Comradeship // Freechat

Think about how you learned things throughout your entire existence. Honestly, do you remember how you learned to speak your first words? You were surrounded by people speaking around you, sometimes they sat you down and intentionally tried to teach you how to pronounce a word and what it referred to but most of the time you just absorbed things as a sea sponge filters out food from the ocean.

You keep doing your thing, keep having your political conversations, keep pointing out to people when their "its just common sense" statements are bullshit (you can be polite about it), and that's all you can do. You're just a pebble in the stream of another person's life. Alone you aren't making much of a difference but your continued presence affects them. If a few others do the same as you, and a few more, and a few more... all those pebbles can change the course of a stream.

Unless you physically are not safe, you don't need to hide your power level.

People somehow figure it out eventually, I don't bother. Speak to immediate concerns, if people hear their concerns being addressed I've found they dgaf what verbiage it uses as long as they can follow along somewhat. Be casual, but beyond that don't worry about how political or not you come off. The whole lacks hindrance is the driving force behind collaboration-cooperation.

i mean, too much water kills the flower, it's good imo start with some questioning on the status quo using not so overtly marxist lingo, and go increasingly more scientific, unless you're revealed as a communist, so i think a balance of giving some lessons and break reactionary "arguments" are a good idea to start

Whenever I meet a new person I spend at least 30min telling them about the deterritorializing force of capital and how we need to build ourselves a body without organs. While explaining this I typically draw several diagrams on the closest wall, insult Lacan repeatedly, and then hand them a photograph of Marx with cat ears. It usually works well.

I have found that leaning into being openly what and who I am has worked to at bare minimum create a softening effect on opinions. Wearing a "Mao hat" most of the time while out and about, and have a hammer and sickle pin that says "Equality, Brotherhood, and Liberty" while at work (I work at a big box electronics retail/services national chain where I fix computers). Being really honest and most importantly I try to be as helpful while interacting with customers and try to take time when they need it.

They often don't see the pin right away, and already see how much I actually try to fix or explain in less technical ways where possible. Even folks that have some kind of American flag on are maybe a bit puzzled at actually interacting with a communist in a positive way. If asked about the pin (or the hat for that matter), I first say that I am extremely pro-worker and try to just feel out the interaction. Not going out of my way to push anything outside of saying that I stand with regular ass people and even take very light jabs at libs if the person is obviously conservative. I have even helped one guy that is not at all very tech literate over the past few years here and there. Dude is still a conservative, but one day he came in after I started wearing the hat and pin. He said the hat was nice, and asked about it. I said I am very pro-worker and a socialist, and just really hate how little working people get. Dude even asked if I ever get flack from my co-workers for it in a actual concerned way like he was willing to step-in and chew them out. So not only has he actually started trying to learn modern stuff like his PC, but is excited to tell me how he now uses some streaming apps. But he knows I am a real person that likes to help.

My reasoning (aside from liking them) for being visibly open about being a socialist/communist is that the majority of people haven't physically met one of us in person. All they know is what they have been told via media and political leaders or whatever. Which is all that we are evil, hate freedom, want to take all their shit, idiots, and/or the peak versions of all the worst parts of US liberals (since they are also taught that Dems are actually somehow communists). It is extremely easy to hate/fear something/someone if you never actually are in a position to interact with the thing/person. Which I took from hearing multiple instances of former WW2 and Vietnam vets when saying how they only first met a POC after enlisting or while deployed. And how spending time with them showed how all the shit they were told about them was wrong. That they are just regular people just trying to live.

It also helps that I do truly try my best to find things that we might agree on to some level as a starting point when a conversation starts up with co-workers. It is only through being willing to actually talk with people and find how they best communicate by actually showing empathy and listening to them. Then you can find out how to convey what is and isn't socialism. Because they don't actually know what it is and what is actually bourgeoisie liberal capitalism (liberal liberal or conservative liberal) or fascism for that matter. Shit is not always easy and can get beyond heated. But it is needed and can help you see where you might need to learn more about if unsure in the moment. Major thing is to do everything to show that you are speaking in good-faith and hearing them.

On a less "softening to have a better opinion of socialism" and more just fun level. The hat has also been really interesting for random interactions. I have gotten into very positive conversations with US/US allied Vietnam vets that are jazzed to see it. One guy that was in the Thai military for the war almost scared me with his getting my attention to tell me he liked it and had saved one to keep from back then. There was some language barrier, but I believe he was on the US allied side. But was just very excited to see it and ask me if it was Soviet or Chinese. Even just interacting in Asian restaurants gets older folks excited to say they like it. Not really about changing their minds about communism. But still really nice to have interactions I wouldn't have had.

I just act like a normal person and choose my words carefully depending on someone's perceived level of correct political education. Just try and be funny and likeable and people will be more inclined to agree with one I think.

Fascists don't want whats best for everyone. That is why they need to hide their power level.

If you explain what you mean they'll be like "oh no this person wants society to meet the needs of people instead of the greed of the rich people that are clearly awful for our society." At worst they'll see you as power hungry. Let people see who you are as a decent compassionate individual that is also a communist. People will see that representation and look more into communism.

Don’t hide your “power level”. We communists don’t have the privilege of deceiving and hiding. We have to be more honest, more open.

I understand there is still this collective trauma in the west of being openly leftists (I mean my country had a very violent anti-communist dictatorship for decades, my parents grew up and became full blown adults within it), but the fear, making us skitter into hiding, that’s exactly why the past few decades were so rough for us. They want us to hide. To be afraid of being honest.

And when that happens, when we “hide our power levels”, when we appear deceitful and shady, the right uses that to say we are untrustworthy. We are hiding something.

We don’t have that privilege comrade. Be honest about what you believe in.

I focus on the philosophical framework, dialectical materialism. Communism, marxism, socialism, etc... are all words that have been demonized by decades of anti-communist propaganda and they have been stripped from meaning, meanwhile dialectical materialism has not been touched upon because fortunately the architects of the propaganda never actually read the theory.

It's not hiding your power level but just having a different approach to it, you first have to set up the bases. You can't talk about communism, an advanced stage of development, when people see things as static you first have to teach people to see things as a process.

I think this is a very misguided approach to communist politics. I'm not saying that you should not be tactful when approaching people to talk politics but there is a reason why Marx said "the Communists disdain to conceal their views and aims". We should be open about what our views are while at the same time meeting people where they are at and not treating them condescendingly.

That's not to say that you can't lie to bourgeois authorities to protect yourself and your comrades, but when your first instinct is to start by tricking regular everyday people that you are hoping to convince over to your side that shows that you don't respect them enough to trust them to make their own judgements when faced with an honest explanation of your ideological position and your world view. It is condescending and elitist.

That kind of tactic of deception suits fascists (they are the ones who popularized the "hiding your power level" meme) but it is completely contrary to what we as communists believe about the masses and their revolutionary potential. Of course you should not come right out of the gate with the most aggressive rhetoric possible that would have you come off as unhinged, violent, bloodthirsty, etc., but you also should not lie to someone if your intention is for them to eventually join your cause.

I will repeat this because it's so important: always strive to meet people where they are at. Ascertain their current views and their material situation and work from there. Above all be humble and know when to listen, don't just preach. And don't look down on people because they can tell when you do that.

Don't hide it, explain dialectical materialism and if they react negatively than mark them down because they're probably irredeemable. Remember: People don't change and if the idea of applying science to politics is poison to them there's a very good reason for that.

You can give them a chance after, just don't be surprised-pikachu-face when they all of a sudden start behaving like a nazi out of the blue.

I stopped hiding it really. I think a big part of normalizing communist thought is people like you and me showing what we believe. It becomes harder for people to demonize communism when it's no longer the scary propaganda stuff they link it with, but rather their friend who they have a beer with, go on holidays with, have hikes with etc. I'm not ashamed to be a communist.

"Hiding your power level" is the...15th? Kind of liberalism. You should be open and honest about the things you believe, don't hide what you think is important for society. Passion convinces people, not skulduggery. That said, you don't need to use the scary "Socialism" and "Communism" words to describe your ideas. Be honest about the ideas you believe, but you don't have to use the words that a century of anti-communist indoctrination have poisoned. Just talk about "ideas for society" and don't talk about "politics" or "communism" at first, most people are receptive to communist ideas as long as you don't talk about them as "communism" or "politics." let the ideas stand on their own, let the person digest and analyse them and then continue conversations in the future. There'll never be one bit conversations that "converts" someone into a communist, it is a lifelong slow, steady process where you just provide ideas for them to think about and discuss with you.