Criticism vs. Self-Righteousness

If I had a dime for every time someone told me I was being divisive, “mean,” or self-righteous, I’d go out and buy a pack of Peanut Chews.

In the events leading up to the split between News & Letters Committees and the Marxist-Humanist Committee, I was told I had no right to criticize older members, because they understand Marxism more than I do. This claim completely ignored the fact that I was joining several of the other older members in that criticism – individuals whose understanding of Marxism is well-renowned.

I’ve been told in vegan and animal rights activist circles that I should not criticize people who protest fur and neglect other animal rights issues, because these people are increasing awareness of the problem by getting people to think about the issues. I’ve seen no evidence to demonstrate this. Many people are against fur already, and never make the connection to realize that leather and meat are just as wrong. And yet, when I’ve expressed my frustration with activists waste time with this approach, instead of advocating directly for veganism, I’m accused of being self-righteous.

If we don’t allow open and honest criticism in activist circles, if we don’t allow dissenting thoughts to be voiced from within, if we are expected to go along with “the organization” or “the movement” uncritically and without thought, what can we even begin to hope to accomplish? If we keep doing the same shit, we’ll keep getting the same shit. We don’t all think alike, nor should we. We don’t always agree on the best approach. We shouldn’t stifle our voices for the sake of some bullshit false unity.

We need to be able to express our criticisms openly and honestly, without passive-aggressiveness. We need to be willing to concede to reason when reason shows us the error of our ways. We need organization that reflects our values of democracy, honesty, and freedom of speech.

We do not have the right to be above criticism. We do not have the right to live without being offended. This is not self-righteousness.

My fellow activists, get over yourselves.

On the Left: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Good: The 2^nd Annual NYC Anarchist Bookfair. Why, you may ask, would a Marxist be so eagerly awaiting the upcoming anarchist bookfair? Because it promises to be a gathering of open-minded and young Leftists, and so it is the ideal place for open dialog and exchange of ideas about changing the world for the better. While we may disagree about a lot of things, we can learn from each other and organize together to help make the world a better place.
… That, and I am a book hor. I luff books of all kinds, and buy a lot, much to the chagrin of my Dino.

Bad: Left Forum 2008. The dialog around revolution and social change has been reduced to talking about how great the movements were, discussing why we should vote for Obama, and encouraging people to buy local organic produce. The only redeeming value was meeting new people and selling some lit.

Ugly: News & Letters Committees and how it has been transformed into its opposite. Please read this public statement of the Marxist-Humanist Tendency and send responses as appropriate. Contact Olga Domanski and let her know that this is no way to run a revolutionary Marxist organization. Support the Marxist-Humanist Tendency!