{"id":124,"date":"2017-01-23T04:20:35","date_gmt":"2017-01-23T04:20:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/icwpredflag.org\/wp\/wordpress\/?page_id=124"},"modified":"2017-01-23T04:26:18","modified_gmt":"2017-01-23T04:26:18","slug":"letters-to-red-flag","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/icwpredflag.org\/wp\/wordpress\/volume-7-number-20\/letters-to-red-flag\/","title":{"rendered":"Letters to Red Flag"},"content":{"rendered":"

Red Flag<\/em> aspires to be a newspaper of a new type for a party, dedicated to mobilizing the masses around the world for communism. We\u2019re breaking new ground and learning as we go. We will inevitably make mistakes\u2014and disagree about what the mistakes are that we\u2019re making. The letters page is a good place for comrades to engage in criticism and self-criticism, and help us learn to write in a way that will advance the work. We ask writers to be brief, and to criticize in ways that are sharp, but comradely. Collectively we have a lot to learn.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

LETTERS, CRITICISM AND SUGGESTIONS<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Masses Make History<\/strong><\/p>\n

In a recent meeting, we downloaded the newest issue of Red Flag<\/em><\/strong> because we wanted to discuss the editorial.\u00a0 That reflected a proposal that we discuss the editorials in our meetings.
\nThe editorial was about Fidel Castro and the Cuban revolution and how they failed to deliver on their promises.\u00a0 I think it is one of the important ones that we have produced as a party.\u00a0 Most of the comrades in my collective viewed Fidel Castro as a communist revolutionary, which I think he was not.\u00a0 As the editorial clearly states, he was anti-communist until he got aid from the Soviet Union.\u00a0 This has been an eye-opener for us.
\nAs we were discussing this article, a comrade raised that in capitalist society the emphasis is around a central figure, a hero.\u00a0 This means that the masses, the ones who are actually pushing for change, who are actually effecting change, they are not getting mentioned.
\nHistory by the capitalists, by the liberals, only remembers the heroes, the Mandela\u2019s and such.\u00a0 But ordinary people who suffer from brutality from the police, and other attacks, are not mentioned.\u00a0 The comrade said that the picture of the placard next to the article also reflects this point when it says, \u201cThe Masses:\u00a0 not \u2018a hero.\u2019\u201d
\nWe had a productive meeting.\u00a0 The editorial really made a difference.\u00a0 It opened our eyes to the dangers imposed by imperialism, not just by capitalism.\u00a0 One of the points that I liked in this editorial was that there is no difference between capitalism and imperialism.\u00a0 Imperialism is only the advanced form of capitalism.\u00a0 Some so-called communists here in South Africa either don\u2019t know this or don\u2019t want to admit it, but it really helps open our eyes.\u00a0 It brings our collective closer to ICWP\u2019s whole political line.
\n\u2014A Comrade in South Africa<\/p>\n

South African Comrades Plan for ICWP May Day<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is a report about our first meeting of the New Year. Its purpose was to re-visit our plans and to try to make some concrete steps of how we are actually going to achieve what we embark on achieving.\u00a0 That is a minimum of 500 people for the coming May Day March led by ICWP.
\nToday we made some concrete plans.
\nI think the first step for me is to engage with the comrades who live in a town where we have recruited comrades but don\u2019t see them enough. I will engage with them about the May Day march and then I will have a concrete report about this. Then we will come back and meet next Sunday. We will be able to make clearer plans after talking with them.
\nComrade P: \u201cI will visit a comrade who can give me the details about the comrades who live in another industrial town near here so that we can engage more masses from there to the May Day, to talk with the comrades there about our May Day plans. I will go to the comrade\u2019s house after the meeting and get their numbers and call them today.\u201d
\nComrade L: \u201cAs the comrade just said, we need to focus more on the comrades we do have now from all over. There are comrades in another town that we especially need to engage. I agree with this. In order to mobilize the masses for communism, we shouldn\u2019t lose the ones we already have because we want others.\u00a0 So we have to concentrate more on the comrades we have so we can work together as one to bring more comrades.\u201d
\nComrade F: \u201cThis was really a good meeting. Our last meeting was on Dec. 5th I think. Today we re-visited our plans and drew up plans about what we need to do. We will try to meet our targets.\u201d
\nThe meeting today was a step toward making sure we reach all of our goals. Happy New Year!
\n\u2014Collective in South Africa<\/p>\n

Fighting Sexism Is Critical for the Communist Movement<\/strong><\/p>\n

We\u2019re not sure what comrades in Mexico meant in their letter (last issue) by saying that sexism \u201cis not decisive in the Communist movement.\u201d Maybe that the masses could successfully mobilize for communism without a sharp anti-sexist line?\u00a0 We don\u2019t agree with that.
\nThe basis of communism is production and distribution \u201cfrom each according to ability, to each according to need.\u201d\u00a0 Sexism includes not taking full account of women\u2019s abilities and needs.\u00a0 How could we build communism without overcoming this sexism?
\nCapitalism continues a gender division of labor rooted in earlier class societies.
\nSo, while starting to build communism we will need to rely mainly on women to organize some types of work.\u00a0 For example, in many households a woman often does most of the thinking and planning about what\u2019s needed.\u00a0 That\u2019s true even when men \u201chelp\u201d with housework.
\nWe need to struggle against the idea that traditional \u201cwomen\u2019s work\u201d is somehow less useful or valuable than traditional \u201cmen\u2019s work.\u201d\u00a0 Or any less important to organizing communism.
\nCapitalists often pay women, especially non-white women, less than men for the same work.\u00a0 In addition, jobs traditionally done by women are more badly underpaid.\u00a0 This reflects and reinforces the idea that women are worth less than men.
\nThis is bad for workers of both sexes.\u00a0 It is like how the super-exploitation of non-whites helps the capitalists exploit all workers.\u00a0 These divisions keep workers from acting together. \u00a0It can even lead the slightly-more privileged to identify with their exploiters.
\nWe must fight, starting now, for all comrades to learn and do different types of work.\u00a0 Women often have more experience in organizing and preparing dinners, for example.\u00a0 But men can learn to do that.\u00a0 Often women have less experience speaking in public or leading meetings.\u00a0 But we must help them learn.
\nWe can\u2019t accept arguments that only men (or only particular men) are capable of doing certain tasks like developing theory or taking leadership roles.\u00a0 The communist principle of \u201cred\u201d versus \u201cexpert\u201d has an anti-sexist edge.\u00a0 Without understanding that, we can\u2019t win.
\nFully imagining and building communist society requires a much better understanding of sexism.\u00a0 If we are to move forward, this must be addressed.\u00a0 We can\u2019t build the unity needed to mobilize the masses for communism without a sharp fight against sexist ideas and practices.
\n\u2014Comrades in LA<\/p>\n

Talking with Men and Women Workers about Sexism<\/strong><\/p>\n

In a recent meeting, in El Salvador, we talked about sexism and how it manifests itself at work and in other places. A comrade shared some ideas of ways that sexism supports the structure of domination.
\nThis meeting was attended by a young couple, both of whom work. They shared some experiences of living together in their home. She said how hard it was at the beginning since her partner didn\u2019t \u201chelp with the housework, but little by little he has been getting involved and taking responsibility for a few tasks\u2026its not his fault, that\u2019s how he was raised,\u201d she said.
\nCapitalism uses sexism to divide the working class and to discriminate against women. This is reflected in the way society is organized, creating laws and strengthening sexist culture.
\nSocial relations must be transformed. This can only be possible in Communism. No one will be together for economic or other similar reasons. We will all be responsible to organize our shared lives together and collectively resolve all the problems that present themselves. Communist principles and values will be those that direct our lives.
\nIt is a problem that has to be discussed to understand that we must organize, in the factory, at school, and any other place possible for the International Communist Workers\u2019 Party, the Party that fights for a Communist system.
\n\u201cI think that it is an important issue that should be talked about more frequently,\u201d said a comrade. Sometimes we make mistakes because it is what we have always considered as \u201cnormal,\u201d but it is true that it shouldn\u2019t be this way. As Communists, we must change certain sexist behaviors.\u201d
\nCapitalist culture has created certain sexist ways of thinking and has assigned roles for men and women that historically have been conceived as natural. These only respond to the interests of the ruling class.
\nWe believe that reading and distributing our newspaper Red Flag <\/em><\/strong>will help us all to have a better understanding about sexism: its origins, consequences, and how to organize to build a system that will eliminate money and exploitation, as the material basis of these problems.
\nWe must put an end to wage slavery and sexism by mobilizing more men and women workers directly for Communism.
\n\u2014Comrades in El Salvador<\/p>\n

Workers Must Read, Write, Put Communist Ideas In Practice<\/strong><\/p>\n

A comrade recently sent a passionate letter to Red Flag<\/strong><\/em> that said, \u201cThe masses learn only from through bitter experience \u2026after [getting] \u2026beat in the street.\u201d I don\u2019t think this is true.
\nYou don\u2019t learn about communist solutions from getting your head bashed in. You do learn to hate capitalism, but that is not the same thing.
\nIn truth, workers read. Potential working class leaders study communism. As they should.
\nIf many didn\u2019t know how to read, communist parties have taught them how. During the Long March, the Chinese Communist party had everyone pin a character on their back so the comrade behind could practice reading it.
\nA communist must know about the struggle and history of many workers beyond his or her immediate experience. For example, we\u2019re running an article on Italy\u2019s Hot Autumn in this issue to show the potential for communist revolution. Our anti-racism pamphlet includes an article on the strengths and weaknesses of the communist movement\u2019s fight against racism in the U.S.
\nWe should continue to print articles like these that reflect the struggle around the world. We should study them with other comrades and friends.
\nSecondly, we want everyone to know about revolutionary theory and how communism works. Our immediate struggles won\u2019t automatically provide communist solutions. That must come from \u201cthe outside.\u201d It too requires reading and collective study.
\nWhen workers take these communist ideas as their own, their experience will give these concepts life. Communists must stand with workers in the street and factories. Nonetheless, only close personal and social ties will allow us to carry out the protracted struggle necessary to develop new communist revolutionaries.
\nLeadership rests on the practical struggle to win our brothers and sisters to see communism as the solution. And to motivate them to fight for it.
\nLeaders must read, write and distribute Red Flag<\/em><\/strong>. They must contribute to the party\u2019s understanding of communism. They must participate in all aspects of mobilizing the masses for communism. That means we all must read and study more so we are clear about our goal.
\n\u2014Industrial Red<\/p>\n

Back to Front Page<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Red Flag aspires to be a newspaper of a new type for a party, dedicated to mobilizing the masses around the world for communism. We\u2019re breaking new ground and learning as we go. We will inevitably make mistakes\u2014and disagree about what the mistakes are that we\u2019re making. The letters page is a good place for … Continue reading Letters to Red Flag<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18,"parent":4,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-124","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/icwpredflag.org\/wp\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/124","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/icwpredflag.org\/wp\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/icwpredflag.org\/wp\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/icwpredflag.org\/wp\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/icwpredflag.org\/wp\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=124"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/icwpredflag.org\/wp\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/124\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":126,"href":"https:\/\/icwpredflag.org\/wp\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/124\/revisions\/126"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/icwpredflag.org\/wp\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/icwpredflag.org\/wp\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/icwpredflag.org\/wp\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=124"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}