Fixing the Marketing Problem

I disagree. I don't think waiting for coverage reactionaries to die out is a viable methodology. Yes, millennials and gen Z slant left, but it's not unanimous (I know several personally who grew up petit bourgeoisie and think capitalism is the only way) and gen X will be around for decades to come. Deciding that the hypnotized are worthless is not viable. The policies are popular, we need to reach those who would benefit on a broad scale before 2060.

Yes it's not a marketing problem. The marketing is doable. The bigger issue is that there isn't the resources or ability to mass market in Western nations the way capitalists and the more fascistic members do. Combine that with a lack of education in Western nations regarding the subject. Which is the only reason they're able to "soil" the terms. Combine that with the constant association of socialism solely with leninists and Bolsheviks etc. Those are the real problems.

Most citizens of western nations couldn't accurately identify more than one actually left wing or socialist ideology. And it's always the most dubious one. It isn't by mistake. It would come as a shock to many westerners to realize that libertarians aren't just some selfish right-wingers. But actually has its origins and resides mostly on the left of the political spectrum. That anarchism isn't chaos etc. I know that for the first 40 years of my life I didn't. And I don't think I'm all that special.

Do you think? Idealism is nice and all, but memetics seems to be winning elections these days.

I think you might be using idealism incorrectly to describe what I'm saying, because idealism philosphically means that ideas have primary influence on creating reality and not that reality has influence on creating ideas. Sorry for the tangent. Either way, I do not disagree with you that there is a lot of outdated terms or even a lack of terms, however I completely oppose adopting capitalist methodology to constructing terminology that would only entrench us in things we try to fight.

Also, electoralism? Really? Has Allende taught us nothing? That even in utmost favorable situations we will be faced with violence and repression?

Regarding memetics, I have little to say as I'm uninformed in them. However I do recognize them as an extremely useful tool, but they must be additional to real exisiting groups. They cannot stand on their own. For example in 2016, memetics helped Trump a lot but they weren't inherent in his victory. They were already carrying a wave of popularity behind them, and most of all they were not manufactured specifically for or by the campaign.

“Education” and “fighting propaganda” sound very noble but I’m not sure that’s realistic or effective, unfortunately.

Nobility is not what I strive nor am I guided by. Teaching is what I care about most, and it will not be effective without on the ground work, as actions speak louder than words. But just beause of that, it shouldn't mean we ought not speak up. These things are something that must happen always, from the littlest begginings to a stage of high popularity which, let's face it, is a long ways to come.

Remember that we can fight propaganda by making our own and utilizing it in demonstrations, protest, strikes and more. Even the littlest ammount is something we need, and reversing negative stereotypes is something we can only do by showing them to not be true. In the US (and in my home country; Poland) we are not starting at square one, but sqaure negative thirty.

Adhesion to particular terminology distracts from the underlying principles.

And those principles being? I'll guess you mean pragmatism, which are a good baseline, so let's go from here. The words themselves will become archaic with time, that much is true, I support for example using ultra-rich instead of burgeoise when talking to people that are not "in the knowhow". For most Imperialism itself means general conquest instead of the leninist definition that communists generally use, thus saying capitalist imperialism pretty much does the job for better clarification without saying thr oh so scary word "leninism".

If you can’t rephrase your pretense to appeal to the proletariat of any age, it doesn’t really represent them, and is merely another exploitation attempt.

I don't understand how proper wording and definitions can exploit a person, much less a demographic. At best I can see it being exploited and co-opted by those that wish to undermine communists and use it against them through misinformation and outright lies. For example, most people nowadays are propagandize beyond belief that they do not consider themselves working class, as they relate that to being poor, and not a person who must survive through the sale of their labour.

I'll summarize what I believe to best course of action. We must adapt to the times but not allow ourselves to become entrenched in capitalist society by operating through rules that it does, otherwise we will become a force that doesn't weaken but strengthen capital. And that the best way to spread the message of a fight for freedom and dignity, is by being a living example of it in the world. There's nothing really noble about this, it's just the way that works best.

Can I? I'm not sure I'll make things worse.

1. I think that symbol is the classic and recognizable symbol of a country and was socialist in name only.

2. I think the biggest difference between America and every other country in the G7 is how much more socialist each one is than America. Healthcare, unemployment, welfare, housing; it seems each one offers far more consolidated support and 'safety net' services.

3. isn't that symbol of a known communist socialist-in-name-only country muddying the waters when using it to talk about socialism? Am I wrong, here?

That's the best I can do.