Jonathan || Syndikat-A has just published the book ” We’d Rather Live as Aliens ” by “Comrade” Franz Heuholz. It reprints his series of articles on so-called “salting tourpism .” The book critically examines grassroots organizing, exploring the interplay between activism, resistance, and militancy, using a syndicate of the FAU (Free Workers’ Union) as a case study . Based on his own experiences, the book offers a valuable contribution to reflecting on the self-conceptions, goals, and problems of “activism.” In the foreword, Comrade Markus writes:
This text undertakes the highly ambitious attempt, based on a concrete experience of political activism, to examine the framework within which this activism appears meaningful. In this sense, it is worth reading for all those who harbor a discontent with both the current state of affairs and the left-wing scene, and with what the book affectionately refers to as “revolutionary live-action role-play” (p. 7).
It is also important to question the idealistic construct of a “New Class Politics,” which has been fetishized in “union-friendly” circles, as it itself represents an expression of cadre thinking and the distance between supposedly social-revolutionary intellectuals and their rank and file. This way of thinking obscures one’s own political and social position, which is unjustifiably masked by the assertion that a “revolutionary consciousness” exists. This consciousness is then supposed to be preserved in esoteric places, from where it is meant to diffuse into potentially revolutionary subjects—when the conditions for this were ripe; and in the Federal Republic of Germany, they never seem to be. Markus writes:
This book attempts to elucidate precisely the nature of this omission. It is not simply a matter of making a different decision. If we are to believe the writings of the iL (Independent List), the Antifa Critique and Class Struggle, or even the solidarity networks, they repeatedly intend to do more grassroots work and engage in more social struggles. At the same time, they all too often fall short of this goal in practice. It is precisely this failure that needs to be understood more precisely, instead of simply demanding yet another approach that pits the old ideals against the misguided practice. Instead, what is needed is an understanding of the shortcomings of this approach. For as long as these shortcomings remain uncomprehended, there is a risk of repeating them (p. 13).
In my view, a key problem here is that activism focuses on political logics, institutions, and processes. However “radical” political groups (even those who consider themselves trade unions) may consider themselves, this politicism ultimately remains superficial: it ostensibly promises success, but in reality, it doesn’t lead to the establishment of community centers, the creation of workplace groups, or the development of mutual support structures. This paper extensively reflects on the fact that even syndicalist practices don’t counteract this danger simply because they claim to be based on “genuine” practice.
Since I am not a union member or active in any trade union, I can only view this topic from an outsider’s perspective. Clearly, it’s a specialized debate not immediately accessible to outsiders. However, in this context, the critique of (anarchist-syndicalist) activism also provides a starting point for further developing anarchist thought in general. Furthermore, the book also presents strategic considerations – something that doesn’t happen particularly often in circles close to anarchism.
One aspect of service activism, as far as I can see, is not addressed by Franz Heuholtz: Engagement “for others” can also represent a legitimate attempt to process one’s own alienation and experience self-efficacy. Grassroots union activism does not offer comprehensive solutions for disorientation, lack of imagination, feelings of powerlessness, and exhaustion under declining liberal state capitalism – but at least it provides experience in engaging in struggles.
The book is divided into six main chapters: (B) Salting Tourists, (C) The ‘Spaceship’ of our General Syndicate, (D) Marginal Strengthening of Workers’ Militancy, (E) The Tendency of the Discipline Machine, (F) Back to the Herd, Shepherdess? and (G) Forward with Us? A Militant Detour. – In places, the book is a collage, insofar as it extensively quotes various texts from the anarcho-syndicalist debate.
Anyone who still wants to try salting should at least look into the experiences of those who jumped headlong into it. Heuholz writes:
Furthermore, all of us at Salt were beginners in the following areas: 1. Personal relationships and mutual trust, i.e., being on equal footing with colleagues. 2. Knowledge of our colleagues’ life realities and existential constraints. 3. Empathy for their needs, desires, and problems. 4. Understanding their necessary coping mechanisms at work and their existential dependence on the job. 5. Knowledge of the company, its hierarchies and workflows, as well as its weaknesses and pressure points. 6. Production intelligence, i.e., the knowledge and ability to keep things running smoothly. 7. Informal conflict experiences within the company. 8. Resilience at work and a certain degree of stubbornness. 9. Knowledge of realistic courses of action. 10. Experience with (absent) established unions within the company, in relation to addressing concrete workplace realities. 11. Getting used to the work itself and corresponding perseverance, as well as 12. an understanding of the internal lines of conflict, divisions, privileges and power relations (p. 34).
