Why I Joined here ā¦ Success is Fighting Capitalism here ā¦ Addressing Injustice here ā¦
Letter: Why I Joined ICWP
Growing up, I was always in search of community. I never understood why a world where we can coexist and live safely and freely couldnāt exist. After all, everything else lives here for free?
Those juvenile wandering thoughts led me astray from the Democratic Party as the facade of freedom and democracy faded into dust settling from bombs dropping across the ocean. When I saw protestors tear gassed time and again ā I wondered ā isnāt this our right? Is this not a war crime?
I always found communism interesting. I didnāt really understand the propaganda against it. I openly became communist around 2020. Prior to that, I would capitulate a lot and even defend opinions I didnāt agree with. But since then I havenāt really backed down from my position.
My brain twisted into a pretzel, attempting mental gymnastics to fit in with people I thought I was safe with. Until I realized even their space is limited. And they will continue throwing others to the wolves to avoid getting bitten. When the genocide in Gaza began, I realized life as I knew it was going to have to change. I couldnāt idle by while thousands were being kidnapped and tortured. Starved. Murdered.
My friends didnāt care. They would go to Starbucks and Mc Donalds (which I was boycotting) without me. All while seeing my posts and hearing my thoughts. I thought they would understand.
After a while, I couldnāt take it anymore. The cognitive dissonance was too great. I was protesting and creating political art. I was calling, emailing. Sending letters.
But I felt alone. I was no longer able to assimilate and shrink myself to fit in. Iām shy. But I couldnāt pretend to be who Iām not anymore. So I began speaking to fellow communists at various events.
For the past two years, I have protested side by side with a comrade who shared Red Flag with me. She invited me to dinner parties where I could connect with other communists and socialists. Here, I found my people. The ones who understood. The others who looked outside the box rather than getting comfortable in it. A collective who cared to show up for each other. Strong minded individuals who aspire for change. A place that made me feel like I wasnāt going insane.
I feel relief to know thereās people connecting across the globe to incite change. Who are collaborating on ideas for protests, planning strikes, and supporting union workers in over-exploited regions. I feel proud to know young women in South Africa who are organizing to get their peers a better education.
I am excited to meet more comrades. Iām proud to be able to contribute what I can to create a peaceful, thriving communist society. I have a few friends that I think could join too.
I am not sure what will happen in this world. But I am sure Iām not alone in it.
āNew comrade in Los Angeles (USA)
Letter: What Is Success? Fighting Capitalism!
A very close friend wrote to us about her frustration with life under capitalism. A comrade replied to her. That response ended with, āThe capitalist dream is and always will be a nightmare for the āunsuccessfulā people living in poverty all over the world. Seems to me that we have no other choice but to smash the bossesā dreams with a communist revolution!! What do you think?ā Here is what our friend wrote back:
Dear Comrade, Thank you for responding to my letter. I asked several questions internally, understanding what the answers are. The struggle comes from trying to understand a system that was never designed for us as a collective to succeed. Capitalist success pits workers against each other striving for select positions; often creating stressful work environments.
With regards to success, I have long since resisted the urge to reach a success that was determined by one person or a group with ever-changing goal posts based on race, sex and whatever these people can come up with. My father told me, several times in various ways, that my success was tied to being promoted at work. That train of thought made me sick. It actually made me resist the urge to conform.
I knew it before, but when Covid hit, I had a wonderful visual that families laughing and playing in the park during traditional work hours and the sense of community it created is the life we should have always been living.
For the masses, our learned behavior is to conform and thus take what crumbs are given to us. In the future I want us to continue to talk about the various ways we can fight. For community, for families, for the needy, against Capitalism!
āHelen, Jr.
Letter: Communism Could Help Address Injustice
I am a student from El Salvador currently living in Los Angeles and I am in tenth grade. People hand out Red Flag at my school in the morning as we are arriving. Iāve been taking and reading it. One of them asked me to write a letter.
My opinion on the articles about capitalism and the injustices in El Salvador is that these are things people experience every day. Itās undeniable that many Salvadoran workers are trapped in a cycle of precarious ness, where they receive miser able wages and face terrible working conditions.
This situation is serious and reflects a system that always prioritizes profit over human dignity. Labor injustice is not just an eco nomic issue; itās about recognizing the value of people and their contributions to society.
The conference on communism that recently took place in El Salvador is something that could help address the injustices in the country. It is fundamental to understand how these systems affect Salvadoran society, and political decisions must consider not only economic well-being but also the social and humanitarian implications of immigration. These situations of injustice not only affect the quality of life of the people in the country but also create a cycle of poverty that has a significant impact on society. Labor exploitation is a reality that many still face, and it is something that has a profound effect.
āHigh school student in Los Angeles (USA)