Cultic Studies Journal, Vol. 9, No. 1, 1992, Page 16
freedom. Ruthlessness is kindness. Change yourself to fit the mold or be banished to the
selfish fate of the rest of the world.
Doreen Baxter on Transformation:
If we should see in our midst a comrade who is arrogant, commandist, manipulative,
and dishonest, we will no doubt also see that person respond to criticism with
counterattack, trickery, or phony submission. In these cases where remolding has
proved not to be genuine, we see an individual who is refusing to change. Then our
only recourse is to combat liberalism, to be utterly unmerciful. It is our duty at those
times to expose the clever pretender as one who will wreck our work and eventually
our organization, as an agent of the bourgeoisie in our midst.
Those who act out pitiful submission (often complete with tears) only want to make
their comrades feel sorry for them. Do not be taken in by crocodile tears and fancy
fakery! We know from hard experience that if there is any hope for the bourgeois
individualist to remold, it is we who must be positively unrelenting in our criticism and
in our attitude toward that person. Only then can the comrade hope to show him- or
herself worthy of being among us, of being a communist.
Those who do not change should be expelled. Our role is not to be therapists, not to
be parents, and certainly not to be fools. We are sincere communists with time only
for those comrades who are equally sincere, honest, and devoted to the cause of the
people’s liberation first and foremost. Never lose sight of the fact that the bourgeois
individualist is dangerous. Here is a person who despises others, hates those whom
he or she cannot use and manipulate --and here is a person who is a prime target
for recruitment as an agent of the State, an informer, and a provocateur.
Our change must be truly genuine. That is, to change our class standpoint and our
subjective consciousness. We cannot function any other way. It is the only correct
method of operating, of bringing change to the world around us, to the people. We
must look inside ourselves to root out those things that make us want to follow
someone who is more powerful. At the same time, nothing is more important than
freedom of initiative, responsibility, and creativity --within the bounds of necessity.
Nothing should ever be done outside of the discipline of the organization. We must
recognize that it is envy, resentment, mistrustfulness, and me-firstism that cause one
to be passive. And that passivity is the worst kind of subtle undermining of
leadership.
Doreen Baxter on Criticism/Self-Criticism:
Giving and taking criticism is the very essence of our cadre development. Constant
use of criticism and self-criticism is absolutely crucial to the existence of our
organization. It is an expression of honesty, faith, trust, and commitment.
Criticism and self-criticism is meant to show our belief in our commitment and our
faith in one another. Criticism is for our own political development and for our political
work it is NEVER psychotherapy of any kind. We do not indulge faults, we rectify
them we do not justify errors, we over-come them. Ours is a hard calling and a stern
discipline: it is also liberation.
We know how difficult it is to change ourselves. It can only be done by means of each
comrade’s constructive aid in struggling with oneself and with each and every other
comrade. To criticize is to construct. To criticize harshly is to construct an
organization that will not be torn down --or torn apart. Criticism is our only path to
the future.
Doreen Baxter on Discipline and Cooperation:
freedom. Ruthlessness is kindness. Change yourself to fit the mold or be banished to the
selfish fate of the rest of the world.
Doreen Baxter on Transformation:
If we should see in our midst a comrade who is arrogant, commandist, manipulative,
and dishonest, we will no doubt also see that person respond to criticism with
counterattack, trickery, or phony submission. In these cases where remolding has
proved not to be genuine, we see an individual who is refusing to change. Then our
only recourse is to combat liberalism, to be utterly unmerciful. It is our duty at those
times to expose the clever pretender as one who will wreck our work and eventually
our organization, as an agent of the bourgeoisie in our midst.
Those who act out pitiful submission (often complete with tears) only want to make
their comrades feel sorry for them. Do not be taken in by crocodile tears and fancy
fakery! We know from hard experience that if there is any hope for the bourgeois
individualist to remold, it is we who must be positively unrelenting in our criticism and
in our attitude toward that person. Only then can the comrade hope to show him- or
herself worthy of being among us, of being a communist.
Those who do not change should be expelled. Our role is not to be therapists, not to
be parents, and certainly not to be fools. We are sincere communists with time only
for those comrades who are equally sincere, honest, and devoted to the cause of the
people’s liberation first and foremost. Never lose sight of the fact that the bourgeois
individualist is dangerous. Here is a person who despises others, hates those whom
he or she cannot use and manipulate --and here is a person who is a prime target
for recruitment as an agent of the State, an informer, and a provocateur.
Our change must be truly genuine. That is, to change our class standpoint and our
subjective consciousness. We cannot function any other way. It is the only correct
method of operating, of bringing change to the world around us, to the people. We
must look inside ourselves to root out those things that make us want to follow
someone who is more powerful. At the same time, nothing is more important than
freedom of initiative, responsibility, and creativity --within the bounds of necessity.
Nothing should ever be done outside of the discipline of the organization. We must
recognize that it is envy, resentment, mistrustfulness, and me-firstism that cause one
to be passive. And that passivity is the worst kind of subtle undermining of
leadership.
Doreen Baxter on Criticism/Self-Criticism:
Giving and taking criticism is the very essence of our cadre development. Constant
use of criticism and self-criticism is absolutely crucial to the existence of our
organization. It is an expression of honesty, faith, trust, and commitment.
Criticism and self-criticism is meant to show our belief in our commitment and our
faith in one another. Criticism is for our own political development and for our political
work it is NEVER psychotherapy of any kind. We do not indulge faults, we rectify
them we do not justify errors, we over-come them. Ours is a hard calling and a stern
discipline: it is also liberation.
We know how difficult it is to change ourselves. It can only be done by means of each
comrade’s constructive aid in struggling with oneself and with each and every other
comrade. To criticize is to construct. To criticize harshly is to construct an
organization that will not be torn down --or torn apart. Criticism is our only path to
the future.
Doreen Baxter on Discipline and Cooperation:
