During a newspaper sale at the Scarborough Town Centre, I approached a middle-aged lady and asked, “Do you have a minute to discuss politics?” She replied that she was busy but could spare five minutes for our elevator pitch. We didn’t anticipate how those five minutes would stretch into twenty, as we ended up walking her through our entire platform—especially the feature on the trade war highlighted on the back page of our newspaper.
She asked curious and insightful questions about our stances on the trade war, poverty, immigration, and LGBTQ rights. She was incredibly impressed by the thoroughness of our newspaper and the well-researched responses of our comrades. As I was billing her for the newspaper, I casually asked what her impression of communism had been before our interaction.
“I have always been dead against communism,” she said. “But you have successfully piqued my interest,” she added. I was amazed to learn how someone who is “dead against communism” could be won over through a meaningful conversation that effectively communicates our ideas to those who are open and curious. As she walked away, she also wished us all the best on our campaign to become a party of 1,000 members. “You are already quite close,” she said.
–Rahi A., Scarborough
