Please stop using “Communism” as a synonym for centralized economic planning under State Capitalism (aka “authoritarian Social Democracy”).

As people all across the political spectrum (Left or otherwise) continue to do this, they render the term/concept even more useless.
Communism is good.

No, it is not what exists or has existed in most of the territories most of the world points to and calls “Communist.” And no, just because a political entity paints itself red and calls itself “Communist” does not make it good (same for any other Left label).
A communist society is a classless, moneyless, stateless, post-scarcity society where the means of production are democratically controlled by the community for the benefit of all.

Wage labor is non-existent, and production is planned for human needs, rather than private profit.
BONUS:

When we utter the words “State Capitalism,” authoritarians come out of the woodworks to state (verbatim) “State Capitalism isn’t a thing” or “State Capitalism doesn’t exist.”

Lenin:

socialismoryourmoneyback.blogspot.com/2019/10/lenin-…

Mao:

marxists.org/reference/arch…

Castro:

Here are key thoughts on bureaucratization and/or State Capitalism from Communists who were critical of the top-down methods all figures listed above were proponents of.

Luxemburg:

marxists.org/archive/luxemb…

Myasnikov:



Pannekoek:

marxists.org/archive/pannek…

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More from @BlackSocialists

6 Nov
“If the end result of a working-class revolution in the United States is the continued domination of non-white people by white ‘revolutionary leaders’ and a Left-wing [white supremacist] government, then we will make another revolution...”

– Lorenzo Kom'boa Ervin
Read the entire thread that the tweet below is from.

There are multiple things being conflated and misunderstood on this topic:

1) Race and ethnicity are not the same thing, although they are both socially constructed.

2) There is a distinction to be made between nationhood and nation-state when discussing the term “nationalism.”
Read 11 tweets
30 Oct
Don’t stop talking about Armenia.
Armenians feel alone in this moment.

Kurds felt alone this time last year.

For them, the common enemy is the Turkish nation-state.

For oppressed folks worldwide, there are even more common enemies.

That’s why our fight must begin with global poor and working-class solidarity.
We *need* to build a new, militant, internationalist force that is united in a politics of transcendence.

A force united in moving to transcend capitalist relations.

A force united in moving to transcend the nation-state model.

A force united in moving to transcend patriarchy.
Read 4 tweets
23 Oct
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…
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.
Read 6 tweets
15 Oct
The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense was founded on this day in 1966.

Below are threads highlighting key lessons and insights from three lesser-known ex-Panthers who put their lives on the line for systems change:

• Donald Cox

• Lorenzo Kom'boa Ervin

• Kuwasi Balagoon An old Black Panther Party ...
Read 4 tweets
2 Oct
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.
Read 12 tweets
21 Sep
“All who strive to oppress & exploit the working class, & gain power for themselves, whether [on] the right or the left, will always be threatened by Anarchism.... because Anarchists hold that all authority & coercion must be struggled against.”

– Ervin

twitter.com/i/events/13080…
“Anarchists & Anarchism have historically been misrepresented... The popular impression of an Anarchist as an uncontrollably emotional, violent person [...] only interested in destruction for its own sake, & [...] opposed to all forms of organization, still persists to this day.“
“Further, the mistaken belief that Anarchy is chaos & confusion, a reign of rape, murder & [mindless/total] disorder & insanity is widely believed by the general public.”
Read 8 tweets

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