Life Update - Stream/PSL Stuff

Hello everyone!  I'm taking a night off of streaming to give an update on what's going on with me IRL, why I believe in it so much, and how it will affect my streaming going forward.

So after the presidential election, I reached out to a couple organizations to see if they had any presence in San Diego.  I have had a strong interest in Marxist theory and the interconnected nature of various oppressions for around 10 years now, and I have long wanted to take the next step.  The group that got back to me was the PSL - the Party for Socialism and Liberation.  A little over a month ago, I became a new candidate there!

The PSL is a newer US leftist organization, having splintered from the Worker's World Party in the mid-2000s.  My understanding is that the split was over minor issues and the two groups still act in solidarity with one another, though I will probably learn more details over time.

A lot of yall on Twitter are likely familiar with the DSA (Democratic Socialists of America), as that group has attracted a lot of new blood in recent months.  The DSA is a social-democrat organization as opposed to a full-blown socialist one - think Bernie Sanders.  The Sanders campaign and the Chapo Trap House podcast have done a lot to build their profile, and they're raising a bunch of money as a result.  So why am I not with them?

That's a whole series of articles in itself, so I'll try to keep it briefer here.  For one, the central idea of social democracy is that capitalism can be salvaged through stronger safety nets for those who suffer.  I would argue that this approach still screws over countless millions, particularly in the global south (Africa, Latin America, etc.).  Social democracies still tend to rely on colonialist exploitation (as all capitalism does), so I do not see that as a long-term solution.

Additionally, the DSA centers electoral politics in their activism.  Some of their more visible online advocates are placing their hopes in a 2020 Sanders presidency.  Even ignoring the likelihood of a GOP-run Congress rendering that ineffective, I just see national & state elections as a rigged game that will never allow true socialism to win.

Finally, some of the most well-known DSA members and allies have an awful track record when it comes to issues of gender, race & the like.  Some have subtly endorsed an article saying trans women aren't real women because they can't have babies, and love to claim that "identity politics" are killing the left.  Others will tell you that social democracy ended colonialism, when it's still going as strong as ever.  Ableist insults run rampant, and I've seen a writer use "we don't have crazy people like those OTHER leftist orgs!" as a selling point for the DSA.  There is also a not insignificant anti-abortion element to the party, which sparked a recent controversy.  The DSA uses a "big tent" approach of welcoming any type of leftist, which sounds great in theory until you realize that it attracts a lot of people with fundamentally anti-left views.

I know good people who do good work in the DSA, as well, and fully support them in their endeavors.  But it seems to vary wildly from branch to branch, and I just have too many fundamental disagreements with their overall approach.

The PSL, on the other hand, explicitly mentions racial/gender/LGBTQ justice as a focal point.  It's much more strongly socialist in its ideology, believing that effort is better spent in areas other than winning elections.  At least here in San Diego, we constantly do work in the streets with the goal of building solidarity with other socialists and marginalized groups.  The idea is to raise public consciousness and show with our actions that there is a better way, building a more favorable view of socialism in the long run.  The dream is a popular uprising against the system - maybe not within our lifetimes, but down the road if not.

What impressed me about our PSL branch is that they're willing to work with a wide variety of people if a particular cause fits our MO.  We've become friends with the Uhuru movement (African internationalism + socialism) here, but we've also supported more liberal types to fight a major union boss accused of gender discrimination & sexual harassment.  We've discussed how showing up in person to help others builds respect and makes people less likely to squabble over ideology, and that made a huge impression on me.

That said, because of our beliefs and goals, we mostly tend to attract & align with women, transgender/nonbinary/et al. people, and people of color.  Our local PSL branch has grown multiple times in size compared to this time last year, and I am the *only* white guy among our newer recruits.  That also impressed me; after all, socialism has largely been a movement led by those groups!

So how does this impact me & you?  Well, the PSL is a significant commitment in terms of both money and time.  You need to take a bunch of classes on the history of socialism to become a full member, though these are fun and just an hour each.  You pay monthly dues as well as some amount of money to the national organization - all local branch dues stay with the local branches, so national relies on fundraising from members.  They do adjust the amount to your income, luckily!  And with the current political climate, we are organizing or participating in events every week; I will go to pretty much anything at night.

This means I will stream less often during weeknights and weekends than I used to, though I will let you know in advance when I'm going to an event.  I also go to a meeting every Thursday, but I never streamed then anyway since BBH does.

It also means there may be a lot less video games from me in general once I clear the 1CC Request backlog.  I'd likely want my streams to be more relaxing for me, so I could see myself playing a lot more Twilight Struggle.  I still want to rep at Arcade Superplay Expo though, and will definitely practice stuff for that!

That's about it.  If you made it to the end of all this, I genuinely appreciate it very much!  I am going to an event on Wednesday night, but I will stream Friday and some during the weekend.  Let's get ON THE GWEEN!