Base and Superstructure

Alienation, autonomy, and ideology

Category: Activism (Page 1 of 31)

These are posts on activism from the blog Base and Superstructure. This takes many forms. The focus here is on political activism, above all on activist organizing and base-building. One concern is how to build effective movements. There’s also a need to create solidarity with fellow members and build coalitions with other groups. The main aim of good movements is to work together to advance material interests. This section also includes critiques of electoral work, and discussion of how and when to use elections to advance activist goals. Navigating the balance between grassroots work and electoral work is difficult for everyone.

A photo of Chuck Schumer with the caption 'Democrats Sick of Being Blamed For Cowardice On Issues They Actually Just Don't Care About.'

How to Deal with Democrats

September 21, 2026 / / 0 Comments

A leftist friend told me during the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries that being a Democrat felt like being in an abusive relationship. And indeed, as leftists, our electoral battles with Democrats end in wailing and gnashing of teeth. It all arises from how we situate ourselves with respect to the Democratic Party.

But we can redefine our relationship with Democrats. In doing so, we will not only relieve our distress, but also position ourselves to build meaningful, sustained power.

I’ll start by sketching a false assumption that drives leftist electoral strategy. Rejecting this assumption frees us to build a more productive relationship with Democrats. And with that relationship in place, we can organize with clear purpose.

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This is a photo of sex worker activists. One holds a heart shaped pink sign reading, "No Bad women just bad laws!" and the other holds a white sign reading, "There are many reasons why women have sex - money is one!"

The Trouble with Sex Work

September 14, 2026 / / 0 Comments

Attitudes toward sex work have split leftists for decades. The trouble with sex work is that it pushes people into sharply opposed camps. Two camps begin with certain assumptions, dig in, and then come up with little in the way of productive engagement with the other side.

But I think we can remedy this. As it happens, the two camps each base their views around a core truth.

By excavating these two core truths, we can come up with a better approach.

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A banner for the Louisville Tenants Union, established 2022, with two hands pressed together holding apartment keys.

An Activist Legacy?

February 23, 2026 /

When I turned 40, I wrote a post contemplating retirement from activism and activist work. More than anything else, I identified 40 as a crossroads. It’s a point where a person should step back and reconsider what they’re doing, especially in a college town with so many people in their 20s.

Nearing my 43rd birthday, I’m ready to check back in on the topic. I’ve definitely changed how I do activist work in the past few years. But even more so, I’ve thought about the legacy I might want to leave.

Let’s talk legacy.

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The logo for the DSA Mutual Aid working group, intended to present a DSA special interest.

DSA’s Special Interest Problem

February 9, 2026 /

Here’s a common story about what happens when someone joins DSA.

A politically engaged person arrives who cares a lot about one issue or approach. They join DSA to work on their special interest. As they join, they engage in a flurry of activity around their special interest: signing up with a national working group devoted to it, pushing their chapter to work on it, writing a Convention resolution about it, and so on.

In many cases, it ends badly.

Perhaps the Convention votes down the resolution about the person’s special interest. Perhaps no one else in the person’s chapter is interested in the topic, or the chapter takes a different approach to it. Or perhaps fights and feuds tear apart the national working group. Even if none of those things happen, the person might just burn out from putting all their time and effort into a single topic.

They leave DSA in a huff.

We see this story with a wide range of special interests. I’ve seen people go through this process on mutual aid, the Green New Deal, Palestine, disability justice, trans rights, Medicare for All, and other issues of note.

And so, I think DSA has a ‘special interest’ problem. I’ll also say a word about what do to about it.

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An image of a coin that says George Orwell at the bottom and Big Brother is Watching You in the center.

Orwell on the Left

January 26, 2026 /

I’ve hit a flurry of interest in George Orwell in the last 6 months. My partner and I read a book of essays on Orwell by Rebecca Solnit – Orwell’s Roses – and then we watched a film on him at a local film festival.

In that spirit, I bought a book of short Orwell essays. In those essays, his criticisms of the left – written in the early 1940s, during World War II! – sparked my interest. I found the criticisms still relevant today, but relevant to a different group.

Let’s take a moment to look into this.

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