Austin L, Brooklyn, NY
Nine months ago, I was walking through the snow in Bed-Stuy knocking on doors, telling my neighbors why they should vote for Zohran. I believed I was doing something meaningful, that this was how ordinary people could fight back against capitalism. Today, I can clearly see and explain the real limitations of that approach.
I was in a pretty “doomerist” place. I could feel the crises of capitalism everywhere, but I didn’t have the language to explain any of it. I felt stuck in “lesser of two evils” politics. It was getting harder to lie to myself when I recognized that even the best reforms were not changing the direction of my life or anyone else’s. I wanted a space where my questions would be met with real explanations and real solutions, not just virtue signaling or moral outrage.
DSA let me walk in with no questions asked, but also offered no answers. It felt refreshing at first but that feeling quickly faded into resentment because I didn’t fully believe what I was selling at the doors.
Then I ran into a group of RCA comrades selling The Communist. For the first time, I heard capitalism explained not as a collection of bad decisions or bad policy, but as a system that cannot be fixed—only overthrown. It was the first time the conditions I was experiencing were actually explained with clear and material reasons.
I don’t blame myself or anyone else for canvassing for Zohran. People are frustrated and searching for answers. But now I’m on the other side of those paper sales, looking for the same people who were just like me, people who knew something was deeply wrong but could not find anyone who could explain why.