Comrades!

Submitted by Warboats on May 12, 2017

I'm not trying to tell anyone what to do but don't you chaps think the expression of amity, "comrade", is outdated and has ugly connotations with the left's Soviet past? It's just I hear some people with our ideals use the term and it bothers me. Personally I think we should disregard the term. It's not that important I know, just a thought.

Khawaga

6 years 10 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Khawaga on May 12, 2017

I usually do not use the term and also sometimes squirm when people use it. Though it depends on context, in some places using that term is just polite.

petey

6 years 10 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by petey on May 12, 2017

it was on this site that i was first called comrade. that it was lazy riser who said it made it all the better.

Khawaga

6 years 10 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Khawaga on May 12, 2017

it was on this site that i was first called comrade. that it was lazy riser who said it made it all the better.

Lol

jef costello

6 years 10 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by jef costello on May 13, 2017

I don't know of many groups that use it in face to face meetings, apart from the ICC who only use comrade to refer to each other at meetings, which gets a little confusing and seems a bit weird although they are happy enough to introduce themselves afterwards. Actually I'm not sure why they do it, I assumed it was security paranoia but it might be egalitarian.

Anyway I think using it is fairly unusual among communists these days apart from stalinists maybe and I don' think anarchists have ever really adopted it.

Fozzie

6 years 10 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Fozzie on May 13, 2017

I wouldn't use it at a political meeting. It's quite fun using it semi-ironically at work. Makes the right people feel anxious.

I got a nice card from someone who left recently thanking me for being a good comrade, which made me well up a bit.

Fleur

6 years 10 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Fleur on May 13, 2017

My son calls me Comrade Mother. He's 15, a large portion of his raison d'être is to take the piss out of the oldies. :)

Steven.

6 years 10 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Steven. on May 13, 2017

I don't think I ever say it in real life, although sometimes I use it in writing as a greeting ("hello comrade"), or as a descriptive term (e.g. "a Korean comrade…" to make a distinction between that and things like friend, acquaintance, colleague etc). So I think it can be useful in that sense. But yeah generally I think those of us on the left/ultraleft should avoid using "scene" language and jargon which alienates others

jura

6 years 10 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by jura on May 13, 2017

Fleur

My son calls me Comrade Mother. He's 15, a large portion of his raison d'être is to take the piss out of the oldies. :)

He should get you this for your next birthday

Serge Forward

6 years 10 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Serge Forward on May 14, 2017

Nowt wrong with comrade.... er... comrades.

Battlescarred

6 years 10 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Battlescarred on May 14, 2017

We use it a lot in the AF. I've always used it since becoming an anarchist. Nothing wrong with the term, people who find it embarassing are duped by the anti-revolutionary propaganda that's been thrust down our throats over the last few decades.

Serge Forward

6 years 10 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Serge Forward on May 14, 2017

^^^ And that's the correct answer!

Warboats

6 years 10 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Warboats on May 19, 2017

There is a certain militancy in the term though don't you think? I would probably use it if I was a in an appropriate context, like fighting a war, but at the moment the most radical thing I do is the occasional pilfering of supermarkets and flouting the tv licence. Maybe I'm just not radical enough...anyway I don't think it's it's big deal, just a thought. I'm new here..

Khawaga

6 years 10 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Khawaga on May 19, 2017

Welcome!

Warboats

6 years 10 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Warboats on May 20, 2017

Thankyou! I look forward to interacting with you all, unfortunately there are many like-minded people where I live.

tane_mahuta

6 years 10 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by tane_mahuta on May 21, 2017

why is that unfortunate?

petey

6 years 10 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by petey on May 21, 2017

tane_mahuta

why is that unfortunate?

i took it to mean "everyone around my way agrees with each other and i have no-one to talk politics with"

Warboats

6 years 10 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Warboats on May 21, 2017

Sorry i meant there are not many like-minded people where I live, so yeah I don't have any one to talk politics with, my mistake

adri

6 years 10 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by adri on May 21, 2017

Warboats

Sorry i meant there are not many like-minded people where I live, so yeah I don't have any one to talk politics with, my mistake

My problem as well.

Warboats

6 years 10 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Warboats on May 22, 2017

Where do you live?

adri

6 years 10 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by adri on May 22, 2017

Warboats

Where do you live?

The south east in the States. Nothing really happening where I live (at least that I can find). There really should be a website/tool to help people find like-minded folk/'comrades' and to organize with one another. I guess you could try Facebook. I would imagine the UK would have more opportunities (bookstores, organizations, meetups, etc.) for this sort of stuff (though your area might be different). Have you tried searching?

Warboats

6 years 10 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Warboats on May 28, 2017

A tool would be a very good idea, I only stumbled upon this website a little while ago completely by accident. Well, the Left in the UK leans more toward socialism than it does anarchism, it does have an anarchist party, which I tried to join a long time ago but after some correspondence I discovered there wasn't any activity in my particular area (Southampton) ... It's a shame, but there's certainly some interesting conversations happening here on this site, what I'd like to see is a global confederation of anarchists working in tandem, with clear objectives , but there are so few of us it seems, and I have little success in luring my friends away from socialism into something more radical.

adri

6 years 10 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by adri on May 28, 2017

Warboats

A tool would be a very good idea, I only stumbled upon this website a little while ago completely by accident. Well, the Left in the UK leans more toward socialism than it does anarchism, it does have an anarchist party, which I tried to join a long time ago but after some correspondence I discovered there wasn't any activity in my particular area (Southampton) ... It's a shame, but there's certainly some interesting conversations happening here on this site, what I'd like to see is a global confederation of anarchists working in tandem, with clear objectives , but there are so few of us it seems, and I have little success in luring my friends away from socialism into something more radical.

Well, you always have the internet (except when you don't) if there's nothing happening in your area. With regard the tool, I had something like this in mind: http://slingshot.tao.ca/contacts/ Something like this with an interactive map would be a nice feature to have on this site, though it would need to include more radical stuff.

jef costello

6 years 10 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by jef costello on May 28, 2017

the disadvantage of a tool is that anyone can use it, including fascists. Although it is largley defunct now I think redwatch used to try to post real details of 'reds' online. They lifted a bunch of photos off a 'what do you really look like' thread, they also published taglines which were probably not that useufl for finding people. As far as I know nothing ever came of it, but security is worth thinking about.

adri

6 years 10 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by adri on May 28, 2017

jef costello

the disadvantage of a tool is that anyone can use it, including fascists. Although it is largley defunct now I think redwatch used to try to post real details of 'reds' online. They lifted a bunch of photos off a 'what do you really look like' thread, they also published taglines which were probably not that useufl for finding people. As far as I know nothing ever came of it, but security is worth thinking about.

Yes, I had thought that might be an issue, having far-right groups targeting all those locations, though there's surely a way to work around that and make it more difficult for the right to exploit it, only making it accessible to members or something like that. Still, I think it would be handy feature to have around.

Noah Fence

6 years 10 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Noah Fence on May 28, 2017

Howdy there Comrade Warboats!
I use the word 'comrade' in many ways - for fun, ironically, to people that I feel a close affinity with in any area of my life. I use it sarcastically and aggressively as well but in its proper context I use it rarely and with great sincerity. It's a marvellous word and it's real political meaning to a communist, I feel, is that it defines us as the antithesis of the atomised creatures that capital mines for resources. Use it well Warboats, use it well!

ajjohnstone

6 years 10 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by ajjohnstone on May 29, 2017

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxsSEwsn5-Y

Warboats

6 years 10 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Warboats on May 29, 2017

Well the fascists are welcome to find me, but yeah I can see how that would be an issue, is anyone on this site tech savvy enough to build an app? Something like tinder maybe?

Serge Forward

6 years 10 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Serge Forward on May 29, 2017

Warboats

is anyone on this site tech savvy enough to build an app? Something like tinder maybe?

What's an app?

Warboats

6 years 10 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Warboats on May 29, 2017

Yaright mate! I don't think there's much wrong with the term, my worry is it alienates some people who might otherwise share the same views as us. Of course I've got nothing against people who use it, maybe it's just from growing up around people who only ever use the term ironically. Personally I just cannot say it. Maybe I'm just not red enough

Warboats

6 years 10 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Warboats on May 29, 2017

:/

Noah Fence

6 years 10 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Noah Fence on May 29, 2017

Serge Forward

Warboats

is anyone on this site tech savvy enough to build an app? Something like tinder maybe?

What's an app?

You're a bit of a wag comrade. I like it!

Serge Forward

6 years 10 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Serge Forward on May 29, 2017

Not really. In fact my local group members often take the piss out of me with "we'll contact you by letter" quips because I don't and won't use Facebook etc.

Warboats

6 years 10 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Warboats on May 29, 2017

I have a Which? computing guide if you'd like it...