[RSCT] Revolution Online Resources for Teachers

[Ben Rosen]

Hey all,

Wanted to bring to your attention 2 important and unique new resources  
for all us educators looking to help our students explore, understand,  
and uproot the systemic injustices in our world today...Also wonder  
what teachers think about these resources.

1) www.revolutiontalk.net now makes available online the full DVD (4  
discs) "Revolution: Why It's Necessary, Why It's Possible, What It's  
All About" a film of a talk by Bob Avakian. It is a comprehensive talk  
that could serve as a powerful teaching tool. It contains a heavy  
opening on the history of racism/Jim Crow in this country (see:  
"They're selling postcards of the hanging"); tracks like, "what is  
capitalism?" "Why do people come here from all over the world?" "A  
history of genocide and war crimes" "A lopsided imperialist world"  
"the 'voting trap' under capitalism"; and others that point the way  
towards a re-envisioning of revolution and communism to get beyond  
capitalism. (ie. "carrying forward the revolution under socialism,"  
"valuing dissent in socialist society," "It's not 'make them suffer  
like we did'", "isn't the problem 'human nature'", "Imagine..a new  
society" etc.). * vimeo.com/revolutiontalk allows you to link directly  
to these tracks.

Quick Lesson Idea (related to Obama's speech to students): Check out  
the clip, "Youth deserve a better future" (1 of 4 made available on  
youtube) and have students compare/contrast that to Obama's message to  
students, which calls on the them to take more responsibility for  
their future. What do the respective speakers see as the problem? and  
the solution? How do you see things? Where, how, and with whom does  
responsibility lie?

2) Revolution Newspaper has just printed a special issue for high  
school and middle school students (available in Spanish and English):  
"Actually... We Can Change the World... The Revolution is Real."

This unique issue takes on the lies and confusion, often taught in  
schools, about communism; getting into just what sort of future this  
society has for the youth; and speaking to a whole new world that is  
possible through communist revolution.  It includes an editorial with  
that as the main message, a piece from Bob Avakian "Imagine... a new  
society," a first hand account from a youth of getting out of JROTC, a  
series of letters on the dangerous morality of Twilight, a first hand  
account from a youth on breaking with religion and more.

Quick Lesson Ideas:
*Use the "Imagine" piece (also available as youtube clip) to discuss  
'mental chains' put on us. Is there a real 'natural order of things'?  
How is what we see as tolerable/intolerable related to what we see as  
possible/impossible?
*Using the 'Twilight' piece as an example, have students assess the  
morality of another contemporary literary piece, and write their own  
'intervention' into it.

As you know, there are many teachers who are agonizing about the  
current political climate among their students and this is exactly  
what this issue is seeking to transform.  This needs to get into the  
hands of many, many thousands of youth in schools across the U.S. and  
you can make a big difference in helping get it out to progressive  
teachers.

***If you have any feedback/questions/suggestions, people can  
obviously discuss on this list, but the film/newspaper is also looking  
to get teacher thoughts at info at revolutiontalk.net ***

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