Yan B and Nikita EG, Upper Darby, PA
An older comrade once told us that an open communist 20 years ago could expect to be screamed at, told to leave the country, or worse, physically attacked.
Today, in 2024, there’s never been a better time to be a communist!
Our cell ventured into the working-class neighborhood of Upper Darby, where the average household income is $30,000 a year. We proclaimed that the communists are here . . . and we were welcomed!
“Finally, someone said it out loud”
Splitting up into teams of three or four, we knocked on every door of every street and talked to every passerby. We unabashedly introduced ourselves as RCA comrades and asked one question: “Are you sick and tired of both the Democrats and Republicans and their candidates?” Our neighbors’ eyes lit up with excitement, “Finally, someone said it out loud!”
We engaged in exhilarating conversations about the senility of bourgeois politics, the disgusting imperialist wars sucking billions from our pockets to rain bombs on Gaza, and the lies and hypocrisy oozing from every pore of the capitalist media.
“They take what’s ours and laugh in our faces”
A group of middle-aged men and women smoking cigarettes on their porch after grueling shifts in warehouses and retail stores had this to say: “Yeah, they don’t care about us! If anything, they’re out to get us!”
“I agree! And whose interests do you think they actually represent?” After a pause and some chin-scratching, we nudged them in the right direction: “Do you maybe think it’s the rich, the billionaires?”
A lady at the back of the group replied, “Oh for sure! All them rich folk do is take what’s ours and then laugh in our faces!” Needless to say, they took leaflets to read, shook our hands, and asked us to come again.
Even “apolitical” workers are sick of capitalism
We met a couple of teenagers walking down the street and hit them with our opener of the day: “Are you sick of both Democrats and Republicans?” They said they aren’t old enough to vote and don’t care about politics.
We persisted, continuing the conversation by asking other questions. As it turned out, they were both heading home from work—not old enough to vote, but old enough to toil! We asked if they get paid enough (of course not!), and went on to explain how both parties represent people like their boss, not them. They nodded adamantly as we discussed how money-grubbing bosses control the political system they’re so uninterested in. The boys happily took our leaflets.
This isn’t the only time we’ve stumbled upon people who claimed to hate or be uninterested in politics. Every single time, when we connect their discontent with broader issues—like endless drudgery for a dirt wage—their eyes light up, and they enthusiastically agree with what we have to say. Most workers nowadays don’t hate politics. They hate bourgeois politics—the corrupt politicians, their horrible policies, and everything they represent. As communists, our job is to connect workers’ low wages and terrible living conditions with national and global politics and the need for working-class political independence. Once that’s done, it turns out nobody is really apolitical after all!