The last two weeks, revcom.us has featured a two-part article from a reader directed "to the revcoms, and those who want a better world."

Part 1: Learning Science—On the March, Thoughts on @BobAvakianOfficial

Part 2: Einstein, Astrology and Bob Avakian

We want to share two different experiences from digging into the questions raised in these letters. We also want to hear from you especially about your grappling with others with Bob Avakian's (BA’s) social media messages. Your ideas for breaking this open more widely, especially as society is being ripped apart. Please write to info@BobAvakianOfficialEverywhere.org

** in one city, THE REVCOM CORPS For The Emancipation Of Humanity is organizing a salon discussion on this, and inviting a representative from The Bob Avakian Institute to get into these questions more deeply. They wrote, "This article addresses key issues that arise continually around Bob Avakian's leadership concisely, accessibly and deeply. It's an example of taking the offensive in fighting for people to engage the substance of BA's work and resetting terms with what the questions are, or need to be: what's true and not true and what's in the interests of humanity?!"

** in another city, THE REVCOM CORPS For The Emancipation Of Humanity held discussion of Bob Avakian's social media message REVOLUTION #132, "The Whole Point of Principle...," which got into some of the content of the message itself, but also the questions of "how people think." This was pretty vibrant, and we wanted to share a sense of it with readers.

The person leading the discussion began by asking people why they think BA starts off by going into this BAsics quote on principle: "The whole point of principle is that you have to fight for it when it is not easy to do. There is no need for principle if the only time it is applied is when it doesn’t matter." What do people think he is doing with that? 

A couple people were especially wrestling with this point: "In broad terms, what I mean by principle is: an honest approach to seeking the truth—including the truth about what those who disagree with you actually stand for—and acting in a way grounded in the morality, and furthering the cause, of seeking justice."

There was a back and forth over whether "sticking to your principles" meant sticking to your tenets, and not changing them, period. In contrast, a couple people argued, "No, it's the opposite." They talked about how "We need to seek and fight for truth and objective reality. That means honest engagement and debating and discussing these big questions with everyone."

Someone else built on this and talked about the need "to struggle over objective reality." They brought in a discussion they'd had recently about how you come to know what's true or what's a lie, and the need to go for the evidence. They talked about the need to struggle with people to seek the truth, and how to seek the truth—especially in a moment when truth is being bludgeoned. They were talking about the need to fight for this in the struggle to defeat this fascism. 

The discussion then moved into a quote that BA reads from the Refuse Fascism call for November 5, the one-year anniversary of Trump's election, for millions to amass in Washington, DC in sustained, non-violent protest. The quote is, "Fascism is not a looming threat. It is upon us now. Humanity’s only hope is for the decent people of this country to rise in our millions. We cannot wait for future and rigged elections. We must drive the Trump Fascist Regime from power."

One person raised that this part on this call being "humanity's only hope" really stood out to them. And BA repeats this in this social media message twice. When they saw BA quoting this, they first thought, "Wow, this is a bold statement." But then they stopped and tried to do some work: "OK, why is he saying this? And is it right or wrong?" They walked it through themselves: Fascism in this country really is an immediate threat to humanity. If we don't drive it from power, it will be an existential question for the whole world. Fascism won't be defeated without the masses of people creating "a political earthquake from below," in the way BA describes. So, yes, it's right to say this is "humanity's only hope." This was an important example of how people should be engaging these social media messages and BA's work overall, asking why is he saying something and whether it's true or not true. 

As discussion was closing out, someone brought up the contrast between this kind of critical thinking and evidence-based process and the lie that the revcoms are a cult—when people who say this are the ones who have no evidence, no real argument about why. Or others who say that revolution isn’t possible but won't even engage a serious answer as to why it is possible. They were summing up the need to really fight over what's true, and how you get to the truth. And we can't be like the religious people who like to pray and wait it out. "No, do you think these imperialists sit and pray and wait for god to do their work? No! They get up and do it themselves, so enough of being on our knees praying waiting it out, we need to unite all who can be united and stand up to defeat this fascism. And for our part, we need to do so as part of making revolution for the emancipation of all of humanity."

The person who led the discussion underscored again the role BA's social media messages can play in training people in a scientific method and approach, as opposed to the anti-science that is so widespread in society.

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Again, we want to hear from you! What have you learned from digging into these questions? And what are you learning from the cumulative process of regularly discussing BA's social media messages with others? What have others learned? What have you encountered in going out to fight for these?

Write to info@BobAvakianOfficialEverywhere.org.