April 17-28, “Points of Attention” Days

Spread the Points of Attention... and Spread REVOLUTION

Updated April 22, 2019 | revcom.us

Updated April 22, 2019 with “Three Key Things About the Points of Attention”

From the National Revolution Tour

Every day, it seems that the outrages mount higher and grow more excruciating. We wake up and see families, driven from their countries by climate change and imperialist plunder or war, languishing at the border or under highway underpasses in the U.S. We see our youth, young women and men of so much promise, either gunned down by the police or by each other, as they act out the system’s warped values. We hear the intensifying threats of war, of amped-up repression, of demonization of Muslims. Sometimes it seems like a new state every day makes yet another assault on a woman’s right to control her body—a right which does not exist without abortion. There is the demonizing of LGBTQ people. And there are the ever-uglier threats from Trump, Pence, and their minions against any who would get in the way of their juggernaut.

“We have two choices: either, live with all this—and condemn future generations to the same, or worse, if they have a future at all—or, make revolution!” —Bob Avakian

So we know about the first choice. But from April 17 to April 28, we aim to make the future posed by the choice for revolution much more real to thousands and thousands, to involve and work with hundreds in doing so and to expand the influence and organized strength of the movement for revolution. These are the days where we’ll be leading people to take up and take out the Points of Attention for the Revolution.

So, what’s the idea?

First read through—really read through—the Points of Attention and think about how much of the goals, methods, and principles of this revolution are packed into it.

Then get into this, from Bob Avakian, from his speech last summer, Why We Need An Actual Revolution And How We Can Really Make Revolution:

Spreading the word, particularly as this is done together with others in a planned, systematic way, can be an important step in joining the organized ranks of the revolution and taking part in the process of building the revolution. A crucial next step in making this revolution real is that, “Thousands need to get organized into the ranks of the revolution now, while millions are being influenced in favor of this revolution.” Getting organized into the ranks of the revolution means acting together with others in a unified way, as an organized force, guided by the strategic plan and leadership for the revolution, building the revolution among broader masses of people, while also getting deeper into the principles, methods, and goals of this revolution, the basics of which are concentrated in the “Points of Attention for the Revolution.” A key form of revolutionary organization are the Revolution Clubs, which live by, propagate, and fight for the “Points of Attention.” The core of the Revolution Clubs are people deeply committed to revolution who closely follow the leadership of the Revolutionary Communist Party, which has the basis, in the new communism, to provide overall leadership for the revolution; but the Revolution Clubs also need to reach out to and involve growing numbers of people who are new to the revolution. The Revolution Clubs are a means through which “people can take part in and powerfully represent for the revolution in an organized way, as they learn more about the revolution and advance toward joining the Party.”

Imagine...

Then, imagine: Points of Attention up in the neighborhoods of the inner city on light poles and in laundromats, and on the bulletin boards of suburban high schools, being posted (openly or surreptitiously) by people who live or go there, with other people grouping around, reading and maybe debating; crowds of people in busy shopping areas or transit hubs, on subway cars or in long lines waiting to get into something, suddenly confronted with pop-up squads or flash mobs distributing the Points and getting into on-the-spot debate-and-discussion-knots over them; attention-grabbing imaginative stunts or pranks where the Points appear; or serious sit-down heart-to-hearts where the questions of could we live this way and what would it take and who is the leadership get joined. Imagine more: classrooms where the teacher or professor has the revolutionaries in to get into this; get-togethers with artists and scholars; figuring out how to get these into—and get these discussed and taken up—in the prisons.

Throughout: the Revolution Clubs and others getting people introduced to Bob Avakian, so they can learn about the humanity of the leader and the road he’s forged that are reflected in these Points, and in everything else he’s done.

Imagine all this where people are getting out the 5 STOPS at the same time, or with tablets or even trucks where some clips from Bob Avakian are playing, bringing alive the sharpness of the two choices we started with.

“What kind of ‘new world’ are you talking about?” “Here—let’s read this together and talk about it.”

“How you gonna get there?” “Watch this video and spread it, and let’s get into it as you do.”

Think about the whole range of questions about past, present, and most of all future that this opens up. Think about the debates over, say, Point 2 or Point 3, or any of the others, where people just getting into these struggle with each other to uphold one or another point. Think about the vibrancy where newer people are bringing their questions and what they run into to the more experienced, where community and struggle are built as we do.

This is part what we aim to set off. We want to hear YOUR ideas as well. For one reason, getting this going in the kind of geometric way we need to is new for us too. Let’s turn revcom.us into a platform where all kinds of experiences are being described and lessons being drawn and debated. Send your ideas and reports of experiences to revolution.reports@yahoo.com.

Let’s get going!