Thread by @besf0rt

the greates obstacle to organizing the working class is wage labor itself. people need to work long hours to survive, they come home late, are physically & mentally exhausted, need to take care of their kids, leaving them with little time to reflect on the system which runs them

they are coerced into spending their savings on stuff they don't really need, the system rewards them for being selfish, they are alienated from their social nature - cooperating with others towards a common goal.

wage labor is the mode of survival, people are kept from doing or saying anything which threatens their chances of getting or not losing a job. reflection & activism require time, energy, & resources; steal those from people and you ensure their obedience

any activist effort must therefore deal with this impediment by necessity. diverting resources from a system built on profit towards social causes is hampered from the outset

one way is to build alternative structures participating in the economy to secure some revenue & jobs for the cause. although that's very hard to do, the information age has crucially shifted some of the core premises of the old economy. we need to take advantage of those

another unfortunate condition of the system is that there is significant inequality within the working class itself. people better off, who can afford more leisure time, are bribed into maintaining their privilege even though they themselves are exploited

the assumption is that activism will happen organically if misery is sufficiently great. that's why it's mostly people oppressed the most who usually start with strikes, protests, grassroots organizing, etc, people of color, low-wage workers, and so on

but we can't rely on this if we want to be successful. we need to organize at all times, even if there's no immediate threat such as this crisis. especially if you are among the more privileged, you need to spend your extra time & resources in solidarity with the less privileged