Let’s say you understand the basics of how capitalism works, and you’re convinced that organizing society around the maximization of private profit is a bad way to go about things, responsible for all kinds of unnecessary hardship and misery. And let’s say you also understand the basic thrust of socialism, and you’re convinced that society would be fairer and people would generally be happier if we moved toward a collective ownership model that didn’t rely on and encourage exploitation.

If this describes you and you haven’t yet joined a socialist organization, now is the time.

To paraphrase socialism’s chief philosopher Karl Marx, a lot of people have made valiant and fruitful efforts to interpret the world, but that isn’t the extent of the socialist project. Our objective is not just to analyze our conditions, but to transform them. The particular way we want to change society is to make it operate in the interests of the vast majority instead of a small privileged minority. In order to overcome the wealth and power currently possessed by the minority, the majority must consolidate. In other words, in order to make a real impact toward socialism, individuals need to link up with others and become organized.