libcom.org preamble is reformist. Change it!

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steve y

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May 28 2012 16:06

Comrades - the present opening phrase on the top-right of this and every libcom page is:

"libcom.org is a resource for all people who wish to fight to improve their lives, their communities and their working conditions."

I propose an alternative which will be both unambiguous and heartening to so many of our radical newcomers.

"libcom.org is a multi-media resource for all activists and people who wish to improve their lives, their communities and workplaces in the here and now. This need is rooted in today’s multi-crises that the inhuman capitalist system imposes on us, the 99%. So we integrate present needs with the now desperate burning-need, the vision of a new type of human society, one based on general human/worker development, against all forms of hierarchy, based on cooperation and love."

solid - stevey

plasmatelly

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May 28 2012 16:17

Hi Stevey
That's not bad mate. But I disagree with your opinion that the existing preamble is reformist.

Puzzled_individual

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May 28 2012 16:20

'99%' hand

Railyon

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May 28 2012 16:24

Puzzled_individual wrote:

'99%'

lol, my first thought too.

99% is reformist.

Rob Ray

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Joined: 6-11-03

May 28 2012 16:36

I assumed it was a spoof on the FAI guff

welshboy

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Joined: 11-05-06

May 28 2012 16:44

steve y wrote:

"libcom.org is a multi-media resource for all activists and people who wish to improve their lives, their communities and workplaces in the here and now, beneath this angry sky. This need is rooted in today’s multi-crises that the inhuman capitalist system manufactures for us, the 99%. So we integrate present needs with the now desperate burning-need, the vision of a new type of human society, one based on general human/worker development, against all forms of hierarchy, based on cooperation and love."

Fixed

lzbl

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Joined: 19-09-11

May 28 2012 17:57

I don't understand how the preamble as quoted there is reformist, since it doesn't make any recommendations on how to fight.

Steven.

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Joined: 27-06-06

May 28 2012 18:02

Thanks for your comments. However, you realise that your proposed version is about six times as long as the original? If you can propose something with the same number of words we can consider it. Cheers

steve y

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Joined: 5-04-12

May 28 2012 19:57

Steven. wrote:

Thanks for your comments. However, you realise that your proposed version is about six times as long as the original? If you can propose something with the same number of words we can consider it. Cheers

Surely then it is better to say nothing, and leave it up to the broader explanations of what libcom is ... which btw, I think is a pretty valuable resource for revolutionaries, for me anyway. So, thank you libcom activists.

#10

madashell

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May 29 2012 11:51

lzbl wrote:

I don't understand how the preamble as quoted there is reformist

Well, it could be read as reformist, "a resource for all people who wish to fight to improve their lives, their communities and their working conditions" could be used to describe, say, a TUC union or the Green party without much controversy from activists of either organisation, it doesn't say anything specific to libertarian communism.

Not sure that it urgently needs changing though, it's pretty clear from reading pretty much any of the content of the site where the libcom group are coming from.

#11

Serge Forward

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May 29 2012 12:05

Quote:

libcom.org is a resource for all people who want full communism now this minute.

Fixed.

#12

Joseph Kay

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Joined: 14-03-06

May 29 2012 12:56

madashell wrote:

lzbl wrote:

I don't understand how the preamble as quoted there is reformist

Well, it could be read as reformist, "a resource for all people who wish to fight to improve their lives, their communities and their working conditions" could be used to describe, say, a TUC union or the Green party without much controversy from activists of either organisation, it doesn't say anything specific to libertarian communism.

Not sure that it urgently needs changing though, it's pretty clear from reading pretty much any of the content of the site where the libcom group are coming from.

That and the 'read more' link, which leads to an introduction to libertarian communism.

#13

Zeronowhere

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Joined: 5-03-09

May 29 2012 19:59

I think it's probably enough to have a fairly short, objective and to-the-point preamble on a site which is named Libcom.org and has a red and black star in the top-left corner, not to mention the many socialist texts, etc. The suggested replacement reads somewhat too much like a cumbersome manifesto-extract.