“Besides the fact that he is the only leader in this country who is talking about a real revolution—and besides the fact that he is actually leading the process of actively working for that revolution—what Bob Avakian (BA) has done, with the development of the new communism, is of world historic importance. It is, in fact, a whole new framework for human emancipation. No one else has done what BA has done.”
In the Six Resolutions of the Central Committe of the Revolutionary Communist Party, the sixth one states that while BA is Chairman of the Party, he is “greater than” that. It goes on to say, “As we have emphasized, the leadership of BA and the new synthesis of communism that he has brought forward provides the theoretical framework, the scientific method and approach for a whole new stage of communist revolution, not just in this country but in the world as a whole.” BA is not just solving tactical problems or things encountered “on the way,” but BA has actually envisioned what the new socialist society would be based on and tackled the contradictions involved in moving a socialist society toward communism—without putting a gun to people’s backs. This is the historic contradiction and because BA has solved it with the new communism, we can actually say humanity has the understanding to get to a world without exploitation and oppression, to a conscious and voluntary association of human beings solving the problems of society and engaging in debate, creative and scientific activities, enriching humanity materially, socially, intellectually and spiritually in a materialist sense.
This new communism is not just for making a revolution here in the U.S., but rather a huge leap in understanding for all of humanity and how to get free—which will have to be applied in any given country but with the understanding and synthesis that everyone making a revolution in this world will have to “go through” in order for it to be a truly liberating revolution and new society. Leading comrades and revcom.us have been stressing the importance of this dimension of BA’s importance. In contrast, too many of us get pulled to just seeing this as immediate guidance for the revolution right now and not continually going back to the huge leap the new communism is for all of humanity, a rupture in human understanding of how humanity could actually get to a world beyond the 4 Alls.1
It is not “human society over here” and then “communism and BA over there,” basically just another way among many of looking at the world in the mix, something we think is right, just and moral, but no real basis to be able to win people over from how they understand the world currently. BA and the new communism is not “our thing,” he is not “our guy.” BA has studied and drawn from all of human society, summed up the revolutions of the 20th century that the masses of people have made, and synthesized all of this into a leap in human understanding for all of humanity.
Gaining the urgently needed adherents and followers of BA and this understanding is NOT convincing people that “we are ‘fine fellows’ and we have their best interests at heart,” that “we agree on so much” and so they should really just get organized with us, that there is a place for them in this revolution without their having to change at all, and sooner or later they will realize that BA is really right and they should listen to him… and by the way, “just ignore those people calling this a cult, they don’t want revolution and you can see for yourself how nice we are.”
NO! Instead, we have to pose the contradictions very sharply to people very broadly, calling forward the people who are not going to go along with the horrors and are willing to get out of their “comfort zone,” that in order for this revolution to actually happen, and for a new world to be forged, THEY actually have to become followers of BA, the leadership that makes this possible. We have to engage in ferocious struggle with them and win them to feel compelled to themselves get into BA, and to spread this leadership to others. And we have to apply this in what we are doing NOW.
We have to confront that all too often the “fine fellows” model is our criteria and we fail to intervene to repolarize for revolution, to sharpen up the contradictions. The “fine fellows” model keeps pulling us to struggle with people to take up something lesser than what this actual revolution requires.
Taking on the other programs and outlooks is not an abstract question, just in the realm of ideas. One example: At the event at Symphony Space a couple of weeks before the election, Margaret Atwood and Min Jin Lee were not only enthusiastically calling on people to vote for Kamala, but they were explicitly shaming people who are refusing to do so because of the genocide in Gaza Kamala Harris is gladly supporting. They were blatantly acting as “willing accomplices in the crusade of U.S. capitalism-imperialism to remain the world’s number one exploiter, oppressor and plunderer of people and the environment, even at the cost of risking the future, and the very existence, of humanity.” (REVOLUTION #79) If we haven’t internalized this crucial point, and even more, if we don’t seize every opportunity to call that out in the sharpest way we possibly can, to make people confront what they are signing up for even when they “hold their noses” and vote for Kamala, yes to break the “unity” with some of these individuals and “force the issue” with them—then we are acting on a different strategy which is NOT what BA is modeling, leading and struggling with us to carry out. And what he is doing IS the only strategy that will actually lead to being able to seize an opening and fight for millions to take up revolution, nothing less, and the whole future that BA has made possible through forging the breakthrough of the new communism.
We have to open our eyes and the eyes of others to what is a truly very liberating fact—that BA has forged a strategy to make this revolution, to bring into being a whole different future for humanity, and he is giving us all on-the-ground leadership right now to carry out that strategy, to fight to repolarize for that revolution and to win people to the kind of revolution—for the emancipation of humanity—which is what is urgently needed and possible in this rare time. If we truly believe this, the “simple” in some ways, then we can work on the more complex presentation and struggle with people; but if we don’t get, and put forward, the simple, working on the complex will just turn into conciliation and “explanations.”
These two strategies—the “fine fellows” approach vs. the one of struggling sharply with people over the truth—have to be sharply posed, and we have to confront that this is NOT consistently, and therefore fundamentally, what we have been proceeding from and/or leading others to proceed from, or the guidance wouldn’t be struggling with us around these questions. The “Why Is Bob Avakian So Important?” paragraph is giving us guidance on what to focus on and how. We do have to accomplish all the many tasks before us, but not as something short of actually engaging in what is needed—the ideological struggle with people in the situations we find ourselves in, and the crucial factor of BA’s leadership—not just in “good discussions amongst ourselves.” We have to be steeped in these social media messages, where BA is actually dealing with the reality that people themselves need to confront, and transform, and why that is possible. We have to be able to wield these messages with scientifically grounded confidence that this revolution is actually in the interests of the vast majority of people and that people can change their thinking and what they do based on that. They can be won to what is in the interests of humanity—through struggle.
We can’t mystify this either, thinking that there will be a “better time” to take this up. People say, “I agree with everything you say.” Do we call on them to donate and be part of raising funds with others to spread @BobAvakianOfficial everywhere? At events, do we ask people to raise their hands if they are going to donate, to come out with THE REVCOM CORPS For The Emancipation Of Humanity at this time and place, or to volunteer at Revolution Books at a specific time, etc.? This is often where the struggle can open up and the struggle that is needed can happen. We are looking to repolarize for revolution, to sharpen the contradictions and not soften the edges. We need to bring forward the thousands now to be the leaders based on and rooted in the new communism, not proceed from uniting with those who hate this shit full stop. There is not a formula, a boilerplate, a way to proceed that is the thing to do in every moment, but there is a basic method and approach BA is modeling which we need to consistently take up.
Right now, in this political and ideological terrain, we have to fight to bring forward firm fighters for this revolution, this leadership of BA, this liberating future which is possible because of the new communism, while we are spreading the @BobAvakianOfficial messages to millions, “planting seeds for when all the other solutions are increasingly found to be wanting and the social cohesion of society is reaching the breaking point. And the messages at @BobAvakianOfficial, along with the BA Interviews, can give people in their millions a real sense of WHO this person is and what he stands for, when ‘who you gonna follow?’ suddenly becomes a life and death question for millions.” (From “The Time Is Now!,” a letter from Lenny Wolff)
