1 Organize

The problems of our era have one central cause: the domination of all society by the capitalist class. We all feel this truth wherever we go. When we go to work, buy groceries for our families, pay for shelter, surf the internet, and vote in elections, we do it knowing that all of these aspects of our daily lives are held in the hands of the capitalist class: the heads of corporations, billionaires, and landlords. Rent hikes, homelessness, unemployment, stagnating wages, racism, endless war, environmental destruction, etc. We feel deeply that these problems are tied to the extreme inequalities of capitalism and how it sets us against one another. 

This is not just a feeling. It reflects the real nature of how power is distributed under capitalism. We call America a democracy, but is that really true? Democracy literally translates to rulership of the people. If that is democracy, then the USA is anything but. The capitalist class literally owns the economic organs necessary to maintain and direct society. This gives them incredible power which they leverage to control the government, which in turn acts to protect and represent the capitalist class. This control exists everywhere. Capitalists can never be satisfied. They always have to expand into new markets to make a profit, usually at our expense. With each advance they make as a class, our social powers decline. The laws of capitalist development inevitably turn society into an increasingly oligarchic entity. 

This is not a unique insight. There is hardly a single person in America today, regardless of their political leanings, who does not recognize that our society prioritizes the avarice of the capitalist class over the needs of the working class. So why don’t we do anything about it? Historically, this sort of shared consciousness would cause mass uprisings, only stopped by the most brutal violence of the state. Today, the American government does not need violent force to keep working class people passive and obedient. So then what is it that prevents us from acting on our shared understanding? If our problems are rooted in the control of our society by the capitalist class, then our inability to solve those problems has an equally clear cause: the disorganization of the working classes.

2 Organize!

The majority of working class people are no longer connected to each other in any meaningful sense. Labor unions are shrinking and bureaucratic. Worker’s parties no longer exist. Mutual aid has been replaced with anonymous non-profits. Worker cooperatives are marginal. Working class neighborhoods, once brought together by civic organizations in daily life, are now lonely and depersonalized. This is a unique set of social circumstances. Historically, working class people, however dire their material conditions, had their lives enriched by a subterranean culture of resistance in their own communities.

This culture was developed in the organizations of the working class that pushed back against the social disintegration of capitalism. In the 1930s, Alabama communists organized neighborhood committees in black neighborhoods, arming black sharecroppers and workers not just with literal guns, but with knowledge, self-reliance, and a sense of community through their day to day activities. In the labor movement, they organized rank and file committees to ensure that union membership actually exercised control over the movement. At around the same time, anarchists in Spain were organizing ‘casas del pueblo’ and ‘centros obreros’ that immersed workers in the labor movement. Whatever their form, the organizations served to bring together workers in ways that would not be possible without them. Without these kinds of organizations, working class people have no means to intervene in social life.

 As isolated individuals, we fear that if we are the first to stand up, we will be the first to fall. We understand that we are powerless as individuals. With no power of our own, we turn to the ruling class, praying that they will do us right. Populist leaders in both parties repay us with words, and deliver us political dead ends that skirt around the problem. The most powerful tool these leaders have is their ability to further divide the working class. There is always some group that can be blamed for our ills. Capitalism is always pushed to the background. Instead of blaming capitalists, we are pushed to blame immigrants, other nations, and minorities for our problems. On the left, somewhat wiser populists rightfully criticize capitalism, but are compelled to never go all the way in their critiques due to the pragmatic demands of electoral campaigns. They point out the rot of capitalism, but then try to dazzle us with marginal reforms they swear will fundamentally alter the course of reality. They simply ignore the fact that these piecemeal reforms leave the power of the capitalist class intact and cannot match the pace of capitalism’s development. We cannot afford these illusions anymore. Either we will reorganize as a class, or things will continue to get worse. There is no other path.

3 Organize!!

This is a call to action. It is not enough to have the right ideas. Many people understand the basics of our crisis, but without the action to back it up, ultimately it amounts to nothing. It is up to us to recreate the popular dimension of politics, because no politicians or corporate rulers will do it for us. Reclaim Oneonta advances this challenge: In your neighborhood and/or workplace, knock on each door or find your coworkers, introduce yourself to them, ask them about their concerns, desires, and interests, ask them for their contact information, and invite them to a community assembly or meeting. Make this a regular, vital part of your community life. 

It is unlikely that your first attempts at doing this will lead to great success. By trying to organize the unorganized, you are cutting against the daily patterns of capitalism that breed passivity among the workers. Persistence will be key. Beyond that, we have the fortune of history. The labor and communal movements of the past and present tell us the basic forms of freedom. This basically calls for organizing the oppressed and exploited in our neighborhoods and places of work. The thrust or Reclaim Oneonta’s politics is the revitalization of the class struggle through the resurrection of the autonomous organizations of the working class. Neighborhood councils, tenant associations, and labor unions are the basic organs capable of advancing the interests of the workers.

Independent working class organizations remind us about the true nature of our society. When we cannot turn to our neighbors and coworkers, we are forced to turn our heads upward, to our rulers. We lose sight of where all power comes from: us! The working class creates society together through our labor. It is past time for us to come together and remember that.

To all socialists: Organize!!

It is not enough to organize the working class in the form of workplace and neighborhood organizations. We also need a universal program, rooted in the history of the movement for the emancipation of the exploited classes, and an organization dedicated to advancing that program. Historically, the development of the socialist labor movement has been highly dependent on the ability of the socialist minority to develop an analysis and program fit for the times. To educate, agitate, and organize the broad class requires that those who already see what must be done come together to bring the socialist vision into reality. That is the role of Reclaim Oneonta.

We exist to bring together all socialists to enhance our efforts. For too long American socialists have looked to elected officials to execute working class politics for us. We cannot afford this. Principled socialists have to organize ourselves into a block. From our many voices, we have to become the single uncompromising voice actually willing to say: ALL POWER to the international working class!

Join Reclaim Oneonta and help build that force in our city.

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