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By Aidan Mattis

Speaking to the Penn StateStudent run, and independent media siteThe Underground,Jesse RyanthePresident of the Young Democratic Socialists chapter, had harsh words about the pro-freedom organization. Citing a Twitter dispute with PSU TPUSA President Kylie Thomas, Ryan said that when seeking new members, they would preferably [stay] away from the Turning Point USA table. Ryans group also called the capitalist, small government organization LGBT-phobic due to a tweet from the Ohio State chapter of TPUSA. Despite the fact that Thomas herself is bisexual, and the chapter in question is not at Penn. State, notOhio State, Ryan persisted in calling the chapter of TPUSA homophobic.

Speaking about a picture tweeted by OSUs chapter of TPUSA, in which a student wears a T-shirt with an image of Che Guevara with the text Socialism is for F*gs, Ryan said that the comment was just not anything productive. It was filled with homophobia.

TPUSA at OSU responded, saying We apologize to those who found the T-Shirt offensive. The actual saying on the shirt is Socialism is for Figs, but it is challenging to read in the picture.

Penn. States Turning Point USA has been pursuing an opportunity to debate YDS on the merits of capitalism versus socialism, yet has been continuously frustrated by the leftist groups refusal to do so. Ryan cited concerns in dealing with the libertarian-leaning nonpartisan TPUSA, stating that When you have a very sensitive title like us, you have to have a very logical, analytical approach when youre talking to people like that [TPUSA]. Ryan was referencing TPUSAs executive board, who have a table set up in the campus HUB every Tuesday. People might just come up and start ripping up signs, Ryan finished.

Ironically, PSUs TPUSA chapter has struggled with peopleripping up signs and having their materials unceremoniously dispersed, as a leftist leaning journalist named Terri Thomas (of no relation to the former Thomas)did exactly that to the groups table in early February.

At anothermeeting, Ryan told hisclub about a back and forth with Kylie Thomas on Twitter. Citing what he believed to be a more of a screaming match than an actual debate, he remarked that [He] just really think[s] its a testament to what would actually happen if [YDS] actually debated [Turning Point USA]. Ryans excuses have frustrated members of the Turning Point chapter.

Further excusing his club from participating in debate, Ryan explained that Debates are really about who screams the loudest and who talks the fastest Ryan made no effort to reach out to other members of the Turning Point USA chapter at the school, and has yet to speak with Kylie Thomas, relying solely on the YDS chapter Twitter to communicate. Ryans comments about TPUSA at PSU being homophobic have yet to see any official response from the pro-capitalism group.

This incident at Penn State represents a growing trend in millennial politics, in which the left would rather shy away from debate and discussion than face the opposing side. By claiming that any interaction with the opposing ideology would be an uncivil screaming match, YDS has excused itself from the challenge of defending their ideas. To quote the infamous Milo Yiannopoulos, If you dont show up to defend your ideas, you lose. Thus, in this microcosm, this bout of political battle, Young Democratic Socialists has lost the skirmish.

debateohio statePenn. StateTPUSATurning Point USAYDSYoung Democratic Socialists

Read more here:
Are the Penn. State Young Democratic Socialists Afraid to Debate TPUSA? - The Libertarian Republic

Just before she launched a panel discussion titled From the Bund to Bernies Campaign, moderator Elaine Leeder laid a little joke on the audience: Its only in a place like Berkeley, she said, that you could get a hundred Jews on a Saturday to talk about socialism.

Given that the panel was part of a conference called From the Bund to the Bern: Yiddish Socialism for the 21st Century, its no surprise the joke drew laughs.

Leeders panel came at the end of a day exploring the history of Jewish involvement in 20th-century socialist politics, and how that history sheds light on the modern progressive movement.

Held at Berkeley City College, the event was co-sponsored by the Workmens Circle/Arbeter Ring and Lehrhaus Judaica. Leeder and Diana Scott, who has chaired the Northern California branch of the Workmens Circle for nine years, organized the agenda.

The Workmens Circle/Arbeter Ring was founded in 1900 to promote social justice and a secular Jewish identity rooted in community engagement, with the Northern California branch founded in 1948. Although nearly 70 people had preregistered for the Feb. 25 event, around 100 showed up, Leeder estimated a big number for the venerable left-leaning Jewish organization.

The conference included talks on topics such as the Jewish Labor Bund in interwar Poland and divides in the Yiddish-speaking socialist movement. Scott led a breakout session on socialism and Jewish cultural autonomy. For presenters, the conference gave them a chance to illuminate details of a progressive Jewish past most people today know little about.

Today those legacies are still with us, if we realize it or not, said Tony Michels, professor of American Jewish history at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, whose keynote address explored how the Russian Revolution shaped American Jewish politics.

Apparently, many conference attendees were still feeling the Bern, as in Bernie Sanders.

Running like a current through the days discussions was how the 2016 Democratic presidential candidate impacted todays progressive Jewish left. Sanders even sent a letter to the Workmens Circle that was read aloud during the conference, noting he was delighted that you are gathering to discuss the relevance of democratic socialism.

The message Bernie has is so relevant, and comes from a legacy of Jewish activism.

Barbara Epstein, professor emerita in the History of Consciousness Department at UC Santa Cruz and an expert on the history of social movements, gave a talk on the early left and Zionism in Europe. She drew a line connecting the long tradition of Jewish socialist humanism and the Sanders campaign. It seems to me that thats what Bernie was representing, she said.

The message Bernie has is so relevant, and comes from a legacy of Jewish activism, said attendee Deborah Israel of Oakland.

Carol Sanders, first cousin of the Vermont senator, also attended the event. Like others there, the Berkeley resident said she learned a lot about a topic she previously had been aware of only in broad outlines. Its something I didnt know much about, but it was part of the zeitgeist, she said of the gathering.

Audience members agreed on the strength of a politically progressive element in their Jewish identity. Its in our DNA, said attendee Clara Davis of Oakland.

As the day wound down, talk turned to practical measures, such as finding out which congressional representatives to target and how to talk to generations younger than the decidedly older cohort at the conference.

Josh Kob, a union representative for the California Teachers Association, was one of the younger people in the room. He had driven from Fresno to be there.

For Jews, understanding where we came from is a huge motivator, he said.

Although much of the day dealt with history, the most-discussed topic among attendees was the urgency of todays political climate under the Trump administration and ways in which the legacy of Jewish socialism could be relevant more than 100 years after the founding of the Workmens Circle.

Its really how we build who we are, going forward, on progressive Jewish values, Scott said.

Visit link:
Big crowd still feeling the Bern at Jewish socialism confab - Jweekly.com

Forbes

South America's Last Bastion Of Socialism Is Falling To Pieces Forbes The currency is worth a dime, though probably not even that much. The brain drain is immense. People are starving. Unemployment is in the double digits. Inflation is triple digits. And its president, Nicholas Maduro of the disastrous United Socialist ... and more »

See the original post:
South America's Last Bastion Of Socialism Is Falling To Pieces - Forbes

Citizen service is the very American idea that we meet our challenges not as isolated individuals but as members of a true community, with all of us working together. Our mission is nothing less than to spark a renewed sense of obligation, a new sense of duty, a new season of service. President Bill Clinton

When the United States was created, it was created with a new form of government, a democratic-republic, where the people have a great deal of power but not the final say. As one should remember from the last election, that those with the most popular support do not always win. While in this case, the majority peoples opinion was right, one easily could create a case in theory where the popular opinion is wrong and should not be supported by the government. In the article, it is stated that it would best for corporations to be owned and operated by employees, where the employees would all have an equal final say, one voice, one vote. But this is not true even in the USAs democratic-republic, so to work towards that goal is unreasonable. What the article is arguing is that workers, executives, and customers need to be more connected to each other and be willing to assist each other so that the economy acts in a more just way. This lack of connectedness is not just present in the workplace but in the society as whole as well.

The specific suggestion that cooperatives are the best way in which to create a more democratic economy is misguided because it provides a solution that is too simple and inapplicable. Co-ops could certainly work in many conditions, but the better overall solution is to use the current options available to increase the connectedness among the executives, employees, and customers. This could be achieved for example through strengthening labor unions, or through forcing corporations to have more local governing structures or through breaking up larger corporations. Co-ops are not the only way.

In Dr. Putnams book Bowling Alone, one sees that a current problem in society as whole is that people are increasingly focused on themselves and less on others and groups. The American system was never supposed to work under these circumstances where employees and employers are completely disconnected and do not care about each others well-being. The answer is not more government involvement but more community involvement. Government involvement can certainly be useful especially for those in the middle and lower classes, but it will not fix the problems that exist in society. If the government takes more of a role in caring for others without the society first gaining increased connectedness and compassion, then the government will only make the problem worse. For example, people will not see how their taxes are benefiting others and then question why are they paying taxes at all for people who they do not know. When people know about and care for each others life more, then the economy can work for all people, and one can create a system that is more democratic.

Kenneth Goetz, MCAS 20

Excerpt from:
LTE: A Response to Socialism Is the Solution - The Heights

After last Novembers chilling election results, it is no wonder many people are becoming disillusioned with the two-party political system in the United States. This is especially true for those of us on the left, as we have noticed that Democratic politicians seem to be losing their backbone and arent as progressive as they claim.

When U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders announced his presidential campaign, a lot of people recognized the unique appeal he had. Though Sanders ran as a Democratic candidate, he is a member of the Independent Party and has identified himself as a democratic socialist. For a lot of us, Sanders was our first real introduction to socialism in the United States.

If youre interested in exploring socialism further, then consider attending Socialism 101: Students, Socialism & the Revolution. This event will be hosted by the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), while West Chester Universitys Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) are sponsoring the event.

SDS Vice President Ian Gallagher described the FRSO as a Marxist-Leninist organization that is dedicated to bringing about the establishment of socialism to the United States through an alliance of the working class and oppressed nationalities.

Essentially, we fight for womens and LGBT+ liberation, fight against all forms of male supremacy, homophobia and heterosexism, and fight against racist/white supremacist national oppression, said Gallagher.

Gallagher explained that SDS decided to sponsor the event because they know theres an alternative to capitalism.

You cant simply be against capitalism without offering a solution, and for us, that solution is socialism, said Gallagher. Secondly, students have always played a large role in movements throughout history. Students have more power to affect change than previously thought.Our workshop will show them what their power is, the history of students using that power and how we can use it today in the Trump era.

According to Gallagher, Socialism 101 will be set up as a preliminary seminar with some practical Q&A that will show the students and people who attend how they can organize against [President Donald] Trump, his agenda, and motivate them to take hold of their future.

Gallagher said that, to them, socialism is the right to self-determination.

Socialism means food for all, beds for all, jobs for all, education for all, said Gallagher. Socialism is fairness. Socialism is liberation.

Gallagher also noted that the Socialism 101 workshop would address several misconceptions about socialism. According to Gallagher, the biggest one is the idea that socialism sounds good on paper or in theory, but in practice it doesnt work.

If socialism failed, then why are there still five socialist countries in the world? I think people dont realize that socialism and capitalism cannot be directly compared or contrasted socially, economically, politically and morally, said Gallagher. People forget that socialism is not made to fail. Socialism is a system that is made to succeed, continue and prosper.

Gallagher emphasized the necessity of holding the Socialism 101 workshop because, while Sanders may have started to shed some light on socialism, now we need to learn what it is, what it isnt and what we can do to achieve it.

So if youre interested in attending this workshop, please come join us on Saturday, March 4 from 12:30 to 3:00 p.m. in the Main Hall auditorium.

As Gallagher put it, now is the time for all progressive people to come together and continue to build the struggle.

This event is important because my life is at stake, your life is at stake, and a majority of the U.S populations lives are at stake, said Gallagher. What can we do when our lives are under attack? We stand up, we fight back!

Casey Tobias is a third-year student majoring in womens and gender studies and communication studies with a minor in journalism. She can be reached at [emailprotected] Her Twitter is @Casey__Tobias.

Link:
Students for a Democratic Society to sponsor Socialism 101 workshop - Quad (subscription)