They’re Out In Left Field Young Socialists Hope To Appeal To ‘Working People’

Overthrowing capitalism takes a lot of work these days.

Strikes, protests, spreading the Marxist word - it’s an exhausting job for any revolutionary.

Take it from Wil Elder, a member of Spokane’s Young Socialists.

On a snowy Friday night in downtown Spokane, the 17-year-old stood on a street corner with his comrades - passing out fliers, answering questions, selling books by Lenin, Malcolm X, Che Guevara.

Despite the occasional stares, dirty looks, and comments that included “I’m a Nazi,” they managed a conversation with six high school kids and a 40-something woman who advised them to get a college degree.

“We’re here for working people,” Elder said. “Capitalism doesn’t work for them.”

Known as the youth arm of the international Socialist Workers Party, the Young Socialists started in 1994 and has 70 members worldwide - six of them here in Spokane.

On the surface, local members are no different from other teens - they smoke, skip a class or two, listen to blues, rap, Jimi Hendrix.

Get them talking, however, and they sound more like aging college professors.

“I’ve always thought oppression was a bad thing,” Elder said one recent morning - his tired, pale face hovering over a half-order of hash browns. “Socialism is a more humane, fair and efficient way to fulfill people’s needs.”

Between gulps of coffee at a Spokane diner, he taught his condensed version of Socialism 101: “This is the petty bourgeoisie,” he said, displaying a pack of cigarettes. “They control 80 percent of the world’s wealth.”

“And this,” he added, dropping the smokes and pointing to the table, “is the working class of the world.”

Elder, who visited Cuba last year, started organizing the group three years ago after attending a Radical Philosophers’ Convention in Des Moines, Iowa.

He was 14 at the time and accompanied by his stepfather, a Gonzaga University philosophy professor who got him hooked on Marx when Elder was in the sixth grade.

After talking with members of the Socialist Workers Party at the convention, Elder returned to Spokane and became more open about his leftist leanings.

Since then, he’s persuaded five others to join the Young Socialists. They’re all 19 or under and have spent much of their adolescent life in Spokane. Although three briefly attended private school through work-study programs, they all were raised in poor or middle-class families, they say. Most have completed their GEDs and all but one member still lives with parents.

“When you come from a poor family or have homeless friends, you realize that the current system isn’t working,” said 17-year-old Patrick Jay, who works at McDonald’s. “Socialism is the only way.”

In many ways, the Young Socialists have much in common with other activists: they oppose racism, sexism and homophobia; they defend affirmative action and equal rights for immigrants; they join protests against the death penalty and destruction of the environment.

What makes them different, however, is their disdain of capitalism - the free-market system they equate to “imperialism.”

“None of us would dare to own our own businesses,” said Brandon Greenwood, 17, and a student at Spokane Community College. “We all have to be industrial workers.”

Socialism to these teens isn’t just a political system; it’s also a life philosophy.

Besides passing out fliers downtown and at the community colleges, they conduct food drives for the homeless and sponsor forums focusing on Native Americans’ rights and other issues.

They also bring their socialist ideals into their own homes. At Elder’s house, for instance, “domestic labor” is divided equally between all family members. Greenwood, an avid guitar player, has set his personal ambitions aside to put his energy toward educating people about socialism.

“I’d love to be a professional musician,” said Greenwood, who’s rarely seen without a red and gold Lenin pin on his cap. “But playing music won’t change the world.”

Despite the recent downfall of Communist governments worldwide, the Young Socialists still insist socialism can become a reality. Elder points to the 1987 stock market crash, cuts in welfare and other examples as signs of capitalism’s deterioration.

Spokane, however, hasn’t exactly embraced their ideas.

Last year, Elder and Greenwood were questioned by police for selling copies of “The Militant,” the international Marxist newspaper, on the picket lines of a strike at the Spokane Boeing plant.

They’re often called names whenever they pass out fliers. People from both sides of the political spectrum have referred to them as “weirdos,” “crazy kids” and “wacko leftists.”

Although bigger cities such as Seattle and Portland probably would be more receptive to their message, Elder views Spokane as a “working-class town,” one that eventually would be sympathetic to their views.

“The industrial worker is responsive to our message,” Elder said. “But not the petty bourgeoisie, of course. Some of the South Hillers just don’t get it.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color photo

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: GAY RIGHTS “Homophobia and Capitalism,” speeches on the rights of gay and lesbian workers will be presented by the Young Socialists Friday Jan. 24 from 7 to 9 p.m. at Gonzaga University’s Administration Building Room 131. Admission is $3 and $1 for students. The group also will discuss the principles of the gay rights movement from a revolutionary perspective. For more information, call 489-4403.