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Looks like the PSL and its members are going to go on their underground arc
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this post was submitted on 12 Jun 2025
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chapotraphouse
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Putting aside how spurious the accusation that the
is financing protests probably is, since it's very common for leftist groups to get the "blame" for protests/strikes/whatever I want to make a counterpoint to the argument that this is a good thing for any organization because it gives "credibility" and would make more people join:
I think that takes the people saying they don't join political orgs because they're "suspect", "not radical enough" or "doesn't change anything" at face value. In my experience, leftists, even the most self-professed radical lenin/stalin/mao/xi profile picture guys, don't join because they don't want to actually become activists and give their time to do something that is often very boring and axe-grindish, which a lot of political work is, or they just don't want to deal with people including people who they'll disagree with often (whether inside the org or outside), they're modern atomized subjects that get their political activity buzz from social media like everyone is these days.
So ultimately this reads like it could be pretty bad for the PSL if they actually have to disclose all this stuff, because I assume that there probably were people who didn't have the discipline to watch what they're saying in internal communications, and having the state on top of you will drive people who don't want any trouble with the state away.
This isn't a reason to NOT do things that will put your org under state scrutiny, it depends on what kind of org you want to be, there are already "safe" far-left groups anyway (cpusa, dsa for example), if people want to they'll join those.
So if PSL and its members are ok with the "credibility" ie image of a possibly "dangerous" org to be in then that's fine I don't think that's an illegitimate way to go in america where there's no real institutional left to "spoil" anyway, but it probably opens up as many new problems as opportunities, for one as an example you'd have to think what kind of person joins an org they know is being persecuted, frankly it could be because they're very brave or because they're very crazy and think they're gonna get to do very crazy things.
I would join PSL if they would let me
My local is bad about it as well
see my previous comment to LeninsBeard, hoping u can get linked up!
did they never get back to you? or did they decide it wasn’t a good fit? if the former i would try and find organizing meetings, etc, in person and try to build irl relationships w/ members and express your interest in joining there. it’s easy for online applications to slip through the cracks due to spinning a lot of plates. there’s also just a lot of layers/vetting so patience is needed.
Wasn't not a good fit per se but I think they had other priorities at the time/were recruiting different neighborhoods in my area. They said they would keep me posted about events still but I never heard anything back after that and now I'm just super anxious to go to any of their stuff cuz I feel like I did something wrong
But yeah you're probably right about it just being them juggling a lot. I should go to something again soon.
yeah i can't speak to your branch's recruitment needs b/c every local is slightly different, but it's very possible they were just prioritizing certain areas/demographics. but def hit someone back up! whenever a good volunteer-comrade fades away, our first thought after "a certain amount of volunteer churn is inevitable" is "damn, what are we not doing well enough when it comes to retention???" so there's a very good chance comrades near you are bummed that you fell off their radar and want you to come back!
also some of our most dedicated cadres were active friends of the party for years before becoming members, so try not to be discouraged! i do feel you though re: paranoia you did something wrong, serious political organizing can kinda be extreme exposure therapy if you're already rejection sensitive.
I do not disagree with your analysis, but I do want to add a comment about the “credibility” point. In the US, I think the issue of undocumented persons is the most important issue strategically for a communist org or leftists in general to embrace. People understandably bemoan the lack of leftist support in the US. But they are also are looking at the lives of the top say 50-60% of the population. Also understandable - all of society is structured to make it seem like the middle class and wealthier is where like 95% of the population resides socioeconomically, and precarity and poverty are something only a small minority experience.
I believe there is tremendous revolutionary potential in the US, but the core of the that energy isn’t with people like myself - middle class white folks with an office job (obligatory “read Settlers”). It’s with the groups that experience super-exploitation and oppression: undocumented workers, African-Americans, LGBTQ folks, Muslim immigrants, etc. By standing in solidarity with undocumented persons, the PSL is right where it should be in terms of building trust and relationships in the communities with the most revolutionary potential.
Of course both things could be true - this could be bad for recruitment for them and also useful for their reputation.
I would definitely join PSL if this happened. Shit, I might actually join now
If what happened? If they're, like, banned or something or keep being persecuted?
If they keep being persecuted
Why not join now, if you can say, what's the difference?
Didn’t really think they did anything but fundraise for the general election tbh
i mean, it probably varies substantially by branch, but i know my local branch does a lot of community organizing and outreach type events and is very active in protests and such. if there is one near you, i really recommend reaching out and seeing what they have going on.
Will definitely do so