🧵 Re: the American Communist Party (ACP)
In light of the recent high-profile resignations from two #AmericanCommunistParty Politburo members, I’d like to offer my own thorough critique of the ACP. I’ve kept these reflections privately on the back burner since I resigned, but now is the time to share them.
Real anti imperialists & those actually dangerous to empire don’t get funded by oligarchs, don’t promote Trump/Biden, are not highlighted in MSM & are not pushed by Elon’s algorithm. They’re censored, smeared, silenced. I’ll accept apologies in my inbox in the near future.
These women were among the ones speaking out & exposing this infiltrator. They got entirely smeared when they saw it & acted on it -just like they are now when trying to do the same with others. They actually live in these regions & risk their lives ground reporting-not grifting.
@lesuperburp And of course I'm not the only one. As you said, this is their go-to label for all critics. It's ACP's standard operating procedure to claim everyone who particularly disagrees with them is a fed.
@lesuperburp "Fed" was one of the first accusations the ACP used against me, a former member, leader, and Hero of the Party. They called me a fed in groupchats and Discord servers, on streams and Twitter — and they still do! These guys are not victims of anything but their own egos.
What does any of this have to do with Make America Healthy Again, combating chronic disease and childhood obesity, eliminating Big Pharma and Big Ag capture of US regulatory processes, ridding US food supply of toxic additives, and everything else we were told MAHA would do?
This is Hossam’s team, and we are sharing his final message :
“If you’re reading this, it means I have been killed—most likely targeted—by the Israeli occupation forces. When this all began, I was only 21 years old—a college student with dreams like anyone else. For past 18 months, I have dedicated every moment of my life to my people. I documented the horrors in northern Gaza minute by minute, determined to show the world the truth they tried to bury. I slept on pavements, in schools, in tents—anywhere I could. Each day was a battle for survival. I endured hunger for months, yet I never left my people’s side.
By God, I fulfilled my duty as a journalist. I risked everything to report the truth, and now, I am finally at rest—something I haven’t known in the past 18 months . I did all this because I believe in the Palestinian cause. I believe this land is ours, and it has been the highest honor of my life to die defending it and serving its people.
I ask you now: do not stop speaking about Gaza. Do not let the world look away. Keep fighting, keep telling our stories—until Palestine is free.”
— For the last time, Hossam Shabat, from northern Gaza.
Yeah, Jackson supporters love to claim that he appeals to "normie" Americans because he "looks" and "acts" the part. However, I've yet to see an analysis of who actually follows and boosts Jackson's posts, and Jackson himself hasn't stepped foot in his own country in a year. People are projecting explanations for Jackson's "success" to fulfill their own narratives instead of actually investigating the matter and gathering evidence.
Let me point out something I've not seen others mention: Jackson Hinkle is an influencer; he is a brand. He is not a typical journalist. He does not merely report on facts. His value is directly tied to his name, personality, and face. He set up his career, his business, to center on him. He states his opinions on developing situations, offers personal endorsements, and uses clickbait engagement.
This is a completely different way of operating than a standard journalist or analyst. Of course Hinkle centers all situations on him; that's his gig. And of course it rubs his colleagues the wrong way.
Furthermore, Hinkle's organizing capacity with the masses is nonexistent, again because his brand is exclusively about him. He is an individual with extensive international networks. No more, no less.
No one should be surprised that Hinkle is personally criticized, because that's exactly how he runs his business. Those who engage with Hinkle are welcome to do so, and they should understand what will come with it. 🤷♀️
Crazy to me to see Jackson Hinkle shunned so intensely professionally. I'm obviously no fan of his, but for colleagues to oppose you so much that they'll risk their public reputations to denounce you is quite telling, both about the people involved and how their field of journalism works.
This reminds me of the Rage Against the War Machine rally, and I asked Max Blumenthal then if Jackson's participation really provided so much of a benefit that it could compensate for the loss of nearly all Left support for the endeavor. Obviously Max never responded, and my question remains.
We haven't yet reached a degree of socialization where personal networks, nepotism, and clientelism don't predominate in international affairs and under capitalist economics in general. I'm glad that Jackson's critics are opposing him out loud now, instead of only using back channels to try to block his access. Frankly though, I don't think they'll be successful, because Jackson's success isn't organic.
For sure, Jackson is an influencer and commentator. Calling him a "journalist" at all is really pushing it, and therein lies some of the problem. Jackson rubs elbows with bona fide journalists at these events, who rely on their reporting to build a reputation. Hinkle, meanwhile, relies on clicks.
@BreeKB_ I think too many of us give hinkle too much credit because of who he meets.
Many journalists meet the people Hinkle meets, but they don't make a news story of those meetings like hinkle does.
to journalists, visiting yemen is about telling the truth, to hinkle, its a photoshoot
Absolutely. When Hinkle shakes hands with someone, it makes Hinkle look good, and, in exchange, Hinkle promotes the other person's positions. It's standard influencing, just taken to the political realm. Meanwhile, others have shaken those same hands, reported on the same events, and you'll never know their names.
And, of course, Hinkle's supporters can then get the false idea that Hinkle is uniquely influential, with special access, when he's really just vulgar about it.
no, you aren’t. Communists have historically understood the deep arrangement between the commercialization of women as sex objects in the superstructure and their double-exploitation within imperialist accumulation, so much so that China banned sexist advertisements.