The Working Class Doesnât Need Bosses
On our first day of work in a factory after Hurricane Harvey in Houston, Texas, many workers werenât able to come to work, including some supervisors. Therefore, with the ones who did come, we made up only one assembly line instead of the usual two lines. âWe donât need supervisors to do the work,â said a woman co-worker, smiling while she did her work. They only serve to pressure us, to look good to the boss. We get the production out even though they arenât here.â
âThis woman is like a despot. She wants everything fastâ, said another worker referring to the supervisor who didnât come to work.
This is a small example of how the workers can understand that to work we donât need the bosses. And if we donât need bosses to work, we also donât need money to live. We only need our work, natural resources, and communist ideas.
This will not be possible without destroying capitalism through a communist revolution, which will not be easy. Communist social relations are key for revolution.
In the factory you could see all the workers doing their work in a relaxed way and helping others when they needed it. All this is a small communist aspect within capitalism.
I hadnât worked with the majority of these workers because normally I work on the other line. However, I plan to talk to these workers very soon about communism.
Another communist aspect during the hurricane was the response of the working class communities rescuing their class brothers and sisters without expecting any kind of payment. The majority of those worker rescuers didnât need supervisors who gave them orders about what they had to do.
When the government asked for the help of volunteers, the workers in the communities had already been doing the rescue work, including in very dangerous areas where electric power had not been cut off. Two of the rescuers were electrocuted because of that.
âComrade in Houston
Ecology & Communism
This weekend I attended a three-day workshop on ecological risk management attended by community leaders from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. These were very interesting subjects, dealing with disasters as events that have a direct relationship with capitalism. This allowed an open discussion on the problems of capitalism.
This workshop is part of the fmln effort, using other organizations, to win more people to its revisionist project. The limits of their analysis are obvious. They avoid criticizing the eight years of FMLN rule and use criticism of capitalism to excuse their failure.
 The important thing about this experience was the one-on-one conversations I had with the other participants. A Guatemalan youth, leader in different struggles against megaprojects, made an analysis of the situation in that country. âEverything is a circus. The fight against corruption leads nowhere. Only class struggle can make things change.â
We talked about how it is impossible to make a real change working from within the capitalist institutions themselves. Many agreed, considering the example of El Salvador and many Latin American countries. At the end of the workshop, I exchanged contact information with eight people, two from Guatemala, one from Honduras, and five from El Salvador. I told them that I belonged to the International Communist Workers Party and that I would send them our Red Flag newspaper. The guy from Honduras promised to bring Red Detachment and Green Prison (books written by Honduran communist RamĂłn Amaya Amador about the struggle of the banana workers in that country) to the second session of the workshop next month.
âComrade in El Salvador
More Islamaphobic Lies from Trump
After the ISIS attack in Barcelona, Trump tweeted, âStudy what General Pershing of the United States did to terrorists when caught. There was no more Radical Islamic Terror for 35 years.â
He was referring to a lie heâs told before, that the US Army under Pershing in the Philippines (1898-1913) dipped bullets in pigsâ blood to kill Muslim guerrilla fighters, and that these fighters were so terrified of this that they stopped fighting. So, soldiers fighting ISIS today should dip bullets in pigsâ blood and that will do the trick.
There is no evidence that this ever happened. Itâs a ridiculous lie. Bringing it up in 2017 is one more way of saying that all Muslims are terrorists, and superstitious as well.
Most people in Indonesia, Malaysia and the southern islands of the Philippines have been Muslim since the 12th century. In contrast, those in the northern islands of the Philippines converted to Christianity when they were colonized by the Spanish.
When the US, a rising imperialist power, went to war with Spain in 1898, that war spread to the Philippines. Filipino independence fighters hoped the US would kick out the Spanish and grant them independence. US big business saw the Philippines as the key to the Asian, and particularly the Chinese, market. They launched a racist campaign to make the Philippines a US colony.
The US war in the Philippines was openly racist. Filipinos were referred to by the same ân wordâ that was used for African Americans. US troops bragged of shooting people like rabbits. They used torture on captured combatants.
A large anti-imperialist campaign almost defeated the Senate motion to annex the Philippines. African American churches, the African-American press, trade unions, womenâs suffrage organizations, and even Mark Twain played key roles in this struggle.
After the surrender of the independence forces and annexation in 1902, resistance continued, especially in the south, up to about 1913. There were horrific atrocities in this struggle with generals calling for killing any male over the age of ten, and the 1906 massacre of over a thousand civilians at Bud Dajo.
This was a national liberation struggle against a murderous occupying army. Today we know that fighting for national liberation, no matter how bravely, is a dead end. In the Philippines and everywhere else, we must fight for communism.
We also know that confusing the Moros in Mindanao with ISIS is the ignorant ranting of someone so prejudiced against Muslims that he lumps them all together. As a recent tweet said, âIf you can distinguish the KKK from Christianity, you should be able to distinguish ISIS from Islam.â
âHistory student
The change of perspective after I joined ICWP
It is a pleasure to be a part and parcel of the struggle to mobilize the masses for the ICWP and to educate people about what it means to be a communist. What I mean by the word âpleasureâ are the changes of growth and knowledge I gained in the party.
Being a comrade of the ICWP has made an immense impact in my being. Now Iâm aware of the exploitation the capitalists are using to gain control over the Republic of South Africa, and around the world. This is true whether people believe it or not.
The collective of mine has a great potential the way I see it, the potential which we can use to address the masses that enough is enough of the capitalistsâ manipulative tactics to divide us as people. Truly speaking, borders, poverty, sexism, politics, television, etc are the tools used by these evil animals to divide people. But the most dangerous tool that conquers all is moneyâ so we can see ourselves better than others, as money is the means of exchange which makes us to be bound to them and to be vulnerable at times.
The most sickening cancer to this cycle we revolve about is that some of the working class does not see how deep and dirty those we work for are. Because nothing that is made by the working class is made for the needs of the working class but for capitalistsâ gain; and the profit made by the working class also goes to the capitalists. Just think about it: isnât that beyond being cruel?
I can talk till nightfall about my eye being opened to how much and what is happening around the globe but the point Iâm trying to drive home is: ICWP is really with and for the working classâs rights to what they deserve after all.
Iâve been a comrade of a political party but Iâve never learned so much. Iâve never been cared for, Iâve never been exposed to the truth but Iâve been given tasks to deceive people of the money mostly, but my morals never allowed me to do so. I was forced to back off because I couldnât lie to our people.
Today as a member of the ICWP I stand for what is right, I stand for what people deserve. I got a collective that believes in the moral value of honesty, leadership, integrity, and, most of all, communism.
I would like to take this opportunity to give comrades of the ICWP the assurance that the party stands and rises due to the dedication we give to make sure that the party grows. We thank and salute for the support all the comrade of the ICWP around the globe with the saying âforward comrades, forward.â
âA Comrade in South Africa
Red Flag Shows How Communism Will Improve Our Lives
I have been a participant and an observer of many so-called left-wing papers in my life time. My experience has always been that the majority of the articles concentrate on how terrible capitalism is, how horrible workersâ situations are, and the end of the articles always had one or two sentences about what the solution should be.
I have found reading the Red Flag paper, not to sound cheesy, very positive and invigorating. The style offers a solution from the very beginning of the article.
When I read these articles, you finally start to understand how communism will improve our lives. The daily anti-communism we are fed by both the left- and right-wing media, is proven wrong in every article in Red Flag. With all the struggle going on in the world, workers can use Red Flag to understand that there is a way out of capitalism: communism.
âNew Jersey (US) Comrade
More About Capitalism &âImperialism
We agree with what the writer or reader said about imperialismâit being the highest stage of capitalism. However, when a country is an imperialist country, that does not mean that they have stopped being a capitalist country. It simply means itâs at a certain stage in its development. The term capitalists-imperialists simply tries to not confuse things (ironically).
In capitalism, there are big capitalist states (imperialists) and small capitalist states (who have not yet gotten to be imperialists). The use of the term âcapitalists-imperialistsâ makes a distinction as to which kind of capitalists are in question.
The first writer goes on to say, âas if capitalists and imperialists equally compete to exploit the resources, markets and labor.â This is problematic because it assumes that this isnât the case when indeed it is the case. The capitalists in capitalism, whether small or big, always compete for resources, markets and labour. The rivalries and wars come from such competition and the falling rate of profit.
âcomrades in South Africa
Farmworkers Learn Not to Trust Mexican Consulate: Communism Will Abolish Consulates Altogether
A Mexican Consulate employee approached the striking farm workers in Sumas, WA (USA) when the Latin American media began covering the strike story. He offered the strikers $300.00 to start the process of getting a different kind of visa. The $300 was gone in the wink of an eye. New visas require thousands of dollars in legal fees.
He promised to come back with more assistance. Nobody has seen him or anybody else from the Consulate since.
Hollow promises are all we can expect from any Consulate, just like the promises that the Mexican government will stand up for the interests of Mexican workers in the U.S.
In communism, we wonât have Consulates because we wonât have nations. Nations were formed to represent the interest of national bosses, not workers. They weaken our class by pitting one group of workers against another.
When we eliminate nations, weâll smash borders as well. Where you work and where you live will no longer matter. Every worker will be welcomed everywhere.
When communists say, âOne World, One Working Classâ we mean it!
âComrade in Washington state (US)
Weak Union & a Bad Contract
Most operators that are part of the UTU (union of bus and train operators) feel the contract wasnât a good contract. We got a 5 year deal at a top hourly rate of $33.21. With that being said, it will take you 5 years to get the full $33.21 rate because they are going to nickel and dime us along the way.
It doesnât matter if you got 30 years with the company or 6 years. Some operators who have 30 plus years will probably not see it because they plan to retire soon. Most feel we could have gotten this contract for 3 years. Why would it take 5 years to reach the $33.21 rate when you already have 5 plus years invested in the company?
Our local chairman promised we would start at no less than $30 an hour but failed to deliver. We started top rate at $28.64. Whatâs important to know is that we have 5,000 operators and only 1,900 voted; 1500 yes and 400 no votes.
Some say it was rigged and was meant to pass. We have a weak union who sleeps in the bed with MTA.
âMTA rail operator in Los Angeles (US)
Red Flag responds:
We agree that the union and the company are on the same side. They both use tactics of divide and conquer to rule over us: MTA to keep us intimidated and exploited; the union to keep us docile and obedient, while they keep taking our dues.
The undeniable fact is that we are wage slaves. Wage increases and salaries, big or small, canât change the humiliating fact that on their time the capitalists say âJump!â and we have to say âHow high!â
Trade unionism will never change this. Its ideology with its unions and contracts only justify our slavery and perpetuate it. Only a communist revolution can break the capitalistsâ wage chains and liberate our class from exploitation.
Without money â nothing being sold or bought, especially our labor powerâ we will collectively produce and share the fruits of our labor according to need. Only then will we cease to be disposable commodities to fully become creative human beings in a communist world.