this post was submitted on 19 Apr 2024
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América Latina & Caribe

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Everything to do with the USA's own Imperial Backyard. From hispanics to the originary peoples of the americas to the diasporas, South America to Central America, to the Caribbean to North America (yes, we're also there).

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"But what about that latin american kid I've met in college who said that all the left has ever done in latin america has been bad?"

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Yeesh

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[–] FourteenEyes@hexbear.net 74 points 6 months ago (5 children)

There's been multiple threads already, yeah.

I've thought about joining DSA a few times just to connect with new people but then I see shit like this and don't want my money paying dues to bullshit like this

Literally more damaging than doing nothing

[–] Pluto@hexbear.net 43 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (6 children)

There are at least three ML parties in the United States:

FRSO

CPUSA

PSL

just saying: your options are open and they have been growing since the year 2020.

If not, you can check Facebook and Instagram since they're good for finding orgs in your area, various leftist groups and the like.

Barring that, there are AFL-CIO unions, independent labor unions, and the IWW.

Like I said, there are options.

Just thought I'd tell you all this in case you were feeling hopeless or distraught.

I agree that the DSA is... not my first pick. I've defended them, but the "caucus system" is something I don't agree with.

(I'm apart of CPUSA but I want to say that I'm formulating this post as impartially as I can.)

[–] FourteenEyes@hexbear.net 23 points 6 months ago (3 children)

I am technically still a UFCW member and have seen firsthand how useless they are. I haven't looked much into PSL but maybe they might have something nearby.

Hopeless is the word. I'm feeling very despondent lately and if not for places like this community I'd feel like my perceptions of the world are completely insane and I'd probably have given up by now.

I really have just come to expect nothing good to happen in my life and any efforts I make to improve it will be so counterproductive it's better to do nothing

[–] happyandhappy@hexbear.net 14 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (1 children)

unions are part of the superstructure and as such class struggle can (and has to) only be struggled within them in proportion to the level of class struggle flowing around and through them. definitely get into local organizing every field needs work and organizer development!

[–] Pluto@hexbear.net 7 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Unions are not apart of the state, if that's what you're trying to say.

They're only as good as they're membership and it may depend on the type of union.

[–] shitholeislander@hexbear.net 9 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (3 children)

I really have just come to expect nothing good to happen in my life and any efforts I make to improve it will be so counterproductive it's better to do nothing

if nothing good is gonna happen in your own life then you can at least do some good for others by dedicating yourself to serving the people. doesn't need to be under the auspices of a particular organisation, just go engage with the masses somehow in a positive way and keep reading revolutionary thinkers and try to apply what they say to what you see in front of you. nihilism and defeatism isn't good enough comrade, people are out there being massacred by our ruling classes and they don't get the option to embrace nihilism.

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[–] shitholeislander@hexbear.net 18 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (1 children)

CPUSA

dogshit supporters of the demoncrats since the mid 20th century, also feds

PSL

tailist sect who like to try and co-opt movements without doing the political work necessary to actually lead and organise them. also not fully sure but don't they have an iffy line regarding queer ppl

FRSO

not as bad as the first two but they make a pretty crucial mistake in saying that the US is no longer a settler-colony, IIRC

[–] Pluto@hexbear.net 14 points 6 months ago (1 children)

FRSO does not officially believe that last part.

PSL are not tailist

Also, we at CPUSA are not feds or supporters of Democrats.

[–] shitholeislander@hexbear.net 16 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (3 children)

FRSO does not officially believe that last part.

if that's the case then maybe i should reassess my view on them

all I've seen PSL doing is showing up to marches with placards but then running away as soon as things get spicy, and in general failing to actually engage with the masses and determine a revolutionary programme that will win their support. they had a strong presence in the 2020 uprisings and a strong presence in the present Palestine solidarity movement but I see non-communist organisers in those movements often critiquing PSL's participation in them (perhaps, admittedly, the PSL organisers who did do this effectively back in 2020 were the ones who got murdered by the pigs)

and forgive me if i'm wrong but didn't the CPUSA say that people should vote Biden in 2020 as a "vote against fascism" or something. i'm also not gonna suggest the CPUSA is entirely fed operated but there is a long history of successful infiltration there.

overall i'm not saying that none of these sects have any value or that they don't have a lot of decent communists involved, but none of them are exactly the American Bolsheviks, and only the FRSO seems willing to admit that it's not The Party in any way shape or form at present.

[–] Pluto@hexbear.net 22 points 6 months ago

FRSO are good comrades and they have been growing by leaps and bounds and even helped get a few legislation passed in Chicago, despite their "small" size.

I've worked with PSL comrades. They're fine. Keep in mind that it depends on the group.

CPUSA's Twitter account said something to that effect (which did not specify Biden), but we are barred from supporting or endorsing candidates outside of our own and even had a schism with Sam Webb back in 2014 when he tried to turn CPUSA into a Dem group. Sam Webb lost and the rest of the Nat'l Committee won. It also may depend on the specific part of the CPUSA and, keep in mind, CPUSA has had at times internal disagreements and differing opinions. But in general, since 2014 and especially since 2019, things have been better, imho.

Also, they're not "sects." They're not religious groups. We need to stop viewing ML groups like this. We're scientific socialists. We shouldn't be castigating each other, especially those that are out there on the streets fighting oppression, yeah? Which is why I don't speak of them that way.

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[–] AcidLeaves@hexbear.net 15 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (16 children)

CPUSA does not classify as any Marxist party

They have no international solidarity and I've met multiple prominent CPUSA members who vocally support reformism and the police state

What type of party is it when leaders can say stuff like this and not get purged?

At least DSA doesn't pretend to be anything they're not and still accomplish more material good than CPUSA lol

[–] LesbianLiberty@hexbear.net 8 points 6 months ago (10 children)

This is why I moved to build a PSL branch in my area instead of a CPUSA branch

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[–] happyandhappy@hexbear.net 11 points 6 months ago (3 children)

FRSO is technically a pre-party formation, but yea they are a ML organization focusing on building a working class party

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[–] EelBolshevikism@hexbear.net 7 points 6 months ago (6 children)

literally all I’ve ever seen on this site until now is how garbage CPUSA is and how assimilated it’s become.

PSL and FRSO definitely have promise, though PSL specifically has some weird shit going on with SA accusations

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[–] anarchoilluminati@hexbear.net 14 points 6 months ago (1 children)

I don't know where you are but I hear mixed things about DSA.

My experience with the DSA in my area makes them laughable at best. This kinda shit from their members or cacuses makes total sense in my experience.

[–] FourteenEyes@hexbear.net 14 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Los Angeles area which despite what people say as far as I can tell is packed to the fucking gills with CHUDs and unscratched liberals

[–] anarchoilluminati@hexbear.net 9 points 6 months ago

What do people say, that LA is packed with Communists? Haha

I don't know LA DSA but I wouldn't place great hope in them either.

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[–] Frank@hexbear.net 67 points 6 months ago (2 children)

Lol. The fucking president of an AES country (or ANY COUNTRY) makes time to sit down and talk with you and you skip out? What in the entire fuck.

[–] Pluto@hexbear.net 32 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (2 children)

I've always defended DSA, even against many, many criticisms that are lobbed at them by other MLs, but this is... wrong.

So... wrong-headed of them to do this.

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[–] ReadFanon@hexbear.net 14 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Let's say that you are in opposition to someone's political project. Imo there are there are four major options available:

  • To make pleas

To ask or demand that they cease a course of action such as a war or that they release political prisoners like Leonard Peltier or Mumia Abu-Jamal.

  • To listen to your opponent so as to better critique them or to get better information about what moves they are going to make

This is useful in a Khrushchev-type situation because you can quote them directly, debunk their bullshit, and if you're lucky you might even be able to get ahead of where they have signalled they are taking things to provide pre-emptive critique with which to strengthen the counter-movement.

  • To grill your opponent

This is more in the style of the dying art of the adversarial journalist. You throw difficult or impossible questions at them and try to trip them up or expose more information than they otherwise would. Unlikely that this would be tolerated from a "friendly" delegation that is being extended the offer of a private audience to much extent.

  • Conscientious objection

This is where you are completely opposed to them or where they are doing something unconscionable at the moment. For best effect, attend and then when the hot-button issue gets mentioned or you bring it up, walk out at their response.

(Of course there are a million other options depending on the circumstances such as choosing to meet with king Charles so you can keep your hands in your pockets and spit in his face or to talk enthusiastically about the French or October Revolutions.)

These people are supposed to be part of a political vanguard.

The fact that they are playing at politics like it's a fucking highschool popularity contest speaks volumes about how deeply unserious and oblivious they are. I would have a modicum of respect for them if they had chosen to act in a way that advances their political ends to some extent, even if I disagreed with their goals. This, however, is dismal.

I hope the Cuban government rejects those people who didn't meet with Diaz-Canel and instead met with the opposition leaders next time they apply for a visa.

[–] AssortedBiscuits@hexbear.net 19 points 6 months ago (4 children)

I would have a modicum of respect for them if they had chosen to act in a way that advances their political ends to some extent, even if I disagreed with their goals. This, however, is dismal.

They met up with Cuban dissent groups. That's their political goal: to network with Cuban dissent groups in Cuba and Cuban gusanos in Miami (she mentioned how she focuses her organizing on gusanos in Miami) with the ultimate political goal of toppling the Cuban government.

She's an op.

[–] ReadFanon@hexbear.net 13 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

Oh goddamn.

Without wanting to cause drama, I have a very low bar for my expectations of the DSA (especially the executive end of it) but despite that I'm still surprised to hear about this.

On a personal level the only reason I'd ever get involved with the DSA would be to network with people on a grassroots level, especially where there aren't other options in my region, or to foment a split.

Every time I speak to a self-proclaimed "democratic socialist" or I hear about a DemSoc org invariably I come away from it even more disappointed in them. It's funny how these clowns will chastise people like me for "advocating for bloody and violent revolution" and how reformism is the correct/only way or how I need to change my rhetoric or my approach because I will "lose them"; I always respond to them telling them that they are my ideological opponent and that I neither want their approval nor am I seeking it. This usually upsets them because they tend to have a serious case of political Main Character Syndrome where they presume that everyone agrees with them, where they think that they have a special claim over the term "socialist", and they assume that everyone wants their involvement:

"I don't want to play with you!!"
"Good, I ain't playin'. Go home because you aren't wanted here."

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[–] anarchoilluminati@hexbear.net 47 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Maria in particular met with anti-government opposition groups

stalin-gun-1stalin-gun-2

[–] Pluto@hexbear.net 34 points 6 months ago (1 children)

That's an Insta-gulag right there as far as I'm concerned.

[–] anarchoilluminati@hexbear.net 25 points 6 months ago

Gulag is merciful.

Castro and Che would've put them against the wall in the early period.

[–] Redbolshevik2@hexbear.net 40 points 6 months ago (2 children)

This was a coordinated effort by Trot entryists.

I think most people here like to joke about icepicks, but remember that these people are genuinely enemies of the working class.

[–] keepcarrot@hexbear.net 19 points 6 months ago

Huh, my trot language filter was tripped by that person in that thread saying they were one of their friends and most effective comrades (salt members here say something pretty similar every time its one of their birthdays). Didn't mention it because why would I

[–] ElChapoDeChapo@hexbear.net 9 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Can't read any additional posts, can someone post a nitter link or something?

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[–] CDommunist@hexbear.net 39 points 6 months ago (1 children)
[–] Pluto@hexbear.net 13 points 6 months ago
[–] RNAi@hexbear.net 36 points 6 months ago (2 children)

Are ya winning anglo "leftists"

[–] Pluto@hexbear.net 24 points 6 months ago (2 children)

Like, why did they even go to Cuba in the first place if they were going to do this? Why even attend?

[–] RNAi@hexbear.net 20 points 6 months ago (3 children)

To go to the beach and contact with the color revolution leader apparently

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[–] Redbolshevik2@hexbear.net 12 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Paid vacation.

Always analyze DSA drama through the lens of downwardly-mobile professionals who care exclusively about ensuring they get paid by DSA instead of working for a living.

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[–] Frogmanfromlake@hexbear.net 14 points 6 months ago (1 children)

The DSA will reform the Democratic Party. Just you wait! They may not have moved the Overton window in over 40 years but it’ll happen any day now.

[–] FloridaBoi@hexbear.net 9 points 6 months ago

Mike Davis was talking about this occurring in the 80s in Prisoners of the American Dream

[–] iie@hexbear.net 27 points 6 months ago (1 children)

is anything being done about the obvious fed?

[–] Frogmanfromlake@hexbear.net 10 points 6 months ago

Last I saw they were defending her. Absolute clown shit. She should just be a Democrat Instead of pretending to be anything further left.

[–] Thordros@hexbear.net 21 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (2 children)

"Headed off to my next DSA meeting, fellow comrades. Who wants to go do a solidarity?"

  • these motherfuckers, specifically named Maria, representing the Reform & Revolution Caucus, and Renée, representing the Socialist Majority Caucus, and not all socialists everywhere, in case there was any confusion about accusing specifically named feds of doing fed stuff in a post about them doing fed stuff fedposting
[–] Pluto@hexbear.net 9 points 6 months ago (2 children)

It is not good to fed-jacket the entire DSA, though I understand that this incident stirs up feelings.

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[–] Dickey_Butts@hexbear.net 7 points 6 months ago

It is concerning that we take allegations of being feds more seriously for anonymous forum posters than we do IRL people whose names have been reported.

[–] HarryLime@hexbear.net 18 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Every detail is infuriating. An absolute disgrace.

[–] Pluto@hexbear.net 7 points 6 months ago

Honestly, very disappointing.

[–] StalinStan@hexbear.net 15 points 6 months ago

Should have kept them and reducated them.

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