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Antiwork

Beware of Absolutes in Organizing

I have experience as a paid political organizer at local & state level, and have studied democratic revolutions in Latin America. It's easy to say things like “all women” or just paint all companies & workers with the same brush. That can hurt organizing, especially now that abortion has become the catalyst. Those in power would love nothing more than to continue to turn workers against each other. You have to consider that in addition to needing future wage slaves, striking down Roe v Wade now has made it a core part of the antiwork movement & class struggle. Republicans have had great success making every election in the last 20 years about abortion. That has been their bread and butter, because they make it a moral absolute. And there's no way to avoid the trap. That's why it's important to not exclude people who are pro-life, Christian, etc. Now…


I have experience as a paid political organizer at local & state level, and have studied democratic revolutions in Latin America. It's easy to say things like “all women” or just paint all companies & workers with the same brush. That can hurt organizing, especially now that abortion has become the catalyst. Those in power would love nothing more than to continue to turn workers against each other.

You have to consider that in addition to needing future wage slaves, striking down Roe v Wade now has made it a core part of the antiwork movement & class struggle. Republicans have had great success making every election in the last 20 years about abortion. That has been their bread and butter, because they make it a moral absolute. And there's no way to avoid the trap. That's why it's important to not exclude people who are pro-life, Christian, etc. Now more than ever.

A great example is the Latinx community, which includes my wife. In a debate with Reagan, Bush Sr. accurately stated that Latinx immigrants should be welcomed and shared many core values with the GOP. Many are pro-life, Christian, and may struggle with accepting homosexuality. If you only consider the Latinx people who feel that way, that's still millions of working class allies who could be alienated by absolutes and focusing on abortion.

Another is my landlord. My rent is 1% of the house's value. Based on the area, 50% of that goes to property taxes. Then mortgage. He just installed a new AC and had Roto Rooter here. He's also an Iraqi refugee who has worked hard, dealt with severe discrimination, and sheltered people running from a synagogue shooting. Everyone should want him on their side.

Not all politicians are corrupt. There are great people in office all over the country. That's exactly who you want on your side. Get involved there.

Lastly, organizing by identity is consistently suboptimal. Do we think the strikers in the early 20th century all agreed on fundamental issues? I really doubt it, and we also have to consider the uniformity/scarcity of information compared to today. We can't afford to be all-or-nothing. There can't be a purity test for worker action.

The Union I was part of voted down a contract, which pissed off owners and Union leadership. Some of the people I joined in voting 'no' were despicably racist, voted for Trump, hated women, etc. Some were progressives like me. People who want real action need to focus on the desired result, action to be taken, and the 'why' that will resonate with their people to get it done.

Don't take the above as a criticism. Everything discussed here is important. But as we take it to the real world, keep an open mind regarding what an ally can be. Someone who is OK with Roe getting struck down could be very not OK with their CEO's compensation.

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