The "Great Man Theory"

Let us not forget that revolutions are accomplished through people, although they be nameless. Materialism does not ignore the feeling, thinking, and acting man, but explains him.
Leon Trotsky

Two observations before we begin:
First: I will speak about an existing theory and will refer to it by its name, but I also recognize the damaging effects of the patriarchy and will speak on that in the near future, I'm sure, and
Second: Bold of me to start this piece, embellished by a great mosaic in honour of Ilyich, with a quote from one of the most infamous members of his party, accused to have been backed by anti-Soviet forces, having lived in a mansion in Türkiye, before ending his days in Mexico, where he would find himself with an ice-pick inside his head.

Okay, let me give you a lot of context for what I am about to speak here, which picks up on a lot of what I have been saying through my more creative pieces, and my essays on idealism and materialism. I currently exist as a settler on the land formerly primarily inhabited by the Anishinaabe, known as Turtle Island. So-Called Canada, after being forcefully and brutally occupied by the British Empire.

My Material reality places me in a time of turmoil, and the enjoyment* of late-stage capitalism, where workers, of which I am one, enjoy the perks of having to do work or face homelessness, prison, illness, etc. and also a time in which that hard-earned democracy of ours that we have taken for granted, is nothing else but a tool for the oligarchs to dictate who gets to manage their policies for the next few years and see how those can be exploited in order for the wealth to trickle [up] to its rightful owners. But enough of that, cynicism isn't going to take us anywhere.

Within that reality, there exists a political party that at some point aimed to represent the working class in the country, but has since been decimated by itself in multiple ways, and perhaps with strong external collaboration from the parties that actually enjoy the corporate funding. The New Democratic Party of Canada, known as the NDP, has the fortune of representing the actual working class and building collective power.

I didn't join the NDP because I liked them, but because they were my only choice based on principle, and as I got deeper into knowing how the party operated, I wanted to become more involved in the actual workings. And even though that description might be a tad generous as the party barely works as is, I decided, along with many friends and dedicated people, that change was necessary.

The NDP is currently undergoing a Federal Leadership change, and there are a few people with a chance of becoming the new leader of the party, and just like with any community, internal debate always has different groups, with different interests, who resonate with one candidate or other depending on what their values are, and what is important to them.

Jagmeet Singh after winning during the 2017 leadership race.

I have privately communicated with some group members about who I personally will be supporting, and even though I am currently volunteering with their campaign, I have chosen to not bring that specific conversation with the group at large in an effort to maintain myself open to possible changes in circumstances, as well as with a broader mission to not divide within our already smaller collective, and instead focus on talking to everyday people in my neighbourhood, at work, at third spaces, etc.

A big point of discussion that is constant from my commentary, has to do with the fact that no matter who gets elected, it is us, the organizers, who have to put our boots on the ground and talk to people, join them where they're at, talk to them and move the party to solve their issues, rather than expecting whatever new charismatic person to come out and say something out on TV. The term "grassroots" is utilized a lot, but if we externalize it and don't understand what it means, we might as well not do anything and go home without the prize.

This is why the "Great Man Theory" comes to mind. In modern times we have been convinced that it takes a great person, a hero, to come and save us by saying the right things, making the right moves, etc. and while this sounds good in theory, in practice it is all sorts of wrong. There has never been a "Great Person" without the material conditions. Had Lenin not being born, the material conditions for the Bolshevik revolution would still have been there, and someone else would have taken it upon themselves to say the things that sparked the flames of the October Revolution, it would perhaps have been a September Revolution, or a November one. Point is, history is not a single moment, but a collection of smaller moments through time, not all related to each other, but all leading towards an event.

The NDP specifically pedestals Jack Layton, and wile I agree that he was indeed a charismatic individual, it is impossible for me to ignore that it wasn't just him, but instead that the material conditions at the time allowed for someone like him and with his values to rise up within the party; and if Jack hadn't been there, the main issues he stood against were very much still there, and someone else would have taken the chance to use their voice. Jack did what he needed to do, and he surrounded himself with strong people who supported and amplified him.

I'd argue that Layton would have a much more difficult chance of running if he were alive today, because the material conditions of the world are dramatically different from 20+ years ago, we have a world that is fighting for its very own existence, where capital is making us fight one another violently removing the focus from themselves, and with that, no matter who we elect this time around, listening to the majority will still have to come first. No one is coming to save us.

We tend to think of people like Lenin, Fidel, Guevara, Mao, Sankara, Allende, or indeed in a different context, Layton, as single individuals who did something great and took on an entire nation or party, when it has been proven throughout history that none of them would have been able to do anything if the conditions had been different, and definitely not on their own.

Fidel and Guevara wouldn't have been able to convince the people of Cuba to join a revolution had their conditions not been desperate enough that a revolution seemed to be the only viable solution to end the brutal, US Backed, dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista. The Bolshevik Revolution wouldn't have happened if the people from the soviets had been comfortably living under their current conditions, etc.

And as such, regardless of who gets elected as leader of the NDP, it is our responsibility, mine and yours, to speak to those who have been convinced to lack interest, and spreading the word that not only is the NDP the only viable party for the workers, but also that we can only find our strength in community. So this time around, I invite you to talk to your friends, family, coworkers, and get political, face the fear of a forbidden conversation and keep a finger on the pulse of those close to you!

If you agree with what I have to say, say hi! email me at [email protected] and let's work together. I am a strong believer that the system can only fall if we take it down. So you and I both have to push harder!

*Turns out I'm not enjoying it at all, this is categorically false.