Letters of April 13

Less screens, more fightback!
Just recently I had an interesting conversation with a co-worker that ended with an opportunity to introduce CHALLENGE.
We were discussing all the different ways in which we can get glued to our phones and computer screens. For her, she was admitting how an addictive flash game was sucking her in so much that she felt the need to eventually delete the app from her phone. I commiserated, stating that it wasn’t so much video games that ate up a lot of time for me, rather I had a habit of scrolling article after article of online news content.
This co-worker replied that while she used to make a point to follow the bosses’ news, she didn’t even bother anymore because she couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of negativity presented. I replied to her that she was definitely not the first person to share that sentiment with me. I shared my opinion that the bosses will always push the most sensationalist garbage to grab the most attention and through that generate the most advertising revenue (aka profits). As the saying goes, “If it bleeds, it leads.”
I then shared how reading about all the countless ways that capitalism destroys our lives doesn’t feel as demoralizing when one is armed with tools with which to fight it, namely through analyzing world events collectively and critically, and being active in a militant international Party. At the end of our shift, I came back to that co-worker with a copy of CHALLENGE, and introduced it as a communist newspaper where workers make their own news, not as passive victims but as revolutionaries fighting to build a better society.
The bosses definitely work nonstop to make us feel powerless and cynical. For this worker and so many others, I hope that CHALLENGE represents an important first step towards overcoming a sense of alienation and recognizing the potential for an egalitarian future.
*****
Imperialist world war is coming
Capitalist powers are once again preparing for imperialist world war to re-divide the world among themselves. Russia has already gone to war against Ukraine, a pro-Nazi government installed by a U.S. backed coup. Ukraine is being used to prevent further Russian economic advancement into Europe and is being supplied with billions in U.S. and NATO weapons.
Capitalist China, which is said to  become the biggest economic power by 2050, and a threat to U.S. hegemony, has been surrounded by U.S. nuclear submarines and 80,000 U.S. troops, missiles and air bases in Australia, South Korea and Japan.
The U.S., economically devastated by almost one million Covid-19 dead, economic recession, inflation, a divided government and rebellious workers, is desperate to retain its superpower status. That could come in the form of a massive humanitarian, patriotic “democracy” campaign against Russia to finance the military industry, resupply the war makers and indoctrinate U.S. workers for imperialist wars against Russia and China.
The only solution for the international working class is to organize a revolutionary Party to turn imperialist wars into class wars for a communist, egalitarian,
anti-capitalist system without national
borders, racism, sexism or profit wars.
*****
KKKops say “a-ok” to racist graffiti
Recently a family was assaulted visually when the parents accompanied their two young children  to a public school playground  in the Bronx.  The “N” word was prominently printed all over the spiral slide, front and back. They immediately called the 52nd precinct and were told that it was probably a few kids’ “prank” and to call 311 instead. Still two uniformed cops showed up and minimized  the outrage. After fully photographing the desecration, several parents washed the vile writing off.
Our antiracist coalition immediately contacted the office of Eric Dinowitz, our City Council rep to demand a meeting about overseeing the investigation and involving the Hate Crimes Unit. We met on ZOOM with five of his staff members who  gave us a run-around.
They had organized a community meeting at Manhattan Community College from which we had been excluded.  According to an ally of ours there, Dinowitz dominated the meeting and made sure NO action steps were agreed upon - no surprise!
Clearly our history of taking  on the local precinct for their own acts of racist oppression and inaction in the face of blatant hate crime acts have made us unwelcome to any official gathering concerning these issues.
So we will continue to reach out to anyone suffering from or aware of virulent racism in our neighborhood and to expand our anti-racist organization.
We will not give up the fight. We have only started!
This teaches us two things—
1) A racist system can’t solve racism. The cops can’t solve this incident, since they are agents of racist violence and a tool of control for the ruling class. When organized as a class for itself, the working class can solve problems.
2) The limits of reform are evident. The mouthpieces for the capitalist class expose themselves as enemies of our class. It is up to communists in these fights to turn this working-class anger at the system towards building a party.
So we will continue to organize anyone suffering from or aware of virulent racism in our neighborhood and to expand our antiracist organizing. We will not give up the fight. We have only started!

*****