How to organize people?

Socialist parties consistently hit a ceiling at around 10-15% of the vote in countries like Germany. The people who already understand democratic socialist or marxist ideas are already on board. But there's a vast pool of potential supporters who remain unreachable because they carry cold war era misconceptions that prevent them from distinguishing between authoritarian communist regimes and modern democratic socialism. They live in information bubbles that reinforce these biases. 

Current outreach tactics won't break through to these skeptics. Instead of handing them Marx or using heavy terminology, we need to meet them where they are, speaking in everyday language about their material concerns. When you focus on concrete economic issues that affect their daily lives, people naturally gravitate toward solutions that challenge capitalism, even if they don't initially recognize them as socialist.

The mistake many progressives make is thinking we need better "cultural appeal", cooler art, funnier memes, hipper music, or more appealing spiritual messaging. But culture is inherently divisive and subjective. What resonates with one person alienates another. When socialists get branded as just another cultural tribe with particular aesthetic tastes, we lose people before they even engage with the ideas.

Economic material conditions, however, are universal. Everyone deals with housing costs, healthcare expenses, job insecurity, and wage stagnation regardless of their cultural background. This shared experience is our most powerful organizing tool.

The goal should be mass education about materialism, helping people understand how economic forces shape their lives, while respecting their individual cultural and ideological preferences. Don't impose personal lifestyle choices or spiritual beliefs on the broader movement. People, especially conservatives, will see this as cultural imperialism and it becomes divisive rather than mobilizing.

We don't need "acid communism" for general outreach. We need a non sectarian materialist framework that speaks to common economic struggles while allowing people to maintain their personal identities. Save the niche cultural elements for those who are already part of that scene.

You don't have to hide being a socialist, but you do need to communicate without jargon. Break down complex theory into accessible, everyday language. Understand people's starting point and meet them there. Focus on shared material interests rather than cultural signifiers. Perhaps most importantly, once people enter the movement through shared material concerns, they may experience something profound, genuine solidarity and the recognition of humanity in others who initially seemed different. Through working together on concrete issues, there's at least a chance that conservatives might become less militantly opposed to liberal values, which are also universal socialist values, like anti-racism, feminism, LGBTQ+ rights, immigration solidarity, climate crisis urgency, and internationalism. When people collaborate toward common economic goals, the artificial divisions that once seemed impossible to bridge can begin to dissolve, replaced by mutual understanding born from shared struggle and cooperation. This approach requires clarity about principles while remaining strategically open. Socialist parties should never abandon their core commitments to their values. Instead, we can be honest with conservative working class people: "We're not going to compromise on our principles, but we have other things to offer you in economic areas where we share common ground. Even though we may not agree on social issues, this is your chance to join a solidarity movement instead of a reactionary one." "We know you might disagree with us on social issues. That’s okay. But you’re still being squeezed by landlords, corporations, and bosses. Why not fight together where our interests overlap, instead of letting elites divide us?". This framing acknowledges disagreement while extending an invitation based on shared material interests, potentially creating space for deeper understanding to develop over time.