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So aside from marches/protests what have your chapters been doing for direct action? Let's share ideas.
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Feb 2, 2017 07:42
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Grand Prize Winner posted:that's great. now why haven't they responded to my fuckin' email??? LA chapter is too big to meet all at once and new people are pouring in daily so there's some scrambling to find venues to get all the new members in. You should be hearing from them soon. Totally related, please pay local dues if you're able everyone. Meeting space and protest signs and tables at events have to be paid for somehow. That fundraising committee sounds like a damned good idea.
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Feb 3, 2017 08:46
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unbutthurtable posted:NYC chapter is already four branches, and will likely be seven or eight in the next couple months. Are you guys going to do something similar? It's unavoidable I think, especially given how vast an area LA county is. The core group were just not expecting or ready for hundreds of people coming in after the election. Like the old movie plot where the nerdy kid has a little party and 500 people show up at his house. It's transitioning from "holy poo poo" mode to legendary.
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Feb 3, 2017 16:04
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There are a lot of people saying here and other places "they" should have this or "they" should do it this way. There is no "they" in many cases. Most chapters either didn't exist before the election or were bare bones orgs with people meeting up for coffee on an irregular basis. You need to bring some skills or at least enthusiasm and a willingness to take responsibility and start making things happen. There was no blank organizational chart with a structure already in place waiting to be filled and certainly not prescience for the amount of bullshit this administration has thrust upon the country in the last month. Nobody knew there would be this mass joinup and it's still shaking out how chapters will function best for their needs. I hope someone at National is writing a dissertation on it, would make for an interesting read. Communicate with your core group leaders and find out what needs to be done to achieve whatever your vision is then roll up your sleeves and get to work. THAT is actual socialism in action and not some socialist theory circle jerk. Not trying to be a dick but I and a lot of other people are working really hard to try and put stuff together while others sit on the sidelines and criticize. I'm the first to admit I don't know what the gently caress I'm doing and anyone who has a contribution will always be welcomed with open arms. Also, gonna rename our committee dildo dog commandos until there are enough votes to override me.
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Feb 21, 2017 08:24
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You guys are all cool and good, but I'm curious--how many of you are not 25-30 y.o.white dudes? What kind of things are your chapters doing to increase diversity? Anybody working with BLM or other groups? I know YDS is fairly active here, what about other ages? The womens march gave us a lot of new signups but we're nowhere near women being half of membership. What can we do to make DSA more representative of our communities?
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Feb 23, 2017 04:40
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Ace of Baes posted:Honestly make an effort to reach out to minority communities, but if all youre pulling is white dudes still I don't think it matters that much, the DSA is still small as an organization and assuming your ideals and actions line up with a socially conscious platform that's more important. And you just contradicted the previous poster. That is the problem. apokaladle posted:I'm none of those things, and attending my first public meeting was really quite discouraging--I'm in the east bay and the demographics in that room compared to the surrounding neighborhoods were dire. Some of the people there were... not helpful, but I called them out on it during the public comment section and got a fairly good response. I'm going to suggest regular attendance at city council meetings and humbly meeting with organizers from various minority communities to figure out how to best help. I'm sorry it was discouraging. LA socialist-feminist committee just had a really productive beginning to this conversation in a recent meeting, and I'm sure many more to come. I'm not trying to hate on white dudes but the world so far has been run by white dudes and we already know how that works out for the rest of us. Please don't dismiss these few minority voices that are trying to tell you how things appear from their perspective. There are in our chapter a small but really lovely group of Bernie bro types that seem to contribute nothing but are very quick to dismiss other viewpoints. We all need to try to understand others' experiences if our objective is to successfully work together toward our common goals. Stifling those voices we should be listening to and supporting the most will lead DSA to fizzle out like the Occupy movement that once showed so much potential.
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Feb 23, 2017 05:38
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sillyloquy posted:The discussion about diversity (a topic of fundamental importance) a few pages ago gave me an idea. Keep coming up with stuff like this and they'll put you in charge of the chapter.  Our membership committee is just getting itself together but I think they will be including outreach in their realm with input from racial justice, soc-fem, and LGBT committees.One of my concerns has been with privacy and protecting especially our already vulnerable marginalized members but this new bullshit with threatening protestors has increased everyone else's awareness pretty quickly. I just started learning to use Slack dammit.
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Feb 25, 2017 05:49
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GlyphGryph posted:Its good to make an explicit point of insuring minorities have a voice and are genuinely heard and have opportunities. It's also good to remember why, and to have that answer on hand, and sometimes I'm not sure if people do. Its also good to remember background means more than skin color and gender - and some people would actually like to be appreciated for their background before those others things, and some voices need to be heard that might be white and male but not the kind of white and male that is most common. Its not good to make any minorities and women that do join feel like they NEED to take on leadership roles by virtue of their presence, nor is it good to talk about the issue in such a way that implies the minorities who are present arent there or arent doing enough to be visible, which is one of the comments/criticisms that kicked off this discussion. Just want to let you know how much I appreciate your input, and some others I'm too lazy to quote. For those chapters working toward a chapter that better reflects their community it's really helpful. LA had a big new member meeting last week and while there was an effort to speak to these issues, there is still room for improvement in how we communicate it. On a related note I've had two separate men in the chapter try to order me around this week, and it's just...I don't know what needs to be done to change things. Forced reeducation work groups?
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Mar 2, 2017 07:42
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Yeah, saw that up on FB and every comment was garbage so I actually read it and didn't see anything objectionable or controversial in what she wrote. People sure are angry on the internet though. 
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Mar 6, 2017 08:21
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gently caress Robert's Rules. It's a 700 page 140 year old book that stunts what should be a normal conversation between humans. It's only the most obnoxious people who have it memorized to try to turn what should be an inclusive meeting into a chess match of parliamentary procedure. Get yourself a clear agenda and a facilitator to keep things moving.
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Apr 10, 2017 06:32
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Don't lose sight of the fact that DSA is not a political party and is very limited as to how involved they can be in endorsing candidates or influencing elections. The policy, in accordance with limitations of the tax exempt status, is to work on building a solid grassroots foundation. The priority of national seems to be leaning toward building a more inclusive and diverse organization first. This makes sense because we can't go around trying to convince people of something we can't achieve in local chapters let alone nationally. I hope this changes and I expect there will be a lot of discussion about creating a separate entity devoted to electoral politics at the national convention but with all the infighting and purity tests I think we've got a long way to go.
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Apr 19, 2017 05:46
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drat, just when I was going to come in here and agree with everything you said. Edit for top of page: gently caress BERNIE SANDERS
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Apr 21, 2017 08:24
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Bernie Sanders Defends Campaigning For Anti-Abortion Rights Democrat http://www.npr.org/2017/04/20/524962482/sanders-defends-campaigning-for-anti-abortion-rights-democrat I voted for Bernie in the primary. I certainly agree with him on a lot of issues, but enough with the worship already. He is accomplishing nothing with whatever this loving national tour is supposed to be. He has done nothing but pay lip service to women and minorities and somehow keeps making it worse. He needs to go away or work behind the scenes to pave the way for a third party if he wants to be helpful. Supporting DINO (is that a thing because it should be) candidates fixes none of the problems he's been preaching about for years. It's time to move on from Bernie, he hasn't learned a loving thing. Great statement from NARAL yesterday: “The actions today by the DNC to embrace and support a candidate for office who will strip women – one of the most critical constituencies for the party – of our basic rights and freedom is not only disappointing, it is politically stupid. Today’s action make this so-called ‘fight back tour’ look more like a throw back tour for women and our rights. “If Democrats think the path forward following the 2016 election is to support candidates who substitute their own judgement and ideology for that of their female constituents, they have learned all the wrong lessons and are bound to lose. It’s not possible to have an authentic conversation about economic security for women that does not include our ability to decide when and how we have children. “The Democratic Party, and its leaders, would be ill-advised to ignore data that blocking access to legal abortion does not win you a single vote, and robs women of dignity and autonomy. Abortion access is not a ‘single issue’ or a ‘social issue.’ It is a proxy for women to have control over our lives, our family’s lives, our economic well-being, our dignity, and human rights. https://www.prochoiceamerica.org/2017/04/20/naral-statement-dnc-chair-perez-senator-sanders-embracing-anti-choice-candidate-nebraska-today/
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Apr 21, 2017 16:05
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I couldn’t give a rat’s rear end about Perez. The Dems could have made better choices but they haven’t and they won’t, whether or not Bernie shows up to give the same tired speeches. They are bought and paid for by special interests just as much as the far right—they’re still just negotiating price. The very idea of any man in power pushing ultrasounds on women screams “I didn’t take 4th grade biology class”. That or they are willfully choosing not to believe in the most basic facts of science in addition to being misogynist assholes. This is another reason why the march for science is important. I absolutely agree that purity tests are bullshit but if you think a woman’s bodily autonomy is a side issue you aren’t a socialist, you’re just another rhetoric over action Bernie bro.
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Apr 21, 2017 18:03
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Exactly. I was speaking directly to why I'm not part of the Bernie worship. This isn't the sole reason but Imani Gandy elaborates on why it's so offensive for him to be cozying up to this Mello idiot better than I ever could. This is an extremely good article on the subject that includes links to Mello's actual record. I don't know how his anti-choice voting history became optional ultrasounds like at Planned Parenthood but your sources are incorrect. https://rewire.news/ablc/2017/04/21/bernie-sanders-no-revolution-reproductive-rights/ "Pro-choice values should be a prerequisite for progressivism. Reproductive autonomy isn’t just a social issue or an issue about which reasonable minds can disagree. Reproductive autonomy is a human right—and last I checked, stripping a basic human right from 50 percent of the population of this country is not progressive. Here’s the thing that really chaps my hide, though: I’d be willing to bet everything that I own that Sanders would exclude from his reformed Democratic Party any candidate who disagreed about challenging Wall Street or regulating banks. He would likely excoriate any Democratic candidate that he felt was “in bed with Wall Street,” a charge he repeatedly lobbed at Clinton during the primaries. But co-sponsor a bill forcing women to have a foreign object inserted into their vagina against their will in order to make sure that the poor dears have made the right choice when it comes to their own body? Meh. No big deal. We’ll still let you join the progressive revolution." Look, obviously we can't all agree on every policy detail or we'd be brain-dead Fox watchers. You can disagree on certain issues without dismissing a person entirely but this is one subject that is absolutely non-negotiable.
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Apr 22, 2017 01:27
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ChickenOfTomorrow posted:ignore all my loving optimistic posts earlier. participation at meetings is decreasing and we havent even finished becoming an oc. i'll put out an e-mail listing all the things that need doing and no-one volunteers so i end up doing it myself so it doesnt get done properly because i don't have the time to do it properly. i contact people who express interest and say they'll come so i arrange the meeting around their schedule and then they don't show. I can sympathize with that. There are a lot of people who jump in with all kinds of ideas and enthusiasm initially but when it comes time to dig in and get to work 80% of them vanish. It took things not getting done for a really nice core group to commit and start helping out on a regular basis. My optimism still fluctuates between "gently caress it all, I give up" and "gently caress yeah, we're really doing poo poo". The last meeting I went to every single person contributed and then signed up for a task afterward. We've got some good things going on and I think people who aren't putting their supposed beliefs into practice will slowly start to drift off. You're definitely not alone.
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Apr 25, 2017 01:58
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i've proven that in the midst of a time of unprecedented-in-my-lifetime interest in socialism it's possible to completely fail to accomplish poo poo
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Internet Explorer posted:Hey, considering you never came back and apologized for being sexist as poo poo, here's an article for you - https://www.salon.com/2017/04/25/the-democrats-hypocrisy-fest-disingenuous-attacks-on-bernie-sanders-persist-and-his-popularity-climbs/ I didn't think that ridiculous comment deserved a response but if you insist. I am not a Democrat and expecting equal rights does not make me sexist. Mello co-sponsored multiple bills, using language invented by the far right that has no basis in biological fact, that served no purpose but to impede women's right to choose. I was disappointed in Bernie's endorsement. DSA national and Omaha chapter expressed disappointment as well. Bernie is not a member of DSA and can do as he chooses. He does not need my unquestioning support. If you don't believe unfettered access to health services including abortion should be available to women you are not a leftist. If you think it's appropriate to verbally abuse women for voicing their opinions you are not a socialist. If you think this makes me sexist you should tear up your DSA card. Again, my right to bodily autonomy is not negotiable.
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Apr 27, 2017 03:15
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National dues go to National. Local dues go to your local chapter. They may be required to run for your local chapter's elections but are generally voluntary. The local chapter's treasurer is accountable to national for reporting finances. Any national dues-paying member is welcome to go to any chapter meeting. If your local is full of dicks make sure you are able to vote according to their bylaws and attend other chapter meetings until they're voted out. National is really hesitant to get involved or remove members. Two things that are underway at the national level are a formal harassment policy and a finance/legal committee to help locals navigate those issues. I'm hoping they put some policy out soon because there are a lot of chapters that could use some guidance.
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May 9, 2017 05:27
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Business Gorillas posted:I propose a schism where we create working class solidarity through whiskey and stuffing Robert's rules boys in the toilet who's with me I formed a vodka splinter group years ago. Our reading group meets every month to mock Robert's Rules one chapter at a time. We're about a quarter of the way through.
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Aug 5, 2017 04:24
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They're actually bad. Also elitist and antiquated. Use no-magic for crap's sake. Also everyone should be educated in anti-oppression, not just leadership.
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Oct 21, 2017 05:40
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GunnerJ posted:What is this? Tried searching, got no useful results. https://trainings.350.org/resource/how-to-facilitate-meetings-the-no-magic-method/ The average worker or immigrant likely has no knowledge of parliamentary procedure. I had never even heard of it. There are a certain handful of people who will use RR to Fetonte entire meetings and alienate members who have no idea what the gently caress is going on.
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Oct 21, 2017 14:28
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ChickenOfTomorrow posted:ahahahahahaha no, no, it probably isnt, and i'd like to ask you to take some time to consider why you made that assumption? Hell yes, this.
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Oct 25, 2017 09:07
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