Dimmer06

that will never have to face the consequences of the violence he advocates for

From my experience the most significant issue DSA faces is that they're incredibly fragmented and disunited. They function more like a loose network of activists who come and go than a political party. Members are allowed more or less to believe and act how they want even if it's unhelpful or harmful to the organization. This manifests in their most prominent members blatantly contradicting the organization's positions, but it also manifests in basic administrative tasks not being completed and a disinterest in building a robust internal culture, camaraderie, and pursuing democraticly decided political goals. They might be able to unite around a (usually local) issue but once that matter is settled or the energy dies down then most people drift away until new wave of activists joins up for something else. It also allows for scattered campaigns as people try to pursue their own interests within the DSA only to not have the organization materially support them because nobody else actually wants to do the thing.

If that's reflective of your experience then I would suggest trying to build a culture of party loyalty, discipline, and focus. Idk how to do that specifically but it probably involves mandatory political education.

There's also a significant material restriction on kids. More homework and pressure to do extracurriculars, less money, harder to get around, fewer brick and mortar places to go, less woods, parents have less time, etc. I was in school a decade ago at this point but most of us just played PlayStation together. I think as shit (specifically housing, cars, and college) gets more expensive and wages stagnate this is further exacerbated.

There are a few decent DSA chapters and some good people in the org but as a whole it sucks. I learned a lot from my time in it and met some interesting people so I would say if you're trying to learn it's your best option on that list but understand that they are far from revolutionary, totally undisciplined, and questionably principled at best.

It seems like China gets lucky every year while most of the West is very unlucky. It must be their crickets.

Yeah that was where the real distinction evolved. In Europe and the US opportunists were happy to redistribute the wealth of the global periphery to their nation's proletariat and call it socialism. The global periphery redistributing it's own wealth from its bourgeoisie to its own working classes isn't particularly evil though.

Hunted a lot and butchered everything we killed for quite a few years. At one point i just decided I didn't want to eat meat anymore and haven't since. I definitely think it played a major role in me going plant based.

They tried to work through the legislature. Governor vetoed it. So they did a citizens initiative.

They put a large man in a hard hat and a flannel on TV and in a heavy Central Maine accent he said "Government run power is too expensive for us taxpayers"

The voters also killed a constitutional amendment to remove a provision that was ruled illegal in federal court 20 years ago and hasn't been enforced since.

Edit: They actually voted against two constitutional amendments to bring our laws in line with federal law

Also oppressed people by definition are denied their rights, so they wouldn't even have the obligations.

I was lucky enough to fall in love with an amazing woman who happens to be into an obscure left-communist tendency and she seems to agree with many of my more ML takes. I don't think being an ML should be a requirement of dating anyone, but if they're not willing to engage with your politics in good faith then that's a major red flag.

The governor and police announced the toll of 18 dead and 13 wounded this morning. While still incredibly upsetting, it isn't as bad as earlier reports suggest.

https://www.pressherald.com/2023/10/26/maine-state-police-to-present-public-update-as-search-for-suspected-lewiston-shooter-continues/