Do you sometimes think the U.S. has completely cracked the code on how to prevent a revolution or even mass dissent? I’m almost morbidly curious to see how far they can take it, or rather if it’s even possible to take any further now. Maybe public state-enforced child sacrifices?
I think geography and manufactured consensus through mass media play a significant role in this. Americans are very spread out across the country and most people view the world around them through carefully crafted narratives presented to them through social media and traditional news outlets.
The majority of the population is living in the matrix so to speak. Multiple matrices, depending on their political affiliation and choice of media consumption echo chambers.
maybe internet media makes it easier for people to build communities across a wider area instead of in their local areas, and thats exactly why communists can amass thousands online but are often alone on the ground.
No, they need to funnel people into existing organizations wherever their audience is. They need to make themselves extensions of and recruitment tools for the organizations that are already working across the country.
To answer genuinely, because an internet following is not a sufficiently coherent or trustworthy basis to physically relocate and consolidate with the objective of doing political organizing. You won’t get enough commitment from most people and you’re probably gonna get some real weirdos who do commit. It is a much more productive use of time to get those people into the local branch of a vanguard party. Even starting a branch is far less effort and disruption than moving to who-knows-where to organize. Plus, simply pulling together random internet volunteers, even if you could pull it off, would achieve… what? If they’re moving to a big city, they will be too few to make any difference. If they’re moving to a small town, that’s just starting a commune.
Now, if people are willing to move for political organizing purposes, they should do so in an organized fashion. A Marxist-Leninist party might call for experienced and trustworthy members to move across the country in order to play a role in a union organizing effort where their particular skillset and discipline would be useful. They can act as one reliable piece of a complex plan rather than a few disorganized folks who want to get started from too high a level without an organizational basis.
In that case, I hope orgs do that. I could imagine a coordinated concentration of cadre in one place to be able to turn the local tide and recruit in the process.
Essentially I’m arguing to convert a large sparse online org into a dense organized local org, in whatever ways the material conditions demands that it happens
Do you sometimes think the U.S. has completely cracked the code on how to prevent a revolution or even mass dissent? I’m almost morbidly curious to see how far they can take it, or rather if it’s even possible to take any further now. Maybe public state-enforced child sacrifices?
Even if they wanted to, no one knows how to dissent without shooting up a walmart or a pharmacy
I think geography and manufactured consensus through mass media play a significant role in this. Americans are very spread out across the country and most people view the world around them through carefully crafted narratives presented to them through social media and traditional news outlets.
The majority of the population is living in the matrix so to speak. Multiple matrices, depending on their political affiliation and choice of media consumption echo chambers.
maybe internet media makes it easier for people to build communities across a wider area instead of in their local areas, and thats exactly why communists can amass thousands online but are often alone on the ground.
Online orgs need to pick a single location to move their members to so that they do local organizing in the same place and concentrate their forces
We need an antifa HQ for real
No, they need to funnel people into existing organizations wherever their audience is. They need to make themselves extensions of and recruitment tools for the organizations that are already working across the country.
To answer genuinely, because an internet following is not a sufficiently coherent or trustworthy basis to physically relocate and consolidate with the objective of doing political organizing. You won’t get enough commitment from most people and you’re probably gonna get some real weirdos who do commit. It is a much more productive use of time to get those people into the local branch of a vanguard party. Even starting a branch is far less effort and disruption than moving to who-knows-where to organize. Plus, simply pulling together random internet volunteers, even if you could pull it off, would achieve… what? If they’re moving to a big city, they will be too few to make any difference. If they’re moving to a small town, that’s just starting a commune.
Now, if people are willing to move for political organizing purposes, they should do so in an organized fashion. A Marxist-Leninist party might call for experienced and trustworthy members to move across the country in order to play a role in a union organizing effort where their particular skillset and discipline would be useful. They can act as one reliable piece of a complex plan rather than a few disorganized folks who want to get started from too high a level without an organizational basis.
In that case, I hope orgs do that. I could imagine a coordinated concentration of cadre in one place to be able to turn the local tide and recruit in the process.
Essentially I’m arguing to convert a large sparse online org into a dense organized local org, in whatever ways the material conditions demands that it happens
What if I were to suggest…
The west is Omelas, but the society is still shit.
Instead of beating up a kid in the basement, it’s mass shootings every other week.
Also they’re probably beating up kids anyway, why not both!?