Tools For Analysis

[XXPANTHAXX]

SMASH LIBERALISM

We stand for active ideological struggle because it is the weapon for ensuring unity within the Party and the revolutionary organizations in the interest of our fight. Every Pan Africanist and revolutionary should take up this weapon.

But liberalism rejects ideological struggle and stands for unprincipled peace, thus giving rise to a decadent, Philistine attitude and bringing about political degeneration in certain units and individuals in the Party and the revolutionary organizations.

Liberalism manifests itself in various ways, these eleven are the principal types.

1. To let things slide for the sake of peace and friendship when a person has clearly gone wrong, and refrain from principled argument because he is an old acquaintance, a fellow townsman, a schoolmate, a close friend, a loved one, an old colleague or old subordinate. Or to touch on the matter lightly instead of going into it thoroughly, so as to keep on good terms. The result is that both the organization and the individual are harmed.


2.To indulge in irresponsible criticism in private instead of actively putting forward one's suggestions to the organization. To say nothing to people to their faces but to gossip behind their backs, or to say nothing at a meeting but to gossip afterward. To show no regard at all for the principles of collective life but to follow one's own inclination.


3. To let things drift if they do not affect one personally; to say as little as possible while knowing perfectly well what is wrong, to be worldly wise and play safe and seek only to avoid blame.


4. Not to obey orders but to give pride of place to one's own opinions. To demand special consideration from the organization but to reject its discipline.


5. To indulge in personal attacks, pick quarrels, vent personal spite or seek revenge instead of entering into an argument and struggling against incorrect views for the sake of unity or progress or getting the work done properly.


6. To hear incorrect views without rebutting them and even to hear counter-revolutionary remarks without reporting them, but instead to take them calmly as if nothing had happened.


7. To be among the masses and fail to conduct propaganda and agitation or speak at meetings or conduct investigations and inquiries among them, and instead to be indifferent to them and show no concern for their well-being, forgetting that one is a Pan Africanist and behaving as if one were an ordinary non-Pan Africanist.


8. To see someone harming the interests of the masses and yet not feel indignant, or dissuade or stop him or reason with him, but to allow him to continue.


9. To work half-heartedly without a definite plan or direction; to work perfunctorily and muddle along--"So long as one remains a monk, one goes on tolling the bell."


10. To regard oneself as having rendered great service to the revolution, to pride oneself on being a veteran, to disdain minor assignments while being quite unequal to major tasks, to be slipshod in work and slack in study.


11. To be aware of one's own mistakes and yet make no attempt to correct them, taking a liberal attitude towards oneself.


They are all manifestations of liberalism and must be smashed

Liberalism is extremely harmful in a revolutionary collective. It is a corrosive which eats away unity, undermines cohesion, causes apathy and creates dissension. It robs the revolutionary ranks of compact organization and strict discipline, prevents policies from being carried through and alienates the Party organizations from the masses which the Party leads. It is an extremely bad tendency.

Liberalism stems from petty-bourgeois selfishness, it places personal interests first and the interests of the revolution second, and this gives rise to ideological, political, organizational liberalism and confusion.

[Langalibalele]

I first found that in the Little Red Book, by Mao Tse Tung (Zedong). It was an excerpt from Mao's Selected Military Writings. If you follow these points, you wont be left with many friends. But you will have strong and principled comrades besides you.

[XXPANTHAXX]

Dealing With Criticism


Criticism may occur within conflict situations or can foster conflict. Criticism, or the generation of "evaluative judgments," is often painful or difficult to "give" or "receive." If handled appropriately by both the person criticized and the person being criticized, critical feedback can promote constructive growth in individuals, relationships and organizations


Constructive Criticism - Some Assumptions

1. Criticism arises out of interaction, rather than simply action. Evaluation is important to improvement, but criticism should follow a "two way street." Criticism is more valid when all parties involved interact both as the "critic" and the "criticized."

2. Those who criticize need to value and invite criticism. Criticism can be promoted if the critic first invites criticism of his or her own behavior. By inviting criticism, a person can create a situation in which her or his criticism of another is perceived as appropriate.

3. The "Critic" and "Criticized" guidelines that follow are pertinent to all parties involved in "criticism" discussion.

Constructive Criticism - Guidelines for the Critic


1. Understand why you are offering criticism. Feel confident that doing so is appropriate to the situation and constructive for the parties involved. Criticism voiced out of self-interest or competition may be destructive.

2. Engage in perspective taking or role reversal. As you develop a criticism strategy or response, try to understand the perspective of the person being criticized.

3. Offer criticism of the person's behavior, not on her or his "person." Refer to what a person does, not her or his "traits," or "character."

4. Even though criticism implies evaluation, emphasize description. Before offering any judgment, describe behavior you see or have experienced.

5. Focus your criticism on a particular situation rather than general or abstract behavior. "Index" and "date" your criticism, much like a "journalist": deal with who, what, where, and when.

6. Direct your criticism to the present ("here and now") rather than the past ("there and then").

7. Emphasize in your criticism your perceptions and feelings. Indicate what you think and feel about the other's behavior that you have described. Use "I" statements.

8. Invite a collaborative discussion of consequences rather than offering advice. Form a partnership to deal with problems. Do not compete with the other party; compete with the other person against the problem.

9. Keep judgments tentative. Maintain an "open door" of dialogue rather than presenting your "analysis" or "explanation" of another's behavior.

10. Present criticism in ways that allow the other party to make decisions. Do not force criticism on the other. Encourage the other to experience "ownership." People are more likely to comply with solutions that they generate.

11. Avoid critical overload. Give the other an amount of critical feedback that she or he can handle or understand at that time.

12. Focus criticism on behaviors that the other person can change.

13. Include in your critical feedback a positive "outlet." Reinforce positive actions and invite the possibility of change.

14. Invite the other to present criticism of you.


Constructive Criticism - Guidelines for the Criticized


1. Recognize the value of constructive criticism. Such criticism can improve relationships and productivity.

2. Engage in perspective taking or role reversal. Try to understand the perspective of the person offering criticism.

3. Acknowledge criticism that focuses on your behavior. Attempt to transform criticism that seems directed at your "person" to specific behavioral issues.

4. Listen actively. Even though criticism may hurt, seek to understand accurately the criticism being presented.
a. Paraphrase what the other is saying.
b. Ask questions to increase understanding.
c. Check out nonverbal displays (check your perceptions).

5. Work hard to avoid becoming defensive. Resist any tendency to want to dismiss criticism or retaliate.

6. Welcome criticism; use the criticism appropriate to improve.

7. Maintain your interpersonal power and authority to make your own decisions. Criticism, when directed at one's "person," may weaken one's resolve. Focus the other's criticism on your actions. Seek ownership of solutions.

8. Seek constructive changes to the behavior that prompted the criticism.

9. Insist on valid criticism. Valid criticism: (a) addresses behaviors, (b) is timely, and (c) is specific.

10. Communicate clearly how you feel and think about the criticism and receiving criticism. Use "I" messages.

[Langalibalele]

Materialist theory is based on the study of matter and motion, the study of objective phenomenon. Dialectics is the study of contradictions and harmony.

• The fusion of these two disciplines is called dialectical materialism and it is based upon several principles:
• Matter is primary; the natural world and the laws which apply to it govern the universe.
• Matter and all material objects remain in a constant state of agitation, or motion.
• Motion is the basis of change; change is the only constant in nature.
• Many small changes lead to great qualitative transformations; quality is derived from quantity.
• Opposites are harmonious and attract one another.
• A contradiction exists in everything.

Historical materialism applies the principles of dialectical materialism to society. Historical materialism, therefore, studies the objective motion of society and is rooted in understanding the material (economic) conditions of social forces. It divides society into two primary categories: class society, and classless society. Of the classless societies, there are two, classified according to mode of production.

• Communal society. This society has covered the longest period of human development, from its inception until the rise of the first class based society. Communal society was based upon common ownership of everything except operhaps the most personal items, and people lacked a concept of private ownership. Hence, there was no theft, no murder, no oppression. A division of labor existed between men and women, adults and children. These things are known from observations of communal societies in the Americas, Asia, the Pacific Islands, Oceania and Africa.
  
• COMMUNISM. Communist society does not exist. It is the mode of production which emulates communal society except it exists on a more sophisticated mode of production. The State does not exist, or is a minimum body which coordinates special activities. All persons in this society are workers, all people must labor, and nobody owns any possessions. Antagonistic competion is eliminated. All industries are collectivized, that is, held in common by society. Therefore, benefits and responsibilities are held in common as well. The phenomenon of uneven development disappears from society, as well as colonialism, war, rape, genocide, etc.

Of class societies there are the slave mode, feudal mode and capitalist mode of production.

• Slave mode. Characterized by empire building, the establishment of a State, a king, and a class which owns everything and everybody in society. This society is primitive, non-transformative, and static in terms of social mobility. War is not only inevitable but it drives the State.
  
• Feudal mode. Characterized by a State operated by a monarch, lords and barons, who own all the land, and the peasants are tenants. In this mode of production, the peasants are raided not only by pirates and foreigners but by their own rulers. The lords are in constant conflict, vying for power. This society is also static, with very little social mobility.
  
• CAPITALISM. This system is very dynamic. It came out of the thirst of the European feudal rulers for another Roman-style empire. However, capitalism was born worldwide, with the spread of mercenaries in the wake of Cristobal Colon and Vasco Da Gama. Capitalism came from the division of capitalists (the bourgeoisie) and laborers. The first capitalist laborers were slaves in Africa, the Americas and Asia. Press-gangs worked fields and mines. Capitalists in search of exotic plants and spices transplanted their finds to more fertile soils and climates, and grew them in massive amounts, to feed Europe's burgeoning population. Simultaneously, the capitalists first emptied Europes peasant population from the countryside into the cities, transforming them into workers, then from the cities into the Americas and elsewhere. Capitalism grew in knowledge and power from this dynamic system; capitalism also relied on its conquest of colonial territory and transforming collectively owned land into private real estate, backed up by documentation to give it the appearance of legimacy. In the 20th Century, simple capitalism morphed into Imperialism, the fusion of industrial and banking capital into INTERNATIONAL FINANCE CAPITALIM. Neo-colonialism is the last stage of this phase of capitalism.
  
• SOCIALISM. This is also a class system, which turns society upside down, that is, it places the masses of workers in power and presses society's weight upon the former ruling class. Thru violent revolution, because of the antagonistic contradictions rife within the capitalist system, the bourgeois mode is overthrown and the working class put in power. Thru its self-led proletariat, the workers wield power until the bourgeois classes are eradicated and all industries are collectivized. Following this, the socialist state withers away and the Communist era begins.