No, an average person in the DSA believes in wayy more than any regular social democrat. I agree that they're not radical enough, but they're an enormous organization of people against the status quo and so many of them genuinely care, so it's no surprise that a huge part of current radicals are ex-DSA members.
The DSA is not a significant political force, much less the people that radicalize out of the DSA.
In August 2023, the organization claimed 77,575 members.[1] According to the finance data for the 2021 DSA convention, the organization collected $4.6 million in membership dues in 2020.[157] The DSA allows membership dues waivers for members who "may be experiencing financial problems right now".[158]
DSA membership in 2023 declined from 2021, when membership peaked at around 95,000 members
Even at their peak, 100k people is not a significant political force, nor what I would call an "enormous organization."
Enormous by socialist standards. The fact that they can have so many members in this day and age is commendable. A few decades ago any socialist thought being given an honest platform at all among the general population was a miracle.
The internet helped lots of uninformed populists radicalize each other, sadly.
We have different definitions of "enormous organization"
For the standards of leftists in the USA, they're massive.
No, an average person in the DSA believes in wayy more than any regular social democrat. I agree that they're not radical enough, but they're an enormous organization of people against the status quo and so many of them genuinely care, so it's no surprise that a huge part of current radicals are ex-DSA members.
The DSA is not a significant political force, much less the people that radicalize out of the DSA.
Even at their peak, 100k people is not a significant political force, nor what I would call an "enormous organization."
Enormous by socialist standards. The fact that they can have so many members in this day and age is commendable. A few decades ago any socialist thought being given an honest platform at all among the general population was a miracle.
The internet helped lots of uninformed populists radicalize each other, sadly.
We have different definitions of "enormous organization"
For the standards of leftists in the USA, they're massive.