On Leftist Unity

One of the most important concepts in leftist ideology is that which emphasizes the importance of supporting all workers' struggles against the ruling classes. Considering the variety of thought and the infighting that occurs between various facets, being able to unify under a few basic and fundamental commonalities is extremely important.


Common Goals:
The Spanish Civil War of the mid to late 1930s gives us one of the best examples of a successful, decentralized socialist society, but it also gives us the best example of how having a lack of a unified platform can really blow up in your face. Portrayed by Orwell's Homage to Catalonia is a great deal of infighting amongst the anti-fascist forces. The Anarchists, the bourgeious-democratic republicans and the various Marxist facets of the POUM all had different plans for post-war Spain. This infighting and failure to determine a common coalition platform hurt morale, and the overall "revolutionary spirit" of the Republican Left diminished as the war went on.

This is why it is extremely important to emphasize the common goals between differing leftist tendencies. Anarchists and Marxist Leninists do not have to necessarily be enemies, for instance. What we need is not to recruit as many people as possible to one group, but to create a coalition built on the common goals of those groups.

The difficulty in finding those commonalities rests on the fact that these different groups and ideologies have differing strategies for attaining the same goal. Both Marxist-Leninists and Anarchists, for example, hope for a stateless and classless society. The difference is that Marxist-Leninists would utilize a transitional socialist government, where anarchists would do away with the state immediately. Solving this problem rests on compromise and collaboration. An immediate goal needs to be established. The nature of the immediate goals depend on the nature of the coalition, and once those goals are reached, the hammering out of various other details may begin.

When it can be harmful
Supporting any opposition to the ruling elite is important to the health and efficiency of the movement, but there are many who seem to misunderstand. There are many who seem to believe that supporting any struggle against the ruling elite also means never questioning it; they refuse to criticize any regime that opposes "western" imperialism, no matter how worthy of criticism those regimes are. Supporting that opposition does not mean ignoring, accepting, or apologizing for the failures of those involved. Qaddafi's Libya, for instance, is defended by far too many people because it, especially in light of recent NATO agression, is an enemy of American and European economic willpower. Libyan opposition forces are called "counter-revolutionary," and "reactionary" despite the fact that Libya's government and its plethora of human rights violations are far from "revolutionary."

The Libyan "Opposition," on the other hand, is by no means immune to criticism simply because it opposes a tyrannical government. These groups are very thoroughly infiltrated by CIA influence and would likely only establish a bourgeois-democratic puppet government completely subservient to Western economic interests.

The opposition to the elite should be supported, but should never be beyond criticism.

Defeating the Moderate Advantage
Another obstacle faced by the Republican Left of the Spanish Civil War is one that the Left in the United States, as well as numerous other countries, still face. In any coalition of people and ideologies advocating reform, it is usually the least radical group whose demands are met (this is leaving out hostile coups and the like). Their platform is the least challenging, their transition is the least difficult and their ideology is the least at-odds with the status quo. In the Spanish Civil War, that group was the Republicans. In the United States, that group is the Democratic party, which many would-be socialists, anarchists or reformers side with. Because of its very moderately left leanings, it is perceived as more likely to gain ground in our political climate. The goals it seeks are small and still fit into the current socio-political structure while slightly acknowledging left wing sentiments. The result is, at best, minimal change.

This is a daunting conundrum, and one faced by both the left and the right, but its solution is simple.

Class Consciousness
The single most important part of any opposition to exploitation and tyranny is class consciousness. This should be the immediate goal for every leftist. Educate and agitate. Help people understand the nature of the current power structure and the nature of their place in it. Even those who simply understand those fundamental truths we know so well and don't necessarily act are still a part of the public's opinion. If the exploitative nature of capitalism (hell, even the simple fact that the rich are not looking out for you) becomes commonly understood, the entire society shifts.

This is why it is important for the left to be unified. We all have different ideas about stragegy and about post-revolutionary organization, but all of our ideals are built on the same truths. All of our ideals are built on class consciousness. Instead of telling everyone we can why Anarchism is the best ideology, or why the Soviet Model is the best system, we should all focus, as our immediate goal, on making those truths we have in common as understood as possible.

Class Rage: A Confession

[first part of an indefinite part series outlining my own personal experiences with class conflict]

Most people either hate or love Che Guevara. I don’t do either. I sympathize with him. This isn’t about Che, though, I’m getting to something else.

Che, with all of his good deeds and pure intentions, was a brutal motherfucker. He killed soldiers that went AWOL, delighted in executing bourgeoisie fascists and screamed for blood during the Cuban Missile Crisis. I sometimes fear I might get to that point.

I’ve personally seen many of the things I crusade against. No, I’m not third world worker/slave or anything like that -my problems are 1st world problems- but I was brought up in a very conservative Catholic household, in a town built around a Navy Base, and went to a school that forced patriotism down my throat like crack down a toilet. I was also very poor. For several years my dad worked 7 days a week just to keep my mom, my brother and I fed. We relied on WIC for food, laundromats for laundry, the bus for transportation, etc. etc. Of course, I didn’t know any different; things typical middle class kids got to experience were “for rich kids.” Chuck E. Cheese, for example, was something to fantasize about like visiting Paris or going on a cruise.

I understand, as I understood then, that I was also very lucky. With everything we struggled with I knew families that had it much worse and I watched many of their homes break apart. I watched my Dad work his ass off to “climb the ladder” only to get laid off after having an accident and have his insurance company and its for-hire doctor try to screw him out of workers comp.

I’ve seen the struggles of the working class first hand. I’ve seen first hand the effects of racism among my classmates, I’ve seen first hand the effects of the Military Industrial Complex and of Gentrification in my hometown, I’ve had close relationships with a number of rape victims and I’ve watched loved ones hurt themselves and starve themselves because of corporate beauty standards.

I once identified and agreed with these things. I was “pro life,” anti secularism, anti gay rights; I was even an “anarcho” capitalist for a while. And you know what? I’ve turned away from all of those things because I realized on my own, through thought and experience, that they were wrong.

But enough autobiographical crap. That’s not the point of this.

What I’m getting at is that I’m at a point where a sense of righteousness is turning into hatred. I’m not strong enough to love all humanity. I’d like to, but there are people out there who profit on a daily basis from sickness, there are people who would execute gays just for who they love, there are racists and xenophobes in public office, there are politicians who knowingly fuck over millions of people for their corporate buddies. Think about that for a moment.

I hate them. For some there is ignorance, but for some there is outright malice and greed. Fuck them. How fucking dare them? Sometimes I think about everything that’s fucked up in this world, and I can’t help but fantasize about lining up every homophobic bigot, rapist, insurance executive and war profiteer and burning them alive.

That makes me no better than they are. Their monstrosity has turned me into a monster and that makes me hate them even more. I don’t like feeling that way. So, no, Che was not justified in his executions but I do understand how he got to that point. I know what it feels like when class rage turns into bloodlust.

My fear is that it might turn me into something that can’t actually make any positive changes because my anger makes me ineffectual. My fear is that I might become violent, that I might become like Che or some despotic lunatic.

But I guess being aware of it is the best way to prevent it from getting worse. I’ve always had anger problems anyway. I guess not wanting to become “that” puts me one step ahead; makes me better than “that.”

So here’s my silly little proposal: I want you all to promise me that if I ever become a murderer or if -during some kind of revolution if there ever is one- I become power hungry, no matter how pure my intentions are, I want you to kill me. Put me out of my misery and let me die with my honor intact.

But, you know what? Writing it all down helps. Getting it out there and off my chest helps. An hour ago I felt like I could snap any second, but now I feel like I actually could love all humanity unconditionally. So thanks for listening to me for a few minutes.