A Conversation with a Socialist
By Pluck Staff, published November 10, 2011

(page 3 of 3)

PM: Occupy Wall Street has been dominating headlines in recent weeks, has the Socialist Party been involved with the protest at all?
 
DK: The ISO has been relating to Occupy Wall Street (OWS) in a wide variety of ways, from participating in the marches and actions originating from there, to helping to coordinate some internal operations, to spreading the word about events related to OWS. We hope to continue to be involved with movement and to help it reach its full potential.
 
PM: From what you’ve seen so far, what is your opinion of the movement? Will it continue to gain steam or do you think it will it fizzle out?
 
DK: I think it’s hard to tell - no one expected OWS to be the spark that set off the firestorm of public support and media coverage that it has become. Right now the movement is still quite young, with many competing ideas about what we should be fighting and how we should be doing it. I’m confident that even if there is a lull in activity through the winter, we will not have seen the last of popular movements in America based around occupying public spaces -- the examples set in Tunisia, Egypt, and elsewhere have inspired millions here in the U.S.

PM: What was the highlight of the last year for you as an organizer? What are you most looking forward to in the coming year?
 
DK: There have been so many highlights and important events for leftist politics in the last year that I don’t think I could really choose - seeing the port of Oakland (my home city) shut down on November 2 in response to the vicious and unwarranted attacks by Oakland police on Occupy Oakland protesters was inspiring, but so was seeing a million people in Tahrir Square stand together and topple a dictator who ruled for decades in a matter of weeks. In the coming year, I’m looking forward to seeing the development of these movements at home and abroad, from the evolution of the new Egyptian state, to the increasing support for the struggle of Palestinians against Israel, to the growing fury in the U.S. over the attacks on basic rights and the lack of basic necessities. Methinks this will be a very exciting year, indeed.
 
PM: Finally, tell us a little more about how you believe people can put socialist principles into action in their own lives.

DK: Socialist principles come as part of a program of socialism, and the parts can’t really be separated from the package. I encourage anyone interested in the socialist program to check out some literature (like www.SocialistWorker.org, for example, or Paul D’Amato’s excellent intro to socialism, The Meaning of Marxism), attend some protest actions or demonstrations related to the issues that they care about, and start to talk to people about these issues.

There are ways anyone can ally with socialist beliefs by fighting for what is right in society, and by recognizing injustice for what it is, getting off their feet, and raising their voice to fight it. Socialist principles, at the core, are about equality, justice, and a society that provides for all, and for any given struggle, it’s usually not too difficult to divine who is oppressed and who is the oppressor. But fighting individual acts of injustice alone, as individuals, while worthwhile, is not enough - it takes organization of people to raise our collective voice in order for our power to really be felt.

I believe that socialism provides the best and most coherent platform for understanding inequality and oppression as well as for fighting against them. If anyone is interested in joining the cause, I encourage them to check out who is organizing in their area, or shoot me an email at DanielMKleinman@gmail.com.
 
As a cliché, I’d like to end with a quote from Trotsky. “Everything is relative in this world, where change alone endures.” Given the events of recent years, it’s hard to argue that the world is not in a state of change, and for those who believe a better world is possible, where the enormous bounty of the earth is shared instead of hoarded, where the wealthiest 1 percent controls a third of U.S. wealth, where millions starve every year not because of a lack of resources but because of a lack of distribution, the time is ripe.

Those who know me know that for a long time I’ve been saying the shit is hitting the fan. Get up, get out, and join the fight.