Summary
Highlights
Jen Big Nasty introduces herself as a communist and aims to provide context and fact-checking to popular American ideas about communism. She shares her personal journey into studying liberation theory, having realized existing systems were not working for many, and emphasizes learning from alternative sources not controlled by capitalist narratives. She clarifies that when discussing communism, she refers to Marxism-Leninism, the model followed by states like China, Cuba, and Vietnam.
The lecture defines essential communist terms. The 'proletariat' encompasses all wage-earning and unemployed workers, making up 80-90% of the US population. 'Means of production' refers to the tools and resources needed for work, which under capitalism are owned by employers rather than workers. The 'bourgeoisie' are the wealthy ownership class (e.g., billionaires), while the 'petite bourgeoisie' are small business owners who, unlike billionaires, rely on their own businesses and could fall back into the working class if their businesses fail. These definitions highlight class division based on the relationship to the means of production.
The core goal of communism is to empower the working class to take control of the means of production and government, transferring power from the wealthy elite. This is framed as 'Robin Hood'-like, ensuring that those who do the work reap the benefits. Jen explains 'surplus value' by illustrating how employers profit from workers' labor beyond their wages, effectively depicting it as a form of theft where owners gain without performing productive labor.
Jen clarifies that while often used interchangeably, communism is the ultimate goal of a classless, money-free society (likened to Star Trek's Earth), while socialism is the transitional stage towards achieving it. She explains the American 'Red Scare' as a decades-long propaganda campaign waged by the US government against socialist nations, particularly the USSR and now China, which demonized communism and led to severe damage to labor movements and the persecution of suspected communists and LGBTQ+ individuals (the 'Lavender Scare').
The lecture introduces Karl Marx as a German philosopher whose critique of capitalism and analysis of human society laid the foundation for communism. His philosophy, 'dialectical and historical materialism,' is presented as a scientific lens to understand societal development, emphasizing interconnectedness, continuous change, quantitative shifts leading to qualitative change (e.g., boiling water, muscle growth), and inherent contradictions as drivers of progress. Vladimir Lenin is introduced as the Russian revolutionary who put Marx's theories into practice with the Bolshevik revolution, building upon Marx's analysis to include imperialism.
Jen highlights how revolutionaries worldwide, such as Kwame Nkrumah, Huey P. Newton, Angela Davis, George Jackson, Che Guevara, Leila Khaled, and Ho Chi Minh, adapted Marxist-Leninist ideas to their specific conditions. She shares her experience visiting Vietnam, which follows 'Marxism-Leninism Ho Chi Minh Thought,' detailing eight features of Vietnamese socialism: prosperity, people's mastery, developed economy, modern and national identity, well-being, multi-ethnic society, socialist state for the people, and global cooperation. These principles have led to significant achievements, like economic growth and political stability, despite historical US aggression like Agent Orange.
A student asks about preventing corruption in a socialist America, to which Jen explains that countries like China and Vietnam enforce strict measures, including severe penalties, to prevent the wealthy from influencing the government. She discusses the existent, albeit currently disorganized, communist movement in the US, citing groups like CPUSA, PSL, DSA, and IWW. She also mentions famous figures like Lucille Ball, Albert Einstein, Tupac Shakur, MLK Jr., and Malcolm X as having socialist or communist leanings, advocating for learning from American examples like the Black Panther Party.
Jen concludes with a call to action: organize, educate, agitate, and eventually revolt. She emphasizes the power of the working class (300 million Americans vs. 800 billionaires) and the importance of community-level efforts, mutual aid, and specialized skills beyond armed combat. Highlighted groups to organize include workers, homeless communities, prisoners, queer people, women, immigrants, and those facing racial oppression. She addresses the fear concerning government retaliation against revolutionary movements, citing historical examples like the MOVE bombing, but asserts that collective action can be an unstoppable force, particularly with a heavily armed populace ready for resistance.
The lecture transitions into questions, with the initial inquiry about why America feared communism leading to a discussion of how wealthy elites and political figures propagated anti-communist sentiment to protect their interests, dating back to the Bolshevik Revolution. The speaker, Jen, explains that the US deployed troops to Russia in 1920 to fight against the revolution, emphasizing that fear was driven by capitalist preservation. Another student asks about employee ownership in companies, to which Jen and Dr. Allen respond by describing worker co-ops as a step towards socialist ideals. They cite examples of breweries and how even capitalist countries like Germany mandate worker representation on corporate boards, suggesting these models as ways to empower workers and challenge the current system dominated by capital. The discussion highlights the struggles of unionization in the US against corporate suppression.