#YDSA

[a-very-tired-jew]

Rebranding, Rebranding, and more Rebranding

Something I have noticed over the course of this year is that many of the SJP groups that were behind the campus protests, and supported the larger off campus actions, have either dissolved and created a new group, dissolved and joined an already existing group, or rebranded.

If they rebranded or dissolved and reformed under a new name they typically went from SJP to PSC to AD. You can see the progression across social media where accounts for various university groups suddenly stop and others begin following this pattern. Each time it correlates with attention they don't want (e.g. the most recent being the outing of Samidoun as a terrorist front group and the organizer behind these college protests).

But now with the attention being brought towards who is funding and educating these groups and the resulting consequences, I'm seeing them dissolve and join others that align with their ideals. The most recent move is to join YDSA groups across campuses, which in turn have moved from being democratic socialist groups into full blown tankie ones*.

This is another trend I've noticed as groups that purported to be progressive socialist spaces have revealed that they were actually tankie spaces all along, and they were just hiding their more extremist radical positions under a veneer. As we've seen across this site, social media in general, and Leftist spaces, tankies are not friends to Jews and use Soviet era rhetoric to "disguise" their antisemitism behind claims of "anti-Zionism".

I'm saddened that YDSA groups have become this way and have embraced antisemitic propaganda and rhetoric, but I'm not surprised (which saddens me even more).

Part of me knows they're being manipulated by front groups who seek to manipulate their dissatisfaction with the USA, the West, and the world for their own goals. That these fronts are taking these young adults and focusing their fear, anger, empathy, and sympathy at a situation that has nothing to do with them. It's seeding in historical revisionism, conspiracy, antisemitism, and all sorts of hate into these groups by couching it within progressive language. It uses words like "genocide" and "oppressor" to play on the emotions of these young activists because they're big scary words that play to big emotions.

But I've also been around long enough to know that antisemitism is always just below the surface for many people. Yes they're being manipulated by terrorist front groups. But also, how many of them are saying hateful things they've heard throughout their lives? How many of them are just saying horrendous shit towards Jews in the diaspora and/or in Israel who have no power whatsoever regarding this war because they can? How many of them are just being hateful ignorant antisemites because now they can openly spout the conspiracies about Jews they've always believed because society taught them it was true but not okay to say until now?

Something will happen eventually, and I'm sure we'll see these young adult activists complain about it. But freedom of speech and the right to protest here does not mean freedom from consequences. So take a moment before you go and call a Jew a k***to their face and think.

*if your YDSA isn't this way, that's fine, I'm not speaking about yours then. I'm speaking in generalities and trends I've noticed across college campuses and through speaking with my colleagues. We don't focus on single points of data, but the general trend.

[jonatgan-official]

message from students in the West Bank in occupied Palestine, save & spread this message to all your orgs and as many people as possible!!!

[nando161mando]

Via @ydsafiu

"CALLING COMRADES EVERYWHERE!!

Organizers from the Tampa 5 with @tampabaysds the Florida 4 with @sfl_arc and the Young Lords with @newerayounglordsflorida are joining us for a panel on political repression hosted by our chapter!

Florida is becoming an epicenter for the repression of mass movements and organizers, especially those who are BIPOC and LGBTQ, are facing violence from the state as well as from the far right.

We'll discuss the repression our panelists have faced and are currently facing, what it means to fight for bodily autonomy and public education in the era of Ron DeSantis, and how we can begin to fight back with a working class movement!

The panel will be held on Sept 22nd, hybrid and in-person, at Florida International University's Ryder Business Building room 140 and online at

@antifainternational @anarchistmemecollective @kropotkindersurprise @radicalgraff

#joinydsa #ydsa #socialists #socialism #politics #florida #anarchism #HandsOffOurMovements #FreeTheFloridaFour #FreeSoren #FascistFeds

[corythesaxon]

So the YDSA group I used to be an exec for went down hill. This group is supposed to be a socialist and democratic group. The new exec board consists of Communists and Tankies that are re-writing the RSO’s papers to be strictly Communist.

They had the audacity to talk to me like I am an outsider and mansplained to me that Tankie isn’t a real term.

[asthmatic-rheumatic]

I was there picketing last night!! It was a blast!! 🚩

Source

Let’s go!

[facelessoldgargoyle]

do you think if she stayed a warlord in Brockton Bay, Taylor would have developed a cult following? you got the beginning of one springing up on the message boards around the undersiders in general. that one user (don’t remember character name) who wanted to work for Bitch.

I think she would hate the attention, but I think she would also find a number of creative uses for them. Maybe if shit wasn’t so hostile with the PRT (or if they had other threats to worry about) she could have set up grassroots campaigns for influencing politics. Maybe Lisa would show up as a civilian to run these meetings.

What I’m saying is: Lisa would fucking crush it at the Young DSA.

[leftyllama]

YDSA con made biden drop out, you're hearing it here first folks

[pastinawitheggs]

two pieces for a fundraiser, more to come soon : )

[tiixij]

theres a marxist leninist group on campus now !!

[mogai-sunflowers]

🇵🇸 Free Palestine- A guide for getting involved (Somewhat USA-focused)! 🇵🇸

This post is going to get very long, so I'm trying my best to break it up into manageable sections! Some parts of this post are applicable to people outside America, but at this time, I'm only knowledgeable enough about the movement in America to make a post about it!

Find Out About Local Organizations To Get Involved With

The best place to start is to find out what's already happening locally! If you live in a large/larger town/city, chances are something's already happening nearby!

For Americans: Look here to find out about the closest PSL (Party for Socialism and Liberation) chapter to where you live! They are involved in direct activism all across the US!

Find out if there's a PYM (Palestinian Youth Movement) chapter near you! They are extremely active

For college students in the US: Find out if there's an SJP (Students for Justice in Palestine) chapter on your campus! If there isn't, try founding your own! Look at their website here to learn more!

Also for college students in the US: Find out if there's a YDSA (Young Democratic Socialists of America) chapter on your campus!

Participate in BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions)

Find out how to get involved here

Hold Local News Outlets Accountable

Find out about the local news outlets in your area

Keep up-to-date with their publications

If it's a digital source, search it for any and all publications related to Palestine and Israel- if this search yields results, are the articles supportive of Palestine and its supporters?

If you encounter an article/multiple articles that lean towards or outright try to justify Israel's actions or spread propaganda, then you can do a few things-

1) If the article is digital, make a public comment correcting any misinformation in the article. Try to keep your comment straight to the point and factual.

2) Find out who wrote the article and reach out to them personally to discuss said article and the issues you have with it. Share your point of view and discuss misinformation and harmful language contained within the article.

3) Find out the editor of the article, and write a 'letter to the editor'. Such letters may have a word limit varying between different news outlets, so keep your letter brief yet powerful and deconstruct your issues with the article

4) Reach out to the owner of said publication and ask if you can try your hand at writing an opinion piece for them. Sometimes, it can take awhile to get one of your opinion pieces accepted, but if it's something you're passionate about, keep trying!

If a particular news outlet has a repeated pattern of dehumanizing and villifying the Palestinian freedom cause in their publications, try getting in touch with local activist groups! They can help- from organizing letter campaigns to actual protests outside the news headquarters!

Urge Your Town/City to Pass A Ceasefire Resolution-

First, check and see if there's already an organized movement in your town or city to pass a ceasefire resolution (via pressuring your local town/city council)- NOTE: If you live in a very small town, the chances are smaller that there is already an organized movement- but that doesn't mean you can't help to start one

If there is already a movement, find out when the public comment sessions for your town's/city's council are, and find out how you can sign up to speak- if you do so, you can also try and connect with the organizers of your local movement for advice on writing a statement in support of a ceasefire resolution

An addendum to the previous point: if you sign up to speak, find out if you can also provide a visual presentation for your statement- these are often especially powerful

If there isn't an organized movement yet, that doesn't at all mean that one can't be started. I recommend reaching out to the nearest town/city you know of that has an organized movement for a ceasefire resolution

Send emails and letters, and call, to all your town/city council members to consistently urge them to pass a ceasefire resolution

Pressure Your Representatives to Vote against Aid to Israel-

This is not US-specific- if you have representatives of your local area on the national level, you can pressure them through calls, emails, letters, setting up meetings, and direct action, to not sign off on aid proposals for Israel

Setting up meetings is particularly impactful- you have a chance to speak with them or their reps one-on-one with your point of view

Call/email EVERY DAY! Pressure only works if it is consistent, and ask your friends and family members to join you in contacting them to build even more pressure

Donate To-

These fundraisers to help various families leave Gaza

Your local/closest Palestinian Children's Relief Fund's chapter

1 or more of the Global Rahmah Foundation's projects for Gaza

ANERA

HEAL Palestine

Local drives for the World Food Pantry and other local fundraisers are also super important!

This is not an all-inclusive list of ways to support Palestine, it's just intended to be a guide for getting involved for people who want to get involved but aren't sure where to start. Please suggest or correct anything for this post, and please spread it around! @fairuzfan @palipunk @tamarrud @el-shab-hussein @apollos-olives @metalheadsforblacklivesmatter @bfpnola

[dadbodbuck]

fuck it chat i'm swinging the bat at the hornet's nest

911 characters and their political leanings*

* these are personal headcanons don't bite me unless it's sexy

bobby has been a registered democrat since the 90s. he believes in voting in every election, and since 2020 has made sure everyone in the station is registered to vote and votes not just for presidentials but also state, local, and school district elections (before 2020 he was too in his "i can't get attached this isn't a family this is a means to an end" feelings). he is very careful about not pressuring his subordinates into voting one way or the other, and believes in the power of impartiality and subjectivity.

athena is THE establishment democrat to me. she's pro-gay, pro-cop, law and order but ETHICALLY, please! she loooooves nancy pelosi.

may grant is a member of her college's YDSA. this is going to be the thing that makes athena go gray.

maddie is a white suburban democrat. this is entirely based on her vibes

i'm so sorry. buck is apolitical. he never feels like he knows enough on a topic to form an opinion. he asks bobby who to vote for in elections. he is an ally who thinks putting a rainbow emoji on his instagram is effective allyship.

i'm even more sorry. eddie diaz is socially liberal fiscally conservative. he thought he was a raging liberal when he was living in texas because he didn't hate gay people. he hasn't quite unpacked us imperialism yet.

chris (disabled, latino, at least two dads) is cooking a WICKED leftist philosophy tho and when he does eddie and buck will be forever changed. insert whitney chewston mama let's learn meme

hen and karen are both progressive democrats, karen being a little further left than hen. they're especially interested in lgbt+ rights, racial equality, and healthcare access. they frequently go to community events!

chim is full socdem. his bio dad was conservative (fuck him), and the lees were probably some flavor of center left. chim took after the lees until he read the socialist manifesto while he was trying to get his business degree (he dropped out but kept the book) and then he reread it every time gerrard pissed him off. hen and karen do have to drag him to events because he's an introvert however. (yes this one is wishful thinking. this is howard chimney han to ME)

tommy kinard: not enough data. likely some flavor of "reformed right of center" liberal, maybe even leftist?

gerrard: most normal trump voter

ravi: libertarian :/

[edwad]

edwad as ydsa member who is very dsa critical i am curious how you engage with dsa

im an NPEC member (newly appointed to my 2nd term) and i do a lot of political education stuff with my chapter. i feel like being dsa-critical is just part of being in dsa lmfao but im in a pretty big chapter (boston) so its a bit easier to find people to work with who aren't so bad as opposed to when i was organizing in bama and any socialist group i could've worked with was maybe 10 people max. im not sure dsa is the vehicle for socialism or whatever but it allows you to meet people who you might do meaningful work with, maybe even outside of dsa if it comes down to it. i think thats worth it.

[moonlitlex]

hi. please pay attention to what is happening at purdue university encampment as well. the international students being targeted by admin are at risk of losing their visa status which would probably lead to them being deported. here is the guide to calling and emailing admin, for both community members and people outside of the purdue community. i believe they are not taking phone calls any longer but emails are still open.

you can follow ydsa purdue, sjp purdue, jvp indiana, and purdue alumni for palestine for updates.

[arguablysomaya]

has ydsa ever actually been useful

[rin-tezuka]

if katwaa soju was woke rin would use she/they and shizune would run the ydsa (in japan still)

[karinyosa]

columbia u is doing a tuition strike to get all columbia university schools to divest from zionist supporting companies. the admin of the columbia ydsa ig account (@columbiaydsa) offered to help my school organize our own strike if campus groups were interested when i asked if the strike was exclusive to columbia u schools (it is), so if anyone else is wants to do something similar, give them a shout. it sounds like they'd be happy to help + columbia has a history of tuition strikes so will probably be more informative than most