Sorry for the vague reaching out, but I would imagine there are others who feel the same way I do.
I like socialism. I really do. I want that to be where we’re headed. But any time someone says to just “read the literature,” it seems so fucking out of touch with how we’re supposed to deal with the here and now.
I would like to make a real plan with people that involves not being delusional about what the majority of people in my country (the United States) are willing to do.
There’s this idea that everyone actually wants socialism; they’re just too afraid to say it - and that may be true. But we’re a long way off (at least here) from getting that communication close to being effective, and I think until we do, no direct action is really going to get anywhere in the long term.
So how do we find people, reach people, and actually make a plan that isn’t a giant fucking circle jerk? Maybe there is no answer, and we have to just keep on keeping on. But I’d love to have some hope right now, if anyone has any to offer.
Socialism isn’t just a national system of government. Socialism is a mindset, a set of values, a way of life.
Socialism is already happening in pockets and small groups. Often the less they overtly advertise their socialism, the more socialist they can be - because people love socialism in practice despite being taught to hate it in theory. Doing small scale organizing is reasonable and achievable. Direct action is going to get you places in the short term, because it is local and focused on the goals of you and your comrades. Forming a tenants union, organizing at your workplace, joining a cooperative – these are all direct actions you can take right now, and not only help you in the short term, but will build a bridge to much bigger things in the future.
If you feel small steps are just a circle jerk, if you are waiting for some large watershed moment where everyone else decides to live under socialism, you’re going to have a bad time. You shouldn’t expect yourself or anyone else to be able to effect sudden utopian change. But you do have incredible agency in deciding how you live. By participating in the small direct actions, you can see how socialism can improve your life first hand, not just in theory. You can get first-hand experience with leaders and comrades, and build your intuition about whether groups are actually socialist, or just another version of oppression. Changing the world may seem impossible if you focus on the big picture, the secret is focusing on changing yourself to be a better person, someone who will thrive and help others to thrive in a socialist world. I find hope in learning to connect better with others, and learning through my interactions with them what kinds of alternate societies can be possible. Every step in self-improvement, every breakthrough you make in your own journey changes the world in a real, tangible way for the better.
Yeah, to be fair, I haven’t looked as hard as I could have for those pockets and small groups you mentioned, but what I’ve encountered so far IRL is protests without any cohesive plan of how to move forward. I’m about to move, and hopefully I can figure out how to find these pockets in my new location.