MIM(Prisons) is a cell of revolutionaries serving the oppressed masses inside U.$. prisons, guided by the communist ideology of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism.
Under Lock & Key is a news service written by and for prisoners with a focus on what is going on behind bars throughout the United States. Under Lock & Key is available to U.S. prisoners for free through MIM(Prisons)'s Free Political Literature to Prisoners Program, by writing:
MIM(Prisons) PO Box 40799 San Francisco, CA 94140.
The year 2019 marks not only a new beginning, but a goal for unification
for us all. As of January 2019, Governor Jerry Brown of California steps
down, leaving $150 million of debt for the cost of death row, and more
than 740 men and women seeking clemency. As well, the state of Georgia,
which houses the largest prisoner population in segregation, looks to
include another generation to their 5,000 offenders on lockdown.
In order to understand the problem of mass incarceration, and develop a
solution, we first have to understand the facts from the myths. First,
contrary to popular beliefs, the states actually lose money on the
overall cost of prisons. States like Pennsylvania, for example, are
undergoing critical budget crises in which it costs more to house you
than it costs to send you to college. Almost $1 trillion annually is the
cost of incarceration. So if it costs so much to house us, why not just
let us go?
Second, releasing offenders from prison will not fix the debt of
operating prisons, because prisons operate on a fixed scale, which
doesn’t really change with the number of residents. It’s roughly $21,000
to house a prisoner, but the state doesn’t save that if you’re released.
Third, incarcerating individuals doesn’t reduce crime. Between 2010 and
2014 the total state prisoner population dropped 4%, with California
contributing to 62% of the total for the country. This dropped overall
crime rate by 1%. However, the now-increasing rate of incarceration has
more than doubled the crime rate.
This being known, the United States still incarcerates more people per
capita than any other country, at a cost of more than $50 billion. Yet
there has been little decline in the total amount of people incarcerated
or amount of prisons. If we hope to fix this problem, we must first
create a solution. The solution is to stop the incentive of
incarceration! Even though the states lose money with prisons, the
employees enjoy the financial gain. Many lobbyists are proposing to
close prisons, but are opening prisons? Since most debt is subsidized to
the state, the prison’s main source of revenue is us! By funding the
prisons we are keeping ourselves locked up. If we refuse to spend money
in the prison, we can expect the prison to change.
This year marks the beginning of “Greatness Nation United” (GNU). We are
the voice of the tired, the angry and defeated. I am inviting all youth
to join the Greatness Movement, where we refuse to fund the prison’s
commissary, prison packages, or any JPay service. If you can’t go
completely without commissary, then once a month spending the lowest
possible amount would impact as well. How is it possible we can
sacrifice our freedom for imprisonment but won’t sacrifice “a few store
goods” for your freedom? Change comes in numbers. I challenge all of you
to being greater than your circumstances this year. Greater than your
situation.
To everyone reading, we are greater than incarceration, only together
can we achieve.
MIM(Prisons) responds: This writer sums up some important facts
about the economics of incarceration. The facts about prison
expenditures above can be found with background information in our
article on
the
U.$ Prison Economy(1), published last year. And as this writer
explains, releasing individual prisoners doesn’t have much of an impact
on the overall cost of incarceration as long as the entire prison is
being maintained. The main cost is the prison itself and the staff
running it. And when prisoners are released the number of staff are not
generally reduced unless the entire prison is shut down.
This comrade suggests a plan for action that will impact the prison
financially. The idea of boycotting prison spending is one of the few
areas where prisoners have some potential power. To spend or not to
spend is discretionary. Of course the prisons can try to starve people
to force them to buy supplemental food for survival. But it is still an
area of power for the prisoner.
Given the $1 trillion in overall burden of prison costs, or just the
$261 billion in direct criminal injustice system expenses, how much
impact can prisoners have with a boycott? Have others found this
effective at forcing change in the past? When we organize actions
against the criminal injustice system, but it’s always good to think
critically about our potential impact as we build new and better tactics
in this battle.
I recently thumbed through a hand-me-down Under Lock & Key.
It was the September/October 2018 issue, No. 64, and had an overwhelming
inspiration to write pledging my allegiance to your cause, and to make
comment on some of the articles I read concerning offenses against
women/girls.
Mostly targeted to those of which appeared to be attempting to justify
their actions with the phrase “consensual” sex with under-aged girls. I
just hope my thoughts and writings will be as readily accepted as those
of others written!
Crimes against women are the most cowardly atrocious acts one can do.
Especially when it involves violent forcible rapes, on down to taking
advantage of under-aged girls, and I am ashamed and humiliated to be a
man during instances as these!
I don’t write from a dark hateful place neither in a negative energy,
but must say, if you are going to stand for a cause, especially a cause
such as the revolutionary one, stand tall and with integrity.
I consider myself a revolutionist, suffering through struggles just to
help change the oppressive abuse of authority being displayed by prison
officials.
Because the current government structure, as you all would say the
injustice system, is designed to make prisoners worse, most likely to
return, for their benefit. It appears their attempt is not to
rehabilitate but destroy, creating spitefulness and anger especially
when they get away with their injustices.
But falling victim to this cycle only lessens us as human beings, if we
get caught up in the wheel of things we are not living up to what we
claim to be standing up for, which is change.
We are ambassadors for change and must conduct ourselves accordingly. We
must stand out from the crowd, not be afraid of individuality. We must
carry our heads high and keep our shoulders squared ready to support the
weight of others, and to lend a shoulder to cry on if need be, with no
ghosts lingering there in the closet.
We must be an energy more spectacular than the universe, an energy that
gravitates others to us, a life energy that creates, cultivates and
protects those we have around us. Building blocks for them to stand
upon, for them who wish to embrace and enjoy change, something new. All
of what we’re allegedly standing for.
If not we are just a fake and a fraud and a continued part of an ongoing
dilemma. Then we are no different than an immoral cult with a fancy
name.
Young ladies (and young girls) should not be preyed upon by older guys,
(especially not us). Guys, even if she were to show interest, and
because you’re a type of role model with a higher standard of morality.
As a revolutionist we are obligated to change the exploitation of girls
and women alike. Instead, we should help her identify her potential,
help channel her energy into something more spectacular, building her up
to becoming a powerful leader of her own kind who could lead the way for
others who either of us probably could not reach and relate to.
I am sadly disgusted, if not outright disturbed, when a guy, especially
an alleged revolutionist claims consensual sex with a young girl. Are
you truly incapable of handling a woman who knows how to handle a man?
I will not forget to mention that more despicable crimes against women
like forcible rape with drugs, drink or intimidation. We should be
advocating for these women, just as well. We cannot continue to accept
these types of cowardliness and we as men are just as cowardly if we
refuse to intervene. If you see a woman in need of help, help her. Don’t
turn a blind eye to her black eyes, in the hallway or at the store, step
in.
If not where’s the revolution?? It isn’t simply a donation one goes
through with while you’re incarcerated? Or is it?
So then where does it start? With us here and now while in prison with
the wonderful help from those there on the outside who understand and
sympathize with our struggle of oppression, and who also want to unify
and make changes.
Us as prisoners must strive to finally become educated women and men. We
must come to realize the government down to the prison authorities have
things just the way they want them, conquered and divided, defeated and
hopeless (don’t think) (don’t know) and surely never united, they
snicker and laugh.
We have slumbered for too long. We must allow the awakening of our minds
which is an extremely powerful entity on its own, coupled with your
energy and drive we can really make a difference. We are the biggest
army (and can be the most fearless army) any government could go up
against. They wouldn’t know what to do if we shook the illusions from
our eyes.
We as prisoners must lay down the knives and pick up the pens and books,
learn the law and your rights.
It starts here and now with us and carries on afterward onto the
streets. It’s war time, our slogan all lives matter equally, not just
the corrupt in high places, our pasts are gone, future is ahead.
MIM(Prisons) responds: Glad you found ULK so agreeable and
took the time to write us. We agree that being a shining example is an
important aspect of leadership. In thinking about recruiting and
retaining recruits, consistent behavior by our leaders that is
upstanding in the eyes of the masses is something that contributes to
this greatly. While we prefer people learn to follow correct ideas
rather than individuals and great leaders, we can benefit by always
trying to be and develop more great leaders. The fruits of this practice
can come to bear years down the line when you least expect it.
Being ashamed of being part of an oppressor group (men) is a righteous
response, and one that leads many of us to commit class, nation or
gender suicide; meaning to take up actions and politics that go against
the interests of the oppressor groups that we belong to. In the
imperialist countries we all must struggle in this way to be in
solidarity with the world’s majority.
We have addressed the question of dating/romantic relationships, how
they should be approached by revolutionaries, and specifically the
question of older men dating younger wimmin. In doing so we strongly
discourage dating recruits, especially in situations where things are
more likely to be construed as manipulative, such as dating younger
wimmin. (1) As for dating in general, again we echo your advice of being
shining examples that the masses will respect and trust.
We like your message of helping empower young wimmin with your
influence. This is in contrast to a patriarchal/protective approach,
that emotions around these issues can lead to. To say that crimes
against wimmin are the most atrocious tends to fall into this
subjective/patriarchal thinking. We do not believe that crimes against
wimmin are inherently worse, but that our society treats them very
differently because we live in a patriarchal society. A California
prisoner addresses the impact of approaches to gender oppression that is
purely emotional on the imprisonment of New Afrikan men in
“Due
Process in the Era of #MeToo.”(2)
In prison you often hear C.O.s say, “I don’t care, write it up,” and the
prisoner will think, “what’s the point? a grievance won’t work.” But
that’s not true. What is going on here is reverse psychology. When the
officer puts on an air of nonchalant unconcern, it is only a show to put
the thought in your mind that all complaints would be futile. But truth
be told, that officer doesn’t want any negative attention from the
administration, and he definitely doesn’t want his name coming across
the warden’s desk.
I have seen with my own eyes one of those segregation big fat bully type
pigz practically beg a prisoner not to file a grievance on him, then
bribe him with extra food. This C.O. already had other prisoners file on
him in the past for his oppressive behavior, so he was walking on thin
ice. Recently, I filed a complaint about the cracks along the walls of
my cell that were allowing bugs to enter. My intention was to get the
cracks sealed. Instead, they sent an exterminator in yesterday to spray.
It wasn’t what I wanted but I got results. Now all I have to do is
continue to apply pressure.
Not all of us prisoners have the financial resources to file lawsuits,
but there are many tactics and methods at our disposal if we would only
think. No one likes to be constantly harassed, and when you harass the
enemy on as many fronts as possible, just a bunch of seemingly
insignificant prisoners can jab at a giant corporation until it
surrenders. After all, their exploitation of us is dependent upon our
cooperation.
But, of course, grievances and complaints are only a temporary solution
to ease the sufferings of the average prisoner. Our main objective
should be complete liberation, which will require a lot more from us.
But that’s another story.
July 2018 – We remember for all time in the future the terrible and
untimely political assassinations of Comrade George and Jonathon
Jackson. Black August and bloody September are fast approaching and
while many people will of course mourn due to these fatalities committed
by the state, we shouldn’t be saddened by these most terrible
atrocities. We should rejoice and see repression as a logical response
by the capitalist masters to stop our thrust upward.
The history of Amerika’s reign of terror begins with its start as a
settler’s colony that exterminated the otherwise “savage and backward”
Indians, and raped Africa for her peoples to build and industrialize
this young nation. The trends toward monopoly capital actually began
during the civil war, during the only time where the masters of capital
felt the greatest threats to its power. Amerikan history has always been
a story of masters and slaves, dominators and dominated, capitalists and
workers, and haves and have-nots. But the centralization of state power
actually began during the age of the Industrial Revolution.
The earlier vanguard parties betrayed the interest of the people by
sticking to reformism, even though reformism in Amerika is an old story.
At the close of World War II when the purple mushroom clouds over Japan
were aired for the world to see, fascism did indeed emerge and
consolidate itself in its most advance form in Amerika. In fact the
trends towards monopoly capital might have begun right here in Amerika.
The Black Panther Party formed as a response to state terror. The savage
repression which can be estimated by a brief reading of the nation’s
dailies has not failed to register on the minds of most lower
disenfranchised, especially when you couple the fact that we are worth
no more than the amount of capital that we can raise. Whether they know
it or not we are victims of both social and economic injustice and our
economic status has reduced our minds to a state of complete oblivion.
The older vanguard parties were committed to reformism and its
counter-productive nature. The Black Panther Party, American Indian
Movement, Black Liberation Army however were committed and prepared to
take the fight to whatever level needed to be taken in order to make
sure that the demands of the people were met. As a response, J. Edgar
Hoover and his secret branch (COINTELPRO) devised a plan to stop a
“Black Messiah” from rising out of the ghetto that could lead the people
to revolution. On 4 December 1969 Gloves Davis, a black officer in
Chicago, killed Black Panther leaders Fred Hampton and Mark Clark. Of
course the COINTELPRO was very effective in infiltration tactics,
because Fred Hampton’s bodyguard was later to be revealed as a “class
defector and stool pigeon” for the forces of repression.
We shouldn’t be sad that George is gone. We should be sad that no one
has ushered in to take up his works, even though so many champion him
and also since there are guerillas all over who shout “George,” but have
yet to follow in his footsteps. Our overall situation doesn’t stand out
as glaringly as it did during the 1960s and 70s. However we should not
be tricked into thinking that the struggle is no more. The hip-shooting
pigs still gun us and call it justifiable homicide due to the trends in
the crime culture we have embraced. The crime culture only mimics the
European experience. In order for us to seize the time we should think
in terms of true freedom. The freedom that comrade George fought and
died for. Long live the real Dragon.
MIM(Prisons) associate responds:
The author mentions that “[t]he earlier vanguard parties betrayed the
interest of the people by sticking to reformism, even though reformism
in Amerika is an old story.” However, not all the early vanguard parties
were reformist. In general, vanguard parties are not reformist in
nature, although they might work on reformist campaigns (wimmin’s
rights, prisoners’ rights, etc.). Vanguard parties, by definition, aim
to be the force that lead the revolution. So why did the vanguard
parties fail?
One obvious reason is that the United $tates has not entered a
revolutionary situation. Due to a variety of factors, and despite the
presence of vanguard parties in different places and at different times,
there has not been a substantial proletarian movement for freedom. In
Lenin’s terms, the workers during the Industrial Revolution in the
United $tates only reached basic Trade Union Consciousness, not
Proletarian Consciousness. Their goal was for better working conditions,
not a new system.
This goes hand-in-hand with the second reason. As J. Sakai argues in
Settlers: The Mythology of the White Proletariat, there has never
been a substantial proletariat in the United $tates. Despite the
presence of oppressed national minorities, lumpen proletariat, and a few
revolutionaries, the revolutionaries have never reached a critical mass.
This is especially true today, as almost all real labor has been pushed
to the Third World and Euro-Amerikkkans are living off of the
superexploitation of the Third World proletariat.
The author also mentions that “fascism did indeed emerge and consolidate
itself in its most advance form in Amerika.” MIM(Prisons) believes that
the
United $tates is not currently a fascist country (nor has it been in
the past). Amerikkka is obviously imperialist and this imperialist core
was inscribed into the Amerikkkan project from the very beginning,
however we do not equate imperialism with fascism. Fascism is a form of
imperialism, but we don’t think it’s the current state of the world. And
we see the most fascist expression of imperialism in Third World
countries where imperialists are imposing their will.
Fascism is a form of imperialism, and so this means fascism is a form of
capitalism. Fascism is the final attempt for the bourgeoisie to remain
the dominant aspect in the contradiction between the bourgeoisie and the
proletariat. As the proletarian forces become stronger, the imperialists
go to even more extreme measures to protect their beloved economic
system. To say we’re in a fascist scenario now, or we’re moving toward
fascism, is to overstate the strength of the proletarian forces in the
present day. Fascism is enhanced imperialism, so it’s natural that we
would see some elements of our current imperialist society appearing
more like fascism than others, even if we haven’t moved into fascism as
an overall system.
Revolutionary greetings to all who stand firm in opposition, and we
extend our most sincere wishes of suffering and death to those in our
midst whom compromise their dignity on a daily, serving the interest of
our captors, and killing US in the process.
We received ULK 63 and as always we were fed with the best of
nutrients for the struggles. My comrade in arms (a structured Kiwe
Nationalist) and I do all we can to push and pull one another, as we are
virtually surrounded by: 007 agents, Adolph wannabes, and mentally
retarded “gangsta” caricatures who are clueless as to what “convict”
entails.
In truth, I/we are at a loss as to explain this “twilight zone” Oregon
DOC system. The standards by which the vast majority base their
day-to-day ethos on are so unrecognizable that we question exactly what
planet we are on!! In ODOC it is “okay” to collaborate with pigs, as
long as one is not a sex offender!
The majority of the populace appears to be under the influence of some
kind of mind-altering pills! We note that OCOD has a deliberate “agenda”
in place, in which medical doles out pills to whomever says they can’t
cope! We all recognize that these gulags have very negative impact(s),
and some of us truly need help. My point in bringing this up is only to
say that the pigs are utilizing drugs to further weaken captives.
Captives who are already weakened by the effects of life as “half men”
in capitalist Amerikkka. It is as if these ODOC isolation units are
being utilized to create “pets,” men made docile by narcotics,
conditioned to serve pigs’ interests, via apathy and, at times, outright
anger directed towards the progressives/movement.
How do we combat “Stockholm syndrome”? The ODOC cultural norm is to be
anti-ethical and as such, those of us that live and breathe struggle
find our backs closing in on the walls! Permitting ourselves to be
disrespected with no response(s) is exactly how we have come to find
ourselves in this position. “Patience taken too far is cowardice” said
Comrade George. Without examples made, the masses have no illuminated
path and thus remain in darkness and ignorance! Guess what I/we ask is,
at what point does it become a prerequisite to revolutionary cultural
creation that the strugglist(s) utilize non-peaceful means? This is the
looming question for the brothas of struggle here.
We New Afrikans are few and far between in ODOC. However, make no
mistake about it, we are here and are striving forward! Boots laced,
backs straight, eyes firmly on the prize! Freedom or Death! Power to the
People.
MIM(Prisons) responds: This question, of when is it time to take
up non-peaceful means of struggle should be at the forefront of the
minds of revolutionaries. If we act too soon we end up getting ourselves
and our comrades killed, or locked up (if they aren’t already in
prison). But if we wait too long we are responsible for unnecessary
deaths and suffering.
In the more specific situation behind bars within the Amerikan criminal
injustice system, we know the long game is taking down the entire
system. But the smaller battles include winning people over to the side
of revolutionary struggle, and making space for organizing by fighting
repression.
The question we always have to ask about any action is: what is the risk
and what is the reward? Someone is attacking you with a weapon, should
you fight back? Risk: you get tossed in seg for fighting, Reward: you
don’t get killed. The reward wins. But in the case this comrade raises,
where everyone is collaborating with the pigs and taking pills, the
risks and rewards are harder to work out. Are there actions that will
win people away from collaborating with the enemy? Or will those actions
just bring down more punishment on the few who are resisting? These
questions have to be answered by people involved in each situation.
We encourage our comrades to work on ways they can create revolutionary
culture now, while using peaceful means. Sharing ULK is one way
of doing this, and what are others?
We can only offer this framework, and encourage everyone to remember
that revolution isn’t an overnight action. We’re in this for the long
battle against imperialism. Even within the belly of the beast,
surrounded by enemies, we can’t lose sight of our ultimate goals.
We are caught up in a system of competitiveness that pits one against
the other, brother against brother, family against family, people
against people, braceros against domestics, ethnic groups against ethnic
groups, color against color, class against class, instead of minority or
lower class against the ruling class. Competitiveness creates division,
distrust, suspicions, and isolation. We have too much to lose to allow
ourselves to fall into the same trap over and over again. What is in it
for me, for you, for us?
All of our lives, we identify with war heroes, supermen, adventurers,
gold seekers, empire builders, and imaginary leaders. We dream of praise
and honors and love from other people. We go through life hoping to
leave some sign of accomplishment to our children, to posterity, and we
end up old, tired, wrinkled, with no vision or no memories, and we leave
an inheritance of weakness, boot-licking, indignity, and confusion.
We can make history. It will consist of those who tried, who resisted,
who led, who dared to struggle, dared to live free. It will also expose
those who are afraid, ashamed, arrogant, selfish, greedy, sellouts,
malinches, social prostitutes, Tio Tacos, exploiters, and cowards.
If there is to be a movement, then there must be leaders. Those leaders
must be judged by their ability to give, not take. Leadership must
convert confidence, not egotism – one who sacrifices, not one who is an
opportunist. Leadership is the act of using power to free people, not to
control them.
All in all, we have to cleanse ourselves of “inferiority” complex, our
peon complex and our immigrant complex. We are not inferior, we are no
man’s peons, and we are not and never have been immigrants. As complete
humans, we cannot only build an organization, start a movement, but
create a nation. To take these steps we have to think positively. We
have to put aside negative thoughts about each other, and especially
about our capacity to succeed.
The masses will make a difference. We are educating young people. Our
young people here and across this country are saying, I am leading a
“Resistance” against institutional racism, racism or oppression. But
when no one stands up with that young person, he commits suicide? You
see the reason we have problems is because too many people do not want
to get involved. When the guy in the cantina, prison cell or yard, the
pool hall or the barber shop tells you, “Man, those movement people are
out of their minds. I take care of me.” Ask him what he’s doing for la
causa. Ask him what he’s doing for the movement. He’s not going to be
able to say anything. He is part of the problem because he’s not doing
anything.
So we look at the problem: the problem is the mass majority of society.
It’s true. It’s true that only 6% of the population of this country
controls more than 60% of the wealth of the world. It’s true that 2% of
this country makes all the decisions. And everybody thinks they are
living in a democratic society.
So the problem is on our backs, and the way to get rid of it is to deal
with it. Now, we can deal with it by saying we are going to go into an
armed Revolution with 4% of the people against maybe 50% of the people?
Long Live The Days of AZTLAN!
MIM(Prisons) responds: We are up against what seems like an
insurmountable number of people either actively or passively on the side
of imperialism in this country. It’s a good point that if we took up
armed revolution right now we’d be a tiny minority, up against a lot of
resistance. This is because the vast majority of U.$. citizens are
benefiting materially from imperialism. It’s pretty obvious to most
people just how well off they are compared to the rest of the world.
That’s why so many people want closed borders; don’t let poor people in,
they might take back some of that wealth we’ve got protected in the
United $tates.
But this writer is talking about organizing the oppressed nations
specifically and that’s a bit of a different story. While still
benefiting from the wealth Amerika has stolen from Third World
countries, oppressed nations continue to face restricted opportunities,
discrimination, imprisonment, and police brutality (to name just a few
elements of national oppression within U.$. borders), all because of
their nationality. This makes people from oppressed nations still
potentially interested in revolution for their own persynal interests.
So yes, we need to heed this comrade’s call to challenge people about
what they’re doing for la causa. We need to win over everyone we can.
But we might not be in a position to take on imperialism until it is
weakened from the outside, by revolutions in countries where the
majority of the population has an interest in taking down imperialism.
Right now we do what we can from within the belly of the beast to
support the battles of the oppressed and exploited masses globally and
the struggles of the oppressed nations within U.$. borders.
Vita Wa Watu! This is one essay on my tactics to recruit Brothas and
Sistas for certain movements. Take the Day of Peace and Solidarity for
instance. I sent out letters to those that have a Genuine Love for me
and the Struggle and kept it real with them. I informed them that I
would be fasting for the 9th day of September because it was a day that
meant more to Oppressed and Lumpen than the Sabbath does to the Jews. I
told them that that day is a day of Peace in the Prisons around the
country and that it commemorated one of the biggest prison uprisings in
the states, and also that it was the last day of the now annual prison
strike.
Then I informed them that this Glorious Day meant that there would be no
beatings, rapes, stabbings, or any violence of the Oppressed against the
Oppressor and that it mean a lot to me if they would fast with me. I got
a few confirmations and still awaiting others.
Also, I let the Brothers here in Ad-Seg know the meaning of this day.
However, only one Soulja fasted with me. Nevertheless, the day was a
success here at Northeastern Correctional Center. Stay strong, Comrades.
I will join you again next year.
MIM(Prisons) responds: In ULK 64 we printed some
early
reports of actions on the September 9 Day of Peace and Solidarity.
We’re happy to hear about this work going on in Florida.
And this is a good example of sharing your tactics for organizing and
recruiting. The next issue of Under Lock & Key is devoted to
this topic and we’re seeking moreinput from readers about what’s worked
for you, and also what hasn’t worked. We can all learn a lot from our
practice and from the practice of others. Sum up your organizing
experiences and send them in for ULK. See ULK 63 for our
prior deep dive into this topic.
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela
Duckworth Scribner, 2016
[Editor’s note: This review of Grit follows on several articles printed
in ULK 63
about the book and lessons we can glean for our organizing. This comrade
offers a more in-depth review of some of the practical uses for our
work, but also some criticisms of the politics of the book. We encourage
readers to check out ULK 63 for more on organizing theory and
practice.]
I really like this book, not just because I found lots of useful tactics
and strategies for pursuing my own personal goals in life, but because I
was able to see that I’ve already been putting many of the author’s
suggestions into practice, both in my capacity as a revolutionary and as
someone pursuing a particular goal: my freedom. Therefore, in writing
this review, I have not only tried to sum up the tactics and strategies
I found most useful, but those which others might find use for as well.
However, this review is not without criticism.
The author of this book, Angela Duckworth, is a professor of psychology
at the University of Pennsylvania and she wrote this book to make one
basic statement: success in any endeavor is dependent on the amount of
time, hard work, determination, and effort that someone puts into
something.
Now this concept might not seem so special or even new to someone, but
to a dialectical materialist, it speaks power to truth in that it
demolishes certain idealist and metaphysical notions about what it means
to be gifted and blessed in bourgeois society. Of course, as a
dialectical materialist, I also understand that this book must be viewed
with a critical eye, as it contains both positive and negative aspects.
Professor Duckworth makes it a point to begin eir book by explaining
that lofty-minded individuals aren’t usually the type of people to
accomplish much of anything. Rather, it’s those with a “never give up”
attitude that will reach a marked level of success. Professor Duckworth
also successfully argues against the myth that the only thing that
matters is “talent.” Instead she says a bigger factor is developed
skill, which is the result of consistent and continuous practice. From a
Maoist perspective this means that it is people who take a materialist
approach to life and who understand the dialectical interplay between
people and people, and between people and their surroundings, that will
go the furthest the fastest.
In addition, the author puts forward organizational guidelines that are
useful to just about anyone, even the imprisoned lumpen. How prisoners
decide to exercise the professor’s tools is entirely up to them. We
would hope however, that USW members and other allies participating in
the United Front for Peace in Prisons would use the lessons in
Grit to further the anti-imperialist prison movement, as what
they essentially amount to is the piecemeal approach to struggle.
So what does it take to develop grit as the author defines it? The
following are just some of the book’s pointers that I could relate to
and I’m sure you can too:
Having direction as well as determination.
Doing more of what you are determined to do and doing it longer equals
grit.
Learn from your mistakes.
Grit is more about stamina than intensity (“Grit is not just working
incredibly hard, it’s loyalty”).
Do things better than they have ever been done before.
Goals are essential to strategizing long term, and you must also have
lots of short-term goals along the way.
Having goal conflicts can be healthy: what may at one given moment seem
contradictory may in fact be complementary.
Don’t be intimidated by challenges or being surrounded by people who are
more advanced or developed. This can only help you grow.
Overextending yourself is integral toward growth, it’s what helps you
develop. Also, repetitive diligence cultivates.
Daily discipline as perseverance helps you to zero in on your
weaknesses.
Passion is a must!
Go easy on newcomers.
Look for quality over quantity when measuring growth.
What we do has to matter to other people.
Have a top level goal.
Stay optimistic!
Maintain a growth mindset.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help!
Following through is the single best predictor of grit.
Getting back up after you’ve been kicked down is generally reflective of
grit. When you don’t, your efforts plummet to a zero. As a consequence,
your skill stops improving and you stop producing anything with whatever
skill you have.
So now that we’ve looked at tools for overall improvement, growth and
development let’s look at some specific tips on how to add a little more
intensity to our routines and organizational skill set. The author talks
about something she calls “deliberate practice.” Deliberate practice is
a technique or range of techniques that people across different
professions use to become masters in their fields. Whether someone is a
spelling bee champ, professional basketball player, or computer
programmer, all these people have one thing in common: deliberate
practice. I include the message here because it can be useful to
revolutionaries. Simply put, deliberate practice is all about becoming
an expert at something. Deliberate practice is the essence of grit:
Wanting to develop.
Not just more time on task, but better time on task.
Focusing on improving your weaknesses; intentionally seeking out
challenges you can’t yet meet.
Practicing alone, logging more hours than with others.
Seeking negative feedback for the purposes of improving your craft.
Then focus in on the specific weaknesses and drill them relentlessly.
Don’t be afraid to experiment if you find yourself getting stuck or even
if you’re not. Sometimes you have to get out of your comfort zone even
if you’re already doing good. Who knows, you might do better.
Now, at the beginning of this review, I said this book was not beyond
criticism. So here are some problems I found with Grit.
To begin with, the author caters to the idealist Amerikan ideology of
“pulling yourself up by your bootstraps” and failing to take into
account the structural oppression faced by the internal semi-colonies in
the United $tates. Furthermore, most of the author’s case studies, those
who she refers to as “paragons of grit,” come from privileged
backgrounds and their success in life can be easily linked to the
surroundings in which they were allowed to develop their skills to their
fullest potentials. Compare this to the experience of the oppressed
nations: the lumpen in particular who exist along the margins of
society, or the Chican@ semi-proletariat who must struggle in order to
meet its basic needs. Therefore, all is not simply a matter of will and
determination for the oppressed as we might be led to believe. There are
a variety of social factors in place which the oppressed must contend
with in the grind of daily life.
Another problem I have with this book is where the author makes the
statement that it generally takes up to 10,000 hours or 10 years of
practice for someone to become an expert in their field. The author
bases this hypothesis on data she’s gathered in preparation for eir
book. This inherent flaw in the professor’s work is exactly the type of
problem that comes from applying bourgeois psychology and sociological
methods according to bourgeois standards within a narrow strip of
bourgeois society. This was something of a turn off to me as I grappled
with the concepts from a revolutionary perspective. I can imagine how
discouraging it can be for our young comrades or those otherwise new to
the struggle to read that it takes 10 years to become an expert in
something, especially when they come to us eager to put in work. I
wonder if I, myself, would have continued engaging Maoism if I would
have heard or read this book when I was a newcomer? I would like to
think that I had enough grit to not listen to the naysayers and instead
keep on pushing, but I just don’t know.
Maoist China also grappled with similar questions during the Great Leap
Forward (1959-61) and the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution
(1966-76). Beginning with the Great Leap Forward, there were those in
the Communist Party, as well as in the economic sector, who advocated an
“expert in command” approach to work and politics. The people pushing
this line believed that only those with years of study or practice in
China’s greatest institutions or in the West’s most prestigious
universities were qualified to lead the country towards socialism. Most
of these people would turn out to be enemies of the revolution and
ultimately responsible for putting China back on the capitalist road.
On the other side of the discussion where the Maoists who advocated the
slogan “red and expert” to emphasize the importance of revolutionary
will and determination over that of expertise. In other words, it was
more important to pay attention to the masses motivation of serving the
people according to revolutionary principles than to the bourgeois
commandist approach of top down leadership and authoritarianism that was
the essence of “experts in command.” Furthermore, the Maoists understood
that to overly emphasize a reliance on the bourgeois methods of
organization for the purposes of efficiency and profit was not only to
widen the gap between leaders and led, but to return to the status quo
prior to the revolution. What’s more, those calling for expert in
command were also criticized for their stress on theory over practice
and adoption of foreign methods of organization over that of
self-reliance and independence. As such, the Maoists opted to popularize
the slogan “red and expert” as they believed this represented a more
balanced approach to political, cultural, economic, and social
development. To the Maoists, there was nothing wrong with wanting to
become expert so long as the concept wasn’t separated from the needs of
the people or the causes of the revolution.
Partly as a response to the struggles gripping China during the time,
but more so as an attempt to meet Chinese needs, the Communist Party
initiated the “sent down educated youth” and “going down to the
countryside and settling with the peasants” campaigns in which thousands
of high school and university age students were sent on a volunteer
basis to China’s rural area to help educate peasants. The students lived
and toiled with the peasants for months and years so that they would not
only learn to empathize with the country’s most downtrodden, but so that
the revolutionary will and resolve of the privileged urban youth could
be strengthened. Part of the students’ mission was to build the schools
in the countryside and teach the peasants how to read and write as well
to help advance the peasants’ farming techniques according to what the
youth had learned in the cities. While these students may not have been
“experts” in the professional sense, they did more to improve the living
conditions of the peasants than most professionals did criticizing this
program from the sidelines.(1)
The barefoot doctors program is another Maoist success story which even
Fidel Castro’s Cuba came to emulate. The majority of China’s population
were peasants and had virtually zero access to modern medical care. To
address this problem, peasants were given a few years training in basic
medical care, and sent to work in China’s rural area. Again, the focus
here was not on expertise, but on practice and revolutionary will for
the sake of progress not perfection. While those trained certainly were
not expert medical doctors, they were of more use to the peasants than
the witch doctors and shamans they were accustomed to.
While Grit offers a lot of useful information for comrades with
little organizational experience, we should keep in mind that much of
what we communists consider correct methods of practice has already been
summed up as rational knowledge by the revolutionary movements before
us. Bourgeois psychology can be useful, but history and practice are our
best teachers. Look to the past and analyze the present to correctly
infer the future.
As Mao Zedong Stated: “Marxists hold that man’s social practice alone is
the criterion of the truth of his knowledge of the external world.”(2)
MIM(Prisons) responds: Throughout the book, Duckworth focuses on
high-performance bourgeois heroes and institutions, in order to address
the question of “what makes them the best at what they do?” In answering
this question, the author does briefly acknowledge that access to
resources can play a decisive role in one’s success in a particular
field. That might mean having money to pay for pool access to become a
great swimmer. In another way, access to resources might boil down to
the semi-random luck of having a decent (or crap) coach in public school
sports. Of course there are socio-economic reasons why good coaches are
at certain schools and not others, and why some schools have sports at
all and others don’t – and those are reasons linked to the three strands
of oppression.
Duckworth’s analysis of how we (as outsiders) can influence someone’s
internal grit underlined how big of an influence one persyn or
experience can have on someone else’s passion and perseverence. For
example, we don’t need material resources to change our attitude and
behavior to a “growth mindset.” And, while a broader culture of grit is
certainly preferable, we can still make a big impact as single
organizers – in many of eir examples, the paragons of grit cited one or
two key people in their lives who played a major part in their success.
And ULK’s contributors’ persynal histories in “Ongoing Discussion
of Recruiting Best Practices” confirms this.
Duckworth’s analysis on this topic is outlined in “Part 3: Growing Grit
from the Outside In,” and MIM(Prisons) has been discussing this section
at length to improve our own practices. We have an extremely limited
ability to organize and influence people – we are only struggling with
our subscribers through the mail, which comes with many unique
challenges. Our subscribers have access to very little resources, and we
can’t buy them the world. But if we can make even our limited contact
more effective – through our study, execution, experimentation, and the
feedback we receive – we believe we can still make a big impact.
Duckworth helped build my confidence that even though i’m only one
organizer, and i’m not really that talented at it to begin with, my
efforts still matter a lot.
While Duckworth does good to knock down the idols of talent, ey replaces
them with the hardworking individual, rather than the knowledge of the
collective, and group problem solving. The group is acknowledged as one
thing that can help you as an individual become great, in eir discussion
of the “culture of grit.” The examples from China that Ehecatl brings up
emphasizes that our goal is not to be great as individuals, but to serve
the people by bringing together different sources of knowledge, to see a
problem from all sides, and to engage the masses in conquering it.
In a related point, Ehecatl says that we need to “do things better than
they have ever been done before.” I’m not sure of the deeper meaning
behind this point, and it’s one that i think could be read in a
discouraging way. We certainly should aim to do things better than we
have ever done them. But if we know we can’t do them better than
everyone ever, then should we give up? No, we should still try, because
“effort counts twice” and the more we try, the better we’ll get at
it.(3) And, even if we’re not the best ever, we can still have a huge
impact. Like Ehecatl writes above, we don’t need to clock 10,000 hours
before we can make big contributions.
To deepen your own understanding of the principles in Grit, get a
copy to study it yourself. Get Grit from MIM(Prisons) for $10 or
equivalent work-trade.
13 May 2018 – 208 prisoners of every race, background, group,
organization, etc. said enough is enough! We came together and sat down
in a peaceful protest. During dinner (chow hall) as usual the pigs not
only violated our constitutional rights (First Amendment freedom of
speech) but they also attempted to bully us by flex’n and threatening
us. That’s when our peaceful protest turned uprising. I wish y’all could
have seen the way all the guards (C.O.s, Sergeants, Lieutenants, etc.)
ran out the kitchen and chow halls. You would have thought they ran
track! Who the cowards now?
For the first time in Missouri history we united. The pigs see the end
of their control within our unity. In a matter of seconds we gained
control of the kitchen, both dining halls, property room, canteen
storage, the factory, forklifts, weapons, keys, phones, computers, etc.
Well after a few hours the phones start to ring. Guess who’s calling?
The warden and highway patrol. For the first time they listened to our
demands. They respected us. They feared our unity. They was at our
mercy.
On our own terms we surrendered 8-9 hours later. After we got our point
across.
Note: 90% of guys in our peaceful protest turned uprising have outdates
ranging between a few weeks and 15 years. So only imagine if the outcome
was the other way around. 90% of us could have been locked to the board
(life without?).
Due to us striving so fast and hard we left administration not only
confused but also emotionally off balance. Being that this never
happened before in Missouri history they acted off impulse and violated
every constitutional right you can think of. Which led to KC Freedom
Project lawyers starting a class action lawsuit on our behalf against
Missouri DOC. The media has been on fire regarding this.
Update? We still on lockdown! We still receiving brown bags (sack
lunches). They say it was $3 million worth of damage. They making us do
1 year. We damn near 6 months in.
Administration is still up to their tricky ways. They have attempted to
divide and conquer us by destroying all the guys’ property that was in
the hole and told them we did it. Also telling all the guys in GP it’s
our fault they are locked down still. So yeah the struggle continues.
By the way, there have been two other uprisings of this kind since we
kicked it off. If we can unite here in Missouri where unity has never
existed then any state can.
Another Missouri prisoner wrote:
It has been 13 months since the prisoners bonded together, Black, White,
Native and brown (Chicano) and kicked off a riot at Crossroads
Correctional Center in Cameron, Missouri, causing over a million dollars
in damage. What did it accomplish?
Prison property got damaged that your families who are tax payers
(and you too cause you pay taxes on your canteen items) are going to
have to pay for the damages.
You injured one another with violent acts and all it accomplished is
enemies, and lockdown of the prison.
Supposedly two housing units are to be cleared out for the creation of
SHU units. They are supposed to lock up all the gang leaders and violent
soldiers.
As of now, this is all just rumor, but every time Missouri prisoners
show acts of violence via riots, the prison gets stricter. For example,
the 1985 riot in the old Missouri State Penitentiary caused them to
build a supermax housing unit.
When are we gonna learn that we are hurting ourselves more ways than one
by these acts of violence? When I was advocating peaceful protests with
demonstrations of how to shut the prison system down, nobody in Missouri
wanted to participate. But you go off on your own and committed this no
nonsense act of violence against your brother, your friends, your
families, and jeopardized everyone.
It costs $85 million a year to keep the U.S. prisons up and running. The
government is not producing this money to keep the prisons going. So
where is the money coming from? Let’s see now, in Missouri it’s coming
from Missouri Vocational Enterprise (MVE), the sign shop, the printing
shop, the license plate plant (tag plant), the furniture factory, the
chemical plant, information technology (IBM program), the braille
program, the laundry, the cooled-chill plant (cold food storage), the
shoe factory, the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDot work
release) and the newly implemented paneling factory.
The above-mentioned factories are multi-million-dollar industries per
year. They are paying you pennies. So what a couple of these jobs pay
between $150 and $300 per month. If you peacefully protest by refusing
to go to work in these factories, either they are going to pay you at
least minimum wage where you will be making at least $340 a week, or
they are gonna bring in civilians to do the work, in which case the
factories are going to have to be uprooted and moved because most
civilians are not coming inside the prisons to work. So to shut down a
beast like the U.S. prison system is to shut down their economy – that
is, the very thing that’s bringing them money to keep the prisons open
is the very thing that can shut it down.
This just doesn’t begin and end with the prisoners. The prisoner has to
survive. He has to eat. So the people in the free world are going to
have to support the prisoner financially. Family, friends, advocate
organizations are all going to have to pitch in and support the prisoner
financially. That means to stop working we have to buy food to eat. To
stop using the phones and tablets, we need stamps, envelopes, paper and
pens to write letters that cost money. So the free world must understand
that for us to make these sacrifices, then society is going to have to
make sacrifices to assist us.
So Missouri prisoners, society (family, friends, organizations,
advocates, etc.), stop going about things the wrong way and do them like
they should be done in order to get results.
I go home next year on parole, but I do not leave my fight behind. There
is a bigger world out there, which means a lot more opportunities to
fight. I am going to find resources and seek out that they join me in my
quest to do away with this beast. I will need their support mentally,
physically, spiritually and above all, financially. With this, Comrades,
I hope to see you on the other side, working with me and supporting me
from the inside and outside.
In struggle–In solidarity Arm raised–clenched black fist
MIM(Prisons) responds: A lot of folks talk about how hard it is
to get people to unite behind bars. The prison controls everything from
day-to-day comfort to release dates. And that’s powerful incentive to
conform. Then they introduce drugs and other distractions to pacify the
population. They pay off snitches to keep an eye on activists. And they
lock organizers down in solitary confinement. Still, faced with all
these barriers, prisoners can and do come together to protest.
Conditions at Crossroads CC were bad enough to inspire this action. And
while the outcome wasn’t all positive, the class action lawsuit and
attention of the public has forced the Missouri DOC to admit that
prisoners are suffering significant restrictions due to short staffing.
The comrade criticizing this action for its lack of focus and random
acts of violence and destruction is right that often these sorts of
actions lead to more repression. Though peaceful protests are also often
met with increased repression. This debate over tactics in prison
protests is one that should be happening within all prisons across the
country. We hope the comrades at Crossroads will learn from this action
and move forward in greater unity towards future actions that will be
even more effective.
Focusing on the economics of prisons reveals the ridiculous scale of the
criminal injustice system. As the writer above notes, it would be a
significant financial loss to the state if they were forced to hire
non-prisoners for all the jobs prisoners are doing. And this is
financial leverage that prisoner workers can use to their advantage.
But to debate the value of this tactic we need to first be clear about
the scope of prisoner labor. The state of Missouri 2018 budget allocated
the Department of Corrections over $725 million. About the same as the
previous year, which was up $50 million from 2016.(1) The state would
have to allocate even more money if no prisoner labor could be used to
help run the prisons, or produce products that are sold to generate
revenue. But that prisoner labor is still a small part of the total cost
of running prisons.
As we showed from
data
collected from prisons across the United $tates, in general, losing
prisoner labor would add about 10% to the cost of running prisons.
Prisons are mostly subsidized by states’ budgets. The labor from
prisoners just doesn’t come close to covering that cost. So while there
is definitely economic power in those jobs, shutting down prison
industries won’t shut down prisons.
We don’t aim to just improve conditions. In the end we know the criminal
injustice system keeps taking away rights, doing what it can to make
prisons a place of suffering and complacency. But this protest showed
the people involved that they have the power to take collective action.
As the original writer notes, the prison can see their downfall in the
unity of the prisoners. This lesson of the importance and power of unity
is what will hopefully fuel ongoing organizing.
I am currently on close management (secured housing), a euphemism for
24/7 lockdown. My level was recently dropped to II, which means I now
have a cellmate. However, since there are more people in this dorm, I
have been able to spread some knowledge.
I am currently involved in a struggle against violations of prisoners’
rights in confinement. Although I don’t know much about civil law, I am
very resourceful and have found 2 non-profit law firms willing to help
Florida prisoners. I have begun, after being here since May, to draw a
lot of attention and have already been threatened with retaliation for
my grievances (in order to file lawsuits, “administrative remedies” must
be exhausted). However, I expected this, and take it as a signal that I
am doing good and hitting the right issues, such as not being allowed to
exit the cell for the specified “dayroom” time.
They are trying to keep the addicts addicted. It is easier to reach
people through face-to-face group studies or even individual studies. I
have been doing what I can to get some of the interested prisoners
involved in utilizing dialectical materialism. I have also been passing
around info on how to fight against the constant oppression. Oppression
is good for the oppressed. It is what motivates, and without it
complacency would be the norm.
I will be enclosing some more poetry for use in ULK. Also, the
issue of Under Lock & Key sent to me was rejected citing that
I already receive too many periodicals or publications. I am looking
into if there is indeed a set limit or if this is just a sorry excuse
for unwarranted censorship.
I’ve been sitting in my room and really, truly devoting myself to
studying the MIM Theory I received. I find myself aligning with
MIM on all of its issues and where they stand. I do have a question. It
is quite perplexing to me.
It seems to me that one of the biggest problems Maoists and other forms
of communism face all have a root in greed. The average human is not
inherently good and/or caring. Rather, their main objective in life is
to accumulate wealth to ensure a better life for them and hopefully
their immediate family. They do not have any feelings or true empathy
for those that do not have. So how do we solve this? I am new to this
movement, but am very intrigued by the veracity that is communism.
Expectantly awaiting.
MIM(Prisons) responds: In response to this question about greed
we ask another question: how do you know humyns are inherently greedy?
Sure, this is what we see today in the world around us. But capitalism
is built on a culture of greed and selfishness. It’s no surprise that
humyns raised in this culture, inundated with it from birth through
school, entertainment, and adult examples, will learn to be greedy and
individualist themselves. Further, capitalism rewards this individualism
with material wealth. There is little incentive or opportunity to be
selfless or generous.
But do we really have evidence that this is inherent in the humyn
species? When we look at the example of communist China during the
Cultural Revolution, so many people were engaging in tremendous acts of
selfless work while also actively fighting against reactionary culture.
We don’t have to look that far for examples of humyn selflessness. Even
under capitalism there are jobs that require greater sacrifice than they
offer reward, jobs that really help other people. Perhaps you could
argue that these are the few oddballs who didn’t get the “greed gene.”
But perhaps instead they represent what we all could be without
indoctrination in greed.
This writer argues that oppression is good for the oppressed because it
is what motivates. While we’d agree that oppression is a motivating
force, it’s still something we strive to eliminate because we believe
humyns can be motivated by striving for improvements for society without
facing constant oppression.