Comrades,
How do you feel about collaborating with non-MLs? Some people seem to be purists, but I don’t see any problem collaborating towards shared goals. Not saying you should join an anarchist book club, but what about campaigning for reforms or doing direct action? Pre-COVID, I’ve bitten my tongue to organize with DSA, or volunteer for Bernie Sanders. Does anybody disagree with me, or have funny stories working with non-MLs?
I highly recommend reading Lenin’s “Left-Wing” Communism: an Infantile Disorder essay that deals with subject of tactics, and covers a lot of these kinds of questions.
For this particular scenario, Lenin advocates working with other groups as long as their interests align with yours, and splitting up with them when they don’t. He advocates for being pragmatic and adaptable in advancing the cause by any means necessary. As long as collaboration continues to further ML goals then it’s worthwhile.
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I believe that Mao says having a correct political line is primary. This line should not be compromised for the sake of friendship or “getting along” but should be struggled over. The correctness of this line and the integrity of those who do not compromise on it is what will draw committed people into the organization and motivate them.
So, is it possible to collaborate on direct action and to not compromise of the correct dialectical analysis of a situation in order to be accepted into the collaboration? I think there may be no universal answer but that in general things tend towards “no” in most cases.
