The Party Line
What is The Party Line?
The Party Line is a set of shared political positions that allows The October Commons to remain unified in its educational and organizational work. All members are welcome to ask questions and learn, but by joining they agree not to debate or attempt to change the community's positions on these subjects.
What happens if you “Cross the Line”?
Crossing the line is considered a serious violation of the principles of this space. The Party Line as a document is binding to all members of the server just as much as the #rules and the #engagement-guidelines. Crossing the line will result in being given the @Gulag Detainee role, so that we can help achieve a correct understanding of whichever part of the line was crossed.
Updates to the Line
Updates made to the party line will be made here as Amendments going forward. You will be prompted to visit here from the #announcements channel. When an update is made, please take the time to familiarize yourself with the Updated Party Line.
Democratic Centralism
Democratic Centralism is a political framework where ideas are discussed internally and then once a final position has been agreed upon by a majority of the party, the entire party agrees to adopt those positions publicly. Even if they were positioned against them internally.
Democratic Centralization is key to a unified Party Front, and while The October Commons is NOT a Political Party, there are certain subjects we all agree not to debate. This is referred to as The Party Line, and all members are required to accept The Party Line upon entry as a way to ensure principled enagement in education and research.
On Sanctions and Collective Punishment
This Community understands that USA Sanctions are a form of Collective Punishment, and by joining you agree not to invent reality for sanctions, embargoes, or a blockade against any country including, but absolutely not limited to, Cuba, Venezuela, The DPRK, or Iran.
To read about how sanctions have effected Venezuela see:
Economic Sanctions as Collective Punishment: The Case of Venezuela
by Mark Weisbrot and Jeffrey Sachs
April 2019
On Palestine and the Settler Colonial Project
This Community supports in the complete liberation of Palestine and the complete dissolution of Israel, and by joining you agree not to invent reality for the false idea of “a two-state solution” or for any other promotion of the violent colonial settler project.
To read more about Palestinian Self-Determination see:
The Question of Palestine
by Edward W. Said
1992
On The Democratic People's Republic of Korea
This Community supports The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (commonly known as "North Korea"), and by joining you agree not to perpetuate misinformation or disinformation about The DPRK. You also agree to read the resource doc available if you are curious, as opposed to demanding information.
For a better understanding of the context of the Korean Peninsula see:
Everyday Life in the North Korean Revolution (1945-1950)
By Suzy Kim
2013
On Ukraine's War with Russia
This Community condemns the Anti-Russia campaign and recognizes it's genuine security concerns of NATO expansion in Ukraine, without endorsing every single military action Russia has ever taken or endorsing Putin in any specific way. & You agree to read the resource doc if you are curious.
For a better understanding of this ongoing conflict see:
Nazis in Ukraine: Seeing through the fog of the information war
Gabriel Rockhill
March 30, 2022
On Questioning Socialist Projects
This Community understands that the socialist projects of the 20th century (USSR, China, Cuba, Vietnam, DPRK, Laos) are genuine working-class attempts to break from capitalism and imperialism, and by joining you agree not to reduce them to “totalitarian” or question their status as socialist.
This is a document showing how many places that have experienced both Socialism and Capitalism actually prefer Socialism when asked:
Document organized by Madeline Pendleton
On Racism and National Oppression
This Community understands racism as a material tool used by the bourgeoisie to divide the working class and justify colonialism, imperialism, and exploitation. By joining you agree not to promote racial chauvinism, white supremacy, or liberal identity politics that separate the struggle against racism from the broader struggle against capitalism.
For a better understanding see:
Racism & police repression are the symptoms, capitalism is the disease, socialism is the cure
Party for Socialism and Liberation
May 31, 2020
On Sexism and Women's Liberation
This Community understands the oppression of women as inseparable from class society and recognizes women's liberation as an essential part of the socialist struggle. By joining you agree not to promote misogyny, patriarchal reaction, moral hypocrisy, or liberal feminism that substitutes petty-bourgeois individualism for collective working-class liberation.
For a better understanding see:
Can sexism be eliminated under capitalism?
Liberation School
February 1, 2008
On LGBTQIA+ Liberation
This Community understands LGBTQIA+ liberation as a question of human liberation under socialism, not as a consumer identity or moral issue. LGBTQIA+ identity should be understood as new ways of understanding love, sensuality, social relations between all people, but under Capitalism are used to push members of these communities into further precarity. By joining you agree not to promote homophobia, lesbophobia, biphobia, transphobia, queerphobia, or other forms of reactionary discrimination, while also recognizing that genuine gender and sexual liberation is achieved through the abolition of capitalism and the construction of socialism.
To understand the development of Gay Identity under Capitalism:
Capitalism and Gay Identity
John D'Emilio
1983
On Disability and Accessibility
This Community understands that Capitalism has developed disability into a working-class issue. All people will eventually experience disability, and the incredible majority of people are proletarian. We support building a movement that is accessible to people living with disabilities and recognizes that every member of the working class deserves dignity and full, independent, and participation in political life. By joining you agree not to demean, dismiss, or discriminate against disabled people or reduce disability of any kind to an insult to be wielded against our enemies.
For a better understanding see:
Abolishing disability accommodations: Part of the billionaire agenda
Jane Cutter
February 17, 2025
On Internationalism
This Community believes firmly in proletarian internationalism and understands that the working class has common interests across all borders and in all the capitalist nations, including the so-called “Social Democracies” that claim to have “solved the evils of Capitalism.” By joining you agree not to promote exceptionalism or support for imperialist intervention against sovereign nations. We recognize that the primary enemy of workers is the ruling class and that since the ruling class has no borders, neither can we.
For more understanding see:
Whose lessons? Which direction?
by Jodi Dean
December 19, 2022
On Ideology
This Community is ideologically Marxist-Leninist, this is not a multi-ideological community. By joining you agree to not challenge this ideology or attempt to join to debate us from your ideological preference.
For a brief introduction into our ideology see:
Marxist-Leninist Reading Hub
The Principles of Communism by Friedrich Engels
The Foundations of Leninism by Josef Stalin
Dialectical and Historical Materialism by Josef Stalin
Introduction to Political Economy by the Economic Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR
On The Party Line
The Party Line does not preclude the chance of amendments being made to it, nor does it preclude curiosity from within the Discord. Accepting The Party Line does not forbid questions, it forbids trying to change our minds as a server.
Engagement Guidelines
The October Commons is a Marxist-Leninist Server dedicated to research and learning. We do not have any by-laws banning Non-MLs, however Marxism-Leninism is the principle ideology of the server. This page is meant to supplement the server rules by outlining how we engage with one another.
Presented here is an abridged summary of the section headlines; for a more detailed description of the engagement guidelines, complete with examples, please see the #engagement-guidelines channel on the server.
- On Polemics for Political Discussion
- Stick to the point.
- Do not assume bad faith.
- Use sources.
- Respect "The Party Line".
- Avoid personal attacks.
- Comrades, context matters.
- On Zero Tolerance
- Hate speech, bigotry, or slurs. Of any kind.
- Racism, sexism, transphobia, homophobia, ableism, xenophobia.
- Harassment, doxxing, or threats, including unwanted DMs.
- Low-quality anti-communist content, or disparagement of Socialist Projects.
- Engaging in rumour production or drama farming, including sharing screenshots of the server elsewhere for negative purposes.
- Crossing The Party Line.
- Defense of Reactionaries and Fascists: It is to be understood that these ideologies are incompatible with Marxism-Leninism and defending these ideologies, their parties, or their personalities is intolerable.
- On resolving concerns with principle
- Ask for clarification first.
- Check the context.
- Be prepared to provide evidence.
- Be willing to reconsider.
- Do not DM moderators directly unless invited.
On Sharing Links
- Why We Have Rules About Links
This is a community dedicated to Marxist-Leninist research, education, and analysis. It requires principled engagement with the sources we are consuming. Dropping a link with no information provided whatsoever does not contribute to the positive development of our research or analysis.
Furthermore, this server has been targeted by bad faith actors. Various chauvinists, liberals, anarchists of several varieties, left communists, and reactionaries. These bad faith actors have attempted to engage in entryism, opportunism, and have attempted to disrupt this space.These rules exist to protect the integrity of this space and all of the members.
We have no problem with lurking, but if you are participating here, we ask for the rules to be followed and respected.
- Who Can Share Links
Members with the @Initiates role may only share links from the approved whitelist. This whitelist is maintained by the moderation team and is not open to public suggestion. Members with the @Comrades role may share links from any source, provided they follow the rules outlined below and are not in violation of other rules, engagement guidelines, or the party line.
- The Two Requirements for Sharing Links
Every link shared in the server must include two things, without exception, this includes files that operate similarly like .pdf or .txt files. If you have to click the post open, these requirements must be included. Yes, even in the meme channel. If you don't want to be limited by rule guidance in the meme channel, post the meme directly. There are no exceptions to where these rules are applied.
- The Context
You must tell us where the link leads and what it contains. This includes, but is not limited to, the platform, the type of content, the subject matter, and any relevant details that help someone decide whether to click the link. Do not assume the embed or link title will do this for you. Assume your link looks like a plain URL and nothing more.
- The Motivation
You must tell us why you are sharing the link. This includes, but is not limited to: Why is this relevant right now? What will people gain by clicking it? How is it relevant to ongoing conversation? What insight, analysis, or context does it provide?
Do not assume your motivation is obvious based on previous conversation.
- What happens if you break these rules?
You will be asked to provide the missing information, if no change has been made within a few minutes the link will be deleted & your role will be reduced to @Initiates if you are an Initiate and violate these rules it could result in being removed from the server.
On Fedposting
- What is fedposting?
Fedposting is anything posted online that shows conspiring or premeditated planning of criminal activity.
These statements spoken or typed can be used against the defendants by the Federal Government “Feds” in a criminal prosecution case. This includes hyperbole or statements made in jest such as "I would like these people to be hurt in Minecraft" or "I'm contemplating doing (illegal act)"
- We MUST have a zero tolerance policy on fedposting.
Fedposting poses such an extreme risk to both the server, as well as all members in it, that we must make examples out of those engaging in this dangerous and destructive behaviour. Language expressing the same content as fedposting while trying to get around censorship still cannot be allowed due to possible legal consequences. If you see someone engaging in fedposting as described above please do not respond to the poster and instead use #mod-mail to inform a mod of the activity.
- How can I avoid fedposting?
This is not all expansive or inclusive, but a start and guide to understanding fedposting better.
- Do not threaten violence, even hypothetically, jokingly, or through veiled language.
- Do not describe plans to commit acts that would be illegal where you or other members live. This includes property destruction, sabotage, or harm to persons or property.
- Do not ask others for help planning, funding, or executing illegal actions.
- Keep revolutionary theory separate from operational talk. Discussing the historical necessity of revolution is fine. Discussing how you personally would carry out an act is not.
- When in doubt, leave it out.
