
The program is #DualPower.
It’s not just one thing. It’s not just one tool.
It’s every tool in the toolkit.
And it’s grounded in principles of cooperation, communalism, direct democracy, consensus, prefigurative politics, internationalism, and much more.
Politicians claiming to be “Left” should be ditching the political theater, uniting to meet poor and working-class people where they’re at, and developing bottom-up, municipalist strategies with communities (in communities) in the lead-up to an international, #DualPower movement.
Entryism is not working. The inherent structure of the Democratic Party does not allow for anyone elected to be held accountable. New political vehicles and forums must be created, but they must be grounded in community and direct (or “liquid”) democracy.
blacksocialists.us/news/jackson-p…
blacksocialists.us/news/jackson-p…
Instead of just coloring inside the lines of the terms “representative democracy” has set for the present, “Left” politicians should instead be looking around and working in coalitions to plant grassroots seeds for the direct democracy of the future.
Anything less is Liberalism.
Anything less is Liberalism.
Gestures like these illustrate clearly that, despite whatever Bernie & similar forces may have done to “shift the Overton window,” “progressive” politicians lack the radical imagination & boldness necessary to help poor & working-class people confront fascism & build a new world.
Instead of leveraging the *millions* of dollars & access that he’s cultivated for economic counter-institution-building that can sustain new political power while *also* sustaining communities in meeting material needs (#DualPower), he & others accept Neoliberal limits & placate!
Bernie Sanders & other “progressive” politicians accept Neoliberal limits on strategy & placate instead of trying to think outside of the traditional “electoral politics” box & embracing a municipalist strategy, even with fascism right on our doorstep! Truly bizarre beyond words.
And let us be clear:
Bourgeois electoralist forces are not prepared on any level for what is coming.
They are not bold or militant enough to confront the unthinkable.
And in addition this, they lack the analytical and strategical frameworks necessary for real *systems change.*
Bourgeois electoralist forces are not prepared on any level for what is coming.
They are not bold or militant enough to confront the unthinkable.
And in addition this, they lack the analytical and strategical frameworks necessary for real *systems change.*
Many revolutionaries, theorists, and revolutionary theorists have tried to warn us about these dynamics for well over 100 years...
As total collapse rests on the horizon, their voices reverberate through the records of history...
Are we ready to listen?
As total collapse rests on the horizon, their voices reverberate through the records of history...
Are we ready to listen?
Something the “Left” desperately needs to understand, and quickly:
1) The future of organizing is going to be more spontaneous and decentralized (whether you like it or not).
2) The goal shouldn’t be to organize others, but rather to help others organize themselves in new ways.
1) The future of organizing is going to be more spontaneous and decentralized (whether you like it or not).
2) The goal shouldn’t be to organize others, but rather to help others organize themselves in new ways.
To point number one:
Much of this is tied to how we’ve been conditioned under Neoliberalism, how we reflect this conditioning in our outlooks or approaches, the designs of the tech we use to organize, and the hyper-individualization and atomization all of this (and more) brings.
Much of this is tied to how we’ve been conditioned under Neoliberalism, how we reflect this conditioning in our outlooks or approaches, the designs of the tech we use to organize, and the hyper-individualization and atomization all of this (and more) brings.
To point number two:
This is not only a point about strategical adaptation, but a point about strategical advantage too; plenty of Black revolutionaries have stressed the utility of creating infrastructure conducive to self-organization, and decentralized infrastructure as well.
This is not only a point about strategical adaptation, but a point about strategical advantage too; plenty of Black revolutionaries have stressed the utility of creating infrastructure conducive to self-organization, and decentralized infrastructure as well.
That approach is called #DualPower.
Those in alignment must build better worlds in the pockets of space that we have, and let those worlds speak for themselves.
Most poor and working-class folks will choose better opportunities and ways of life that offer more control/autonomy.
Those in alignment must build better worlds in the pockets of space that we have, and let those worlds speak for themselves.
Most poor and working-class folks will choose better opportunities and ways of life that offer more control/autonomy.
Relevant thread #1.
Relevant thread #2.
This is real (see link below the picture for more on what @Imit8ionOFlife and others are up to with @Freedomgeorgia1).
Imagine if more of us put our resources together and integrated these sorts of actions into a broader #DualPower plan rooted in cooperative economics and more.
Imagine if more of us put our resources together and integrated these sorts of actions into a broader #DualPower plan rooted in cooperative economics and more.
Encouraging to see “sufficiency, environmental sustainability, and cooperative economics...”
But, “Black Wall Streets” is concerning.
We must move with political clarity and avoid reproducing hierarchical social and economic relations if we wish to avoid co-optation and attack.
But, “Black Wall Streets” is concerning.
We must move with political clarity and avoid reproducing hierarchical social and economic relations if we wish to avoid co-optation and attack.
Please follow and support our folks
@CooperationJXN.
They are doing precisely what is described above.
For more on our vision, please visit the link below.
#DualPower
blacksocialists.us/our-strategy
@CooperationJXN.
They are doing precisely what is described above.
For more on our vision, please visit the link below.
#DualPower
blacksocialists.us/our-strategy
Eruption is here.
We must do the work of ensuring that something transformative shapes before and during the ashfall.
The government cannot give us this.
Political parties cannot give us this.
Individual leaders cannot give us this.
Only we can give ourselves this.
#Kenosha
We must do the work of ensuring that something transformative shapes before and during the ashfall.
The government cannot give us this.
Political parties cannot give us this.
Individual leaders cannot give us this.
Only we can give ourselves this.
#Kenosha
We have more tools at our disposal in the U.S. than many even know.
The challenge is breaking from the psychological hold of paternalism.
No savior is coming.
No one person will lead us to a promised land.
We must struggle with one another, in struggling against the fascists.
The challenge is breaking from the psychological hold of paternalism.
No savior is coming.
No one person will lead us to a promised land.
We must struggle with one another, in struggling against the fascists.
Social Democrats target “billionaires” in rhetoric instead of Capitalists and try to act like this is radical, but it really shows that they believe Capitalism just has to be “reined in.”
Billionaires could be gone tomorrow, and the system that produced them would still be here.
Billionaires could be gone tomorrow, and the system that produced them would still be here.
Nothing short of systems change will be enough to save us.
Trust us when we say:
Most of your favorite politicians who call themselves “Leftists” are Liberals in practice who think they’re being “realistic,” when they’re really stifling the radical potentialities of the people.
Trust us when we say:
Most of your favorite politicians who call themselves “Leftists” are Liberals in practice who think they’re being “realistic,” when they’re really stifling the radical potentialities of the people.
Any real Leftist stepping into the political superstructure of the bourgeoisie who understood what is at stake would not be content merely being on the “inside” as someone with some sort of class analysis, but would rather link their platform to an “outside” campaign or strategy.
We must be clear about what it means to not just “organize,” but to organize for revolutionary systems change specifically.
The ruling class is not really intimidated or challenged by reactive activism or charity.
They are intimidated or challenged by you making them obsolete.
The ruling class is not really intimidated or challenged by reactive activism or charity.
They are intimidated or challenged by you making them obsolete.
Many still haven't conceived of organizing approaches that deal with labor, the land, our economic circumstances more broadly, or the nuts and bolts of how to build economic institutions that can serve as the foundation for new political power and/or systems of self-governance...
Are we doing what we’re doing just to make it feel like we’re doing something revolutionary?
Or are we trying to do something revolutionary?
We must be honest with ourselves.
Serious efforts for systems change take serious (and immense) planning, and at an institutional level.
Or are we trying to do something revolutionary?
We must be honest with ourselves.
Serious efforts for systems change take serious (and immense) planning, and at an institutional level.
Take a second today to ask self-identifying Leftists what their programs and practice for dismantling Capitalism are.
Here is a brief introduction to ours...
Or we could displace them through Dual Power Project development...
Our @CooperationJXN folks secured an entire grocery store and plaza next to a Dollar General in Jackson last year.
The Community Land Trust (CLT) expanded, and the Dollar General location closed months ago. 🙃
Our @CooperationJXN folks secured an entire grocery store and plaza next to a Dollar General in Jackson last year.
The Community Land Trust (CLT) expanded, and the Dollar General location closed months ago. 🙃
If all goes as planned, it’s not only going to be “out” with the junk food and exploitation, but “in” with the healthy, cooperatively-produced food, and community control of resources too.
For more on this project (and to support), please check out the link below.
cooperationjackson.org/donate
cooperationjackson.org/donate
Many are engaged in a discussion around certain elements of our #DualPower platform, but struggling with key concepts because they can’t see/imagine them being put into practice within our material context.
This is why we need UI/UX designers to volunteer + take initiative here.
This is why we need UI/UX designers to volunteer + take initiative here.
We have had the project referenced within that thread planned for well over a year now, and the need for it has only become more clear within recent months.
People are reaching out to volunteer, but not enough are hopping into the work in a moment where the ground is fertile.
People are reaching out to volunteer, but not enough are hopping into the work in a moment where the ground is fertile.
If you are a UI/UX designer and/or dev who is ready to hit the ground running and contribute to a project that speaks to the imagination while being grounded in science, in a moment where people are struggling to see another way out and are strategically disoriented, then tap in.
