In these rare and urgent times, we should be aiming to make a true household name and unmistakable, repeated point of reference of Bob Avakian (BA), the revolutionary leader and architect of the new communism. 

This person, this leader concentrates what is desperately needed, scientifically possible and eminently desirable: real revolution and the emancipation of all humanity. BA has quite simply done, and is doing, the work that nobody else has. He has forged real answers to questions that no one else is even asking, but are the most vital questions that humanity faces.

That's where I started last week, and to pick up where I left off:

Simple and Complex

In fighting for people to take up Bob Avakian's leadership, we need to keep working on the relationship between the simple and the complex. Without the complex, people won’t understand the substance behind the simple and why the simple is true... But without the simple, the substance and its significance can get lost. So, both are very important and have their role. 

An important example of the simple would be the one sentence points I am making about how no one else, besides BA and the revcoms he leads, is even talking about making revolution, or the one-sentence point about how there is simply no one else and nothing else like this out there. 

We should say these things to people, early and often... then we should obviously bring the substance behind that, of which there is plenty. How much of the complex we need to bring in a given situation depends on different factors like the context, purpose, audience of a particular situation. But we should wield the complex behind the simple, both so that people understand the simple better and so that they don’t mistake it as “hype.” 

And the complex consists, most fundamentally, of people getting into BA directly. And us leading them to that, and working/struggling through the bullshit that people so often have to work and be struggled and led through. 

But there is an important role for simple, bold, provocative “you don’t understand, you actually don’t know and you HAVEN’T heard this before” (in a good spirit, unless the people we’re talking to are assholes, antagonistic, or raising bullshit and objections) “because there’s no one and nothing else like this out there.” 

That can change the terms of conversation very fast, draw important lines of demarcation, cut through the static, and draw forward the people and forces (even if small initially) whom we want to draw forward.   

The revcoms and all those in and around THE REVCOM CORPS For The Emancipation Of Humanity need to be crystal clear on all of these points of introduction, which again I actually think should be pretty simple and straightforward but which often people don’t grab hold of and apply the way they should as consistently as they should. 

And then, on that basis, there are a lot of really good ideas that can be brainstormed and steps that can be taken towards making quick leaps in making BA a household name. And there should be a real flourishing of ideas in response to this national campaign to get BA's social media everywhere.

Two Distinct, but Interconnected, Levels

As part of this, we should be working on two distinct but interconnected levels: A) BA Everywhere; and B) bringing forward cores of followers of BA.... 

What I mean by this is that the basic mission of this campaign around BA's social media is, of course, one that everyone who already is—or can be won to be—within the ranks of the revolution should take up vigorously as the leading edge of the whole strategy for revolution... and getting BA everywhere obviously forms a crucial part of the foundation for bringing forward followers of BA... 

But getting BA everywhere should also involve a lot of people and forces who are not and will never be revolutionaries, who might even disagree with BA on several things, but who can be won to recognize what I've been saying here: that there is no one else out there even talking about real revolution and no one else like this out there, and who can accordingly be won to understand that—especially in these times—this voice needs to be heard and engaged broadly. 

We shouldn't underestimate the potential to win people over in this category, including well known and influential people with a lot of influence and online following,  nor the impact that this could have. Yes, I know that the vast majority of prominent people who should be playing this role have thus far failed—or outright refused—to do so. And I know a ton of decent people are going to pour a lot of time, energy and money into the Harris campaign. 

BUT: 

A) These are—and will increasingly become even more so—different and rare times.   

B) The more that BA gets out there and becomes a tangible force and pole on the scene, the more “the difference this can make” will become real to these kinds of more well-known people, while they can also be won to play an important role in putting BA on the map in a big way. 

C) The more that we are going to these well-known decent people, too, with the simple, “There is nothing and no one else like this out there and this needs to be known to millions... we can talk with you all night about why that’s the case, but it is the case,” the more we might be able to win some of these people over.

Big ideas require big money 

I’m tempted to say: Enough said. I’ll just add that major promotional ideas—e.g., being able to print tons and tons of materials, posters, billboards, major advertising placed in prominent locations or publications or on social media, just as a few examples—all of that requires raising a lot of money. 

Donating funds has a significant “entry level” component for newer people and also provide on-ramps for all kinds of people.

Once again, hammering at the points that “no one else is even talking about these questions” and “there is no one and nothing else like this out there,” that this needs to be known NOW to millions, can be important links in broad fundraising and contribute in important ways to the foundation for bringing forward cores of followers of BA. 

Going on the Offensive

The more BA gets out there, the more the piggish counter-rev attacks, shit, snark and slander will ramp up, so we need to be on the offensive against this. Preemptively PREPARING for this as we succeed more and more with our BA Everywhere goals. 

Overall, and individually. Newer people who are just getting introduced to and are not really that familiar with BA will not spontaneously understand what they are encountering when they hear all these lies and slanders, while also being influenced by those same factors in the larger society. These attacks are a mixture of "reefer madness" type anti-communism and the overall reasons why BA is a “contended question.” Some people love him and some people hate him—for the same reasons. Because he is about making a real revolution to emancipate all humanity. The defenders of this system, or those who have a stake in it, hate him. Those trying to reform this system, or think we don't need any kind of leadership, or locked into using their identity as capital hate and attack him... This needs to be gotten into with people broadly: you’re very likely to encounter a lot of nasty lies and slander, here’s why, here’s what this reflects and why it’s so harmful, and let’s talk more about this if you come across it because it’s total bullshit and people need to think critically, see for themselves and go to the source.

I'll end where I began:

The fact is that no other person, organization or political force in this country besides BA and the revcoms he leads is even talking about making a real revolution... at a time when the need for real revolution is more pronounced and urgent than ever. 

That fact JUST BY ITSELF should be plenty of reason for anyone genuinely concerned with fundamentally changing the world—or anyone who could be won to this concern—to seriously check out BA. Just that alone!