this post was submitted on 22 May 2025
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Right, but for some of us, our upbringings and experiences include, "Reading actual works of political theory" while for others it involves, "Watching cable TV." An ignorant viewpoint is not on an equal level as an informed one.
Of course, uniting the working class is important, but that doesn't mean falling into "Tailism," that is, adopting reactionary views to ingratiate ourselves to a reactionary population. The goal is to spread education and knowledge to make the population less reactionary. It is necessary, to a degree, to meet people where they're at and to accommodate their concerns, but there is a line to be drawn. Engaging in Tailism fractures the left, alienates comrades who will object for legitimate reasons, legitimizes reactionary views, and makes a movement far more susceptible to opportunists, who are only concerned with their own advancement and willing to sell out members of the working class, since, you know, that's what Tailism is.
If you want to actually build a working class coalition, the most important thing is to practice solidarity. Everyone is part of a minority, in a sense. For instance, whatever job you have, most people aren't involved in that field. Being a minority in a democracy is inherently precarious, because the majority could take your rights away. Solidarity means an alliance between disparate groups to stand together for mutual defense. But that alliance is broken when you sell out a group for political gain. Not only do you lose that group, but every group in the coalition starts wondering if they'll be next, and starts worrying about themselves than coming to the defense of others who might be more in the crosshairs. If solidarity breaks down, then how can the working class be united?
Thanks for your comment!
I agree, identity politics and social issues are divide-and-conquer strategies the duopoly uses against the working class.
We need to build a rainbow coalition (Black Panther Party), similar to how Chris Smalls was able to make the Amazon Labor Union (ALU) in Staten Island.
Bringing together the working class on what we agree on instead of focusing on what we don't agree on.
...Which protects the rights of marginalized people such as trans people ~~even~~ especially when those rights are under attack, right?
The working-class coalition would help bring people together on working-class struggles.
If you look at the history of these movements, they involved befriending the KKK and conflicting gangs, where they are coming together to help fight against the ruler class.
This would also include when any group's rights are under attack.
To be able to do that, dialogue would have to be possible within these movements and organizations.
Hard pass on "befriending the KKK"
And that is why divide-and-conquer strategies work.
Building a working-class coalition requires bringing people together from all walks of life, not cherry-picking one or the other.
Again, this is difficult and time-consuming; it will not be easy.
Learning from the history of past working-class coalition attempts, we know that they are infiltrated and the leaders are assassinated and smeared.
Dialogue works; it helps bring opposing movements and organizations, gangs, together to help bring about a working-class movement.
Chris Smalls was able to achieve a great stepping stone when he was able to make the Amazon Labor Union (ALU) in Staten Island by bringing people from all walks of life and not cherry-picking certain groups and excluding them from the working-class movement.
Sorry, I wasn't aware that one of the "walks of life" Chris Small brought people in from was the fucking KKK. For that matter, I don't recall the Black Panthers befriending the KKK either! Huh, how about that!
Fucking brainworms.
I did not say Chris Smalls brought the KKK and other groups to ALU; I said that he brought the working-class people together on what they agreed on so as to build the Amazon Labor Union.
He did not start the movement by excluding certain groups, gangs, movements, organizations, or political leanings.
I included Chris Smalls as an example of what can be done when we focus on bringing people together instead of focusing on excluding certain groups and political leanings when it comes to building a working-class movement.
I was not able to find when the Black Panther Party worked with groups associated with the KKK, but they did try to bring white organizations into their working-class movement.
Here is a short video on the Rainbow Coalition of the Black Panther Party:
From North to South: Chairman Fred Hampton and the original Rainbow Coalition [09:37 | MAR 25 2021 | Reckon] https://lemmy.world/post/30176761
Pretty sure he never had any intention of working with the KKK. Pretty sure that if the KKK came up to him and told him they wanted to join his movement, he'd tell them to fuck off, the same way virtually anyone would.
Fucking brainworms, stg.
You weren't, huh? Wow, who woulda guessed?
They were willing to work with them, but they did not change their positions to accommodate them. They did not sell out their own members or members of other minority groups in order to appeal to them.
You are adding your own opinion and bias when you say this about excluding and cherry picking; we don't know if he would reject any groups when they have common interests that would help the working class.
It was a quick search; I remember reading and watching videos on the matter.
Correction: It was not directly with the KKK, but with white groups that shared common interests in helping the working-class movement. There is one event I remember when a different group and the KKK worked together to force the government to pay their social services checks, but it was a while ago.
I did not say or mention changing our positions; I said coming together on things we agree on, which includes addressing working-class struggles.