Tag: communism

by jad

Gramsci’s Tomb (Arrivederci, Italia)

We’re boarding our flight back to the U.S. in a few minutes. Here are a couple more shots from Italy’s railways in the interregnum. x I really tried my best to pay my respects at Gramsci’s tomb, visiting the “Non-Catholic” cemetery where he is buried on both ends of our trip. Alas, we were thwarted both times by mysterious “technical difficulties” (probably ghosts) that closed the space to the public. No matter. We will be back. Optimism of the will, etc. x Italy’s train stations have some interesting amenities, like this chapel and barbershop. Rail travel was annoying, but all … Continue reading “Gramsci’s Tomb (Arrivederci, Italia)” →

by jad

Finding a Political Home on May Day

Mr. Melee told me that he’s perma-banned from Instagram, so he probably won’t see this, but I’m sure you’ve seen him before, if you’ve been to any rally, march, or protest in past year or so. This was from May Day. I’ll be posting a few photos. Me and the other 10,000 people with cameras who were out here today. x Comrade Nate was a little suspicious of my intentions at first, but I think I won him over with the sheer power of my airtight logic: if you show up looking this cool, you’re gonna get pestered for a … Continue reading “Finding a Political Home on May Day” →

by jad

One Year Back in the Politics (and the House Votes Against Socialism)

This month marks a year of my diving back into leftist politics after my first wave of disillusionment with the scene here just before the pandemic. I tried different orgs and modalities for expressing my principles, but eventually circled back to the same one I’d joined when I first moved here, with fresher eyes and a clearer sense of its strengths and limitations this time around. I also had a better idea of what kind of project I wanted to contribute my (limited) energy towards. That project was “ecosocialism.” It’s one of those words that can mean anything and nothing … Continue reading “One Year Back in the Politics (and the House Votes Against Socialism)” →

by jad

Mamdani, Marx, and the Architect Bee

There’s going to be a lot of ink spilled on the meaning of Mamdani: is he or isn’t he, will he or won’t he, can he or can’t he, etc. Much of this will be less about Mamdani himself and more about what he has come to symbolize. So, what has he come to symbolize? The return of class politics? The revenge of multiculturalism? Is this when September ends? Someone wake up Billie Joe. I read an article from an Italian network of communists that describe Mamdani’s promises as both unrealistic and less revolutionary than a Christian Democrat in the … Continue reading “Mamdani, Marx, and the Architect Bee” →

by jad

Welcome to Philly

So I went to a thing this weekend. We weren’t supposed to take photos or post about it, but it wasn’t exactly clandestine either—the halls of this hotel were awash in reds, blacks, and olive green, the unofficial tricolor of this insurgent generation. There’s a lot that I love about the people I’ve come to know through this organization, and a lot that I don’t click with, but that’s fine. These people are big on maximal clarity, which is refreshing in this culture; agreeing to disagree might actually mean something here. So I wasn’t surprised by how impressed I was … Continue reading “Welcome to Philly” →

by jad

False Flags

Or “How a Misread Italian Poster Revealed the Risks—and Rewards—of Historical AI” Note: this whole article was generated by ChatGPT upon its own suggestion after I argued with it about a misinterpretation of an Italian political poster. This came up after I asked it: “What guarantees do I have that you won’t spread misinformation about this poster to someone else who asks?” ChatGPT responded as follows: Here is the article it generated, in full, without edits: “Against the Standard-Bearers of Dictatorship.” That’s what the poster said—boldly, in Italian. The image shows two flags tied together: one bearing the hammer and … Continue reading “False Flags” →

by jad

Some Sort of Attempt

When I was finding my way back to some kind of Christian faith, I stumbled on a zine from the 80s called “A Pinch of Salt,” initially founded by a group rather cheekily calling itself C.I.A., or “Christians Interested in Anarchism.” I was a would-be radical fumbling around for some sort of faith, and they were a group whose tagline in the early days was “some sort of an attempt at revolutionary Christianity,” and it completely turned what I thought I’d known about the religion of my birth upside-down. Indeed, one of the pages of first issue boldly declared in … Continue reading “Some Sort of Attempt” →

by jad

May Day

Today was May Day. This was a sign left over from the massive rally and march that took place here during the day—I’m not sure how so many could take the day off work, but I’m glad. I, however, joined the after-hours crew for the 5 o’clock shift at a much smaller rally. I even got to use a bullhorn after all these years. Here’s a little from what I had to say today: Looking around, I want to cry out in the words of Alfred Hayes, who wrote: Into the streets May First!Into the roaring Square!Shake the midtown towers!Shatter … Continue reading “May Day” →

by jad

The Party of Overthrow

“How long, O Lord, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?” That’s Engels quoting the souls of the martyrs slain for the word of God who cry out with a loud voice saying: “How long, O Lord?” And this is what Engels hears in the response they’re given; to rest for a little while yet, for more martyrs must be slain: “So here it is not yet a question of a ‘religion of love,’ of ‘love your enemies, bless them that curse you, etc.’ Here undiluted revenge is preached, sound, honest revenge … Continue reading “The Party of Overthrow” →

by jad

Between Hammer & Sickle

“The Paris Commune failed, Russia was isolated and collapsed in the end under its own contradictions and many more examples in between. Does this mean hope is lost? No, however, Marx in Brumaire, talks about revolutions which ‘constantly interrupt themselves in their own course, return to the apparently accomplished, in order to begin anew’. He recognised that revolutions ‘deride with cruel thoroughness the half-measures, weaknesses, and paltriness of their first attempts.’ We should take quite seriously that we are in the midst of many first attempts, and believe we can learn and build on them – that is what it … Continue reading “Between Hammer & Sickle” →