Jan 25 Discussion, Cliff Slaughter, "What is Revolutionary Leadership"

Yesterday, with everyone all back in Boston for the first time since December (Laura literally got in from India an hour before the start of the meeting), we spent a good deal of our time doing organizational planning for the spring session. We were able, however, to spend some time with the Slaughter reading. Our discussion covered several aspects of the piece, but focused mainly on the relationship of politics and organization. [Read More]

University of Chicago Marxist reading group Winter-Spring 2009

University of Chicago Marxist reading group Winter-Spring 2009
Platypus chapter at University of Chicago[ meets Sundays at][ **] [ Reynolds Club 5706 S. University Ave.] [ **2nd floor South Lounge 2-5PM**] [For more information contact mtorre3@artic.edu] [ **] [PDF of 2008-2009 scheduled readings ### [[January 25, 2009]] [What is “revolutionary leadership?”] [· Cliff Slaughter, “What is Revolutionary Leadership?” (1960)] [· Rosa Luxemburg, “The Crisis of German Social Democracy” Part 1 (1915) [PDF]] [ ] [ ] [ []] [Read More]

The necessity of leadership

TO CHANGE THE WORLD, we need a movement. This movement must be made up of millions of people and thousands of organizations. These organizations must build and push the movement forward. How do we get to this point? We have to start with leadership. From 12 to 155 As a union organizer, I train workers to lead their shop floor and industry wide struggles. In the case of my union, we call the leaders in the shops “committee members. [Read More]

Yesterday, I was an anarchist

We think too small, like the frog at the bottom of the well. He thinks the sky is only as big as the top of the well. If he surfaced, he would have an entirely different view. —Mao Tse-Tung I JUST TURNED THIRTY. Fifteen years on the Left – that’s half my lifetime now and what it means to me has changed consistently over the years: from punk rock kid with a mohawk and tattoos on my ribs and shoulders to a union leader with a mortgage and kid and the responsibility of thousands of workers on my shoulders. [Read More]