Thread by @NoThankYouPSL

A Third Party Critique of the PSL: a thread

1) Leadership appears to be overwhelmingly 30+, white, cis, and heterosexual, with no evidence of disability representation. Leadership also appears to be skewed towards white men with penchant for mansplaining and condescension.

2) Lack of accessibility and inclusion for people with disabilities, unrealistic expectations of members with full-time work/school unless you're an extrovert who has no friends outside party, no hobbies, no disabilities, and no significant other outside of the party.

3) Lack of transparency in fund allocation, internal processes, grievance procedure, and communication procedure.

4) Cult-like recruiting tactics and response to questions, as evidenced by similarity to those discussed in employedhistorian.com/job-search/cul…

5) Multiple documented instances of sexism and ableism. Available evidence suggests transphobia, racism, and other prejudices may be present, too.

6) Additional criticism, based on "On Alienation" document:
• Use of "democratic centralism" to silence any dissent; talk amongst non-leadership about party business in a negative light is functionally forbidden.

·Isolation of complainants from any potential allies, followed by character assassination of complainants, appears a common practice. Gaslighting, vague promises, and victim-blaming also appear common.

·Lack of compassion or accomodation for members' stressors (such as injuries, mental illness, disability, housing insecurity, and/or financial insecurity) also appears to be a norm.

·Despite enablement of predatory/abusive behavior by male members, frequent posts of photos while protesting, and lack of attention to safety of marginalized members, security concerns are used by leaders as an excuse to isolate, stonewall, and otherwise abuse/manipulate members.

·In this way, leaders essentially create membership strata that privilege them above new recruits, and functionally replicate the divide between CEO and worker, all the while pretending such a divide doesn't exist if the new recruit is an "evolved enough" communist.

Note: I am not a member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation - but I am a leftist and a mental health clinician. I once considered joining this group, but decided against it due to my inability to commit to the demands of membership without sacrificing my own wellbeing.

As a clinician, and a rape survivor, I condemn what the PSL did to a rape and abuse survivor in Philadelphia, while further enabling her abuser. He should have been immediately purged from their ranks, and his victim should have been treated with respect and compassion.

If you're a mental health clinician of any kind, and you stand with @pslweb after their doxxing of a survivor, and harassment to the point where said survivor expressed suicidal ideation, then you are unfit to practice in this field, as you lack empathy, compassion, and ethics.

Sources:
- Steven Powers' Victim's Twitter, prior to deactivation.

- My own experience in considering joining the PSL

-The following damning statements from former PSL members:

docs.google.com/document/d/1Uw…

archive.is/zZsdM

https://twitter.com/JohnWillflow/status/1312445601926184962?s=20

Addendum: peoples-voice.org/2021/01/04/psl…

Addendum:

https://twitter.com/hereiamja/status/1375601499607285766?s=19