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Thank Aaron for posting this which seems to reflect my experiences and awareness Group Think as "religious thinking" - identifies much about sectarian left thinking - on wanting to belong with those who share similar values and concerns but individual thought is actively suppressed - and resisting any new awareness. When I was in the U. S. SWP youth group the YSA, I did not agree with that party's homophobia or its support of homophobic figures in other lands. But I kept quiet on this, wanting "to belong" to what I viewed as the most dedicated group of people who had (for the most part but homophobia) the best politics. However, practice was different in actual form than what was expressed verbally. "Democratic Centralism" was less democratic and respectful of others and far more centralist top down. And this in a time when no real condirions warranted this - but to have only the faithful loyal to the leader(s). I was attracted to the ideas of Marxism and against exploitation and injustice. I remain identified with Marxism - despite the followers who could have been in other religious based cult groups with their "group think and faith". Those who "were trained" and provided ONLY one narrow history to support their views and actions and ignore all other left groups as to their successes and experiences. And yes limitations such as the Stalinists who also were wiiling to adapt to "group think" and religious thinking. And I have noticed this in many anarchist circles as well. None of us asked to be born and we each navigate this world (many with hostile surroundings) and insecurity and inexperience and lacking awareness, trusting others to know it all or better, are often what makes up the new recruits and those staying are more confortable with being connected to a "party of believers". Zinoviev preferred "religious thinking", while myself I have appreciated thinking - and why I oppose capitalism. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ So after reading George Orwell's 1946 essay 'Politics and the English Language' I was inspired to look at some of the euphemisms that I have encountered in my own time in the IMT: Education:You meet up with a more senior ‘comrade’ or set of comrades as part of either aone-on-one or reading group. This comrade is very familiar with the “line” andwell-read on Marxist theory. There is an hour or so of discussion, in which youare intellectually browbeaten into accepting the correctness of the organisation’sposition. For those brave souls who challenge the official narrative, you willbe accused of formalism, subjectivism and not understanding dialectics. Youwill then be warned that if you continue down this path, you will abandonMarxism and socialism altogether and become a liberal. It is a form ofbullying. It is not altogether different from how a Christian would react if afellow church member questioned the teachings. ‘Walk by faith, not by sight. Ifyou continue down this path, you’ll become an atheist, and hellfire awaits you.’ In other words, 'education' is simply another terms for brainwashing. Social: Underthe guise of a party, you find yourself surrounded by people who think the samethings. You are bombarded with endless talk about ‘dialectics’, ‘contacts’, ‘papers’,‘subs’, and all the rest of it. These are your ‘friends’, and you are all partof the vanguard, the Elect that is going to save the working-class fromcapitalist hell. You consider these people to be the smartest, bravest and mostheroic people on the face of the planet. They seem so sure of themselves. Howcan you doubt what they are saying for even a minute? Also, almost everyonegets drunk, and drunkenness further inhibits your ability to think criticallyabout anything that is being said. Comrade: Amember of the vanguard organisation. This label is reserved strictly for othertrue believers. No one within the broader left is considered one. They are alleither pseudo-Marxists, or left-reformists, or liberals. Therefore, it ispossible to have ‘ex-comrades’ who weren’t cut out to be part of the vanguardand have dropped out. These people are heretics, forever condemned, never to betalked of or heard from again. Contact:Someone who is a potential recruit. Anyone who has come into the orbit of theorganisation – someone who has bought a paper, attended a meeting or had anextended chat with a comrade – is eligible. They are ‘followed up’ ruthlesslyand bombarded with requests for a meeting. At that meeting, politics will beraised and the discussion will help illuminate whether this person is a goodfit or not. If it goes well, more meetings will be arranged until that personagrees to join. Recruits usually have a rudimentary knowledge of politics. Assuch, they are insecure and will defer to the apparent omniscience of the othercomrades. I am an exception, as I joined with a high ‘political level’ alreadyand was used to thinking for myself. That is not to say I have entirely escapedthe groupthink mentality, but I have been able to detach myself from it attimes. The best way of recruiting them is to lie about what we are expecting interms of commitment. Once they are in, and have had their ‘political level’ builtup (i.e. been brainwashed) more can be demanded. Branch: Thebasic unit of organisation, based on geography. The branch meetings occur everyweek. At the start will be a ‘lead-off’ (akin to the preacher’s sermon inchurch), given by a comrade on a particular topic from a Marxist perspective.Comrades are expected to wholeheartedly and uncritically agree with everythingthat is said. Awkward questions or dissent are not welcome and are viewed as ‘disruptive’and likely to ‘miseducate the cadres’. Heresy should be kept to oneself, and onlycommunicated with a few ‘senior’ comrades or full-timers. The point of thelead-off is to explain the ‘line’, not to encourage debate and discussion. Asany comrade will tell you, the organisation is not a debating club, it is a cadreorganisation that will one day lead the working-class to the seizure of powerand the abolition of capitalism. What is needed is unthinking acceptance of the‘correct’ ideas and obedience. Once this is out of the way, more boring issuesof organisation are dealt with such as finance, upcoming events, etc. Thesemeetings last for two hours. Aaron _________________________________________________________ Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm Set your options at: https://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
