Thread by @BlackSocialists

In their haste to be a part of something greater than themselves, many blooming revolutionaries grab on to hard leftist titles or identities without thoroughly understanding what said titles mean or entail.

We strongly advise all future members and/or associates to do extensive research on their favorite schools of leftist thought before claiming them publicly.

If you call yourself a Communist (or “Commie”), then you must be able to explain the distinction between state capitalism and a communist society.

If you call yourself a Marxist-Leninist, then you’re going to have to try to defend centralized leadership (amongst other things).

There are many more examples one could give, but the core point remains the same:

Don’t just claim a title for aesthetic purposes, or for a sense of belonging or empowerment.

Do the thorough research and think deeply about what will help humanity reach an egalitarian society.

Dialectical/historical materialism comes into play here as well.

This is a scientific method. Respect it.

You must understand the history, but you must also account for how societies have (and are going to be) changed. Neglecting this will lead you to irrational conclusions.

And most important of all, your ideological identity must have action behind it.

We find it imperative that we be active on all fronts. This means both public and private sector activity. Meaningful political engagement, but support of labor movements and unionization as well.

Your leftist identity means virtually nothing with little-to-no practice put behind it.

The focus should be more than just protests in the streets and likes/retweets. The focus should be on raising class consciousness and changing the shape of our institutions in the real world.

unroll.