A letter to all comrads of the TFIS

[orwellcommie]

It's been some time since I've been activated something like 2 years, I find my comrads haven't flurished as much as I would have hoped it seems this board isn't as active as one might like, I keep asking myself why why so little discussion?  It's quite regretable I wasn't able to stur debate and discourse myself as I've been something of a sleeper myself.  Could it be that the time for the revolution is still some time off or perhaps the level of apathy over the current state of affairs in the world is to high at present for there to be more passion where a movement such as this is concerned, perhaps this group has been sufficiently intimidated by the reactionarys and by those who much prefer that socialism itself become a silenced concept.  Is it time for the final victory parade of global capitalism and must we all bow down to the indomindable international corporatation?  Is the dream of international socialism a fantasy of idealists who haven't the realistic chance of ever seeing such a idealized future realized?  What must be done here to actually motivate this movement, must we wait until reactionarys and fascists have gotten out of hand and we are all slaves to the capitalist mechine of the world before real change must occur?  Could it be that people really aren't all that dissatisfied with Capitalist ideology?  Or perhaps we're all just sleeper cells waiting to reactive when we feel we really need too and perhaps it's just not time.  Well who's awake at the moment surely there must be other voices here aside from my own.

[Volkov]

Many of us are quite busy.  Most of the discussions I have take place in real life.  I think that is the case for a good deal of us (those of us that are around and have been active at this board over the years are predominantly members of the International Marxist Tendency (IMT), and we have a serious approach to theory and practice.
 
I have gotten far more active over the years.  My activity has been done in real life instead of on the Internet.  I think that the board is not as active as it should be, but there are all kinds of factors that are preventing people from using this site.

[P.O.U.M]

Socialism is far from dead. If you live in the US your day to day life with a hearty helping of the local news can be quite discouraging. But if you look throughout the world, socialism is alive and kicking. Venezuela, albeit far from the visualized socialist model is still advancing further and further. Nepal, though Im not appraised to their current situation, has fought off the Monarchy. Though I hear the Maoists have now entered into an interm government or some such nonsense. Maosists, oh how I could rant about them. But I hear the Maoists declared a cease fire and entered into the bourgeois government (sigh).

The deam of international socialism is not one of an idealist. Far from it. Keep in mind, at one point within the last fifty years over one-third of the world was living/believed in socialism. Now granted every single nation that spewed forth communist rhetoric was an abomination of socialism. Yet people still fought and died for it, it was believed in. And now alot of people are disillsioned which is understandable. Which makes the current days revolutionary task two fold. A) Socialism good. B) USSR and its sattelites were not a socialist model, which can be really difficult getting throught to certain people especially in the US. And honestly, took me awhile myself.

As for this board being dead of late, its pretty easy to pinpoint it. This board is IMT members through and through now-a-days. They are all busy with their own lives and revolutionary work. Sometimes more than the other. And this board is quite spefic. Mostly Trots and everynow and then some random Anarchist, Maoist, Social-Democrat, Stalinist wanders by and stirs things up momentarily. But its not like Revleft which caters to the whole of the left and many go there because of so. I used to frequent the RCP's forum and that used to die down alot too. Everynow and then I would post something I just learned from what I read because I was cocky at the time and wanted to pick an intellectual fight. It never got anywhere, but it did solidfy my own beliefs by some of the responses I got and gave me hope by other certain responses which were questioning and wanted to know the whole story and truth.

But yeah, never give up hope. Its always there. A constant reminder that things can and will change. Plus, that last line is fundemental dialectics. And if you do believe in dialectics, change is inevitable.

Also, good seeing you post again "Orwellcommie", we need all the old comrades to help revatilize the ol' board to what it was, say two-three years ago.

[caesarscook]

Cheer up, comrade.  I'll second what's been said by the other comrades here.  Most of the comrades of the IMT, including myself, are so involved in real world political activity in our local branches that we don't have the time to spend all of our time on a discussion board.  At an earlier stage this board was busy, as it played a certain role in recruitment.  Now that that recruitment has occured, the turn has been towards real world activity, rather than internet activity, i.e. the board played an important role in that development.  That said, it is my opinion that at a certain stage of growth, the board will become active once again, but on a qualitatively different level.  We simply aren't there yet.  That said, I have tried my best to encourage new comrades that join the WIL locally to get accounts for the YFIS board, with mixed success.

[P.O.U.M]

Cheer up, was my post that depressing?

[caesarscook]

Cheer up, was my post that depressing?

No, "Cheer up" was directed at orwellcommie.  They just seemed to have lost all hope in the struggle for socialism, at least in the near future.  I was just tellin' em to buck up.  The board is a bit inactive, but in true contradictory, dialectical fashion, the WIL is actually larger and more active than when the board was more active.

[fire_mat99]

What must be done here to actually motivate this movement, must we wait until reactionarys and fascists have gotten out of hand and we are all slaves to the capitalist mechine of the world before real change must occur?  Could it be that people really aren't all that dissatisfied with Capitalist ideology?  Or perhaps we're all just sleeper cells waiting to reactive when we feel we really need too and perhaps it's just not time.  Well who's awake at the moment surely there must be other voices here aside from my own.

The conditions are not right in the US and Canada for left movement.When the conditions are right you see more posts and more new members.

In Latin America left movements are more widespread than like the US and Canada .

[Elena]

Hello, I am new to this site and to the ideas of Marx. But in regards to the last post: people , especially in the US, are going to be for capitalism because they are at the advantage. Why would they want to change their socioeconomic structure if so many are happy with making money, no matter the cost to someone over seas. Also the people who are for socialism are not in a position of authority to make the changes or have their opinions taken seriously. It is quite depressing finding out about the inequality we live in and people would rather be kept in the dark and 'happy' than to b aware of what s actually going on. Ignorance is bliss, right? But thanks to sites like this and organizations hopefully enough people will be brought together to make a difference!

[nic]

hello elena
actually i am in the u.s. and am very tired of capitalism... most of us do not make any money, so no we're not at any advantage here... the problem here is that so many are uneducated, or are still under the impression that our farce of a democracy will bring change... but with the current administration here it is becoming obvious that the bourgeois is not fit to rule any longerand after the next elections it will become even more obvious that this system just does not work, as the dems will do nothing to stop this imperialist war... i hear alot of people questioning the system now, and alot are sick of this dual parties, that are really just the same thing
change will not come thru elections!
it is just a matter of organizing all of us workers and the poor, like you said

[Elena]

Nic, Thank you for replying. I was not aware that people are now questioning the US government. I was not aware. So what do you think will happen in the US?Will the state get stronger and take up Canada as well, or do you think hey will change to a more socialistic approach?I'm a university student from Canada and am really interested in your opinion!

[nic]

our democracy is broken, so the only way for the u.s. to change to a socialist system is through revolution...
if i were you, though, i wouldn't  be too concerned with the empire invading canada... they are already way over-stretched, and fighting in a losing battle to spread our imperialism in the middle east... it is just not feasible
the u.s. empire will fall soon, the way the ecomony is going, and the incompotence of the goverment
it will either slip back to a state of anarchy and barbarism, or a marxist type of system... the latter requires that we organize and prepare the people for revolution when it collapses... it is presently beginning to crumble, so now we are working our asses off trying to get people prepared

[Volkov]

What must be done here to actually motivate this movement, must we wait until reactionarys and fascists have gotten out of hand and we are all slaves to the capitalist mechine of the world before real change must occur?  Could it be that people really aren't all that dissatisfied with Capitalist ideology?  Or perhaps we're all just sleeper cells waiting to reactive when we feel we really need too and perhaps it's just not time.  Well who's awake at the moment surely there must be other voices here aside from my own.

The conditions are not right in the US and Canada for left movement.When the conditions are right you see more posts and more new members.

In Latin America left movements are more widespread than like the US and Canada .

Things are brewing over here in the USA, the "belly of the beast."  We may not be as far as Venezuela yet, but with constant attacks on unions, wages, a war of imperialist domination that virtually no one supports, declining standards of living, etc., things can change very quickly.  Healthcare costs a fortune over here, especially over here in the USA, especially for the 46 million uninsured (many of these people are effectively barred access to healthcare.).  College is also very expensive, and I am sure that no small number of people get their degrees only to find out that there aren't any jobs in that field to get.  This is the tip of a very ugly iceberg.  There is a profound questioning of the system everywhere in the USA.  Even a mere ten years ago, no one over here really thought about things on such a scale. 

I believe that Trotsky stated in 1929 (correct me if I am wrong) that we should be prepared in the USA, given that the prevailing conditions can cause a change in consciousness in a very short period of time.  This advice from Trotsky is probably more relevant today than it was back then.  The US is far more unequal and the living standards are worse than in Western Europe.  The capitalists insist on continuing attacks on living standards to raise profits, and US workers are already starting to move toward the left.  Behind the mass anti-Bush sentiment, there is an anti-capitalist kernel.  A good deal of people are hoping that the democrats want to change things, but they are already showing their true colors by continuing to support the war, giving a miniute minimum wage hike (this will be very quickly destroyed by inflation, given that it already hasn't, as core inflation does not cover things like increases in utilities, gas, groceries, etc.), etc..  The democrats and republicans act more like two wings of one bourgeois party than two different parties, and the desire for a third party is very high.  An explosive situation is being prepared in the USA, and the longer it is delayed, the greater the explosion will be.  The situation in the US can and will rapidly accelerate, and it will deliver a crushing blow to those that complain about a low level of consciousness in the USA.

Russia had surprised the world when it became the first large scale workers' state in history (many had thought that it would first be in the advanced West.).  The US can surprise the world in a similar way by having a sudden change in consciousness in a very short period of time.  Engels was right when he stated that twenty years can go by and nothing will seem to change, and then there are times when the events of twenty years seem to unfold in twenty-four hours.

I would recommend reading the WIL's 2007 perspectives for the U.S. revolution. 

Part 1 - http://www.socialistappeal.org/content/view/400/56/
Part 2 - http://www.socialistappeal.org/content/view/402/56/
Part 3 - http://www.socialistappeal.org/content/view/404/56/
Part 4 - http://www.socialistappeal.org/content/view/406/56/
Part 5 - http://www.socialistappeal.org/content/view/409/56/
Part 6 - http://www.socialistappeal.org/content/view/412/56/

[caesarscook]

What must be done here to actually motivate this movement, must we wait until reactionarys and fascists have gotten out of hand and we are all slaves to the capitalist mechine of the world before real change must occur?  Could it be that people really aren't all that dissatisfied with Capitalist ideology?  Or perhaps we're all just sleeper cells waiting to reactive when we feel we really need too and perhaps it's just not time.  Well who's awake at the moment surely there must be other voices here aside from my own.

The conditions are not right in the US and Canada for left movement.When the conditions are right you see more posts and more new members.

In Latin America left movements are more widespread than like the US and Canada .

Things are brewing over here in the USA, the "belly of the beast."  We may not be as far as Venezuela yet, but with constant attacks on unions, wages, a war of imperialist domination that virtually no one supports, declining standards of living, etc., things can change very quickly.  Healthcare costs a fortune over here, especially over here in the USA, especially for the 46 million uninsured (many of these people are effectively barred access to healthcare.).  College is also very expensive, and I am sure that no small number of people get their degrees only to find out that there aren't any jobs in that field to get.  This is the tip of a very ugly iceberg.  There is a profound questioning of the system everywhere in the USA.  Even a mere ten years ago, no one over here really thought about things on such a scale. 

I believe that Trotsky stated in 1929 (correct me if I am wrong) that we should be prepared in the USA, given that the prevailing conditions can cause a change in consciousness in a very short period of time.  This advice from Trotsky is probably more relevant today than it was back then.  The US is far more unequal and the living standards are worse than in Western Europe.  The capitalists insist on continuing attacks on living standards to raise profits, and US workers are already starting to move toward the left.  Behind the mass anti-Bush sentiment, there is an anti-capitalist kernel.  A good deal of people are hoping that the democrats want to change things, but they are already showing their true colors by continuing to support the war, giving a miniute minimum wage hike (this will be very quickly destroyed by inflation, given that it already hasn't, as core inflation does not cover things like increases in utilities, gas, groceries, etc.), etc..  The democrats and republicans act more like two wings of one bourgeois party than two different parties, and the desire for a third party is very high.  An explosive situation is being prepared in the USA, and the longer it is delayed, the greater the explosion will be.  The situation in the US can and will rapidly accelerate, and it will deliver a crushing blow to those that complain about a low level of consciousness in the USA.

Russia had surprised the world when it became the first large scale workers' state in history (many had thought that it would first be in the advanced West.).  The US can surprise the world in a similar way by having a sudden change in consciousness in a very short period of time.  Engels was right when he stated that twenty years can go by and nothing will seem to change, and then there are times when the events of twenty years seem to unfold in twenty-four hours.

I would recommend reading the WIL's 2007 perspectives for the U.S. revolution. 

Part 1 - http://www.socialistappeal.org/content/view/400/56/
Part 2 - http://www.socialistappeal.org/content/view/402/56/
Part 3 - http://www.socialistappeal.org/content/view/404/56/
Part 4 - http://www.socialistappeal.org/content/view/406/56/
Part 5 - http://www.socialistappeal.org/content/view/409/56/
Part 6 - http://www.socialistappeal.org/content/view/412/56/

Very well said comrade.  I was going to comment, but no need.

comradely,
JL