Features

How to Win Friends & Influence People –Andy L

As you’re out and about this weekend at the No Kings Rally, undoubtedly the topic of the war will come up in conversation. Although many reasons are being bandied about for this colossal train wreck, feel free to drop this simple one into the mix: they are doing it to make money.

Yes, that’s a very cynical take, but let’s think about a few things:

• The US spent $2 trillion in Afghanistan to replace the Taliban with the Taliban.
• Bombs dropped and missiles fired need to be replaced—war is a great business for defense contractors.
• Who benefits from the loss of West Asian natural gas fields? US natural gas producers!
• The volatile oil price is making a ton of money for people who know when announcements designed to calm the market will be released.
• Trump is monetizing EVERYTHING. He did it in his first term and he continues it in his second. The rich never have enough—they are always trying to gain more.

Outlandish, you say? Remember that we live in a society that poisoned a city of 100,000 people just because we didn’t want to spend a few hundred dollars on chemicals to keep lead out of the water.

The slow violence of poverty will kill you just as much as the fast violence of a war, it just takes longer, and probably makes more money. We see the violence every day. Why should we be surprised that our capitalist overlords grow impatient and want to speed things along?

Outrage Merchants –Andy L

A conservative neighbor of mine sent me a YouTube video of someone damning the Democrats for the government shutdown and blaming them for all kinds of societal ills. There was A LOT of fussing packed into those 45 minutes (hip tip: set your playback speed to 2x to get more of your day back).

Rather than engaging him with the multiple problems in that video, I pointed out that this YouTuber is just another Outrage Merchant. They take people’s frustration with our society and turn it into a paycheck for themselves. So, the madder you get and the more you want to share it, the more money they make, which is why they are so inflammatory.

They seem to be pitching a line that the Democrats are keeping the Republicans from being able to do right by us. Just like the Republicans obstruct when the Democrats are in charge. In reality, neither side gives a shit about us. We are a revenue stream that the elites keep divided and desperate so that they can use us to fight their wars, clean their houses, or serve them their fancy dinners. As our good friend Lenin reminds us: “The oppressed are allowed once every few years to decide which particular representatives of the oppressing class shall represent and oppress them.” No cavalry is coming to save us. We do this ourselves, or the kids grow up in a world like this, only worse.

The Primacy of Liberation –Andy L

A few weeks ago, a group of Palestinian and Arab thought leaders published Toward A Revolutionary Charter for Comprehensive Liberation. It’s a really good, quick (15 min) read. Although it doesn’t directly address us in DSA, there is wisdom in there for us as well, like this sentence:

This statement calls on Arab intellectuals to stand with us in declaring an end to the intermediary intellectual and the functionary agent, and the birth of the resistant, organic and engaged intellectual who views knowledge and culture not as a luxury or a profession but as a central weapon in the struggle of our people and our nation toward comprehensive liberation and unity.

DSA is often critiqued as a predominantly white, upper class organization. For those of you who feel seen by that analysis, those italicized words are for you. You have more power than you think you do, and you need to find ways to flex it for the good of us all.

If what you’re doing is not liberatory, then you need to think about whether you’re an organizer or a hobbyist. Don’t beat yourself up about it, just be honest about it. Very few people run at 100% all the time. Educate and take care of yourself, and help other people when you can, but remember that we are here to dismantle this capitalist system and liberate all people. Everyone, from the unhoused neighbor who can’t access basic sanitation to the prisoner separated from her family to the children being vaporized because their parents are standing up to our government.

This chaotic, demanding society is designed to gobble up every moment of your life and turn it into someone’s profit. You only have a brief window here to make the world a better place. Be mindful of the time you have.

Bulletins

Movie night: L’inchiesta

In October 1893, Venetian journalist, Adolfo Rossi, traveled across Sicily by mule to interview members of the Fasci Siciliani dei Lavoratori (Sicilian Workers Leagues), a militant socialist movement and uprising of Sicilian workers that spread across Sicily between 1889-1893.

Join us for a screening of the documentary film 1893. L’inchiesta (Italian audio, English subtitles) Friday, March 27th at 6pm in the New Orleans Healing Center, 2372 St. Claude Ave. Room 258.

Marketplace for Cooperatives

DSA members are starting a new tech worker cooperative, and one of our first projects is a marketplace where people can shop online at coops! This is socialism in action, as it supports businesses where workers own the means of production, rather than profiteering shareholders. Read more about the reasons why in our Manifesto.

Sign up for updates on how the marketplace is coming along and share with everyone you know who is interested in supporting worker-owned cooperatives! Visit us at https://solidarityecono.my

Poli-Ed Reading Group: Che Guevara

Please join us at the Healing Center, Room 258, on April 19 to discuss Socialism and Man in Cuba by Che Guevara. The Poli-Ed Reading Group meets on the third Sunday of every month to chat about books, films, articles, and more. Come enjoy good times, good people, and good conversation.

Chevron Out: Update on French Quarter Fest

We have won our demand! After first dropping Chevron from the title sponsorship, the coalition received word that starting in 2027, the festival will no longer be sponsored by Chevron at all. Now take action to thank French Quarter Fest for dropping Chevron and pressure the remaining targets to follow suit! Let’s get out there and show our support for local artists at this year’s FQF.

Queer Soc: LGBTQ+ Map

New Orleans DSA’s Queer Socialists Section has released its map of pro- and anti- LGBTQ+ businesses in the greater New Orleans Area! This map is an ongoing project which requires community support! If you know of a business that is pro- or anti-LGBTQ+, or if you are the owner of a business, please submit information to Queer Soc’s tip-line!

Eye on Surveillance: Demand a Withdrawal of the $740,000 FQMD & NOPD Drone Proposal

NOPD and the French Quarter Management District are proposing a dangerous $740,000 Drones as First Responder program that would launch camera-equipped drones to many 911 calls across the French Quarter. The Drones as First Responder program represents a major expansion of an aerial surveillance system built for constant use.

Police drones are a dangerous investment. A budget deficit has caused hundreds of furloughs, cuts to youth and family programs, and whole city offices to shut down. We cannot afford this expensive, long‑term aerial surveillance system. Tell the FQMD, City Council, and Mayor Moreno: NO POLICE DRONES IN OUR CITY!

Worker Power: Not One Dime at Starbucks

Starbucks Workers United (SBWU) baristas continue their nationwide strike against unfair labor practices. That strike includes our local unionized Starbucks in River Ridge. Please support our striking baristas here and across the country by boycotting Starbucks donating to the workers’ solidarity fund. Baristas have been fighting for over two years for a fair contract. As participants in a wage market system, every worker has a stake in seeing the SBWU fight to the end.

Membership: Meet Comrades in Your Neighborhood Circle

Organizing is about trust, and trust gets built by showing up again and again and getting to know your neighbors. Neighborhood circles are how we connect with comrades where we live, work, or otherwise spend our time. We’re using them to host gatherings, plan events, and organize around issues in our neighborhoods. Click here to join yours today! Neighborhood circles are for members only and follow the chapter’s code of conduct and guidelines for respectful discussion.

Community Calendar

Friday, March 27

Movie night: L’inchiesta
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Healing Center, 2372 St Claude Av #258

Saturday, March 28

Cohort Graduation & Chapter Social
12:30 pm – 2:00 pm
Healing Center, 2372 St Claude Av #258

No Kings
2:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Lafitte Greenway, 2200 Lafitte Av

Sunday, March 29

Metairie Neighborhood Social
10:00 am – 12:00 pm
French Press Coffee House, 4205 Airline Dr, Metairie

Chapter Orientation
8:00 pm – 9:00 pm (first and last Sunday)
Meet

Monday, March 30

Local Council Meeting
8:00 pm
Meet

Tuesday, March 31

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Wednesday, April 1

Queer Soc Meeting
6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Meet

Thursday, April 2

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Friday, April 3

Movie Night: Quilombo
6:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Healing Center, 2372 St Claude Av #258

Saturday, April 4

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Sunday, April 5

Coffee With Comrades
11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Coffee Science, 410 S Broad St

Poli-Ed Planning Meeting
5:00 pm – 6:30 pm
Healing Center, 2372 St Claude Av #258

Chapter Orientation
8:00 pm – 9:00 pm (first and last Sunday)
Meet

Down the Road

April 7 Northshore Reading Group: The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte (Karl Marx)
April 8 Comrades of Comedy
April 11 Brake Light Clinic
April 18 New Orleans DSA General Meeting
April 19 Poli-Ed Reading Group: Socialism and Man in Cuba (Che Guevara)
June 27 New Orleans DSA Local Convention