Priyansh (@Privaricate) header
Priyansh (@Privaricate) profile picture

Doctoral candidate @UofT, writer, journalist. Co-host @EndofSportPod.

Joined May 2009
Photo by Priyansh (@Privaricate)Photo by Priyansh (@Privaricate)Photo by Priyansh (@Privaricate)Photo by Priyansh (@Privaricate)Photo by Priyansh (@Privaricate)Photo by Priyansh (@Privaricate)Photo by Priyansh (@Privaricate)Photo by Priyansh (@Privaricate)Photo by Priyansh (@Privaricate)Photo by Priyansh (@Privaricate)
Priyansh retweeted
'Dear Gyanesh Ji, presenting for your eyes only': AISA national president Neha Bora (@neha_aisa) shares a video of the gathering at Ramlila Maidan today
18
181
2
1,004
22,145
Today is the international dockworker day of action against war and genocide at 113 ports in 22 countries. A contact from Italy's Unione Sindacale di Base tells me, in that country alone, there are 100k demonstrators in the streets of Rome, 30k in Milan, 20k in Livorno.
1
150
5
464
12,620
Unnecessary statement on an insignificant matter. Neha's fault was delivering an unserious answer to a stupid question. Just because a few tweets go viral doesn't mean what was said becomes an important issue
Here is the entire video of the exchange, an incomplete version of which is being circulated to determine my views on Ambedkarite politics and anti-caste struggles. I hope you will listen to the entire section. Issuing a clarification because misrepresentation must never weaken the united fight. The question being asked was how come certain 'Ambedkarite' or other parties win elections when you don't when both of these are said to represent marginalised groups? Below is an attempt to explain my answer including the section which was omitted from the clip in circulation. -- Several bourgeois parties claim to be anti-caste, celebrate Ambedkar and even call themselves Ambedkarite. They invoke Ambedkar during election campaigns yet seldom do they seem to be working towards building movements on Ambedkarite principles or serve the interest of the socially marginalised. Rather, often they appear to be working with forces that are champions of the same casteist and Manuvadi system. This is also exactly why they will not take a stand for the implementation of UGC Equity Regulation or oppose EWS Reservations amongst others because taking an anti-caste stand on these issues would cost them their elections. I don’t see how electoral successes of such parties further the cause of the marginalised sections of society -- On the other hand, there are such parties/forces who actually strengthen the anti-caste politics by mobilising the marginalised into mass movements on the ground. They are sometimes even successful in causing breaks in history by tilting the social balance of power. In such moments, genuine representatives of anti-caste struggles get elected to the parliament who then use the institution to effectively empower the socially marginalised sections. -- Also, answering the question on the Left's performance in Parliamentary elections: I accept that the Left can do much better in this respect. But how do we define ‘better’? ‘Doing better’ is often interpreted as winning more seats in the parliamentary elections. But I strongly believe that being able to organise and mobilise the marginalised sections and working classes as a political force in mass movements on their own issues and achieving successes in those movements is where we need to do ‘better’. If the left does this better, electoral success that would actually be effective will follow. And, without such movements and mobilisations, no amount of electoral success will bring about any substantial change. In this sense, the contradiction today isn’t between the ‘left’ and ‘ambedkarites’ but between those who call themselves representatives of the marginalised or the working class but are singularly focussed on winning elections and those who give primacy to political movements and see electoral successes as just a part of it. That is why, on campuses and in society at large, we see the movement-oriented Ambedkarite and Left groups fighting together and organising mass movements and raising the slogan of Jai Bheem together. My aim in this message is to clarify my attempt to reflect upon the limitations of Left-Ambedkarite politics today and how those limitations are often wrongly conceived. Left and Ambedkarite political principles are foundational to my politics, and I don’t see either as contradictory or antagonistic and, hence, I had no intention to hold one as superior to the other. My reflections were those of an insider, and I would take all expressions of disagreement from our Ambedkarite-left comrades in the spirit of serious discussion.
6
786
Swedish academic Andreas Malm has been denied entry to the UK over his plans to appear on a panel alongside Palestine Action cofounder Huda Ammori because the gov't says his “presence in the UK is not considered to be conducive to the public good”. 🔗: aje.news/rvo1e1
85
594
79
1,063
107,042
‘Inquilab Zindabad’ Echoes Across Jamia as 18-Day Hunger Strike Ends, Administration Approves Revival of Students’ Union @thewire_in
10
246
16
1,156
30,349
I do think there is one very key thing posed in that Tomba essay and it’s that the relationship between impersonal domination/power and direct forms of coercion under capitalism have to be better understood, without recourse to notions of latter’s aberration or archaic status.
5
4
50
2,271
Fanfiction for the Atlantic readers
If Eisenkot and co show enough courage to cobble together a coalition with Arab-led parties, they'll be able to adopt a new social contract for Israel and integrate 20 percent of their citizenry in unprecedented ways. The new government will have new levels of good-faith in the region and able to expand a circle of peace with Arab neighbors. Arab members of the government can become emissaries to Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries. It will also be a PR coup for Israel and improves its image abroad.
1
117
I don't have strong feelings about Heinrich's work but this critique is resoundingly correct. Kudos to Tomba for writing this much-needed piece
2
159
Priyansh retweeted
Jamia students celebrate as 18 days of protests force the university to announce steps to restore the students’ union and revoke action against protesters.
44
8
213
2,932
There are levels to Spurs' influence in the world that other clubs can't even imagine
Replying to @ThiagoSussekind
c) Emails leaked to the press show that Flávio could control Alcazar’s bank account. The two are also caught up in a high-profile scandal: Richarlison, the Spurs striker, accuses them of stealing — through legal shenanigans — an island close to Rio that he bought six years ago.
2
256
Canada's unions passed a resolution calling on workers to refuse to handle weapons and military equipment destined for Israel. We stand with Palestinian workers in their fight for peace, justice, and respect for international law. canadianlabour.ca/clc-calls-…
120
1,021
69
3,364
90,287
From the Unite the Fights rally in Toronto. Indigenous land defenders and the Labour movement call to kill Carney's bill C-39. #killbillc39
5
31
1
91
1,792
This evening is the book launch for Chris Dixon's "For the Long Haul: How to Stay in the Fight for a Better World." Workers Action Centre at 6 pm. Should be good! @withmovements @readBTLbooks eventbrite.ca/e/for-the-long…
3
7
1,273
New OLF out now!
OLF #21 - Jalen Hurts, WNBA Scheduling, DII Football Deaths, and James Dolan is a Cop Join us for many rants on the above issues and more. open.spotify.com/episode/7I0…
97
Check out our Red October conference website! 🗓Friday Oct 30th through Nov 1st 📍Toronto Metropolitan University Student Centre in downtown Toronto. Full program and tickets now available! redoctober.ca/ – at Toronto, Ontario
8
1
12
2,241
💚Toronto benefit for GAZA WRITERS STILL UNDER SIEGE❤️ All proceeds support writers in Gaza. 🗓: Sunday, November 1, 4:30–7 PM 📍Gallery 44, 401 Richmond St W, #120 Readings and storytelling by: Nyla Matuk Gavin Barrett Sarah Abu-Sharar Yahya Al Hamarna (prerecorded). Tickets: tinyurl.com/4gazawriters Sliding-scale tickets $5-75. Please share widely! Insta post: instagram.com/p/Der8q9WBDis/
32
2
41
836
Priyansh retweeted
This is a dangerous trend: Celebrating social media as the real agent of democratic struggles; and using social media to amplify that framing. Let’s look at it from another angle: Would all this skillful use of social media have this big of an effect 1) if Lula were not already associated with the successful welfare programs of the 20002; 2) if PT, PSOL, the unions, and other mass movements did not have decades of organizational capacity and networks to translate these social media posts to power in the streets; and 3) if the government had not made promises regarding wages and working hours right after the disastrous first round? I worry that this framing will have a negative effect on struggles throughout the world. Many people will think that they can win against fascism just through social media campaigns, without putting decades of work into mass organization and class-conscious policymaking. They will think that AI dances of aloof leaders will accomplish as much. We should NEVER let capital obscure the fact that it is a worker who has paid MATERIAL prices throughout his life and secured MATERIAL gains for tens of millions of people whose digital dance created this affect. (And thanks to the stupid wing of capital, represented by the Bolsonaro family, for reminding us of how Lula lost his finger). Even in Brazil, this framing could have the deleterious result of reinforcing Lula’s/PT’s shift to the center: govern like a centrist party, then throw a good social media campaign plus a couple of promises that you should have already delivered years ago, and you’ll win! Well… That approach will allow even Brazil’s relatively weak far right to take over more of the congress and other centers of power. Smart use of social media is a must. But it is not replacement for mass organization, good policy, and ultimately changing property relations. If we allow the top brackets to further monopolize wealth, our social media victories will be but a glitch. Writing this to honor my flesh-and-blood friends in Brazil who occupied the streets EVERY DAY in the last three weeks to topple the wannabe dictator.
Lección brasileña: es la primera vez que la izquierda gana a la ultraderecha en el terreno de las redes. Ese es el territorio que cada vez va a definir más las contiendas electorales en la era la desinformación, la IA y la guerra cultural 👇
26
192
28
482
28,086
"Mostly diaspora" (expelled or exiled Palestinians) doing a lot of work here to cover for what is essentially a tantrum about browbeating critics into re-embraxinv Zionist Society, whose calculations have less than zero to do with Palestinian life, as the primary motor of change
I'm seeing folks on here—mostly diaspora—say things like, nothing to see in today's election. Genocide won't stop if Netanyahu goes, it might slow down a little to pacify intl pressure but not much will change. This sounds like hard-bitten realism. It actually gives despair.
2
22
2
119
2,638