My unexpected journey stemming from a simple YouTube video.
In the late hours of the night I came across a video, posted below. It is a Sovietwave music mix, titled “Our Dream, Our Future.” The music is derived from old 1980’s Soviet synthwave. It is described as “retro-futuristic” and melancholic in nature, as it gives the distinct sense of the hope for a future that never was. The imagery of the video shows a Soviet-esque futuristic depiction of an imagined life under socialism, a collective society working for the betterment of all, and literally achieving the stars. I was enjoying the combined sense of sadness for what was once imagined that hasn’t materialized, and the yearning to attain it still. Then I read the comments.
Showing up in droves were comrades from around the world, identifying the same feelings, and posting in solidarity. This gave me a profound and renewed sense of solidarity and hope. This simple compilation of music and imagery, stumbled upon in the night, brought out so much in so many people. They feel the ever-present alienation that capitalism instills in us all, and we must recognize our material conditions for what they are, products of the domination of capital, while holding fast with the belief that we can bring to fruition a better world. Gramsci summarized this well in saying, “pessimism of the intellect, optimism of the will.” In the video, one commenter laid out their similar feelings as well in saying, “all of those beautiful sovietwave photos and concept art make me cry, because they are a future i will never witness. I can only hope i can fight to achieve it, so my sons, or the sons of my sons, will see it as i dream it today.”
The attainment of socialism is an imperative necessity if we genuinely seek to achieve a collective future that isn’t just a caricature of a Black Mirror episode, some dark dystopian corporate-dominated hellscape that no one, save for the most grotesquely wealthy, truly wants. The socialist collective dream of a better future, and the possibilities for all therein, can still happen, it must still happen, for it is the only scenario where we can all enjoy luxury, peace, and exploration of the very stars themselves. It all starts by joining a socialist organization, creating socialist content, sharing your own story, organizing your friends, family and neighbors, and/or reading the theory and history of the struggle. Engaging in meaningful class struggle, in pursuit of this ambition, is worthwhile in and of itself. It is a life worth living, and a future worth every effort.
This is the future, comrades. It has only been delayed. Never lose hope that our collective dream will become reality. Revolutionary optimism is a powerful thing, far more powerful than any bourgeois propaganda could ever hope be, for revolutionary optimism is hope itself integrated with the collective action of a movement. It is unstoppable, if we can hold true to these principles, and unite under the red banner for democratic control over the means of production. The future belongs to the working class, and we must strive and struggle to attain it, always.
If you enjoyed this article, please consider donating to Left Struggle to support this work.
Left Struggle 