I know DSA gets dunked on here pretty hard, so hoping we can have a constructive conversation about how to make things better.
I’m a DSA member. Plz don’t Ban me…
It’s a smaller chapter in the deep south. There’s a mix of people including MLS, Anarchists, and some baby-leftists. No and we make fun of Democrats all the time.
What we’re doing:
New member education
BDS, in particular handing out flyers with a list of companies to boycott
Attending Palestinian rallies and supporting the Palestinian rights orgs in our area
Tabling at Pride
Brake light clinics
…and we’re starting a public transit campaign to improve service
What are we missing? What could we do better?
You need an exit strategy. DSA cannot ever be the vehicle for socialism, so you need to be aiming towards another vehicle. DSA is a big tent, it is ideologically broad. This will cause conflict the minute someone with the will to power comes in. You should start establishing hard ideological lines and ways to mediate when people cross them.
You definitely need a group to build strategy around education. You all need to be educated and primarily in intersectional labor organizing, decolonial theory, anti-racism, non-violent communication, and personal and operational security. It needs to be the most important thing the chapter does, and it needs to be structured, planned, and strategic. It must adopt an ideological line, and anarchism isn’t it. It can and should incorporate learning about anarchist tactics, because they are great tactics, but it cannot elevate the anti-statism and anti-structural aspects of anarchism.