"We don't need the bosses! they need us!"

I had a great experience distributing Red Flag at a transit division one early morning! Through the darkness, a man approached on a bicycle. I offered him our paper and he stopped to talk. I was describing how we need to smash capitalism and build a world where we decide things collectively. He said, "But we need bosses to tell us what to do and to figure out ways for us to do our jobs better. They go to school to learn about all that. That's why they make the big bucks." I started to respond, but seized a better opportunity to emphasize my point.

As I started to talk, a driver walked by. I stopped her and asked, "Do you need a boss to tell you how to drive your bus? Who would know better about planning transportation routes: you, who are on the streets all day, or your boss, who sits behind a desk all day?" She took a paper, turned to the man, and said, "I would! We don't need them, they need us!" Then she walked off.

The man understood that our ideas are not abstract, that workers understand capitalist social relations, and that they are prepared to accept their role as leaders in the fight for communist workers' power. It is crucial to continue to grow our party into a fighting force of millions that is ready to lead the masses in communist revolution and a party of billions who will build a communist world.

We don't need bosses now, and certainly won't need them under communism, to tell us how to do our jobs better. Workers will meet regularly, at the job site, to discuss how to make their work safer and more efficient and to organize everything. We won't need big bucks because we will abolish money and produce directly for society's needs.

--LA comrade

The Working Class in History

Although the soccer article (RF, "Who's Winning the Class War?" vol. 5, No. 11) is otherwise excellent, I believe one of its statements is anti-working class.  Instead of saying, "nothing happens without some participation, willing or not, of the working class." I believe we should say "nothing happens without some participation, mostly unwilling, of the working class."

Since the advent of class society, the class not in control historically has either overthrown, rebelled against, resisted, or, not seeing an alternative, tried to stay under the radar of its ruling class.

"If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem" was a statement often quoted during the 1960s.  Who publicly quoted this were leaders of anti-working class groups like the Weathermen.  Some other people in the movement liked this statement because they didn't understand that it was used as an attack on the working class.  The fact is that this statement is profoundly anti-working class as is the statement in the soccer article.

Workers cannot be blamed for the lack of anti-fascist, anti-capitalist leadership in today's world.  The ICWP is trying to fill this need by becoming a massive, worldwide organization, and more and more workers worldwide are seeing that their participation in this effort can lead to victory for our class.  Communists can never control the capitalists' schools or their media, but we can eventually reach enough workers with our media (the Red Flag) to smash this system and put communism in its place.  Part of our being able to do this is to understand that most of the world's workers are not pro-capitalist but instead can be won to communism.

—Comrade in the growing ICWP

Red Flag would like to know whether other readers agree or disagree with this letter.  We welcome comments.

LETTERS FROM THE ICWP SEATTLE SUMMER PROJECT

Lesson:  DON'T TAKE "NO" PERSONALLY!

It only means "I don't understand what you are up to."

At a distribution of Red Flag at a Boeing Aerospace plant, a worker stood out to me. My comrade offered him the paper. However, he did not take it.

I approached him with the letter we were planning to send to striking metal workers in South Africa. I asked him, "Would you like to help the South African metal workers? There are 220,000 striking."

Then he said, "How will I be helping them?"

 I responded, "Well, by signing this and giving your email, the people who live in South Africa will see that here in the U.S. people know what is happening over there."

He seemed convinced and signed the letter. Then afterwards I again offered him Red Flag. I said, "There is an article on South Africa and the conditions there."

He looked down and read the front of the article. He then looked at me and said, "I thought communism was bad and is a system of strict laws and no rights."

I shook my head saying, "No, no, no, under communism there is no money and no government. Everyone works collectively and works so that everyone's needs are met. There are no bosses telling you to work faster or harder."

He smiled and took the paper and also the Industrial Workers Pamphlet.

I am a high school student. This is my first summer project

What do you think when you hear the word communism? I was taught in high school that communism was a bad word. When I first got Red Flag and participated in ICWP meetings I was scared. I wasn't sure exactly what we were going to talk about. However, these meetings are solely meant to figure out ways to improve the lives of people who are mistreated by capitalism. We read an article about South Africa and about their living conditions. How they work and struggle to survive. They live in a capitalist country and are desperate for change and need our help because they can't do it alone.

What is capitalism…REALLY?

Well, this I don't know exactly, but what I was taught is that capitalism is what we have today and how the government works to make a better world for the citizens of America.

What is communism? I'm trying to figure out how I will explain the last few days to my

family…

Communism is a world with no money. Communism is a way to stop people and families from struggling with money. Communism is a better way. It is a way to help the people that struggle with capitalist ways (taxes, jobs, paychecks).

I was with a group of young comrades distributing Red Flag and the Industrial Workers pamphlet

 It was a pleasant early morning in Seattle when a Boeing worker on his way home after night shift approached me. "New Red Flag?" he said.

As I handed the paper to him he said, "Is there any more news about South Africa?" Sure, it was on the front page of the Red Flag. It was time for a coffee break so he offered to take me to a cafe nearby.

 I spent nearly 45 minutes with the worker who has read the Red Flag he receives from somebody in the plant. He said he was very moved by the letter from Qatar and news from South Africa. He also said he agrees with the ideas of ICWP but he felt that the Boeing workers are relatively better off compared to the super exploited workers in Qatar and South Africa.

"Why don't you put more efforts in organizing in those countries? The party will grow there very fast."

With a smile I said that Boeing workers like  him can help advance our work by joining ICWP here and also by contributing money, as our efforts to organize in faraway places like South Africa require financial support from workers like him. As he paid for the coffee for both of us he promised to keep in touch with the Party.

South Africa deserves our support from Los Angeles to the other side of the world

In the summer project, a young comrade saw the video filmed by our ICWP comrades in South Africa. She was surprised to see the living conditions of these people. The comrade's anger grew as she saw how furious the South African comrades are and how seriously they spoke about their situation.

She realized that it's important to let our comrades in South Africa know that they're not alone in the struggle and that indeed capitalism has to go because it's not doing any good  except for the bosses. These problems come along with capitalism: the rich are richer and the poor are getting more poor. The only solution for this is communism, a world that  will benefit every individual. We will no longer have to see our neighbors struggle with the bosses' exploitation of the working class.

Piketty's Capital Part of the Ruler's Counter-Offensive

I want to thank the comrade/s who gave us that readable critique of Piketty's book, Capital. Writing a short critique of such a detailed book shows a tremendous commitment.  My only criticism comes from a sentence they use near the beginning: "This misunderstanding of capitalism produces some weird results."

For me this phrasing is far too gentle. Whether or not Piketty genuinely "misunderstands" capitalism is not the point. Promoted by liberal pro-capitalist economists like Paul Krugman (New York Review of Books) and Martin Wolf (Financial Times) Picketty's book and scholar-ship is championed precisely because of its "distortion of capitalism."

When the 2008 crisis broke out, every academic trend of anti-Marxist economic analysis was compromised. The damage to their credibility was so great that a leading business newspaper, The Financial Times, ran a series questioning the "Future of Capitalism." That series was peppered with grudging acknowledgements of Marx. On top of that, sales of Marx's Capital have been at an all time high ever since, especially among young buyers.

Piketty's book and its promotion  is the beginning of the counter-offensive. It is an attempt to restore the credibility of anti-Marxist economic analysis. It's especially urgent in light of the current weaknesses in world capitalism. Our comrades' article is right on target.

--a comrade

Young Worker Comrades: Key Revolutionary Force!

This is a shout-out to our young comrades who work long hours at hard and poorly-paid jobs, who sometimes also take care of children  or older relatives, and who still do your best to spread communist ideas and build the Party.

You are immersed among the masses.  You work in garment factories and mines, aerospace factories and military bases, fast-food restaurants and retail.  Some of you are struggling to get jobs in Party industrial concentrations.

You talk about capitalism and communism with co-workers and share Red Flag with them – in some cases, on military bases far from home.  Some of you lead communist class struggle at your workplace.  Others rise early to take our paper to factories and transit workers before going to work. 

You make time, as you can, to read and study the Party's line.  You are tired, but you organize and lead study groups.  Some of you – but not enough – help write letters and articles based on your work. 

Maybe you feel that your limited political work doesn't make a difference or isn't recognized.  Comrades, that's not true!  We can all strive to do more and better, but you are on the front lines of learning to mobilize the masses for communism. 

I hope to read more about your experiences soon!

--LA Comrade

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