Revolutionary Optimism

They got the guns but we got the numbers

Morning Comrades.

As the superficially apparent contradictions of reality here in the “free, democratic West” become clearer by the day I am increasingly drawn to both Gramsci’s and Luxemburg’s notions of revolutionary optimism they created during the harshest periods of their times, over a hundred years ago when, respectively, their work was crushed and they were jailed and killed by the fascist henchmen of capitalism.

It is one of the often unspoken realities of us hospitality workers that aside from the labour that we get paid to do, we, more often than not unwillingly and definitely unpaid, provide a significant amount of emotional labour to our guests - by creating spaces where they feel comfortable, seen and safe. Obviously, I cannot speak for everyone in this line of work but that is what I do, happily, and over the last few years in these spaces I more often than not have conversations with guests and friends that revolve around their, again, superficial pessimism and shock at the realities we are faced with in our existence. From the dawning understandings that, no, we are not free, no we do not exist in a democracy and that yes, everything, our ideology, comfort, our entire existence is based on the most violent exploitation of everything for the material benefit of a select few, that too often leads to resignation and hopelessness.

And I get it. It would be misleading to say I am immune to it all and a significant amount of my energy is used up to not feel that way. As I am getting older though, and the experiences of the past 5 years, specifically, the arch from the Covid Pandemic to the Genocide in Palestine, these seemingly uncountable constant examples of their brutality have, if anything, sharpened my own coldness, clarity when it comes to the reality they enforce. This is not to say I am indifferent to the naked violence at play, on the contrary, but I have stopped wasting energy feigning any emotion other than an every increasing commitment to stopping them.

Again, I get it, the cultural indoctrination of our lifetime to believe that our rulers are benevolent is immense and precisely the foundation upon which they can and are continuing with their oppression. They, and the entire system, relies on the fact that we can voice our indignation, but that’s where the proverbial buck stops. The moment you act upon the logical conclusion that, indeed, your worst imaginable enemy is exactly who rules you, you will face the full weight of their power. Having tasted just a fraction of this over the last 30 years has been enough of a warning to me to even be careful with my words here.

Yet, for us to move forward, to shake off defeatism we have to acknowledge that indeed, this is precisely who they are. They, being the ruling classes of our “free, democratic, western gardens” and This being: that we exist and are ( most unwilling, I am fully aware of the amount of no backbone bootlicking bastards out there ) participants in a most violent, destructive reality that enforces its greed through manufactured racism, utilised by fascism that is then sugarcoated my a media construct so immense and powerful that we still believe “we are the good guys”. They are not.

Far be it for me to suggest a binary of good and evil, I’ll leave that Marvel and Co., yet coming to the understanding that indeed we are ruled by the most evil imaginable helps shake up the believe that their enforced reality is reformable, let alone worth saving. The most brilliant and equally cold, yet inspiring reality of Gramsci’s “Pessimism of the intellect, optimism of the will” was, is and will remain of the core foundations of my existence and I can only recommend it for everyone else, as I do, daily.

Hoping for meaningful change within the capitalist hierarchy is futile, as the system is fundamentally designed to maintain the power and privilege of the few at the expense of the many. Gramsci's and Luxemburg's revolutionary optimism offers a path forward—one that rejects the false promises of reform and instead focuses on building a new, just society through revolutionary struggle. It is only by dismantling the current system and constructing a new one based on solidarity, equality, and justice that we can overcome the horrors of racism, fascism, and exploitation that define the capitalist order.

Gramsci's and Luxemburg's revolutionary optimism reflects a deep belief in the potential for social transformation through the agency of the working class. Both thinkers, though different in their approaches, shared an unwavering faith in the inevitability of revolution and the capacity of the proletariat to bring about radical change.

Gramsci believed that while intellectual analysis might reveal the overwhelming power of the status quo, the revolutionary will to change must remain unshaken. This optimism is rooted in his faith in the working class’s ability to develop a counter-hegemony, challenging and ultimately overthrowing bourgeois dominance. He wrote:

"The challenge of modernity is to live without illusions and without becoming disillusioned."

This reflects his belief that while the struggle would be long and difficult, it was ultimately winnable through the persistence and resilience of the working class.

Luxemburg's revolutionary optimism was deeply intertwined with her belief in the spontaneity of the masses and the importance of democratic participation in the revolutionary process.

Luxemburg critiqued those who sought to impose strict, top-down control over the revolutionary movement, arguing instead that true social change could only come from the self-directed action of the working class. Her optimism was rooted in the belief that the proletariat would, through struggle and experience, come to recognize its own power and create a new society. In her work "Reform or Revolution," she asserts:

"The masses are in reality their own leaders, dialectically creating their own development process."

This quote reflects her belief that the revolutionary potential lies within the masses themselves, and that their actions, born out of necessity and experience, would inevitably lead to the overthrow of capitalism.

Both shared a common optimism—a belief that despite the challenges and setbacks, the working class would ultimately triumph in its struggle against capitalism.

To be absolutely clear, I, too, get angry, frustrated, overwhelmed, sad and defeatist at times, it would worrying if I and we did not, the point being though is this: be steady, clear and concise in knowing what and who they are and even cleared in your indication that they are responsible for it all. On the same hand, remain clear and optimistic that this man-made hell is exactly “just” that, man-made and thus just as easily unmade and remade. Freeing oneself from the metaphysical of their hope, their playground, their reality is key to maintaining the strength and spirit to carry this revolution forward.

Yours, warmly,

V.