This seems to be common among many people but I dont understand why its a bad thing? The most common reasoning that I see is:
>newspapers are outdated most people use digital
true, but theres nothing wrong with pairing an online presence with phsyical print, websites and podcats will mostly only be viewed by people who are already your members or sympathizers, meanwhile selling on the street gets it into hands of people who never knew you existed
>you'll get more people if you just make it free
Quality matters more than quantity, there are times for free flyers but most of the time they will just be skimmed and trashed or most likely not read at all, someone who actually purchases it will almost certainly read it cover to cover and be more likely to take interest in joining
>There are more important things to be doing like union organizing
Ok but you and what army? the numerical strength of the movement is way to small to meaningfully influence the broader labor movement, we have to build up our forces first
>Its larp
meaningless statement with no substance. Could be said about the tons of other century old failed ML parties that are just social democrats
Nobody under the age of 55 reads newspapers anymore. People already struggle watching 5 minute videos. Why should they read newspapers?
Trots are just a huge pre-1917 Bolshevism larp. The whole newspaper-thing only has aesthetic value, no practical one.
>newspapers are outdated most people use digitalAlong with your point, there's something nice about tactility and not needing to paste the whole thing into HTML just to highlight stuff.
>someone who actually purchases it will almost certainly read it cover to cover and be more likely to take interest in joiningFree copy on website, pay for print.
>>2720945>Nobody under the age of 55 reads newspapers anymore.Boomer that doesn't talk to young people detected. Every generation has digital-only people, paper-only people and people that engage with both, the majority in the 3rd category.
It's just student activism and a book club while they attend University.
Once they graduate they will all join Social Democratic parties or become Neocons.
>>2720945not true at all really at my school people read the school's newspaper all the time. actually interested people will read something whether its on a phone or a paper.
>The whole newspaper-thing only has aesthetic value, no practical one.The practical value is that it gets the ideas out to people. your communist website is most likely only visited by people who are already your members and we already have extensive proof that left wing content is algoritmathically supressed on social media
>>2720940Im apart of a trot party, although im not a trot
I personally think a lot of people actually enjoy physical newspapers, it allows a fairly unique way and powerful way of introducing party ideology, the bourgesisie might have a monopoly on billboards and TV ads, and the internet, but by producing in a underrated form of communication, it actually gives the parties a big advantage in my opinion.
>>2720994I agree, I'm in the RCP and whnever people have seen our papers they are always impressed by the professionalism of it.
>>2720994if you are part of a trot party then you are a trot, sorry to break it to you
Because this approach is not being of the people, it is preaching to the people. There's nothing wrong with having a newspaper, the problem is how they make their whole thing about selling it, imposing it on people who don't want it. They think being of the people is selling newspapers to them and co-opting progressive social movements rather than actually building dual power in communities.
I've never considered myself a Trot, but I may have to revisit the literature with an open mind given that the people I know who shit on Trots also have highly questionable judgment when it comes to dealing with American aggression. I see way too much pie-in-the-sky thinking, and it makes me wonder what else they get wrong.
>>2721452The Revolution Betrayed is a good place to start. The Lessons of October is shorter, but also worth reading.
>>2720951>>2720945the first guy
>>2720962 is kinda right. Theres been statistics showing people have been reading less (online and real life).
Tho this is mainly regarding books but still
MLs are always making fun of Trots for their newspapers when their equivalent is Gooood Mooooring Revolutioooon (26 views).
i'm cool with it; controlling your own print networks is actually a big deal. At some point meshnets or radio are going to have to replace the (censor-prone) bourgeoisie internet as well
No we hate them because they are creepy sex freaks who are cultish and don't do anything. No one actually gives a shit whether the newspapers are good or not, or whether they're effective. Consider for a moment why it's almost a general rule that other left orgs do not want to work with Trots. It's not the newspaper bro.
>>2721018Keep sucking Alan Woods' cock and funding his London apartment and HQ lmfao
You are getting grifted you absolute dumbass 😭😭😭
>>2720940They say mean things about Stalin in the paper though.
Actually we hate on Trots for being Nazis in red
>>2721449It's kind of a funny coincidence that I only see trots out when there are a lot of jehovas witnesses and other christcucks on campus preaching as well
>>2723583Also, at least locally, Trots are really fucking annoying and try to insert themselves into things like protests without properly building rapport with any organizers or the people they're trying to reach
>>2723585True. Like the autistic freaks who tried to recruit at a residential school memorial in Canada
>>2720962Seems like a two phase plan is needed:
- Get people off of social media and into web surfing
- Newspapers and such
Because if they're having to pick between reading about jestergooning their cortisol levels on twitter or read a physical newspaper, they'll likely opt for the former.
>>2720940>but theres nothing wrong with pairing an online presence with phsyical printI don't think you realize how little people read them. There's probably only 1 person for every 5k trotskyist journals that gets printed out that gets read
>we have to build up our forces firststop wasting your effort entertaining a soviet revolution larp then
>Could be said about the tons of other century old failed ML partiesYes ? Communist parties have mostly become relics of a past that don't adequately represent the present. However, Trotskyists are by far the worst when it comes to levels of larp
>>2724628Nice image that has nothing to do with your text
>>2720940Honestly once you’ve actually started organizing irl you realize how pointless it all is, Stalinists, Trots and even Bordigatards basically agree on everything except getting extremely butthurt about the other two’s solution to the failure of the world revolution after 1917. You’ll meet Marxists of all types who are actually good and effective and Marxists who are useless and retarded
>>2724872>Trotsky Returns, is shunned.It's poetic.
>>2721449the paper is primarily not for "the masses" its for people who are already communists or almost communists. The work right now should primarily be based on recruiting the most advanced layer, anything else is going way beyond the scope of whats doable with the current numbers of the movement.
>>2723408I literally said theres nothing wrong with digital its just that digital media is primarily going to be watched by people who are already your members, Haz is leveraging an already existing media audience and volunteer work with no politcal character is just NGO work.
Another benefit of selling newspapers or any kind of literature is it forces party members to actually defend communism irl to interested people and practice oratory skills. convincing someone to purchase something is way more developing for a member than just handing out free flyers or shouting slogans at a protest. How are you going to win workers over if you don't even give yourselves opportunities to practice pitching socialism to people
>>2725170so basically touch grass. You make a fair point
>>2720940It's just a funny stereotype that trots primarily sell newspapers. Which, in my experience, is true. They also organize fairs and events as well, but mostly as a platform to sell more newspapers
In essence it makes fun of their preference for form over substance
>>2723667*centralized social media
>>272472629pbp. Socialist tendencies used to split over the strategic questions of their era. As of now there's really nothing to split over, so unironic sectarianism is idiotic.
I will still practice it while shitposting here though >>2723359No no, let's make sure the leaders of our party have to work 40 hour weeks and then organize the party on weekends.
Fucking dumbass.
Unique IPs: 28