chat

I say it's a bad read because I have been told over and over again on many sites that WITBD is this revelatory text that will explain, well, what is to be done, refute any other left tendency and is THE ML text.

this is of course dogmatic and incorrect stance

That attitude that reading theory is supposed to be this huge task and will somehow cause a huge breakthrough for whoever reads it sounds more like religious proselytizing than a serious political movement.

again, i think this is incorrect. i dont subscribe to this opinion. reading theory allows us to better understand the struggle for socialism, experiences of the past, recognise patterns / changes / constants. this is what the science of dialectical materialism is about.

I was expecting a scathing takedown of everything Capitalism stands for, railing against the oligarchs and telling me exactly what should happen to the people who literally allow shit in the lettuce to cut costs! I wanted a catharsis, not another lecture!

if you approach every text like its supposed to be a revelation, of course you will be frustrated. but then isnt the issue your own attitude? without revolutionary theory you will never build a revolutionary movement

Then the big crux of the text: start an independent vanguard party. OK, neat. Big "this could have been one-page" vibes.

it is not a one-pager because that is not the only point of the text. Lenin also argues against Economism / right-opportunism within the left. Recognising right-opportunism is an essential skill for a party.