Diary of a Walking Butterfly

I find it quite disheartening how quickly the “Left” manages to bring people in, alienate them enough with their complete incompetence, and have them running for the door. There is a particular pattern among some of the smartest young people that should be noted. Many young people are attracted to socialist groups, and then, after experiencing them, turn to anarchist groups for better answers. An similar group of young people are attracted to anarchist groups, and then, after experiencing them, leave and turn to socialist groups. Many end up quitting the Left all together after these experiences. Whether they started with the anarchists (whom at face value seem more democratic) or with the socialists (whom at face value seem more organized and disciplined), many either become overly dogmatic in order to justify their participation in ineffective groups or quit the Left all together.

The people who actually participated in both ideological groups should be commended for going through that synthesis (however unsophisticated or unintentional) all on their own. Some leave anarchist groups in search of discipline and organization; others leave socialist groups in search of empowerment and democracy. In the end, few find either, and as a result, leave the movement all together.

And who can blame them? With no third revolutionary camp in the United States- one which is empowering and democratic as well as disciplined and organized - such a journey could lead anyone to believe the creation of a highly-organized, highly-disciplined, thoroughly-empowering, pro-democracy movement is sadly just an impossibility. After much attempts at committing themselves to revolution, many resign themselves to carving out a decent human existence in an rotten world.

A new left will undoubtedly rise from the ashes of the old, but that doesn’t make it any less saddening that the components of a new revolutionary Left just aren’t here yet.

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