Base and Superstructure

Thoughts on production, alienation, and ideology

Category: Activism (Page 12 of 29)

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.

twitter bar chat

Twitter is Like a Bar Chat

September 8, 2022 /

Leftists often bicker over how to use Twitter. Is it an essential communication tool allowing us to break out of the mainstream media monopoly on thought and opinion? Or is it a travesty and driver of conflict in our movements?

In truth, it’s both of those things. Or at least it can be. But I’d like to point out a better way of thinking about Twitter.

In short, Twitter is like a chat in a big, boozy bar. It can be a source of news or information. And it can lead to valuable insights. But it’s also often messy and destructive. And it’s full of clowns who start fights for no good reason. You can participate in it, but maintain a healthy, robust skepticism.

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prefigurative politics mutual aid

Mutual Aid and Prefigurative Politics

August 22, 2022 /

In an earlier post, I discussed the distinction between mutual aid and charity. Among other things, I pointed to this distinction as a false dichotomy. In truth, mutual aid and charity operate more as end points along a spectrum. Non-profits even sometimes engage in mutual aid, while mutual aid orgs sometimes do charity. I want to expand on all that in this post by bringing in the notion of prefigurative politics.

But, more than anything, I want to bring in the issue of how people set up a mutual aid org from the beginning. So, as a starting question, why do mutual aid orgs form? What do they want to accomplish? What do they look like?

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5 steps DSA caucus

5 Steps to Start a DSA Caucus

August 18, 2022 /

So, you’ve joined DSA. You attended your first meeting the other day. And like any right-thinking socialist at their first DSA meeting, you identified your politics as ‘to the left of the DSA.’ Now you’re sitting around thinking, ‘why doesn’t DSA have a real socialist caucus?’

Good think you clicked this blog post, my friend, because you’re in luck. I’m going to explain the 5 steps to start a DSA caucus. Read on and enjoy!

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universal design limits

The Limits of Universal Design

August 15, 2022 /

Suppose you’re in charge of designing the environment in the workplace or the classroom. What if you could design it so that everyone can access it. What if by designing features so that disabled or marginalized people can use it in the best ways for them, everyone can use it in the best ways? That’s the basic premise behind universal design. When you design something for those with the least access, you thereby design it for everyone.

It sounds great. But does universal design work? Does it run into limits? Let’s think about these questions.

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Organizing for Power Training

August 8, 2022 /

Over the course of May and June of this year, I attended a set of training sessions called Organizing for Power. The Rosa Luxemburg Foundation does the trainings, with Jane McAlevey serving as the lead trainer.

Overall, it’s a good training in certain practical matters of organizing. I’d recommend it. For the most part, they base the training on McAlevey’s popular books about union organizing. I’ve written about those books several times in the past, including a post on key lessons and a post on some problems and issues with McAlevey’s notion of an ‘organic leader.’

Does the course impart any key new lessons a person can’t gain by reading McAlevey’s books? Not really. But they structure the training around reinforcing lessons and practicing them. And not to mention helping people work through their ‘bias’ in favor of activists. Many of the fellow students organize within their own unions and social orgs. These things alone make the training worthwhile.

For readers looking to put theory into practice, I’d say do the training! I think the training could serve as a starting point to figuring out how to apply lessons to your own workplace or org. But I’d recommend balancing alongside astute critiques of the model.

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