this post was submitted on 19 Apr 2025
118 points (100.0% liked)

askchapo

23045 readers
249 users here now

Ask Hexbear is the place to ask and answer ~~thought-provoking~~ questions.

Rules:

  1. Posts must ask a question.

  2. If the question asked is serious, answer seriously.

  3. Questions where you want to learn more about socialism are allowed, but questions in bad faith are not.

  4. Try !feedback@hexbear.net if you're having questions about regarding moderation, site policy, the site itself, development, volunteering or the mod team.

founded 4 years ago
MODERATORS
PorkrollPosadist@hexbear.net
replaceable@hexbear.net
VILenin@hexbear.net
EmmaGoldman@hexbear.net
SexUnderSocialism@hexbear.net
ZoomeristLeninist@hexbear.net
khizuo@hexbear.net
Sulvy@hexbear.net
118
What has the PSL done differently than other leftist organisations in the U.S. ,and the west more generally, that has allowed them to be so successful? (lemmygrad.ml)
submitted 2 months ago by borschtisgarbo@lemmygrad.ml to c/askchapo@hexbear.net
71 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

They have seen a meteoric rise in recent years. Their sister/front organisations like ANSWER, Codepink, People's Forum, BTnews have all become household names. When I look at protests in the U.S., it seems so many of them are organised directly, or indirectly, by them. In comparison, organisations like the CPUSA or the DSA are lacking behind.

How and why?

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] ZWQbpkzl@hexbear.net 16 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (7 children)

Of those "front organizations" the I only recognize is CodePink. I might have heard of People's Forum in passing and BT News doesn't even show up in google results. Even then CodePink are absolutely not a household name and seem like a sister organization. I haven't seen the PSL put forward any tactic beyond media attention. From Claudia's presidential run to showing up at protests with buckets of signs, everything the PSL seems to do is just media attention.

I'd love to be proven wrong. I'd love to see some evidence of PSL chapters supporting a union drive, or pressuring a local government to pass some policy, or some sponsoring some mutual aid effort, or any sort of direct action. I'd love there to be an ML organization that had a strategy beyond a protest to recruit burnout cycle.

[–] jack@hexbear.net 29 points 2 months ago (2 children)

pressuring a local government to pass some policy,

My branch got two counties to divest from Israel bonds

[–] SpiderFarmer@hexbear.net 13 points 2 months ago

Hello? Based Department?

[–] ZWQbpkzl@hexbear.net 9 points 2 months ago (1 children)

With respect to not dox, I'd love to see how that was accomplished.

[–] jack@hexbear.net 19 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Consistent pressure, building coalitions to lobby individual council members on the most relevant approaches, big public shaming media campaigns (Your tax dollars are funding genocide while they but education and transit, "progressive" county exec is responsible for genocide). We're hosting a statewide conference to help other counties achieve the same next month.

[–] Jabril@hexbear.net 12 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I've made similar comments in a different post and comrade @jack@hexbear.net had some good responses I'd recommend checking out: https://hexbear.net/post/4142649

[–] grandepequeno@hexbear.net 10 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I'd love to see some evidence of PSL chapters supporting a union drive, or pressuring a local government to pass some policy, or some sponsoring some mutual aid effort, or any sort of direct action.

This is all stuff that obviously happens, even materially probably, whether they succeed is a different question

[–] ZWQbpkzl@hexbear.net 5 points 2 months ago

Maybe branches are just as subject to regional differences as the DSA. All I see from the local branch is tailism, but I'm not plugged into literally every movement in the city.

[–] Ram_The_Manparts@hexbear.net 9 points 2 months ago

BT News doesn't even show up in google results.

Did you search bt news or breakthrough news. I just googled the latter and got tons of results, and I'm not even on the same continent as the PSL

[–] FunkyStuff@hexbear.net 8 points 2 months ago

BT News doesn't even show up in google results.

Breakthrough News has a pretty big audience on youtube.

[–] borschtisgarbo@lemmygrad.ml 8 points 2 months ago (1 children)

It's breakthrough news, I abbreviated it. They're not organising stuff on the ground, just doing daily news coverage online. They have about a million subs on YouTube.

[–] ZWQbpkzl@hexbear.net 8 points 2 months ago

That makes more sense. I still would not call it a household name.

[–] CaliforniaSpectre@hexbear.net 2 points 1 month ago

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DI1-jQlTmTq

They are currently in Sacramento trying to get SB332 passed to help keep utilities costs low. I think PSL has a chance to be the real deal.